Baby Boomers Research Paper

The American Dream is what we all aspire to achieve. The idea of starting off with nothing and to become something has caused millions of people from all corners of the world to immigrate to this country for over 300 years. However, what exactly is the American Dream? F Scott Fitzgerald answers this question within his novel The Great Gatsby. Through the eyes of Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald analyses the high class of the 1920s and reveals that the American Dream has been distorted from a pure ideal of security into a convoluted scheme of materialistic power. Fitzgerald incorporates the aspects of both the Òold dreamÓ & the Ònew dreamÓ in his tragic story to depicts how the inflexible dream has been corrupted and lost forever.

It can be argued that the American Dream is dwindling as the country ages. As the country’s population rises, competition becomes more intense. This undoubtedly can make it more difficult to achieve a level of success that was more easily attainable 30 years ago. In addition, the cost of education has gotten so high that many graduates are paying back student loans for years. Many are stuck in a pit of debt that greatly hinders their career and personal goals. Also, rising costs of healthcare make it nearly impossible for some lower-income families to worry about more than keeping their basic needs met. In fact, some millennials are so fed up with current conditions that they completely deny the existence of the modern American Dream. For example, Andy Vasoyan, a 24 year old freelance voice actor and audio producer said, “I feel that the American dream (existed) and then just disappeared into the ether. Right now, because of income inequality and the difficulty of living in urban centers, it’s probably impossible for a huge segment of the population. And I don’t know if it was ever a real thing, but the idea of working

We have all heard of this intense rollercoaster ride that we are on called the American Dream. The term was coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931 defining it as “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” Since it’s arrival, the Dream has evolved from a pursuit towards “freedom, mutual respect, and equal opportunity” (Shiller) to later one of greed described by Shiller as being “excessively lustful about homeownership and wealth” beginning in the 1960s. Traditionally, the American Dream included features of a nuclear family, that is one with a breadwinning father, a housewife, and two kids, owning a white picket fence home, thriving without financial worries, and a happy family. There has been a shift in focus for the Dream caused by the Millennial generation and in turn they have included features that place an emphasis on equality in all aspects of their lives from family life to the workplace placing their own twist on the Dream. The American Dream has evolved over time to include equal opportunities, college education, and happy family.

Comedian George Carlin once stated, “That’s why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” Financial security, freedom to live how one chooses, retiring at 65 and living comfortably in old age, owning a home, knowing that working hard pays off: these are all fundamental beliefs tied to the American Dream. As newer generations are increasingly finding the dream to be unrealistic, people are beginning to abandon the concept; however it is still a very present ideology. While many believe the American Dream is a lively goal that everyone strives to achieve, it is actually a dying illusion that is unattainable for all but the wealthiest and used to propagate a classist society, causing a cycle of ignorance

Many years ago, my grandparents came to the United States in pursue of the American Dream. They came chasing opportunities and in hope of gaining a better life. As the years passed, they achieved their goal and continued their journey as dreamers. The American Dream as seen by many today is that any person, regardless of their background, can achieve great things in America as long as hard work and effort is put in. Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, uses his 1925 novel as an allegory for his interpretation of the American Dream. The American Dream is a never ending dream; those who pursue it thrive for more, and those who achieve it are never satisfied.

The American Dream is indefinable. There is no one set of words or characteristics that the entire population assigns directly to its definition. With the American population consisting of people of various races, ethnicities, ages, classes, and genders, it seems trivial to even attempt to attribute a single definition to the concept of the American Dream. It is this inability however, to be confined within one single meaning, that allows for the American Dream to govern the desires and goals of the large and diverse American population. And, regardless of all of the heterogeneity within society, the American Dream is generally a goal of all American peoples. In examining this idea, I began to think about the specific meanings attributed to the American Dream for different types of individuals. I broadly outlined the American Dream for myself, to represent the belief in hard work as a pathway to success and raising oneself in society. Consequently, this higher position in society allows for the possession of increased amounts of power. My definition however, neglects to take into account the certain other societal constructs that could possibly have a decisive role in how to both define and achieve the American Dream for the wide variety of people who pursue it.

Shopping: Shopping for the Baby Boomers would have been somewhat limited. The traditional Macy's experience would be about as dynamic as a Baby Boomer could get in terms of choices. If the local Sears didn't have what they needed, they'd have to go to a specialty store and take the number from the catalog, and if they were lucky, get the correct item ordered in about 4 - 6 weeks!

Before we can get into the juicy information pertaining to the fascinating period of Baby Boomers, we must first take a quick glance at what was happening before this occurred.The main event that came to a conclusion that had a significance to the world and is a recent and relevant topic to the Baby Boomer period was the end of World War II.World War II had been going on since 1939 when the Nazi army and the Soviet Union united invaded Poland, resulting in the British and French declaring war on Germany.The allies allow Hitler to commit illegal actions without deciding to go after him(they just sat and watch him invade and grow as the years went by).It seems over for the Allies until the Japanese decided to obliterate Pearl Harbor December

The American Dream is defined as the “idea that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative” (Adams). This idea has been relevant to Americans ever since the creation of the United States of America. Everyone has their own interpretation of it and embody it in their own way. Over time, the American Dream has been altered and changed in regards to how our society has evolved. During the 1920s, the American Dream became corrupt and America’s main focus was on materialism and wealth. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, he depicts the corruption of the American Dream based on greed and false prosperity which strayed from the true version of it which valued hard-work, and initiative.

Baby Boomers constructed America in the 1960s, and soon the Millennials will get their chance. Baby boomers are currently the largest generation of active workers. Research has shown that boomers identify their strengths as organizational memory, optimism, and their willingness to work long hours. Many earned, many still earn high incomes. The millennial generation, born between 1980 and 2000, are starting to enter businesses in large numbers. However, they do not have the same views and values when working compared to the Boomers. This Boomers grew up in organizations with large corporate hierarchies, and Millennials grew up with management structures and teamwork based job roles. By 2025, millennials will make up the 75% of the workforce replacing the Boomer generation. But, are they ready for the workforce and is the workforce ready for them? I think they would be ready if businesses are able to change and adapt towards them.

The baby boomer generation will have tremendous impacts on health care as they continue to age and experience health issues. The impacts will show a significant financial difference in the very near future than what the impacts look like today for all health care organizations across the country. The baby boomer generation began between 1946 and 1964. Throughout the 18 year time span, over 76.4 million people were born. By 1964, this made up over 40 percent of the total US population. Today, this generation is between 53 and 73 years old and by 2020 there will be one and five people over the age of 65. As this time approaches and this generation becomes Medicare and

Financial elder abuse is a prominent issue in the world, and will continue to increase due to financial burdens the Millennials will face in their upcoming years. The fear of Social Security benefit reductions as well as the increase of college tuition prices, will add to future financial elder abuse incidents.

Sex, Drugs, and Happiness: The Legacy of the Baby Boomers The baby boom delivered a new generation that would essentially sculpt the United States in the decades to come. The hippie movement and its opponents not only impacted their generation, but every birth cohort that has followed. The baby boomers are primarily known for the rebellious attitude of a small clique of the cohort, the hippies. This group of people had the impacts of war thrusted upon them in childhood, were exposed to drugs and sex as teens, and still manages to be considered one of the most influential generations.

After World War II, in the 1950s the United States domestic economy prosper drastically, therefore, it is usually named by historians as the age of affluence. Unlike USSR, the United States took advantage of the war and became a world power. Several changes Even though, there was fear of the nuclear emergencies American citizens wanted to forget the atrocities of the war by an influx of new technologies as the automobile and many others. One of the essential factors of domestic change was known as the “Baby Boom”, meaning as an immense population growth in the United States. Due to this phenomenon, the United States became mainly consumerism several reforms were introduced. Additionally, there was also social changes regarding women rights.

The general argument made by author Chris Arnade in his work, “Who Still Believes in the American Dream”, is that the older generation of society are less engaged, less eager and less drawn near the American dream. More specifically, Arnade argues that adults are less anxious and open towards the American dream unlike children. In his article “Who Still Believes in the American Dream”, he writes, “The adults, clustered yards away next to a grill, were less forthcoming, less eager, seemingly abashed to be talking about dreams.” This line shows that adults are embarrassed to speck about dreams now that they are older and not part of the younger generation. Adults aren’t excited as they used to be because they have more important things to worry