Ruminate: H.O.A.H.B.T. And "The American Dream?"
With regard to the H.O.A.H.B.T 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. 2-2-18 at 2:30p.m.)
posted by Greg T at Sunday, January 28, 2018
32 Comments:
H.O.A.H.B.T. on the surface seems that it is teaching endurance and perseverance when in reality the people are being studied. Yes, it requires endurance to stand for 78 hours straight, but H.O.A.H.B.T. was as if the people where lab mice, being watched and tested. I don't really think this relates to the American dream, because, at the beginning of the film the narrator states "to see how who will go insane" which doesn't seem just like a competition.
I think this competition shows the American dream of working hard for what you want. Many of the people in the competition gave up a lot to be able to compete and they all went through a lot of physical and mental pain just for a truck. This shows that people are willing to work hard for what they want. That relates to the American Dream because so many people move to america to have more opportunity, once they move here they have to work very hard to get a job, a house, or even just food because they came over with nothing, but they wanted more opportunity.
I think that the H.O.A.H.B.T. film demonstrates the American Dream for some folks. The film is primarily about who can maintain their sanity the longest. It also shows how people will sacrifice their physical pain for their physical needs/wants. The American Dream is when passion drives people. The main problem that occurs in this dream is the occurrence of pain exceeding passion. Pain overpowered several contestants'passion, but one person did not allow this, he kept moving forward. The key to this contest and life is to have a strong support system. When good people pour into you and vice verse, we have the capability to strive for what we desire.
Americans all have motivation to conquer obstacles in hopes to achieve something they believe is right for them. The contest gives people who normally would not be able to get a truck like this, the oppurtunity to win a car. There was no discrimination in picking the contestants and everyone has the oppurtunity to apply to participate. There are winners and losers, everyone has an equal oppurtunity to win, it is how dedicated they are to the end goal. They are sacrificing time and energy in hopes that they are the last one wiht their hands on the truck.
The man who won, after being awarded with the truck, said that he was giving the truck to his wife. He work for 78 hours to win something for his wife. I believe that this is earning something for others can give you greater motivations than if you are doing something for yourself. Our root motivations and needs alter the outcome of your situations.
After watching the HOAHBT documentary I feel it shows conflicting views on the “american dream”. While there is the side that shows americans can do anything that they put their mind to and there is access to basically everything you could want. There is also a side of people are willing to stand with a hand on a truck for 70+ hours to win a truck. That gives a negative idea about the lengths people are willing to go to in american society. I personally like to think of the american dream as a good thing because while people are going to extreme lengths for these things they are all doing it for a reason. Most people who entered into the contest did it for money, a family member, etc. I think overall the documentary did a good job of showing the pros and cons of the american dream.
After I watched the movie I realized that it relates to American society today because a lot of people are driven based off of material goods. In this movie all of the contestants are there to win a truck. It shows how people will actual suffer in order to win a material object. I think that a lot of Americans today will give up certain things in order to get something that they really want. I think that we live in a very materialistic world and this contest proves this. Overall, this documentary shows what Americans will do for things.
I think the HOAHBT film was a metaphor for the American dream because it showed that with resiliance and perseverance, anyone can do anything they put their mind to. I think to others it showed that if you need something as well (like transportation) there is always a way to get it lawfully with enough perseverance. The HOAHBT film showed me that if some Americans want something, they will go to great lengths for it.
After watching HOAHBT, I think that the competition both connects and conflicts with the American Dream. It shows how determined Americans can be and how once they set their mind to something, they often will go to great measures to accomplish that. However, I also noted how obsessed Americans are with material possessions. We put so much importance on possessions and receiving them, even though they often aren't necessary. For example, one man had already won a truck before, yet he competed again. He did not need to win again but probably got addicted to the thrill of winning and therefore, had to compete again. In the end, I think the documentary did an okay job of showing how people can perceive the American Dream and what they believe is needed to reach that dream.
After watching this movie, I have realized that when Americans want something, they will do anything to get it. With the truck, people stayed for 3 days to win the truck. 3 days with keeping a hand on the truck. I don't see how doing this is hard work, but i can see how it is dedication and perseverance.
This Documentary shows that the american dream is possibility and and trying new things. Many people in the competition had the possibility to win and were very great because they were willing to try instead of giving up. This relates to our studied literature very little in a real life sense but does when in the context of the american dream it relates to the idea that anyone can do anything that they would like to.
HOAHBT definitely follows the idea that in America, if you are able to put the time and work in, you can spend three days standing around and walk away with a truck. The "American Dream" says that if work is put in and people try their hardest they will be rewarded and these people are definitely rewarded. Many of these people joined the contest so that they would have an opportunity to work and win themselves the truck.
In my opinion, the HOAHBT documentary the nature of the American dream is that people will do anything and give anything in order to achieve a dream that others may see as silly or out of reach. This can be seen throughout our society in the different ways that people go about building their profit in all aspects in life. I think that this connects to our studies in this class because we have been learning about what the American Dream means, and to me, the American dream is whatever an American dreams of being, having, or achieving, even if it seems as silly as standing for over 3 days just for a truck. I also thought that this related because the man who had won wasn't going through this for himself, but rather for his wife. And this shows that even though it seemed like his dream was the truck, it was actually making his wife happy.
The documentary showed how the "Dream" is different for everybody. Some of the people were in the competition just for profit like the guy who had won before. Others were very desperate about and were hoping that the truck would change their lives, there was one guy that wanted it just because he wanted to fit in. As the competition progressed it changed from a competition for a truck into a showcase of how strong the people were. A big question is, was it really worth it for them to spend all of that time standing around, that they could have been working and making money?
This all seems super predatory. You could make a contest in which the contestants were given $100 for each self inflicted stab wound. People would do it. People would hurt themselves over and over again for quick cash. That doesn't make the people offering the chance morally sound. These people abused themselves for more hours than it could have taken to buy their own truck each. The combined labour hours of all the people in this show could have done great things for charity or made a load of money for each of them.
I think the film takes part of the American Dream. Everyone has their own American Dream some dream of a big family, some dream of a lot of money, some dream of cars, houses, or bunch of clothes. In the film everyone in the contest is all there for one thing, the truck. The goal is to be the last one standing with their hands on the car. If you really needed the car that badly, then you would wait that 70+ hours to get it. I think it can be a waste of time, if you got all the way to 2nd or 3rd place. Like waiting over 50 hours to get nothing would suck. Personally I don’t think I would compete in this contest because I could never make it that long with a lack of sleep.
I think this connects to the american dream because for the most part there can only be one winner. In the competitive business world of today everyone is trying to be the one winner. We as Americans love material items. This was why everyone in the film was so motivated to win. They sacrificed there health for a truck that will last them less then 10 years. But relationships with people last way longer and that shows how much we love possession.
The HOAHBT challenge is in its simplest form an example of the American dream. The contestants start with little; it seemed like most of them weren’t incredibly well-off given that they were so dedicated to winning the truck. Through proving themselves by standing, they hope to win instant fame and profit greatly. The American dream is the idea that because there are few restraints on you when you try to succeed in America, you can come out on top if you have the determination and ability to do so. However, the movie does include aspects which contradict the American dream. Those who had confidence and determination figured out that they were too quick to judge the situation or lost through an accident. The American dream doesn’t account for accidents which could instantly cause the determined individual to be harmed. I wonder if modern Americans are more aware of the easy downfalls (which do exist) when trying to work their way up from nothing.
The American Dream can be heavily related to this documentary. The American Dream is the idea that everyone has an equal opportunity to success, and the one who has the determination and will to succeed will be the one to do so. In this documentary, it is contestants trying to win a truck, and the competition gives each person an opportunity to succeed, and the person who has the will to succeed will be the person to do so.
After watching the H.O.A.H.B.T documentary I connected my notes to what we have been learning in class. This documentary goes to show how we are able to do whatever we dream of doing, just like the American dream. It shows how you have to be tough and face (sometimes extreme) challenges in order to obtain that dream.
After watching the H.O.A.H.B.T Truck documentary it made me realize that the American dream is all about opportunity, it doesn’t guarantee us the win, but it helps us reach our goals. The contestants had the opportunity to win a brand new truck. But they had to face a difficult challenge to try to win the truck while facing other contestants because nothing is free in life. Which is not the point of the American Dream, American’s still have to work to earn the things they want in life.
The Prescription of the American dream is one that is unique to each person, in the documentary each person tries to win this truck to which each person, some attached religion, some fame, some fortune, however things of this nature are never that easy and can in fact be so difficult that what you lose is more valuable than what you gain, thus with the loss of valuable time which could have been used to actually work for a truck, they lost that chance to legitimately reach their goal and learn a lesson. But instead they tried to win a competition, lost, then came out in a total wash, gaining nothing but slight fame.
The Prescription of the American dream is one that is unique to each person, in the documentary each person tries to win this truck to which each person, some attached religion, some fame, some fortune, however things of this nature are never that easy and can in fact be so difficult that what you lose is more valuable than what you gain, thus with the loss of valuable time which could have been used to actually work for a truck, they lost that chance to legitimately reach their goal and learn a lesson. But instead they tried to win a competition, lost, then came out in a total wash, gaining nothing but slight fame.
After watching the H.O.A.H.B.T Truck documentary, it really helped me to better understand the American Dream. The Truck competition really shows the hard work part of the American Dream, it is a ¨survival of the fittest¨ kind of competition. It shows how we have opportunity to have our dreams come true, but we have to work hard, and even hard work will not guarantee success. Also each contestant in the truck competition had a different reason on why they want to win, just like each citizen in American has a different perspective/goal when it comes to the American Dream.
The H.O.A.H.B.T Truck documentary is a great example of portraying the American Dream in my opinion. The American Dream is all about giving everyone a fair and equal chance no matter their gender, race, socioeconomic background, whatever it may be. This documentary gave everyone a fair and equal opportunity to win the truck. You had to exert determination and perseverance to be a strong competitor, but that's also what the American Dream is about, working hard for what you want.
The documentary was not a good example of trying the American Dream because it conveys that materialism is more important than the experiences in our lives. It seems like they were trying so hard to get this object and become happy. It is sad that people waste their precious time standing and just waiting for something to happen. The American Dream is about being happy with what you have and not wanting more.
I think that the film connects to the American dream because it shows, how when people really want something they have extreme determination and perseverance, they stood there for long periods of time day and night with super short breaks. Although they knew the odds were not really in their favor seeing as how there would only be one winner they continued to keep going. They stayed their with their hands on the truck up until their breaking point which I think shows just how far people will go to achieve what they want.
I think that HOAHBT and the American Dream are similar because HOAHBT shows that when people are determined to have something, they'll go to drastic measures to have that. It shows that some people are willing to sacrifice more to get more, or more to get better quality. I think it's definitely a statement about how far is too far, and how much are you willing to have on the line to get to that breaking point.
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After watching HOAHBT the documentary I realized that it and the American dream have many similarities because everyone has their own definition of the American dream one could be about getting their own shop or restaurant, or it could be owning a big plot of land in the country. But in the documentary their American dream was owning a new truck.
The HOAHBT truck documentary resembles the American dream by showing that people will do anything for what they want, and it is possible for anyone to accomplish that as long as they focus and don’t give up. I personally think that this challenge is dumb because why waste your time standing around for a truck that might only be a little help in ones life.
After watching the HOAHBT documentary, I realized that the American society is heavily driven off of rewards for doing nothing. This rewards-based society is resulting in the lack of ethical workers, and results in more Americans relying on others to survive.
I understand that a possible financial struggle that these people could have, could be a definite reason for their choice to sacrifice their time for winning a car. I believe that some were in the competition, not for the car itself, but the title of winner. FOr example, the guy that had already won the year before, yet decided to do it again and possibly take away the opportunity for someone else to win the car and put good use to it. In my response to how I feel about this film is, to each their own. If you feel that winning a car will benefit your life or make things easier, go on ahead. Now, I do feel some aversion to the person trying to win to boost their ego, I feel that they should allow someone else to have a chance.
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