Ideological Domination: Deconstructing the Paradox of the American Dream and the Working Class Promise

Abstract

The “American Dream” and “Working Class Promise” ideologies are ubiquitously dispersed in American society. These ideologies posit values of equality and opportunity. In this paper, I deconstruct these two ideologies in order to examine the effects these ideologies have on income inequality, social inequality, and social immobility. I argue these ideologies create a paradox in society whereby the more these
ideologies are believed, the more the ideologies exacerbate income inequality, social inequality, and social immobility.