The American Dream in East Asian Culture

American Dream (noun) : an American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity also : the prosperity or life that is the realization of this ideal (merriam-webster) The American Dream Back Then   John Hector St. John Crevecoeur, who was once a lieutenant in France then emigrated in 1755 to North America, accumulated wealth as an  American  farmer. He starts his essay   in his work called  Letters from an American Farmer  with the question: "WHAT IS AN AMERICAN." (LETER III, 1) According to him, Europeans sick and tired of the feudalism and ecclesiastical structure that was dominating the society and people's way of life. The hope and craving for a new perspective that can free themselves from hierarchical structure in terms of economical or social status was triggered and mingled with the 'discovery' of this new land, which is now called America.  In this new land, people sought for equality in political, econo...

  The American Dream was full of opportunity with vital material prosperity allowed to bloom if one work hard to own their property. It swelled the hearts of people moving within or coming into the country; however, people did not see what lies beyond these. Dreams that does not face the reality and hardships tend to fail. The American "Dream" is not the exception. Americans created this sentiment called "The American Exceptionalism", where one would think their history of development and the way of life they established hold superiority over other cultures, which can be seen as a support to the act of division and ranking. Indeed, there were people from within the very nation that were discriminated and alienated from the mainstream— so-called the Anglo white males. Those who did not dream of the same "Dream" the mainstream had and had another dream, were neglected, marginalized, and silenced from the beginning.    1. The Dream of the Stolen      ...

  Now we know that the American Dream was not really equal and democratic to every people; what if there are other problems that were produced as a consequence of practicing it? Unfortunately, there are many other problems that our modern day society face whose root can be found in the American Dream.   Materialized Society   Capitalism is functioning as a global economic structure for most countries today. It is no surprise that capital is the very source for economic action— the way of living. Thus, people are starting to think everything around them in a capital value; we calculate the price of products and get paid of our labor in capital. What's more, in order to capitalize all tangible and intangible resources, people start to productize them. We even commercialize ourselves— humans. Consumption-based hobbies are becoming prevalent in our way of life as well.    Destruction of the Environment   The effective use of land was regarded a...

If someone asks you a question such as “What is the American Dream?”, what would you say? Some of you might come up with numerous people who head for the United States to be successful and happy. However, the American dream can be a broader concept than you might think because it also includes a hope for being wealthier which can be led to capitalism. Consequently, when there is a society with high capitalism, there seems be a tendency for excessive consumption among people. Surprisingly, this sort of the American dream is not only seen in American society but can also be seen in South Korean society since South Korea has been a capitalistic society for a long time. The prosperity of eating show called ‘ Mukbang ’ on social media and the popularity of certain brands and franchises are some examples of this.   Firstly, if you visit social media such as YouTube or Instagram, you can find out the evidence of overconsumption of food. For example, when you watch Y...

American Influence and its Causes “ Americanization is the process by which people or countries become more and more similar to Americans and the United States. ” – Collins Dictionary Starbucks franchise in Insa-dong, Seoul. Under the influence of globalization which links the world into one in fields such as economies, politics and cultures, South Korea is often described as one of the most Americanized countries in the world. On top of the fact that the allegiance between the two countries has been historically significant, Koreans' admiration towards America can be seen everywhere; from endless number of English academies that you can encounter on the streets of Gangnam to K-pop whose presence can be felt around the world today. According to Dr. Seongwon Park, an Associate Research Fellow at the Center for Strategic Foresight at the Science and Technology Policy Institute in South Korea, there are three main reasons why Korea has become such an ardent sup...

American Dream in the United States leads to the development of capitalism, which demanded "efficient food". Saving time to cook or eat was important to Americans, and this resulted in the occurrence of fast food culture that can quickly full the stomach. Additionally, they pursued a high-calorie diet, which is made up of red meats and dessert, to gain the reward of working hard and the power to work in the future. Most of these fast food and high calorie diets are unhealthy or nutritionally unbalanced, causing health problems such as cancer, skin diseases, obesity, diabetes and weakening of immunity. Indeed, the average rate of obesity in the United States was about 30% in 2018, the importance of health is emerging in American society. The East Asian diet has attracted attention as a solution to this problem. Spring roll, beef & broccoli, bulgogi, fried rice, and sushi are some examples that are popular in American nowadays. <Image that shows rate of obesi...

How to solve the Alienation problems of interpersonal relationships Confucian Lessons In America, there is many type Alienation problems of interpersonal relationships, like the war veterans’ alienation caused by psychological trauma, Alienation of family members, Alienation of immigration and aborigines and Alienation of the relationship between different skin races. The psychological trauma caused by war and the existence of the life between the troops and the real life has led to a strong and difficult to adapt to the feeling when they return to life, This negative state has led to their inability to integrate smoothly into normal life, which has led to their uncomfortable communication with the average person, thus creating alienation of interpersonal relationships. [1] The alienation of relationships between family members is often caused by inappropriate communication channels between parents and children. As the child grows up, the child’s mind will lean tow...

Why We Chose the Topic   At first, we thought that East Asian culture— especially South Korean— had went under a significant influence of the American Dream. We expected to do a critical research on this, and found out actual problems that fit our concerns. However, there were other aspects of East Asian culture that could potentially solve the following problems of the American Dream and global capitalism. Seeing the problems of our society faces by practicing global capitalism allowed us to understand the negative aspects of the American Dream. Plus, the increasing demand on past traditional practice of philosophy or culture in East Asian countries along with the growing influence of East Asian trends on a global scale could be interpreted as the fade and shift of the American Dream.  Why Understanding the Changing Face of the American Dream Matters to Us   We are living in a global society where one force/trend does not stay within a nation. Thus, the American Dre...