Moralistic Dream VS Materialistic Dream

            The American Dream has been believed by countless Americans throughout history ever since the founding of America. It represents a belief built upon the American ideal of equality and opportunity for everyone, although the dream has not been made equally accessible to everyone due to social inequalities. In his paper “Reaffirmation and Subversion of the American Dream,” USC professor Walter Fisher analyzes the 1972 presidential election between President Richard Nixon and Senator McGovern. What really interested me is how he divided the American Dream into two sides: materialistic and moralistic. Based on what I learned about this semester, I defined the American Dream as a combination of the two: The promise of an equal opportunity for all to succeed in achieving their dreams.

            In his analysis, Fisher argues that the presidential election represented the divide between these two ideas, as President Nixon represented the materialistic American Dream and Senator McGovern represented the moralistic American Dream.

Americans who voted for Nixon believed in the materialistic dream which promises reward for individual hard work without regarding the wellbeing of others. Fisher states that “the materialistic myth does not require a regeneration or sacrifice of self” (114). This reminds me of American’s individualism ideals analyzed by Althen in his article. This individualism ideal fits perfectly with the materialistic dream that only focuses on the benefits of oneself without considering for others, including family members.

Of course, I’m not saying people who voted for Nixon are inhumane and extremely selfish. They are simply believing in a fundamental American ideal as noted by Althen. We can even go farther as to say these people are simply being realistic. The materialistic approach praises the reward system that benefits hard workers. Not everyone is willing to make sacrifices for strangers that they’ve never met before in their lives through a welfare program that will decrease their spendable income.

On the other hand, voters behind McGovern put their faith in the moralistic dream which focuses on equality for all Americans. Fisher claims that this ideal connects with the “Declaration of Independence: that ‘all men are created equal,’ men ‘are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights’” (114). This ideal is based on the belief that everyone should be treated equally despite his or her background, race, sex, etc. McGovern proposed policies related to minorities rights and welfare that aimed to reduce inequality. However, this ideal reminds me of Chomsky’s claims on social welfare programs. Chomsky argued that the elites disliked any welfare program because it meant that they had to pay more taxes to benefit the public. The rich basically endorsed the American individualism to an extreme while the moralistic approach relied on the generosity of people to help others.

The moralistic approach relies on people to have the generosity towards other members of society. That people are willing to receive fewer benefits for their hard work so someone who is struggling can get the necessary help. To be honest, I don’t think we will ever achieve a society where everyone has a high sense of morality and puts the well-being of society as a whole over themselves. But, because America is a democracy, as long as the majority of people embraces such an ideal, the government can pass more and better policies helping the public.