Full at http://blog.cheapmotelsandahotplate.org/2011/12/29/fools-gold/
Excerpt:
"But if the drama is weak, the values that the show upholds are awful. They reflect so much of what is wrong with the United States. First, there are the regular references to “the American Dream.” The men say that in the United States, a person can, if willing to take risks and persevere, strike it rich. This is given its typical political twist when combined with the belief that this is what made America exceptional. You can’t do such things in other, lesser countries. The Hoffman team portrays itself as a throwback to an earlier time when the United States was great, unlike the present when the nation is mired in crisis. Not for them the reliance of so many of their fellow citizens on government handouts. Nor the financial charlatan’s money-making magic. No, they are going to take that most elemental form of money, gold, right out of the earth, with their hands and machines. And they are doing this for family, God, and country. They regularly refer to their families as the reason they are in Alaska. They often form a circle and pray for success. They say that the whole country is rooting for them to succeed. Their examples will encourage others to chase the American Dream, and maybe the nation will right itself and be on top once again"