Monday, 30 June 2008:

Video highlight ("American Dream" panel discussion): Tanya Stanley

            Elizabeth Nunez                                                                             Junot Diaz                                                                        

The panelists discuss immigration regarding the American Dream, and focus on the American Dream as a mythology or as a reality.

Junot Diaz begins with some autobiographical insight:

·        Grew up in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic

·        No television, no electricity

·        His sense of the US was non-existent

The American Dream as Religion

·        Cannot discuss the American Dream

·        Discussing the American Dream is like trying to discuss religion

·        People do not negotiate regarding their view of the American Dream

The USA

·        The American Dream as an unspoken but concrete belief

·        Americans as a chosen people; a chosen people needs an un-chosen people

·        Americans’ view of everyone but themselves = monstrous outsiders

Elizabeth Nunez discusses being an American and defending America while in the Caribbean.

·        Materialism

·        9/11 tragedy:  a loss of freedom

·        Her son’s reaction:  lock up the borders

·        Her response:  neither of them would be in America if the doors to America were locked

·        The American Dream:  partially a mythology

·        The Color Code at work

Junot Diaz’s response to Elizabeth Nunez

·        We get nothing from the personal story; not interested in the narrative

·        We need to look at America as a collective

·        The personal obstructs the collective

Both Diaz and Nunez had similar backgrounds of America while in the Caribbean.  Neither of them knew anything about America when they were growing up.  Why does Diaz have such a pessimistic view of the American Dream, and why does Nunez have such an optimistic view of the American Dream?  Is Diaz’ view pessimistic or realistic?