Well, here it is. I've joined the blogging nation. I want to say first that if you are one of my LDS friends or family, please stop reading this now, as you are likely to be offended by the possible adult language and/or content. I don't want any comments or e-mails from you objecting to this blog, since I DID warn you beforehand.
Some people may have gotten the notion that I am not happy to be an citizen of the United States of America. This is most emphatically not true; I realize that I am lucky to live where I do, and that there are billions of people in the world who would kill to have my hum-drum little life. However, this does not mean that I am blindly patriotic and think my country can do no wrong. This country has flaws. Big flaws. The problem is, anyone who brings up those flaws is immediately labeled "un-American" and conservatives* start shouting about oppression.
Now wait just a damn minute!
According to our famed constitution, I have the right to say and do what I want, without fear of recrimination, as long as I stay within the context of the laws of the land. At least, that's the way it's supposed to be. I think we, as a nation, have a long way to go before that's truly reality. Freedom does not mean freedom just for the things YOU like. It means freedom for all, whether or not you like or agree with what other people are doing. I don't understand why this is such a difficult concept to grasp! There is so much hatred here between conservatives and liberals. AIG collapses under the weight of its own greed and stupidity, and Bush gives them a bailout. Obama gets into office and continues in that vein with the banking industry, and suddenly people cry foul, conservatives and liberals alike. (But mostly conservatives.)
Actually, I think they like crying socialism more. As if it's a dirty word.
Americans are generally very stubborn and once a concept is fixed in our minds, it's difficult to change. Countries with corrupt leaders claimed they were socialist (or communist), then abused and used their own people. So naturally socialism and communism are evil, right?
I remember in my childhood years in the LDS church (which I have since left), a lesson about charity and taking care of your neighbors. The gist of it was that in the ultimate society, everyone would be provided for, we'd all pitch in on all the work, and everyone would share the fruits of our labor. Hmm. Sounds...well, kind of like communism AND socialism to me.
I don't claim to know a lot about socialism, but I know it has worked well for many nations across the world. Somebody, however, put it into the collective American consciousness that if we, say, socialized health care, we'd have to wait hours to see a doctor and wouldn't get the best care possible. Hell, I ALREADY have to wait hours to see my doctor, even with an appointment! PLUS I have to take unpaid time off for my appointment, then pay for the privilege of seeing the doctor! And I've been misdiagnosed more than once! HOW THE FUCK IS THAT BETTER??
I've gone a bit off track with my initial idea here, but hey, this isn't called Brandirambles for nothing.
America needs to get over itself and find some humility and compassion. There are far too many people in this country who are homeless, jobless, ill, and hungry, and that is unacceptable to me. The cry of "WE'RE NUMBER ONE!" means nothing when I know that millions of our citizens go to bed with empty stomachs every night. We have no right to proclaim ourselves a moral or ethical authority; we can't even fix our own problems! I seem to remember a passage from the Bible about someone not being able to see the mote in his own eye. (Yes, you too can use the Bible for your own nefarious purposes!) Well, my friends, we have motes in our eyes. And if we want to be the nation that we believe we are, we need to re-think things that many of us have never questioned. I love this country, and we have the potential to be a truly great nation if we could all pull together and stop yelling at each other. A house divided cannot stand, or something like that.
So please, America, just calm down and take a breath. This is not a contest with the rest of the world. I want us to be respected, so let's really look at ourselves and ask how we can make our nation a better place to live. Because as we all know, nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement.
Just like there's always room for dessert.
*Disclaimer: I am neither Democrat or Republican, nor am I affiliated with any other organized political party.
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Well said and a great opening blog. I look forward to reading many more!
ReplyDeleteAs a Irish/British bloke, I come from a 'socialist' democratic country. We have social wellfare programmes, healthcare, pensions, schools, colleges, etc... And while these are in no way perfect, and they are a drain on our economy, without them we would find ourselves in a similar position to the US, with a gaping chasm between the well-off and the poor, with children starving in ghetto-like conditions, and the only work option for the poor and uneducated to join the army and become cannon-fodder for somebody else's war (usually one for wealth and power, rather than national defence).
As you say, sadly due to historical reasons, the US tends towards equating socialism, with communism. And, for some reason, mistaking fascism for socialism! This needs to change, or else someone in marketing needs to find a clever new way to brand social reforms in order to stop conservatives attacking what would be radical and paradigm shifting schemes as 'socialist'.
What saddens me most though about the current state of the USA, a country which I have loved visiting, enjoyed working in, and have many good friends from...is the power that religion holds within and over local, state and national government. America needs to remove religion from its politics before anything meaningful can ever be achieved. Arguments about right to life, death penalties, gun owebership, gay rights, sex education, social wellfare, healthcar initiatives, etc...all get derailed by religion. Faith has an important role to play in society, and as you say, some denominations foster strong community bonds. But religion as an organisation, that wields power over elected officials and the media, can be nothing but destructive.
For a country with a Constitution that requires separation of Curch & State, something appears to have gone very wrong indeed.
All that said, we have much to be grateful for in the Western world. I thank America for our shared history, the entertainment industry, some fantastic music and the Harley Davidson mnotorbike company. I am also aware that the America we see on the news, on TV and read about online is not necessarily the America of the American people. Such a large and varied country cannot simply be labelled conservative or liberal. Nor should it be either Republican or Democrat. But like the UK, the people suffer under the yoke of those who have held power for many years. The UK almost has a 3 party system now...one day the US may get there as well. And who knows, maybe one day the word socialist will mean equal opportunities and means for all, and not 'Communist'!!
Keep up the blogging 'B' - I like it!
I wanted to talk about religion too, but I'm saving that for another blog, as it REALLY gets my dander up. Thank you for sharing your insight and for taking the time to read my very first blog!
ReplyDeleteI find the whole two party system unappealing. One only has two viable choices, both tending to the extreme. There are the democrats (liberal) and the republicans (conservative). They are divided on all issues from government regulation, abortion, gay rights, etc.
ReplyDeleteIn college I wrote an essay on Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Despite being children's books, the stories made some interesting points. Take the Red Queen and the White Queen, for instance. I think the chess pieces embody these two political parties. The red pieces represent the conservative party. They are hawkish, greedy, ambitious, and wield power with an iron fist. "Off with her head!"
The white pieces represent liberals. They mean well, but are confused, infirm, stressed, and worrisome. They simply are not up to the tasks they set themselves. Thing of the old White Knight upon his broken down horse. Yes, he is noble, but powerless.
Is that really a choice, then? On the one side you have a party that can get the job done, but does not have your interests at heart. On the other hand, the other side wants to help the whole world, but lacks the power and ability to do so.
This is the reason I am apolitical. I also claim neither party as my own.