An Exhibit of the History of the American Dream

By: Thelma Asare, Lindsay Gladieux, Kelly Kaminski, and Jeanne Li

Is this the American Dream?

http://www.spike.com/video/my-sweet-sixteen-16/2815289

Materialism at its finest

Television

Invented by: Vladimir Zworykin in

1923Modified by:

Philo Farnsworth in 1930

How do TVs show materialism?

Prices have seldom gone below $500 for a 20” color TV set› This is a hefty cost given that most families

today have multiple TVs per house The programs that the TVs broadcast

to America› Ex. “My Super Sweet 16”, game shows

promising millions

A Motorola ad from 1952

A 1974 Zenith Console. When TVs became furniture.

The Growth of TVs (literally) Some of the first TVs

produced were only 9” in screen size, yet were rather bulky

They have progressively gotten larger in screen size, while they have gotten smaller in every other aspect

The only exceptions to this are the “portable” TVs/DVD players

1939 RCA console edition, with a 9-inch screen.

Tecnovision's 205-inch LED Luxio in 2007, the largest TV in the world.

Clothing and Accessories

One of the most visible ways to show materialism

Shoes, Handbags, Jewelry, and Physical Clothing all fall into this category

And one of the most recognizable labels is…

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton- A Brief History

Founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton in France

Brought to the US in the 1890s Most items are priced well over $500,

with many items reaching upwards of $2000

Kanye West

Madonna

Pharrell

Cars

Many Americans love to show off their wealth with expensive flashy cars.

A car is one of the biggest purchases someone can make; many often borrow credit or go into debt to buy their cars

Bugatti Veyron $1,700,000

Ferrari Enzo $1,000,000

Mercedes SLR McLaren $455,500

Lamborghini Murcielago $279,900

“Mercedes Benz” by Janis Joplin

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV ?Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.I wait for delivery each day until three,So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV ?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down.Prove that you love me and buy the next round,Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?

Everybody!Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends,Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?

That’s it!