THE AMERICAN DREAM NOT SO AMERICAN AFTER ALL
BY ALEX D.
The value of land has an impressive
priority in the Latino community, from a personal experience I have noticed and
recognized that even my own relatives were investing their time and savings
into owning property. Some individuals that I know have obtained houses back in
their native land even though these houses won’t be occupied by them now they
still value them enough to make the purchase. This is quite interesting due to
the fact that they may not be able to live in these properties until they
retire or are on vacations. After much thought this leads me to question the
actual validity of the “American Dream.” When we think of immigrants who come
to America to build a better life we say they came here to achieve the
“American Dream” if that’s the case, why do they still work to obtain
properties back in their native lands? Also, why do they still value this land
property even though it is not an alternative for many to return to their countries?
When I came
to this country the first information I obtained from family and friends was “that
rent was too high.” All of my family resided within the five
boroughs of New York City. It blew my mind that people would come from their
native countries to live in New York, one of the most expensive cities in
America. I was given explanations by my own parents that people came to New
York to find work and survive. However, these “answers” just fueled my
curiosity. As I searched for more sources of information I acknowledged that at
this stage of my life the most reliable source was nothing more than just
family gatherings so I focused more thoroughly on such gatherings. In these family gatherings we had other
relatives that would at some point discuss real estate whether it was in New
York or back home. One thing that I was able to notice is that it did not
matter where the property was located it still had a significant value to them.
This ownership is magnified in the Latino community due to the history of
having to leave their homeland whether it is overseas, as result of being
displaced by gentrification or policy makers and as stated by Steven Bender: “The
Puerto Rican legacy of loss in El Barrio also resonates with the gentrification
experience …… new condominium developments replaced aging brownstones and
retail catering to upscale residents replaced dollar stores.” This explains
that even though Latinos that could very well be citizens and not immigrants
such as in the case of Puerto Ricans, they are still also going through this property
loss and displacement. In the case of immigrants the loss is greater because it
includes the loss of their homeland right of place and their new established
placed here in the U.S. As a result, magnifying the idea of
value towards property, however such desire to own property by no means makes
it exclusive to an idea of achieving an American quest. Hence, the “American
Dream” is not exactly an American ideology, but just a human sense of belonging.
So what is the main reason for the term
being as popular as it is? Media, and just mentioning the phrase “American Dream”
can save a person the time taken to actually explain what it means personally
to achieve the American dream. A prime example is if someone mentions that they
want to go to America and achieve the “American Dream” there tends to be to no explanation
required, People will typically form an idea for what is meant. However, for
many of the Latino community the American Dream is the way through where they
can own property and build somewhere they can call their own.
The value
of property is present for some even if the property is across the border or
overseas. I was able to solidify this notion based on the relatives that showed
pride or just a sense of accomplishment after buying their own piece of real
estate and not just locally, but overseas. Moreover, I also obtained more
concrete information from the “Sixth
Section, Alex Rivera, 2003” a
Mexican coalition that even with constrained budgets and income went out of
their way to make a piece of the homeland their own. One individual in the film
even stated “if I could grow my crops and find a job I would head back to my country
right now”. The main obstacle preventing people from owning property abroad,
even though it might be easier to afford than American real estate, is that for
some immigrants there is no viable way for them to visit their country. Even if
they decide to stay back in their homeland in order to enjoy the property they
worked so hard to attain, due to illegal status, going back is not an option.
Moreover they might not be able to sustain themselves if they were too stay and
work in their native land. In conclusion, the American Dream is more or less a
rebranding of the sense of belonging that pertains to all humans; it is not
just an American thing. A great amount of Latinos are left without the option
of returning, so the only option available is to buy property in America which
has the generalization of being part of the “American Dream”.
Bender, Steven W. (2010-09-29). Tierra y Libertad: Land,
Liberty, and Latino Housing wqwerr(Citizenship and Migration in the Americas) (Kindle
Locations 2145-2147). NYU Press qqerqwrshort.
Kindle Edition.
The sixth section. Dir.
Alex Rivera. SubCine Independent Latino Film & Video [distributor], 2003.
Dear Alex,
ReplyDeleteI think you present an interesting argument in regards to whether the American dream still exists within the United States. As you may already know the term "American Dream" first was used by the American historian James Truslow Adams in his book "The Epic of America" published in 19311. At that time the United States were suffering under the Great Depression. Adams used the term to describe the complex beliefs, religious promises and political and social expectations. This brings me to my next comment which in many ways you challenge in your blog post is the American dream applicable to minority groups today , or does it only apply to white suburban Americans. In many ways i think that the idea of the American dream does not exist, and must agree with your agrument that property ownership has become unattainable now due to housing policys and zoning laws. I think it is of great importance you bring up the role that gentrification plays now in attaining property, we see these examples in Arlena Dávila, “The Times-Squaring of El Barrio: On Mega-Projects, Spin, and ‘Community Consent’" and the question remains who has the right to the land? In the case of NYC i feel that minority groups have lost the right to their land a long time ago and for this reason many choose to leave the state because their dream of ever owning a home is out of range. For this reason i feel that many Latinos are creating a new form of the American dream. If they cannot own a home in the country they reside in they have hope to return to their native land where right to property is attainable. This allows them more room for social mobility. Great Post Alex, it was insightful and fits many of the concepts we spoke throughout the class !
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ReplyDeleteAlex, I like your ideas about the American Dream. It is a universally recognized concept that many people know, but may have differing definitions for. For example, maybe one person's idea of the American Dream is owning a house in the suburbs. Another person might believe that the America Dream refers to settling down with a family and working at a steady job. Everyone seems to understand what is involved with the America Dream, but how similar is each person's idea of what it is? The main consensus is that the American Dream involves living a successful life with money and property, but perhaps some people would consider themselves as living the American Dream, even if they are not financially rich. Maybe making an honest living in America and having the freedoms that make America great would suffice as an alternate version of the American Dream. There are many definitions of the American Dream because different people have different values. Good essay, I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteAlex, I think that your idea of the American Dream is one that many Americans have including myself. In American, property ownership is glorified and seen as a sign of wealth and success. With that being said, I do not think that all Latinos come to the United States with this desire to own property. Although it might be true for the majority, I do not think it is fair to summarize them all. I think that the desire to own property may later become learned by some Latinos through its glorification. In fact, in class we criticized Samuel Huntington for his glorification of land ownership among Latinos in his article "The Hispanic Challenge." I like what you wrote about obstacles that Latinos face when trying to own property. The example of the this point that really stood out the most to me in class is the film we watched called 9500 Liberty.
ReplyDeleteAlex, I really enjoyed reading your blog post, to answer your question, why do they still work to obtain properties back in their native lands? I believe that many Latinos obtain properties back in their native lands because it provides for their families back home. It also gives them a sense of power or control that they don’t receive in the United States. Although these immigrants are still facing bad working conditions it is better they have more than the people about at home. That’s why most of the immigrants in the Unites States send remittances, build homes, or create community outreach. They become hero’s in their native lands, as we saw in the film Sixth Section, despite the fact that they could not return back home they we still recognized for what they were doing in their community. This any not be the original idea of the “American Dream” but immigrants are recreating the dream for those back in their native countries.
ReplyDeleteThank You,
Kevin