Now that July 4th has come and gone, I thought I’d chime-in on Independence Day.
It, like most holidays, lacks any real significance, other than a day off.
Much the same way Christmas means shopping and egg-nog more than reflecting on religion.
Friday came and went, and my big worries were:
- Getting coffee.
- Getting to Whidbey Island (where I was spending the day).
- Getting beer.
Apart from those “great concerns” the day was care-free and not one moment of thought was given to what the day represents, or what it means to be an American.
And I think in some ways, that is the best illustration of what it truly means to be an American; Having the luxury to do whatever you like and not having to worry about your actions.
We are lucky to have such freedom and ability here in America. This realization is re-enforced when compared to the people of China. As the Olympics loom, the realities of an oppressive communist system are being broadcast to a world stage. And although I feel for the people of China, I can’t help but see their plight and count my blessings as I ramble-on, free to share my thoughts and opinions online.
I’ve never been one to hop-on the I-hate-America bandwagon. Although I am a bleeding-heart liberal, I never agreed with the hatred spouted by those who intertwined America and George W. Bush. While I will agree that the rest of the world sees G.W. as America and everything that is wrong with it. I will note that if you talk to individuals abroad, they will express a genuine respect for America and its ideals.
But as that last couple sentences illustrate, actions speak louder than words.
So the question remains; What does it mean to be American?
Does it mean we are war-mongering bullies who impose our will on anyone who gets in our way ala G.W.’s “Cowboy Diplomacy” or are we a country that values diversity and the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
I think that any American you speak to will go with the latter, but I am afraid that the fear machine created by the Bush-Cheney Administration after 9/11 has perverted the definition of American. Somehow Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness became intertwined with “The American Way,” which I find troublesome.
On the face, those items seem synonymous. But by replacing the neutral: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with The American Way, you are driving a wedge between America and the rest of the world. In doing so, it becomes easy to justify imposing American agendas under the guise of patriotism. When in reality all that is happening is that America is being a bully.
No one likes a bully.
I hope we can get back on course as a country and return to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without needing to enforce The American Way.
I am not saying doing so will be easy. But I am saying that the quality of life in other parts of the world should be taken into consideration when looking at what being an American really means.
Since WWII, America has dubbed itself a superpower. By orchestrating the creation of the United Nations, America initiated a big step towards modern globalization. Yet America has acted as though it were a separate entity, like it is above the fray. It put American interests above global interests.
Such actions create the perception of America as an aging, selfish out-of-touch superpower on the decline. And I agree.
So what does it mean to be an American? I am not sure that I want to answer that…It’s too depressing.
But the good thing is that we have time to correct the mistakes of the past and restore America to its previous luster. It’s time for America to grow-up and realize they are a part of the world stage, not the MC. It’s time to rededicate ourselves to the ideals that made America great.
Doing so may require some sacrifice, but then again no one said being a world leader was easy.
2 comments:
Historicaly all nations with power have been bullies. As empires go, America has been fairly gentle in the application of its power. That being said, I still read Noam Chomsky and get very depressed to hear how some of my tax dollars are spent. Just because we aren't as oppressive as the Romans or the USSR shouldn't give everyone a rosy outlook on what we do to the world. I believe that one reason our empire has been successful is partially because we don't conquer people, just their resources. While that may save lives and debatably increase the economic output of some third-world nations, the plan seems to be crumbling. As third-world countries figure out that they are getting screwed, they want a better deal. The US didn't get where it is today by giving other countries a fair deal. The question I pose is this: As our consumer-driven lifestyle begins to clash with the increasing standard of living in other parts of the world, will we pay more for our manufactured goods peacefully? Or will we fight to keep things cheap? Before anyone writes it off as impossible that we would go to war for cheap imports, just remember one word: OIL. Personally I hope to see our empire decline slowly and peacefully into a balance with the rest of the world (as Britain did after WWII). But as things get tighter and tighter here, the pressure to use the largest military in the world to "bully" other economies more and more into giving us the deal we want could get too strong for a President to ignore.
Sorry Homer, I just realized I don't think I actually added much to the discussion....not that I usually do :)
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