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a contemporary myth prevalent in North American society

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I need help to identify a contemporary myth prevalent in North American society. I need to describe how this particular contemporary myth has shaped my values, practices, and worldview. If the myth has not shaped me directly and personally, analyze how it has affected the society around me. I am having a hard time trying to figure out what to write about. Any suggestions? This was one that someone had suggested, but I am not really sure this is what it means.

Happiness is dependent on one's own life circumstances
One can only be happy when they can buy whatever material goods they want
Once you set your goals and achieve them, you never have to worry about happiness ever again

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Examples of a contemporary myth prevalent in North American society are embedded. Research is also listed.

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Dear Student,

I have defined for you, and as of this moment I am sure, you have already taken on the meaning of what a myth or legend is according to definitions and meanings attributed to the word. Therefore we only need to tackle what contemporary means and we can fuse the two words together to take on what contemporary means. The opposite of Ancient, contemporary means now, equivalent to and belonging to a period. Therefore, if someone says who is Obama's political contemporaries, we think of Hillary Clinton and the other political leaders as well as Presidential candidates who belong to the new generation of American leadership. Contemporary Art is neither only classified as modern or post-modern. It could be both or more, just what is accepted 'now' and seen as belonging to 'now'. If one asks who the contemporaries of Novelist Dan Brown is, we think of the likes of Matthew Reilly, the latest work by Clive Cussler or Douglas Preston.In terms of the Social Sciences, we can almost certainly say that Popper is the contemporary of Thomas Khun.

As for contempoirary myths then, we can easily say that they are the ones prevalent in the 'now', in this society. It could be a revival or something that has roots in the past but is still accepted today by many. We can ask the question, Is the American Dream a Myth? After all, it has sustained the American nation so far since its full inception and the generational adaption/mutations eversince the nation was founded in 1776. First it was about freedom and equality, an independence from the the absolute rule of a Monarch based on the ideas of John Locke, that all men are created equal. Then after WW2 it was about home ownership shaping the nation into a society of homeowners whose properties and ownership/enterprise fuelled banks and the financial industry. The financial industry in return traded futures and securities unrestricted by government oversight while institutions like Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac caused the first crash of the US subprime mortgases recently, plunging ...

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