I chose to write an interpretive summary because this film has many important points and opinions toward the attainability of the American Dream. This form of summary gave me the ability to both summarize the documentary as well as share my feelings and opinions towards the topic of the American Dream through political corruption. Although there is a slight bias in this documentary, I think it will help in Forum discussions because it will allow students to question and challenge the facts and opinions represented.
To most people, when they hear the name Park Avenue, they automatically think about the affluent New York City neighborhood on the Upper East Side, but there is another Park Avenue just across the river. The Park Avenue on the island of Manhattan is home to some of the wealthiest people in the world, but Park Avenue in the South Bronx is home to some of the poorest people in the world. According to the American Dream, it is possible for anyone living in the South Bronx Park Avenue to one day live in the prestigious Manhattan Park Avenue. All it supposedly takes is hard work and determination which is how the Manhattan Park Avenue residents got to where they are. The discouraging truth is that the chances of someone from the South Bronx moving across the river to the Upper East Side through the American Dream is extremely unlikely.
According to Academy Award winning filmmaker and director Alex Gibney, he believes that the wealth gap between the rich and poor in the United States is too large and will only continue to grow, making the American Dream relatively unattainable in todays day and age. But the main question in the documentary is, why is the American Dream no longer attainable in the United States? The wealthy use their fortune in the political system to “rig the rules in their favor”. These wealthy people use their big money to back and support political leaders that in return pass laws and push initiatives that benefit their supporters. This political corruption causes extreme inequality between the rich and poor. The political corruption is negatively affecting the future generation, compromising their education, health, and idea of success.
America was built to be a place where anyone could work extremely hard and make their way to the top through the American Dream. But “America became a place where money buys everything”. This documentary brings up the alarming concern of corruption in America through our political system. It highlights the fact that the American belief that hard work pays off is still a central part of our society but in fact, hard work is no longer a guarantee of obtaining the American Dream. Although the two Park Avenues are just minutes apart geographically, they are continents apart in terms of their economic differences and their prospects for achieving the American Dream.
-Micaela Gotfredson