They Say / I Blog

Working and Dreaming: Washington Post checks in on the American Dream

Neither statistics nor assorted interviews can give a complete picture, but the image they’re sketching isn’t pretty. Washington Post staff writers Carol Morello and Peyton Craighill, along with research analyst Scott Clement, used both methods to present an up-to-date portrait of the current state of the American Dream. Their report was published in the paper in September 2013.

Read it here: Morello, Craighill, and Clement, "More people express uncertainty in chance to achieve the American Dream”

 

Still Deferred: Stewart Lansley on the American Dream

It’s hard to let go of the American Dream; in fact, nobody does. Nevertheless, few people would disagree with the observation that the Dream is much harder to achieve than it used to be. There is plenty of debate, however, about what is causing the obstacles and delays. Economist and financial journalist Stewart Lansley examines the problem in a May 2013 article in the LA Review of Books.

Read it here: Lansley, "The Hourglass Society"

Still Dreaming?: David Samuels, Barack Obama, and Jay-Z on the American Dream

When you think of experts on the American Dream, Jay-Z may not be the first name that comes to mind. Atlantic staff writer David Samuels, however, argues that not only is Jay-Z an ideal embodiment of the Dream, but also that Barack Obama has something to learn from him. This article was published the day after the Presidential election.

Read it here: Samuels, "What Obama Can Learn From Jay-Z"

 

Still Dreaming?: Ronald Brownstein on the American Dream

The American Dream is so important to our national identity and national psyche that it bears a thorough check-up on a regular basis. Pulitzer Prize finalist Ronald Brownstein wrote this essay in September 2012 for the National Journal, a respected nonpartisan publication based in Washington, D.C.

Read it here: Brownstein, "A Dream Deferred"

 

A Bit of Intimacy in the Peanut Butter Aisle: Sartwell Contemplates Walmart

The mention of Walmart evokes strong opinions both favorable and otherwise, but this may be the first time that anyone has compared Walmart to Henry David Thoreau’s idyllic Walden Pond. Crispin Sartwell is a philosophy professor at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. His essay “My Walden, My Walmart” appeared in the New York Times in May 2012.

Read it here: Sartwell, "My Walden, My Walmart"

There’s No Place Like the Neighborhood: Tracie McMillan on Applebee's and the American Dream

The slogan of Applebee’s, a restaurant chain with several thousand locations internationally, states, “There’s no place like the neighborhood.” But which neighborhood? Whose neighborhood? Where? Freelance journalist Tracie McMillan worked in the kitchen of an Applebee’s and wrote about her experiences in this neighborhood chain. This excerpt from her book, The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee's, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table, was published in Slate in February 2012.

Read it here: McMillan, "The American Way of Eating"

 

Police Blotter: The B&S Reports a Shocking Crime

Many columnists and pundits have pondered the state of the American Dream, but it took the sharp journalists of The B&S to discover its true fate. The B&S is a student-produced satirical magazine of Grinnell College in central Iowa. This article first appeared in the fall of 2011.

Read it here: The B&S, “American Dream Found Dead, Foul Play Suspected”

 

Who Made This Mess?: David S. Meyer Follows the Blame Trail

While it seems safe to say that every person in the United States has been hurt in some way  by the current economic situation, there is plenty of diversity in our approach to economic problems. Sociologist David S. Meyer looks at the Occupy movement and the reactions to it through the lens of blame assignment. This article was posted on October 20, 2011, on the blog Politics Outdoors, which covers protests and demonstrations of all types.

Read it here: Meyer, "Occupy and the politics of blame"

"Wrong Protest, Lady": Chip Bok's Editorial Cartoon

In recent weeks, many comparisons have been made between the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street movements, with some pundits emphasizing the differences and others the similarities. Editorial cartoonists like Chip Bok are uniquely positioned to stimulate reflection and analysis by means of their humor and their focus on critical details. This cartoon was released for distribution in numerous U.S. newspapers on October 3, 2011.

Read it here: Bok, "Wrong protest, lady"

Deploying Sgt. Jeeves: Pat Oliphant's Editorial Cartoon

When President Obama proposed raising taxes for Americans whose income exceeds one million dollars per year, House Speaker John Boehner denounced the proposal as “class warfare.” Many conservatives echoed the allegation. The term “class warfare” has become the flashpoint of public discourse this season among editors, bloggers, columnists, and others; on September 23, the phrase got nearly 5,000 hits in a Google News search. A Google blog search for the week of September 16-23 yielded 44,900 hits. Widely-syndicated and often controversial cartoonist Pat Oliphant’s succinct contribution to the debate was published in numerous U.S. newspapers on September 20, 2011.

Read it here: Oliphant, "Class warfare"