Myth of the Happy Working-Class Family

Myth of the Happy Working-Class Family

They say having that American work ethic

And overly independent nature

Is a great thing to have.

It pushes people to build themselves from scratch,

A myth called the American Dream.

I believed in this myth for a long time.

But I didn’t know my maturity,

Independent nature,

Extreme work ethic,

Is a result from family trauma.

I had always been proud to be someone

That was driven by projects

And strove for absolute perfection

But I didn’t know that was my way to cope,

To escape the unusual things that I saw

As a child.

The working-class family damages hopeful children.