I had my eyes opened in my 20's when talking to a few black people I knew. The description of what they had to do and faced in our society made me realize a lot. It's always been a nightmare, I was just lucky I was a white one.
this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2026
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
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- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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It's been the American nightmare for most of my life
Signed, a trans immigrant
I'm black, guy. I've never known the American dream. You're just now realizing what I've known all my life and I'm sad for you because of that.
I'm sad for you in return
"It's called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it"
It's always been pretty bad for large chunks of the population. This seems like a low point, but there have been many lows in living memory. Civil rights movement in the 60s. Vietnam war. War on drugs. Countless cruelties done to non-whites and queer folks.
Even the idealized stuff of "buy a house on one income" was more for white people than anything else. Redlining, mortgage discrimination, "and then the white people burned down our house" were all realities.
This country has always been deeply racist. The wealthy ownership class has largely been soulless ghouls. Maybe they build libraries and museums for a while, but they still oversaw tremendous suffering and poverty.
The American Dream was an illusion. It was all propaganda to convince people to feed themselves to the capitalist machine for a chance at living the dream life, but even people who aren't trapped under years of medical debt or homeless or visible minorities don't have it easy, they've just been convinced that's as good as it gets.
Edited cause my grammar was weird.
I want to live a Norweigian Dream...
But they are strict on immigration so... 🤷♂️
I still rather be American than being Chinese... I hate my former country with a passion, corrupt ass CCP stole my country and tried to end my existence wirh stupid "One Child Policy"... So it's not my country anymore
/end rant
May my next life be born a Norweigian pls...
Or you know... an actual utopic advanced space-faring alien civilization
So then what's your take on our current administration doing their damndest to emulate your former country?
Big difference:
Half of Americans are resisting
There are near zero resistance in China
There are still anti-trump and anti-republican/MAGA media despite the ongoing autocratization
You cannot find anti-Xi or anti-CCP in China, most people do not have that spirit of resistance, they don't care
See all these protests, good luck finding them in China, protests in China is rare, and basically no media coverage if it even exists
I will call myself an American for as long as this flame is alive, even if its struggling as of now, its not completely dead yet, there's still time to fix this. We're not CCP-land yet. Don't lose hope, that's what the rich and powerful want, they want you to give up.
Thanks for your perspective, I think you are spot on. After studying abroad in China 20 years ago the propaganda we have here is converging on being as overt as what I saw there. Hopefully enough Americans course correct before it gets worse.
You.
I like you. Keep doing you.
Edit: you got the tag 'Genuine Red-Blooded American'
Maybe I should learn a thing or two from you...
The American dream was killed in the 90s, now that’s the waking up
The American dream was killed in the ~~90s~~ 80s...
Reagan started that murder and every administration since has kept stabbing the victim.
Wilson and The Business Plot started the murder. Nixon and Reagan helped it along. The remaining admins have finished the job.
it was always a lie meant to keep the poors divided, the statue of liberty was panned extensively for it's inaccurate inscription back when it was first installed
It was actually true for white blue collar workers in the midwest during a few decades after WWII.
Has for decades now
The American Dream is a shitty water park shopping mall in New Jersey.
The American Dream is hoping you don't die in a repurposed KMart at the hands of your highschool bully
A nightmare is still a dream.