American Dreaming

So, what is the "American Dream" H.S.T. speaks of? The romantic in me would like to think the dream is in the journey- the road trip itself. Many of the books we've been reading are road trips in search of "America" and perhaps the dream, but themselves embody the dream to an extent- the freedom of being on the road- the liberty/luxury of being able to take the time just to SEARCH/EXPLORE/SEE/EXPERIENCE (whether you like what you find or not- AHEM- Steinbeck). The journey is an exploration- often without a known destination. In H.S.T's case, the fluid shape and lack of a clearly defined point both embody the dream (as well as the influence of various intoxicants) AND the DEATH of the dream. If the dream is about self-exploration to an extent, the death is in indulgence... self-indulgence, if you will. In terms of Vegas, this might include an excess in drinking, gambling (greed), sex, etc. But, in terms of the larger atmosphere of the 60s, I think H.S.T is getting at the idea of self indulgence in general (to believe you are "fighting the good fight" because you're talking the talk or smokin' the right dope). I for one believe that change starts with oneself and a good hard commitment to one's approach to the world. However, all of this is good news for politicians with other agenda. If you're tripping too hard to know what's going on in the White House, too many of you are off meditating on a mountain somewhere, who's down there fighting the enemy on his own turf? Eventually, some enlightened beings have to come back down from the mountain, share their new found insights with everyone else, and figure out how to integrate or utilize these insights to enact systematic changes. And, there needs to be some sort of rotation-- "I'll hold down the fort while you go on an inward journey for a few months and then it's my turn" kind of thing. SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE HOLDING DOWN THE FORT. KEEPING WATCH ON WHAT'S GOING ON IN WASHINGTON. It wasn't that the cause of the 60's countercultural movement wasn't noble or just, it's just that there were other powers too far entrenched, too strong.

While we were watching "Gonzo" a quote stuck out to me. When H.S.T was trying to get elected as sheriff, one of the locals declared that if he was elected, there would be an influx of "hippies" and the town would be ruined. And, to an extent, he was right. Think of Hawaii. How many people have moved there to revel in its beauty and in doing do destroyed it through over-development? Maybe that's related to the dream. If too many people all at once just go off searching, the atmosphere for doing so will soon be destroyed... it can't sustain us all at once.

The dream is a dream. Its an ideal- whether defined or not- towards which we strive. It's the unknown- it's a feeling we're going on. A striving towards something we can't know until we've found it or until we certainly haven't.

"There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning….Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail."


(On another note, I simply find him hilarious- his language, his crudeness. Could be the same as Didion's sharp imagery. WAKES PEOPLE UP!)