The Teenage American Dream | Surina Borbor | TEDxValenciaHighSchool

Summary

The American Dream is redefined by Generation Z, who seek personal freedom, fulfillment, and engaging careers over traditional success. This generation faces challenges like automation and climate change, yet values life skills and networking for independence. Second-generation immigrants, like the speaker, feel the pressure to uphold their parents' sacrifices while forging their own paths. The script highlights the need for teens to be prepared with practical skills and career exploration to achieve their unique version of the American Dream.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The traditional American Dream is often associated with a suburban lifestyle, including a nine-to-five job, a stay-at-home spouse, children, and a dog, all within a structured life path.
• 🔄 Generation Z views the American Dream as personal freedom, fulfillment, and control over their lives, with an engaging career, rather than adhering to a monotonous, traditional lifestyle.
• 🌍 The speaker's experience in New Mexico revealed that teens value a stimulating career, personal relationships, and making a difference in the world, with less emphasis on traditional milestones like marriage and children.
• 🤖 There is a prevalent anxiety among teens about the impact of automation and climate change on their future careers and the world at large.
• 🏡 The speaker's parents exemplify the contemporary American Dream, having immigrated from Iran and achieved homeownership and stability through hard work and education.
• 📚 Second-generation immigrants may feel a sense of obligation to fulfill the dreams their parents had for them, which can create pressure to follow a conventional path of success.
• 📉 There has been a significant decline in marriage rates among American adults, shifting the dynamics of financial and personal stability for young adults.
• 💼 The rise in education requirements and skyrocketing housing prices have made it more challenging for young adults to achieve financial independence and move out of their parents' home.
• 🔙 The term 'Boomerang Kids' describes young adults who return to live with their parents due to financial unpreparedness, a phenomenon exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 🎓 Despite being highly educated, Generation Z and Millennials may still lack basic life skills necessary for personal and financial independence.
• 🛠 The importance of teaching life skills such as cooking, cleaning, time management, and financial literacy is highlighted, as well as the value of early exposure to various career options in school.

Q & A

What is the traditional image of the American Dream described in the script?

The traditional American Dream is depicted as having a suburban neighborhood, a father working a 9-to-5 job, a stay-at-home mother, kids, a dog with a common name like Nala or Cooper, and an iconic white picket fence. It is associated with conventional success, material wealth, and a structured path to adulthood including moving out, getting a job, getting married, having kids, and buying a house, all before the age of 30.

How does Generation Z view the American Dream differently from the traditional view?

Generation Z tends to view the American Dream as having personal freedom and fulfillment, control over their own lives, and an engaging career rather than adhering to the traditional milestones of adulthood.

What opportunity did the speaker have that allowed them to gain insight into the teenage American Dream?

The speaker had the opportunity to go to New Mexico to interview for a foundation that provides scholarships for American students to attend international boarding schools in different countries, meeting teens from various backgrounds across America.

What are some of the career aspirations mentioned by the teens interviewed in the script?

Shadia from South Dakota does not want to be forced into a 9-to-5 job until retirement. An anonymous sophomore from California wants a creative job that cannot be outsourced by robots. Andrew from New York is interested in environmental engineering due to concerns about climate change, and Amara from Ohio wants to shape her own future without adhering to any specific standard.

What underlying anxieties did the speaker pick up on from their peers regarding the future?

The speaker noticed an underlying anxiety about automation and climate change among their peers.

Can you describe the speaker's parents as an example of the Contemporary American Dream?

The speaker's parents are immigrants from Iran who came to America in search of a better life. They worked hard, learned English, got a college education, and became homeowners with two daughters and a Golden Retriever named Nala.

What is the term used for young adults who return to live with their parents after trying to be independent?

These young adults are referred to as 'Boomerang Kids' because they come back to live with their parents after attempting to be independent.

What percentage of American adults were married in the 1960s compared to 2021?

In the 1960s, 72 percent of American adults were married, which had decreased to 52 percent as of 2021.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the living situation of young adults?

The COVID-19 lockdowns worsened the phenomenon of young adults living with their parents, with 60 percent of Americans aged 18 to 25 living with parents or grandparents at the height of the pandemic.

What advice does the speaker give to teens regarding their future and the pursuit of their own version of the American Dream?

The speaker advises teens not to be afraid to carve their own path, to not get too attached to any one image of the future, and to learn life skills such as cooking, cleaning, time management, and financial literacy.

What is the speaker's perspective on the importance of life skills and career exposure for teens?

The speaker believes that life skills and early exposure to a variety of career options are crucial for teens to find what's right for them in the future and to achieve personal and financial independence.