Are lower socio-economic status Americans exempt from the American Dream?

Are lower socio-economic status Americans exempt from the American Dream?
According to Mortimer Zuckerman in his US News and World Report article, “The American Dream Goes On,” “The majority of Americans have long shared one state of mind: that they are in some central way members of the middle class and hold a passport to the good life.”

Living the good life has gotten a little tougher for most Americans lately. With higher prices on food, gas, and healthcare, scores of us are having trouble maintaining that good- life lifestyle. Our fancy cars, nice homes, and huge appetites for expensive food are harder to come by. Even borrowing is tighter, so we can’t live on credit like we once did.

Is this extravagant lifestyle really what the American dream is all about? Have our increased socio-economic standards determined what our life will be? Living the good life for lower classes has always been more of a struggle, but is it worse in these uncertain economic times? According to Zuckerman’s article, “Americans, quite simply, believe that plenty of opportunities exist to get ahead, and 82 percent of those born into poverty are much better off than their parents and more than a third of them have made it into the middle class or higher.”

I asked my co-worker what the American Dream meant to her. She was not focused on wealth in terms or material things. She answered that her “pursuit of happiness was related to her family and church.” Owning a home was not part of that dream, but she did reside in a nice house. She and her husband drove nice cars. When our needs have been met, then it is easier to dwell on more esoteric dreams. Having it all, to many Americans, means enjoying that American Dream of material possessions only. My co-worker's response of immaterial wealth was refreshing. However, an American in a low socio-economic class who is really struggling for basic needs is more likely to reply in more relevant terms to getting food and shelter. Living the good life to this American is having enough to eat.

References:
Zuckerman, Mortimer. "The American Dream Goes On." US News and World Report 13 June 2008: