Response to Chapter 2: "The Ultimate Wilders: Prisoners of the American Dream"

Many may want to say that they are not wilders, but instead they are just simply ambitious, hard working, and competitive. But the difference between being extremely competitive and being a wilder is that a person taking part in wilding acts out of self-interest with no regards to others and how their actions may affect others. A competitive person may want to win and be on top but will know when to back down for the good of all while the wilder will do whatever it takes to advance oneself and not back down even when he/she knows it could negatively effect others.

Competition and the need to succeed are all apart what makes the American dream what it is. It is ordinary people trying to leverage themselves into fortune. Competition can be healthy for some and push them to their best and boost motivation. It’s when competition turns into wilding that we have to begin to worry. Using healthy competition to improve performance and motivation is much different than when one resorts to cheating and lying to advance oneself; all the while harming and/or prohibiting others from advancement. While both competition and wilding involve the goal of advancement, wilding achieves the advancement through a single-minded pursuit with no regards for others.

Many can become trapped by the American dream. Societies standard for achieving the American dream is financially based. According to society, one does not achieve the American dream unless millions are made. This exaggeration of the American dream has occurred over time. When the first people immigrated to the United States, it was to improve their lives yes, but not just financially, quality as well. The United States offered an ample supply of opportunities for those immigrants to advance themselves. Improvement through more opportunities was the goal, not to achieve fortune, although financial gains were a part of this.

The phrase “keeping up with the Jones’” exemplifies the “destructive materialistic goals” we as Americans hold. Everyone is trying to keep up with each other. If the neighbors buy the latest fishing boat, you may feel the need to buy a brand new top of the line speedboat. This “one upping” mentality is driven by the exaggerated view of the American dream that society has created.

The tragedy in all of this is people are driven by the American dream to obsess over material items. To “keep up with the Jones’,” people will do anything. The fact that people will do anything to get to the top and stay at the top, leads many to call this mentality and behavior wilding. Because the American dream has been exaggerated from new opportunities to better ones self to becoming wealthy and powerful at any cost, many believe the exaggerated version of the American dream is the only way to succeed. This kind of mindset creates the American tragedy because in the end, it turns normal people with simply motivation to improve ones self with a healthy amount of competition into wilders that will do anything, no matter the consequences, effects, or harm to others to achieve the American dream.