subject: Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous - The New American Dream? [print this page] American culture has always been infatuated with the idea of wealth and riches. The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with Robin Leach has dissolved into Cribs on MTV, but the basic concept is the same: we are obsessed with knowing - and dreaming about - the lives and habits of those with money.
And despite the Biblical warnings that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter Heaven, we still wish to be wealthy and to live those lives. Look no further than the lottery system for confirmation. Even though people know that the odds are almost impossibly stacked against them, the system still continues to grow.
It is no surprise, then, that our culture has spawned an entire system of business to feed off of our desire to be rich. The work at home internet business trend looks like it is here to stay, and the promises and sales tactics they are using are an interesting insight into the values and aspirations of the American people.
Most of these internet businesses stop just short of claiming that you will be instantly rich after purchasing their products/becoming part of their business/using their training, but just barely. In general, a quick skim of available internet businesses show promises of 7 day wealth, monthly incomes of $50,000+, the ability to abolish all your debt and pay off all your loans within one year just by taking surveys for checks! The list goes on.
The message from these companies is clear - the American people are no longer satisfied with living a decent life. Owning a home with 2.5 kids, a dog, and a white picket fence is no longer the American Dream. Now we want vacation homes, a nanny to watch the kids, a butler to walk the dog, and a white picket fence around our own personal horse stables.
It is hard to pinpoint when this shift in American culture happened. Was it television? The internet? Whatever it is, despite the down turn in the economy, people are readily willing to shell out $49.95, $69.95, $109.95 just to take their own crack at 7 day wealth or taking surveys for checks. I guess they see it as an investment into their dreams. What is $109.95 after all, if it results in $200,000 Ferrari and a chance to be on Cribs.
