[Zippogriff]

> They seem to think they will be working class for the rest of their lives and there's noticeable hate/resent for the rich.

Told to me by an Irish person:

You know the difference between an Irishman and an American? The American looks up at that big, shining mansion on the hill, and says, "someday... someday... I'm gonna be that guy". The Irishman looks up at that big, shining mansion on the hill, and says, "someday... someday... I'm gonna get that bastard".

[nerdponx]

On the other hand, it's hard not to feel like the American's reaction is the result of propaganda and a distraction from the fact that, today, he lives in a dilapidated trailer park and has no access to healthcare.

[disown]

Of course it's part propaganda, but it's also a result of history. Our borders were expanding for nearly 200 years and in the process we gained unimaginable amount of resources and land. For a long time, you could really get land ( cheaply or free ) and you could hope to improve your lot in life. Of course all that land and resources were a result of the mass extermination of the natives, but that was the reality. It's really fairly recently where we've pretty much stagnated. For most of US history, there was genuine reasons for the optimism of the american dream.

[dbtc]

America has excelled in the manufacture of many things, but perhaps especially dreams.

[selfhoster11]

Which explains the success of Hollywood.

[CalRobert]

Hah.

As an American living in Ireland 8 years now....

Yup.