Runinate: H.O.A.H.B.T. and the "American Dream?"
With regard to the H.O.A.H.B. Truck documentary, react to the commentary that it makes about the "American Dream", mentality, and lifestyle. Furthermore, how does it connect or relate to our studied literature so far this semester? Please respond thoughtfully. In your response, please wonder, relate, question, think, etc... (Response Due Fri. 1-28-11 at 2:30p.m.)
posted by Greg T at Tuesday, January 25, 2011
28 Comments:
What is the american Dream? Is it success in a financial endeavorer? Or is it having everything that you think that you need. The truth of the idea of the american dream is the fact that it is a state of happiness when you are truly happy with your life, not just content with it. The winner of the hands on a hard body truck contest gave the truck to his wife. It is the action that allowed him to achieve the american dream. Most everyone in the competition wanted the truck to just have it, or sell it; basically they wanted it so they could have something that is off value to the world. But the American Dream is to achieve or do something that is of value to yourself. Some of the writings that we have read in class fallowed the same principle. Pair of silk stockings was a prime example because the main character faithfully fulfilled her obligations to her family and when she gets that $15, she does something for herself. However, she was not content with the life she was living and I believe, that at the end, she felt empty inside and that is why she wanted to go one forever in that dreamlike state.
When watching the movie H.O.A.H.B.T, I noticed how many different kinds of people were in the contest and how they had different aspects they have on the contest. The man that won the contest was so happy he even gave it to his wife. When I compare the movie to "Silk Stockings" I notice that people have different aspects on how many or material items can make a person happy. Winning the car may make the man and his wife happy for only a certain amount of time. I wonder hoe long it will take until the man and his wife are unhappy or in need of something else. Maybe then even tried to get their name into the contest again for the next year. In "Silk Stockings" The woman found money and did not win it, she spent it and was only happy for so long until she realized what she was missing out on. I only wonder when the man and his wife will feel the same was, maybe they used to walk everywhere together and had built up a very good emotional relationship, but will the car get in the way of that since now they have a radio and can get to places faster then they used to. When will the car mean nothing to the couple and when will they want more then what they already have, like before the contest.
While i was watching this film i saw the determination of people of how they wanted to achieve their goals. In that time people wanted to challenge themselves and see how far they could go. However, at the same time each person wanted the truck for different reasons. One girl wanted to sell the truck and buy braces and get a college education. Another guy wanted to get it and give it to his wife. This film related to the poem "I hear America Singing" because each person has their own story and has their own determination to make it through life and hardships. All of the contestants in the film were all just regular people trying to achieve their goal and get what they wanted but at the same time they learned many lessons and met new friends and people. They learned that even though they were competing against one another they could still hold each other up and help them in any way possible. With the power of God, one lady was able to make it to runner up! She believed in herself and knew that God would give her what is right for her. You could really see the determination come out in these people and could tell that the truck was very important to them, not to just receive the truck but do it for themselves as well.
This contest was unique and interesting in many different ways. It was amazing for me to see how desire overtook mind, thoughts, emotions and feelings. The men and woman in this film put aside their jobs, and their lives to win something that in the end only brought them meterilaistic wealth. They put themselves in a miserable position, to have the chance to win something. In my mind the first text that comes to mind is the Silk Stocking. It shows that in the end, materialistic matter does not overpower family, and friends, and people that mean most to you. The contestants knew from the begining that there would only be one winner, yet they all believed in themselves to win. At times I felt as though life would not go on for them if the goal was not met. Out of the 23 contestants we saw 22 men and women walk away with the goal not met, im sure in some way it effected their lives and their character forever. The dedication of the man that won was unbelievable and his true character shown through, when he decided to give the truck to his wife. After many long and grueling hours his heart was bigger than his ego.
Many of these could have never had the chance to have a car or would put the rest of their family in financial trouble. But just the fact that they have a chance to get a car I think can really change somebody's life for the better because at least they know they have a fair chance to win the car. In relation to the other text i believe this would have given them each a chance to relive or live for the first time in the life of luxury driving a car. This would have boosted them to the the highest of society and they could have achieved their glory days again, or possibly they might have sold it to enrich the lives of their families with the money from the car. I wonder which they would have chose because I believe they both love their families but maybe they miss their old lives just as much. It is interesting to see that in either time period they still have the same hard choice of living the life of luxury or maybe doing better for their family or themselves.
In the H.O.A.H.B truck the "American Dream" is the idea of having the newest idem that is on the market. All these people are doing a competition to see who can last the longest under unhealthy conditions and the motivation that they have to do all of this is to win a new truck of there time, in the idea and hope of being the "American Dream".
It seems that the American Dream is money. Money makes the world go 'round and it makes people 'happy.'As we saw in the video, some people didnt want the truck for the truck but they wanted it for the value. It really is outlandish that people revolve around cash and cant find joy or happiness in other forms. Personally, money stresses me out sooo much because without money i cant eat, pay for gas, or do anything really. But i try to keep it off my mind by enjoy my hobbies. The video relates to the texts we have read in a few different ways. For example in the poem 'I hear America Singing,' it is a bunch of different people manifesting there different dreams and prospers...Just like in the contest it was so many different type people and they all had there own background and there own dreams.
"Hands on a Hardbody Truck is more than just a contest...more than just winning a truck." To a group of modern day, suburban teenagers, a $15,000 truck may not seem like something to waste days of your life for. But to the 23 contestant's lives revolve around using a truck and continually using it, it's all that matters. Many of them wasted hours, even days out of their lives, and majority of them left with nothing. "I need to test myself just to see how far I can go." Why are people so willing to put their lives on hold, and their health, even sanity at stake, all for a truck? It is because to them, owning a truck gives them a sense of acceptance in their own community? Do they want to fit in more? Or is it about taking a risk and going for something just to see if you can? Why do American's care so much for material things? In "A Pair of Silk Stockings", Mrs. Sommers used all of her money that she found on material substances for herself, and she did it for acceptance. Is this the same situation? Are all the main things in our life centered around acceptance? Another man in the film said "There are not many tryers in the world..." Why not? Why are people afraid of risks? Is it for the same reason too? Are we afraid of disappointing people, therefore losing their acceptance of us? Why do people care so much about what others think of them?
The American Dream will vary for each individual in how they perceive it. The contestants in the Truck contest all have a want or use for the truck if they win. Some want to go to college, pay off loans, get braces, or have a truck for work but each want something that they think will improve their life in someway. The American Dream is about doing what is the best for yourself. Not in a selfish way but in a way that everything you seek to do is improving not only your own life but possibly the lives of others. This relates to "How it Feels to be Colored Me" because she is fighting to make the best out of her life by fighting off a certain challenge or difficulty. In the movie, the contestants too are trying to fight off or solve a certain financial need that they have. I wonder why they all see the need to participate in the contest when they could work harder in a job or in life to improve their standings financially.
In Hand on a Hard Body Truck, each person originates from a different background, a different walk of life. All of the individuals have their own motives for winning the contest. The so called "American Dream" is not necessarily a general dream for all to become wealthy, own a nice car, or have large house with a white picket fence. The different motives present in our lives, power us to make decisions that will influence and affect our lives in the future, usually in hopes of accomplishing our very own American dream. The winner of the truck in my opinion, was not necessarily the most motivated or fiercest competitor. For every person, there is a breaking point in life, where nothing more can be done or said to keep going at a task. These breaking points affect us all individually and in different ways, but at the same time bring every individual together because we can all sympathize with one another as we all experience breaking points. In H.O.A.H.B.T. by then end of the competition, the contestants have made friends with one another and have somewhat of an understanding for how the others feel and their reasons for what they do. Walt Whitman writes in "I Hear America Singing" and Zora Hurston in "How if Feels to be Colored Me" how we are all different as Americans and how our pasts make us who we are: individuals. At the same time, both texts explain that because we are all "in it together" that we are brought together and similar. The texts read this semester, along with H.O.A.H.B.T. show how we are all individual, yet our individualities bring us together as one.
The Hands on the Truck documentary strongly relates to the American dream.In the challenge each contestant is trying to win the truck so that they can take a step forward into reaching their American dream. One man wants the truck because he truly believes that a truck is a hands down American car, and that it will help him better his life. Another lady is trying to win the truck so that she can sell it and then use the money for college. The American dream was present in every contestant, it was just expressed in every persons own specific way.
Determination and personal drive seemed to be major aspects of the film. Mentally and physically they each had to face challenges within themselves. They all wanted to gain something out of this experience and test how truly motivated they were. A lot of the people in the film seemed to have hard working lifestyles and that winning the truck would have a dramatic effect on their lives. Many of them had to find a way to except the fate of failing. They also had to question what they wanted to gain and whether it was worth it to struggle in a unhealthy way, to gain their own personal dreams. This relates to the readings we have done in that people have had to truly think about what is important to them and how they are changed by situations in their lives.
This film relates to the American Dream because everyone who entered in to the contest has a reason of why they entered. Maybe it was just because they wanted to win a truck, but for some it was more than that. I remember one contestant saying that if she won the truck she would sell it and use the money for so many things she had wanted to do. Another example was a woman who wanted braces so she was willing to do what it took and enter in the contest in order to get some kind of reward out of it. Banny, a contestant who won the contest the year before said that it was all about "who could maintain their sanity the longest." He said that it was more than just winning a truck. That you would look at people that were hurting; you could see it on their faces. Determination would stir up when someone "looked better than you." Twenty three people were chosen for competing in this contest and only one can leave relatively happy. This contest can relate to "Silk Stockings" because the lady in that story had gotten a lot of money and had everything that she wanted. Some people perceive having everything you want as "The American Dream" and therefore, winning the truck was an American Dream to many of the contestants in this specific contest.
The H.O.H.B. contest was very interesting because our class, among many others, were able to experience average citizens attempting to achieve the American Dream, but on a micro scale. It was just a small example of how much people are willing to give up in order to accomplish their dream.The contestants in this contest all come from different backgrounds,lifestyles, and families, therefor each individual is going to have a separate mind set and motivation coming into the contest. Some people are going to have stronger determination levels based on their current situations and those are going to be the ones who stand the longest. For example, the man who had already won the contest the year before is going to be over-confident which will then weaken his place in the contest as compared with the man who sold his truck before entering the contest. The American Dream is a large goal to accomplish and humans are most often going to be willing to give some things up in order to achieve it. "Mind over madder, mind over mind."
The contest does a great of illustrating the American dream. For me it really showed that you get out of life what you put into it. The more sacrifices you are willing to make, the more rewards that will be available. Nothing comes easy in America just like this contest. If you give up easy then life is going to be hard, but if you can push through the hardship, rewards will be there waiting. It also showed that preparation is just as important as heart and determination. Both are required to be ultimately successful. Wanting something will not get it for you without preparing and figuring out how you are going to get it. This goes the same both ways and can be applied to the contest and life in America. It applies to the last poetry we read about how Walt Whitman hears America singing. In the poem he talks about opportunity in America and rejoicing in that. I think it applies to the contest as America is the only place where contests like this could take place and the opportunity for success and rewards.
The H.O.A.H.B.T contest is a very enduring and challenging contest. People do not understand the real challenge and long wait these people decide to embark on. This shows that all the people who applied for the contest have their own specific reason for wanting that truck. Individuals want think that standing with your hand on a truck for a few hours will be easy, they found out the totally different experience. The American dream to these people in Longview, Texas is to have a nice truck that they can use for there everyday work, as well as helping family with whatever they need. Trucks are not only strong an durable but they help people get around as well as having their own needs for the truck. i think this mostly relates to the story that we read call How It Feels To Be Colored Me, just because of the regret that she has with people as well as how she has noone to connect with.
I think it is like the American dream because something they are investing a lot of effort in them to achieve. It is also like the silk stockings story we read. They were able to have the chance to win prize and have this luxury but they missed on a lot of things, just like the lady missed her family while she was trying the stockings on. They have to sacrafice to get there goal.
The H.O.A.H.B.T. Truck documentary is a good example of the "American Dream." People are willing to stand for days and place their hand on a truck, in the heat and rain, through pain and fatigue just to win a new car. One quote was " What is it worth? Where do you draw the line?" This just shows how people have to fight through difficulties and see how far they can push themselves. They had to stay strong and determined so they could win that car. The whole contest in general, was to win a material possession some people believe that having many possessions is succeeding in the American Dream. This is similar to the literature we read, the silk stockings, as soon as she found the money, she just bought a ton of material things. She was a first very happy but realized that it wasn't the happiness that she wanted. The people in the contest realized the same thing. As soon as they lost or gave up they realized the car wasn't really that important.
The HOAHB truck documentary relates to "the American Dream" because the people are lucky enough to get into the contest by lottery but it still doesn't guarantee that they have won the truck yet they still have a long way to go and hard work ahead of them but they continue on all striving for the same goal that only one can win.This is the same for those immigrants that are manage to get to America but once they get here they still have a long hard climb and it isn't always reachable.
Material things have a lot of value to humans in today’s day in age. People base their lives around getting an income to number one provide basic needs, and then number two leave room for purchases of some enjoyment. Over time we’ve seen more and more things be added to the category of needing vs. wanting. This documentary gives a humorous outlook on a somewhat concerning problem; how physical objects motivate a person more then emotional concerns. On a large scale this means that people would invest their valuable money and time for a new car then money or time going to a good cause somewhere in the world.
I believe the hands on a hard body competition could be compared to the American dream in many ways, It is showing how if they want it bad enough Americans can push themselves to do just about anything. This competition pushed people to their mental and physical limits for around 3 days. They gave up many things just to win something, a material thing. What if we gave that up for something that wasn’t about us? What if we weren’t selfish about our American dreams? Would the world be a better place, I think so. I think if the people in that competition were trying to win the truck for someone else, they barely knew, the effort being put in would be substantially lower. We are only looking out for ourselves, and not for others. If those people could see how selfish they look, complaining about something that they are doing for themselves. Like the woman in “silk stockings” she got everything for herself and didn’t even think about how she could use her money to help others. What I’m trying to say is the American dream should be about America being better not just your life and I think this movie should make people want to go out and work hard for someone else for a change.
This movie perfectly demonstrated the idea of the "American Dream." People from all different backgrounds come together in a competition that has the potential to change their lives which is directly related to the idea of the American dream where a person can come to America with little to no money and make it big. I think what was most interesting about this movie in relation to the American dream was the idea that it couldn't be achieved by just anybody. In this sense I think that this kind of discredits the idea of the American dream because it isn't available to everybody, but at the same time I don't think that the definition of the "American Dream," has been agreed upon. For this reason it reminds me of "I Hear America Singing," because every person had their own song but all also achieved their idea of success. This also demonstrates the idea of the American dream, that anybody can be what they want to be and still work together under the title of Americans.
There are many things that could be taken away from this film. It’s not the first film that would come to my mind when I think of a movie that shows the American dream. However after watching hands on a hard body contest I realize that there are many things that can be taken away from this film. One gentleman said that if your minds not in it there is no way that you will win. If your heart is not 100% emerged into making your American dream come true, then it never will. The biggest motivate is yourself and if you believe that you can do anything then you will most likely complete those actions. There was a woman in the film that got out of the competition and afterwards realized that she didn't do everything that she could have to win the contest. She put her mind into it and came back to win the competition the next year. They are both perfect example of the American dream. Perseverance and determination coincide with each other in having a successful completion of the American dream. Walt Whitman said “Missing me one place search another” this relates to the American dream in that if something doesn’t work, get back on your feet and try again. How many people in America have missed out on the dream, because of a lack of perseverance? This reminds me of one text that we read this year. It told a story of a woman who came back to the city after many years of living in the suburbs. She realized to late what she was missing out on.
The American dream is different to everyone. I think for the people in H.O.A.H.B.T there dream was to have the opportunity to win something that will help them in further accomplishment. None of the people in the contest ever just played to see if they could do it they all had a reason for their effort. Some of them wanted to because it would help them in social status like the one kid who was sick of being the only one in the bug and wanted a truck to fit in. Or many other people wanted the truck because they wanted to be able to move things and help around. The people in this movie felt like they had a drive so it made them appreciate it more. Unlike in the silk stockings were she spent the money because she did not realize how hard it was to earn it.
in the videos H.O.A.H.B.T the american dream in this case surviving days of standing and hardly no rest tell one comes up on top of everyone else and accomplishing there goal on winning a new truck. so in other words its being number one and having the dream.
Behind the scenes of the H.O.A.H.B.T. Contest there is an overall feeling attempt at the American dream. As people push their bodies to the furthest extent possible, it is obvious that the contestants had the American dream in mind,when pushing themselves to the limit to win a truck to improve their lives for the better, which is in fact, the American dream.
the american dream is simply a legend perceived in many different ways. its basically a stamp licked and slapped onto the definition of happyness. you dont need to be rich and bountiful to be successful in life. thus, i think the american dream can perish with old people, and their unfortunate, never fulfilled visions. i believe if one lives their life giving, making memories, accomplishing their dreams, and being content with whom they are, than one will ultimately be happy. the persuit of happyness. in all, a truck, a materialistic chunk of metal, wont really make an individual truly happy. judgemental? perhaps. i guess it just depends on the person and their story really. meh. who knows.
the american dream is simply a legend perceived in many different ways. its basically a stamp licked and slapped onto the definition of happyness. you dont need to be rich and bountiful to be successful in life. thus, i think the american dream can perish with old people, and their unfortunate, never fulfilled visions. i believe if one lives their life giving, making memories, accomplishing their dreams, and being content with whom they are, than one will ultimately be happy. the persuit of happyness. in all, a truck, a materialistic chunk of metal, wont really make an individual truly happy. judgemental? perhaps. i guess it just depends on the person and their story really. meh. who knows.
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