> we as American's have been brainwashed to believe that we are all just 'down-on-our-luck millionaires'
I'm not sure I'd say "brainwashed" -- this is a founding mythos of the United States. It's embedded in our most sacred documents -- the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, etc. -- that the individual (in theory) reigns supreme and (in theory) has ultimate control over his/her life.
It's a noble ideal, truly, but also a damn convienent excuse for those in power ("I/my ancestors didn't get lucky, they made smart decisions and worked hard, and so did I, so I succeeded") and those in poverty ("I can win if I just work harder/emulate those more successful than I -- ultimately I'm in control and nothing else matters").
It's both our ace-in-the-hole and our fatal flaw IMO.
That's fair. Brainwashed is probably an overly emotional label for what is actually a great idea that has deviated from it's original intent.
The American Spirit (for lack of a better term) is at odds with the economic and political structure of current-day America. We are led to believe (for good reasons) that we control our fate, but the infrastructure no longer supports it in a way that makes it available to every American.
From 1862 till 1976 an American could always head west(or north) and claim 160 acres with 5 years of hard work(caveats apply)[1]. It would be cool if some similar opportunity was available today. 1976 was not that long ago.
>"I can win if I just work harder/emulate those more successful than I -- ultimately I'm in control and nothing else matters"
While obviously there are things outside individual's control, is this really a harmful outlook? I'd certainly rather look at my life as if I had agency vs thinking I had none, or it was incredibly limited.
I'm not sure I'd say "brainwashed" -- this is a founding mythos of the United States. It's embedded in our most sacred documents -- the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, etc. -- that the individual (in theory) reigns supreme and (in theory) has ultimate control over his/her life.
It's a noble ideal, truly, but also a damn convienent excuse for those in power ("I/my ancestors didn't get lucky, they made smart decisions and worked hard, and so did I, so I succeeded") and those in poverty ("I can win if I just work harder/emulate those more successful than I -- ultimately I'm in control and nothing else matters").
It's both our ace-in-the-hole and our fatal flaw IMO.