During the hours of TV coverage from Boston, one of the images that prompted discussion was how could two young men who were "living the American Dream" turn to such violence. So what does the phrase "American Dream" mean? Apparently, whatever it means, the newscasters believed that living the American Dream would counter any negative actions against the American people, that living the American Dream, by definition, would rule out violence. Yet, if I remember correctly, several of the 9/11 terrorists also would have looked like they were living the American Dream with jobs, families, and homes in the suburbs.
So what does "living the American Dream" mean to you?
Has it changed so much that violence can reside under the new definition?
Has the very image of the American Dream lulled us into a false sense of safety?
Have we adopted a "one size fits all" attitude about the American culture, assuming that we are the pinnacle of cultural development?
Are there other images much stronger than the American Dream that can trump that image?
What do you think?
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Interesting quote from "Crime and the Soul" written by Jung in 1932/1933"
"Generally, however criminals, men and women alike, betray a certain ambition to be respectable, and repeatedly emphasize their respectability...A very large number of criminals lead a thoroughly middle-class existence and commit their crimes, as it were, through their second selves. Few criminals succeed in attaining a complete severance between their liking for middle-class respectability, on the one hand, and their instinct for crime on the other."
I found this interesting in that seemingly everyone who "knew" the younger brother saw him as an image of what we might call middle-class values, listed by Bonnie as the country's values. Was this a case of projection on our part? We need to believe that these are shared values by any American and certainly (affirming our American myth) the adopted values of someone "not from these parts" which have the power to overcome and erase any opposing value system? Especially if they have become a new American citizen?
Before we get too self-righteous, however, Jung goes on to write, "Far more crime, cruelty, and horror occur in the human soul than in the external world. The soul of the criminal, as manifested in his deeds, often affords an insight into the deepest psychological processes of humanity in general." Boy, I'm going to sleep better tonight with that thought on my mind!!!
I'm with you Beth but lost the thread (I will, of course, blame old age) in your last sentence. Would you mind amplifying?
Hi Ed. Thanks for this great post. I think this is a critical topic, especially as our culture seems to be perilously close to the brink of disintegration on many levels. The values which built this country--freedom, independence, hard work, and a pioneering spirit are still valuable—but I don't think the cultural container has evolved to sustain them. In contemporary culture, it's ingrained in children that they can (and must) get ahead because this is the "greatest country in the world"—but there is no room for failure, no allowance for getting knocked down, no tolerance for tears and for fears when one lacks the confidence to continue when the going gets tough. What if we taught our children in schools how to deal with failure to counterbalance the mandate to succeed at all costs?
Many of these ideas emerged for me when I read Glen Slater's article "A Psychology of Violence" in Spring Journal 81 where he outlines them very astutely. I interviewed Glen for Depth Insights radio when the Sandy Hook school shooting occurred (the link to listen is here if anyone is interested). Another author (and Alliance member) who talks beautifully and regularly about this topic of the American Dream and culture in general is Barry Spector in his book and blog of the same name, "Madness at the Gates of the City". Maybe Barry will see this and jump in. I would love to hear others' thoughts....