On National Pride

I read web comics on a regular basis. They're entertaining. One strip used the US flag as a symbol of patriotism. I know the artist and writer (they are two different people) were just mocking the patriotic speeches given in movies, but I felt some shame because, lately I've felt shame about being an American.

My aunts, uncles, and parents say to be proud as Americans. To live in America is to have opportunities that no one else in the world have. And, mostly, they are correct. We have the ability to improve our lives, visit other regions, and voice our opinions without fear of unjust imprisonment, cruel and unusual punishment, or execution. No, I am fine with that. It's what we, as a nation, have done with the opportunities and what we have ignored that I am ashamed of.

First, the US is consuming petroleum way beyond what it needs. We use it in almost everything: transportation; powering homes and businesses; and creating containers for leftover food. We could reduce what we use by adjusting our lifestyle to consume less but live just as well. But no, we watch television and the commercials that we watch just push people to buy more, more, more. Gluttony as an art.

Second, our national pride has crushed our empathy for our fellow humans elsewhere. Take our border "problem". Currently there is a wave of sentiment that if we build a thick wall manned with heavily armed soldiers between Mexico and the US that illegal immigration will shrink to a trickle. There is a problem with that argument: WE HAVE MONEY. The reason people are trying to get into the US is because there is NO MONEY where they are coming from. Yes, some like to come because they want a new life. In order to get a new life, you need to get money. Guess who has the money. The US. When America goes bankrupt and devolves into anarchy (which some people are predicting without evidence) then the illegal immigration will change course.

These are the biggest reasons I feel shame at the moment. There are a few more, but I cannot quite pin it down.

Oh, yes. I can name one more that makes me feel shame: the current race for the Republican Presidential Candidate. That is one huge mess I would like to fly away from. Unfortunately it is now making its run through California, where I live. I am nauseous from all the sound bites and what not.

I hope we can recover our luster, because culturally, we're looking like sh*t.

--HardWearJunkie