Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

You don’t see a lot of white picket fences in Perkiomen Valley. When someone says the words “American Dream” to me, that is somehow what I envision. I’ve never noticed roads in this school district resembling that movie Pleasantville, with matching yards, matching gingerbread trim and perfectly clean backyards.

That, though, is the flexible nature of the American Dream. It means something different to each individual. It doesn’t necessarily mean white picket fences in the suburbs. We, at Perkiomen Valley Patch, want to know what it means to you.

I think most would agree that today’s American Dream is much different from those generations that came before us. In the days of World War II, it was taken as gospel that if you worked hard, you served your country, and you came home to start a family, well, it paid off. You got a job with a big, stable company, and were rewarded with a pension fund, the white picket fence and 2.5 children.

In other words, for our parents and our grandparents, if you worked hard, you got what you deserved. But, is that still true? Is it different? How so?

We want to know from you. From plunging stock markets to increased job losses, from lower housing values to decreased retirement plans, today’s America is very different. In short, the American Dream is changing.

In the coming months, you will see a new series on Perkiomen Valley Patch. “Dispatches: The Changing American Dream” will bring stories to you from your local communities, to explain what, if any, changes are being seen in the overall “dream” concept. We will be getting out there, talking to you, our readers, about the changing landscape and what that means to you.

We welcome you to contact us anytime with your story ideas. If you see ways this country is changing, please tell us. Email your local editor, Ann Cornell, at ann.cornell@patch.com anytime.