Here is an interesting article I’ve recently came across:
Going to America: A Ponzi scheme that works
The article makes the interesting claim that coming to America, and by extension following the American Dream, is a Ponzi scheme that actually works. It also goes through a couple of stories that are supposed to be inspiring. They are supposed to show us normal people who made their way to the US and are now living their dreams. Pff. It emphasizes the advantages that this would have and how the cultural diversities are really the catalyst for expressing yourself. On how you can find a place that exactly maps on your beliefs and the way you want to live your life.
Now, back to the real world: this really sounds to me more like an ad than the reality. There are also some bad things about how foreigners are treated in the article, but overall it sound like an ad, that is written with the inspiring American Dream in the back of the head.
What the writer of the article fails to realize is that every Ponzi scheme out there seems to work in the eyes of the ones who contribute to it. What differentiate a “classic” Ponzi scheme from the American Dream one is that with the classic one, sooner or later you realize that it’s a scam and you are no longer willing to put your money/time into it. With the the American Dream on the other hand, even if you realize at some point that it’s a scheme that doesn’t really fit you very well, the option to stop investing and to admit failure is a far more costly one that just keep investing and hope you’ll find your warm, fuzzy cloud that is everything you wanted and you dreamed of.