Despite the fact that the richest one-one-thousandth of Americans has now accumulated almost as much wealth as the entire bottom 90% of Americans, almost two thirds of the people in this country still believe in some version of the American Dream. Optimism lives!

"The American Dream" was a popular fairy tale of the latter half of the 20th century, featuring a plucky-but-average citizen triumphing over the circumstances of his birth in a golden-hued land of opportunity. Modern Americans seem almost embarrassed their forefathers ever embraced such a myth.

It's the American dream: start out as a wretched fry cook at McDonald's, and— with plenty of pluck and hard work— work your way up to owning your own McDonald's one day. A new study quantifies just how unrealistic this idea is.

The Way We Live Now: giving up on dreams. They're complicated, they're expensive, and you never get your investment back. Why bother with dreams when you can find nearly as much satisfaction from tax rebates, gambling, and condos? Settle, settle.

Yavuz Erdogan is the human embodiment of the American Dream: a Turkish immigrant who became a U.S. citizen, he owns his own business in Levittown, the archetypal American suburb. On election night, an ex-cop beat him with an American flag.