The Failure of The American Dream

By: Matthieu McCarty, Staff Writer

“Tonight, I give you the truth. And the truth is this: The American dream has failed you. Work hard, play by the rules. You are not guaranteed success; your children will not have a better life than you did. Ten million of you can't even get a job, even though you desperately want one. We have been crippled by Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, by welfare, by entitlements. And that is the root of all problems: Entitlements. Let me be clear: you are entitled to nothing. You are entitled to nothing.”

This is a quote from character Frank Underwood in the hit Netflix series, “House of Cards.” Although these words come from a fictional politician, they have become strikingly close to reality. For every generation, Americans have been told that they can “achieve success through hard work and dedication.” In reality, the American dream is failing as economic inequality continues to grow, education no longer guarantees opportunity, and younger generations are losing faith that hard work leads to a better life. 

Economic inequality is one of the clearest signs that the American dream is fading. These days, there is a noticeable gap in America between the poor and the rich. This gap has made the “American dream” unreachable for many people, such as the working class. For example, in the United States economy, the cost of living is continuing to rise yearly, but surprisingly, the average income does not account for these changes, as most wages continue to stay nearly the same. Most recently, employer costs for wages fell by 1.2%. This issue must be addressed, as people in our society can not function properly unless they are being paid fairly in accordance with the world around them. Many families are having to work multiple jobs to barely be able to afford rent, or healthcare, and even basic needs. This is because wealth in the United States is becoming increasingly concentrated in the hands of the few, which is leaving little room for upward mobility in the lower classes. With this economy, it can absolutely be seen that this traditional idea of hard work automatically leads to success, simply no longer matches economic realities.

Another major reason the dream is failing lies in education. Education was once seen as the “golden ticket” to be successful in the past. For example, a person might go to a good, reputable college, and they get a good degree. Now college is over, and they must find a job to quickly pay off their student loans, unless they have a designated account. Although recently, college tuition has become unaffordable for many, as student loans last for decades. For example, average student loans have increased by over $21,000 since 2014. Additionally, just because someone has a good degree does not mean they will get a good job. The promise of “study hard, work hard, and you will succeed” has broken down into trapping many people, rather than lifting them.

Many young Americans are losing faith that hard work truly matters. This is due to social media; success often appears to be instant, with influencers and entrepreneurs boasting about how they are doing so well, all while working less than the average person in a 9-5 job. Many young people have seen this and are starting to believe that privilege, connections, and luck are deciding who gets ahead, not effort or good character. As this idea of fairness is fading, the American dream is starting to feel less of a promise and more of just a story our parents were told, one that is no longer fitting the world we live in today. 

However, even with all of the overwhelming evidence, some people insist that the American dream is still alive. They argue that determination and good personal responsibility are all it takes to move ahead, and while hard work is important, we can not expect it to fix a system based on inequality. The low wages, unaffordable education, and rising costs have created barriers that effort alone will not be able to overcome. Millions of Americans are working long hours at multiple jobs (a record-breaking 8.9 million working at least two jobs in 2025) just to be able to afford basic needs such as rent, food, and gas. While hard work might be able to open doors for a few, for most people, it is not able to turn the American dream into a reality. Now this dream is not dead, but it is far from alive. Reviving it is going to take more than belief or discussion alone; it will require physical change. 

Works Cited

Castrillon, Caroline. “Why 8.9 Million Americans Are Working Multiple Jobs.” Forbes, 24 March 2025, https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2025/03/24/why-a-record-89-million-americans-are-working-multiple-jobs/. Accessed 10 November 2025.

Hanson, Melanie. “Average Student Loan Debt [2025]: by Year, Age & More.” Education Data Initiative, 15 August 2025, https://educationdata.org/average-student-loan-debt. Accessed 10 November 2025.

U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS. “More Ways to Look at Wages and Inflation.” Commissioner's Corner, U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, 13 February 2023, https://www.bls.gov/blog/2023/more-ways-to-look-at-wages-and-inflation.htm. Accessed 10 November 2025.