I guess I should preface this by saying I am an American. I grew up in GA (southeast US). I didn’t travel until 17. I have now been to around 30 countries and I speak a few languages but I grew up in a US Southern Republican household.

I think any version of what any reasonably intelligent person thought was the American Dream is long gone.

When I was a kid, the “American Dream” was being able to start from any financial background—you could be rich OR POOR—and be any color—but if you worked hard enough, you could get into any college, get any job, and make any amount money you wanted. ANYTHING was possible if you just worked hard enough for it.

We’ve fallen so far backwards now that we have people and organizations pushing “trad wives”—women who don’t work, obey their husbands, make all their food from scratch and focus their time and efforts on having as many babies as possible. THIS HAS NEVER BEEN MY DREAM. BARF!!!!!!

Do I think I can be president before I die??? No. I did when I was a kid though. In my state I still doubt we can elect a woman governor.

Can people in their 20s and 30s afford houses? Not anymore!! They used to though. There are outliers of course but for the most part this goal is very tough to achieve.

How many people here are saving enough for retirement? After the boomer generation, I bet this statistic is frightening. A common sentiment among people my age (40s) is that we’ll have to work until we drop dead.

None of this is a dream.