# Living the "American Dream?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-the-american-dream/231677>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 29, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-the-american-dream/231677 "2004-02-29T00:11:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@Bret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bret)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-the-american-dream/231677/1 "2004-02-29T00:11:43Z")

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Are you living the “American Dream”? Is it enough just to live in America to live the “American Dream”, or is there more to it? What is the “American Dream” to you?

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**Author:** ![Vortex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/fbc32d/32.png) [@Vortex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vortex)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-the-american-dream/231677/2 "2004-02-29T00:26:41Z")

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Well, I just bought my first house last weekend, received my CPA license last week, and landed my dream job last October. I’m pretty happy.

Now I just need to work on the wife and 2.5 kids…

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**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-the-american-dream/231677/3 "2004-02-29T01:29:34Z")

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I f\*cking hope not. Why would I want to live my life trying to make real a consumer slogan ?

Do I look that stupid . . .  
And why is this in GQ ?

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-the-american-dream/231677/4 "2004-02-29T01:46:19Z")

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**Bret** , the General Questions forum is for factual questions. The forum for soliciting opinions is In My Humble Opinion.

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**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\
**Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-the-american-dream/231677/5 "2004-02-29T02:07:03Z")

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As a GQ answer to the OP, I’d always interpreted “The American Dream” as meaning owning your own house and having a good-enough job.

I guess, though, by this definition if you’re not on the dole you’ve realized it. Well, unless you’re a renter. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll be a renter soon, I hope (but short term, and I’ll still have a house).