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Release: October 6, 1995
Contact: Mary Caffrey (609/258-5748)


The American Dream in Crisis: Views of the
nation's central ideology vary by race, class

The American dream -- our belief that the United States offers
unlimited opportunity to anyone willing to ``go for it'' -- is far
more than an idea, according to Jennifer Hochschild, professor of
politics and public affairs. She believes that the ideology of
this dream is the nation's very soul, even though society has
denied it to millions of African Americans.

Her new book, _Facing Up to the American Dream: Race, Class and
the Soul of the Nation,_ explores the widely different views
Americans have of the dream and how racial conflict threatens to
shatter this cultural centerpiece. The Chronicle of Higher
Education has cited Hochschild's work as a counterpoint to Dinesh
D'Souza's controversial new book, _The End of Racism: Principles
for a Multiracial Society._

_Facing Up to the American Dream_ combines data from opinion
surveys with chilling personal stories, both ironic and prophetic.
Not surprisingly, views of the American dream divide along lines
of race and class. Whites are convinced that blacks have more
opportunities than ever. Blacks (including many of Hochschild's
students at Princeton) ``see themselves as engaged in a constant
battle against racial discrimination,'' she says.

One finding that surprised her was that middle-class blacks,
despite their achievements and growing numbers, have much less
faith in the American dream than poor blacks do. Middle-class
blacks see other blacks in poverty and feel bitter. Hochschild
also suggests that those who grew up in the afterglow of the civil
rights movement expect more from the dream than they have been
able to achieve.

She writes: ``Working among whites, members of the new black
middle class now constantly encounter instances of either real or
presumed racial differentiation from which the more segregated old
black middle class was partly insulated. More aspire to mortgages,
corporate boardrooms, or tenure - and therefore more bump their
heads against skeptical bankers, unhelpful bosses, and narrow
definitions of scholarly merit.''

_Facing Up to the American Dream_ is Hochschild's wake-up call to
elected officials. The nation is in a great cultural crisis, she
says, yet and politicians are not taking this crisis seriously.
The book explores the relationship among the four ``tenets'' of
the American dream: an even playing field, a reasonable
anticipation of success, a belief that success comes from one's
own actions, and a belief that being good brings reward. These
four elements depend on one another, with society responsible for
the ensuring first two and individuals responsible for the second
two.

Hochschild stopped gathering data just before the 1994 elections,
and events since that time have only made her more worried about
her findings. ``If anything, the alienation of the black middle-
class has only gotten worse,'' she says.

Most poor blacks still believe in and behave according to the
American dream, despite overwhelming distress in their own lives.
Yet Hochschild also identifies a group she calls the ``estranged
poor,'' whose lack of faith Ñ and resulting behavior Ñ threatens
their neighbors' belief in the dream. Hochschild fears that
alienation will spread, given the lack of decent schools and jobs
and the breakdown of community networks that fuel hope.

For poor blacks the current political climate offers fewer reasons
than ever to embrace the American dream, according to Hochschild.
``The national mood is just mean toward the poorest quarter,'' she
says. If entitlement programs end and welfare programs are turned
over to the states, Hochschild fears that ``our cities are really
going to be reservations.''

Yet many whites believe that African Americans are getting ahead,
even at the expense of better-qualified whites. All this troubles
Hochschild, who sees no acceptable alternative to the American
dream. Without it, she believes, the nation will become
increasingly hierarchical, with whites at the top claiming a right
to be where they are. A form of newly destructive black
nationalism could follow.

Hochschild holds out hope that the American dream will survive,
for at its best, the dream is our best tool in conquering the
nation's ills. She concludes: ``Ideally, all Americans will fight
their own worst instincts by mobilizing their best.''

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