Kerby Anderson

Just over a week ago, a poll published in the Wall Street Journal revealed that most voters see the American dream slipping away. Only a third (36%) of voters said the American Dream holds true compared to a majority (53%) of American voters who said that in 2012.

Derek Hunter argues in a recent column that “the American Dream is not dead; what is dead is most people’s idea of what that phrase means.” The poll defined the American Dream as “the proposition that anyone who works hard can get ahead, regardless of their background.”

He responds that the US is not like “Lake Wobegon, where everyone is above average.” Instead, the American Dream, he argues is a shot at success at any level. The US is still the land of opportunity, but that vision is marred by the left-wing educational complex.

“White kids are taught they’ve got all the advantages because of their skin color” and “young Black people are taught the country is racist.” But he argues that the true oppression in this country comes from so many people talking about oppression. You can’t tell young people to work hard and get ahead if they reject the American Dream and are convinced they can never succeed.

He says young people have “all been marinated in a culture of entitlement while denigrating the concept of earning.” Even “the concept of hard work is nearly dead, too – everyone wants to be Kim Kardashian now.” He is convinced that this pervasive sense of entitlement is true oppression.

There certainly are barriers to success and achievement, but you won’t ever be successful if you refuse to work hard and use your God-given talents, and if you start with the flawed assumption that the system is rigged against you.