Powerful stuff, this didn’t seem to turn up in my ‘unread’ items until today.
This is the core idea that drives people mad:
One strives towards a dream. One lives within an illusion. And the illusion that we are fed is that there is never an impediment which can’t be overcome. That if we just dig deep enough within ourselves, if we find our inner strength, if we grasp, as self-help gurus tell us, that we are truly exceptional, if we believe that Jesus can perform miracles, if we focus on happiness, we can have everything we desire. And when we fail, as most fail in a post-industrial United States to fulfill this illusion, we are told we didn’t try hard enough.
What was it they say about the American Dream… you have to be asleep to believe it. (George Carling IIRC)
Whilst I love George and always will, both for his accuracy and rebellious streak, I prefer Al Murray’s take on the American Dream. To be fair, it’s ten minutes of abuse to some poor American in the audience, but his description is good.
