The American Dream

The American Dream — the idea that anyone, regardless of origin, race, or class, can achieve success and prosperity through hard work — is the founding myth of the USA. It explains much of what Europeans find puzzling about the USA: the minimal welfare state (why help from the state if everyone can make it on their own?), the glorification of entrepreneurship (failure is not a stigma but a learning experience), and the deeply rooted skepticism towards government regulation.

In reality, social mobility in the USA today is lower than in many European countries — those born poor are more likely to remain poor than in Germany or Scandinavia. But the belief in the American Dream remains alive and shapes the self-image of Americans. When an American asks you, "What do you do?" (what do you work as?), it's not rudeness — it's the fundamental question of American identity.