I believe the American dream goes beyond just a white picket fenced house with a family of four and a dog. While this is the classic idea of American middle-classness, it doesn't reflect what most people truly want. I think that a normal suburban life is more of what people settle for, but not dream for, at least while they're still young and hopeful. I think the American dream is about success, defined by both prestige and by wealth, and that there is less emphasis on the family in today's American dream. To me, the American dream is to be wealthy and to live a life of comfort and luxury, and that it has become much more materialistic. When you look at social media, tweets/posts about "Car goals *heart face emoji*" or "dream house/apartment" outnumber those about finding a significant other or having a family ten to one. This reflects how the dream for most young people has shifted to encompass possessions more than relationships.
Wealth is defined by what you have fiscally, in both assets and also liquid money, so basically everything you report on fafsa. It creates the ability to spend frivolously, however nice cars and clothes don't always show wealth, as you don't know if someone spent 10% of their net worth or .005% of their salary on a new Mercedes. Wealth is also defined by financial security, and the comfortably that people have with money. Lastly, wealth can be defined by the quote, "Lebron James is rich, the guy who signs his paychecks is wealthy."
Most Americans tend to identify with the "99%" and see the gap in income as a large and corrupt entity. I think that most people would agree that it is difficult to become successful if you are not born with some wealth, as some important opportunities are missed when you don't have money and the freedom that comes with it (like having a car as a teenager and being able to be in clubs, which makes you a better college applicant and so forth).
My attitude towards wealth and poverty is somewhat mixed. I believe that with enough drive, anything is achievable provided that you have the ability as well. That said, I understand how much more difficult it is to rise in wealth if you don't have a solid foundation for a good start. I think that this also discourages people who could be successful and does sabotage their future, but a significant portion of those in poverty also use this as an excuse and do not give their all to succeed. I also think that the extremely wealthy are greedy, however I understand that I would be reluctant to give away lots of money if I felt like I had earned it.
