American dream dies slow, painful death

The guilty plea of Bernard Madoff signifies the death of the “American dream.” Madoff, a 70 year old investment tycoon, is charged with what historians are calling the “largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person.”

In hindsight, Madoff is simply a product of his environment. The world was reeling from a decade of poverty, economic crisis and globalized mistrust after World War II. Men returning from the despairing lives as front line soldiers were met by their employed sweethearts. They moved into single story homes, bought Golden Retrievers and had three children. This generation prided themselves on their capability to delicately balance necessity with luxury.

But somewhere along the route credit scores became the gauge for personal integrity. Having an excess of material items validated a person’s existence. Technology weaved its way into daily lives through cell phones and internet access.

Suburbs, golf courses, satellite radio, TV dinners and identity theft replaced the once simplistic ways of living. Credit lines became a means of survival and the national debt skyrocketed because the attitude of the American people changed. Enough was never enough.

Madoff is the epitome of this ideology. This man is accused of stealing nearly $50 billion but is no different from the average parent, thousands of dollars in debt, unable to provide college tuition for their children. American’s have the gall to be baffled when the world labels us as the spoiled child of modern times, but we did this to ourselves.

The century past celebrated monumental achievements: equal rights for women and minorities, the reality of 24/7 communication and alternative energy. But in the interim we disregarded the importance of family time and budgeting. We were so concerned with “evolving” and maintaining our image as a global superpower that we cast aside the concepts of ethics and morality.

Happiness is intangible and greed will bring a society to its knees. This is a reality America would do well to revisit. The only solution to the current “economic crisis” is to stop emphasizing how we can easily and comfortably return to our lives of leisure and instead learn from our mistakes. It is time to revive the importance of personal accountability, family and education.

Contact Jen Harris, editor-in-chief, at jharri34@jccc.edu.