American Myth and Anti-Myth

American Myth and Anti-Myth

The idea of the American Myth and the Anti-Myth affect many Americans as both have positive and negative outcomes. The idea of the American myth gives fake dreams and hopes to most Americans. Regardless if Americans are aware of the American myth or not, most of them think that, it is easy to climb from lower class to the upper class. In the book of The Working Poor by David K. Shipler, the author states that the American Myth “still supposes that any individual from the humblest origins can climb to well-being”. Sadly, that is not true, because there are many people who are humble that work hard and do not go from rag to riches. That is because, for poor, laying blame is one meaning of the American Myth.

Almost everyone Shipler interviewed blame their circumstances on themselves. If we look at the society today, most of us do not have the house, the car, or the job we want! We work hard to earn what we want, but working hard is helpless. Because the harder we work, the more invisible in our society we will be. Being invisible does not help us solving our problems or letting other people see us. Shipler said “The first step is to see the problems, and the first problem is the failure to see the people” Since the United States’ culture is not sure about the causes of poverty, for Americans, in order to go to the upper level; the poor will need a complete package of good jobs, affordable health insurance and secure houses, just as what Shipler said, “An exit from poverty in not like showing your passport and crossing a frontier.”

Some Americans believe in the American myth. In fact Shipler said that, “The American Myth still supposes that any individual from the humblest origins can climb to well-being” that could be true “we wish it is always true” if you are lucky. One book we read was the Samaritan tells a story about a lower class man named Ray Mitchell, who climbed to the upper class while his family and friends still living the lower class life in Dempsey, New Jersey. Changing your social class is like gambling, you have to be genius and know how to play it or to be lucky! “Money Is Everything” or maybe not, because the poor will face some barriers from both classes, the class they are leaving and entering. Moving to higher class, especially upper class, means new life, new friends, and new everything. When Americans believe in the American myth and decide to move to higher class, they think money will get them everything, just like wealthy people. Americans wish that is true. Money can get the poor to the upper class but it will not get them accept by the wealthy. Getting accepted by the wealthy requires the poor to act like the wealthy, even though if the poor do not like it!

The American Anti-Myth, the opposite of the American Myth, blames the society for the other people’s poverty. The American Anti-Myth blames the