The American Dream in Reverse

[Closing a Summer Cottage, Quogue, New York, a 1957 Norman Rockwell art-directed Colorama by Ralph Amdursky and Charles Baker. © 2009 Kodak, courtesy of George Eastman House. The photographs in this article are Kodak Coloramas that were exhibited at New York’s Grand Central Terminal from 1950 to 1990. ]

The article in the April Vanity Fair is actually titled "Rethinking the American Dream" [David Kamp, Author]. I missed Obama's assertion in his inaugural address that what we are all currently experiencing is "the American Dream in reverse". Kamp also quotes Moss Hart, a playwright from the days of the Depression - "the grim smell of actual want was always at the tip of my nose...".

The grim smell of actual want. What is it about that phrase? As I sit here in bed writing this post, I'm at a loss for the words to express the emotions that it dredges up from the deep, dank, dark recesses of my mind.

I'm still reading the article, so I don't have much to say yet.

Here is the online version of the article if you care to read it. Come back and comment. I would love to hear everyone thoughts.

Finally, thanks to Nancy for alerting me to the article last month.