After today's discussion in class, I can definitely say I have sympathy for "The Dude". At the end of the day, he's still getting shit for being perceived as some type of confused loser from an objective standpoint. I personally think he's the man. His life entails few problems, at least that are of concern to him, and he goes about his day how he pleases, staying low-key, while enjoying every moment. To me, that's the American dream. It seems to me as if most people these days are too caught up in everyday bullshit to take a look at themselves and really consider whether they are happy with themselves. When watching The Big Lebowski, even though "The Dude" had a threatening beard and a worn down jacket, I found him to be most content with his life and himself. But yeah, as for this whole "slacker's" concept, i think its bullshit. I think that everyone is so judgmental of each other that a "slacker" is a term that was set precedent to describe someone that doesn't meet society's standards. But who's society to judge? You do your thing, I'll do mine, and so on. If your goal is to hit up med school and become a virologist or somethin, more power to you. But in the end of the day, my American dream is classified by the amount of time that I'm enjoy what I do each and every day. I'd rather have smiles on my face then dollars in my pocket.