My Opera"America! F#&K YAH!"
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 10:14:58 AM
I read this op-ed on the WSJ and I had to let it sink in for a while.
It felt intrinsically wrong but logically he makes some great points and a strong argument.
Then it struck me. He's got it a bit backwards. It's not America but rather the People. It's no subtle distinction. The idea that America is great and should remain a super-power simply because it's America is wrong.
America's people and system of government have been making these things happen and to think that it's impossible that another group, another set of people would come along and espouse those ideals is a bit arrogant.
The point is -- we don't just get to wear the crown because we happen to have worn it the past century. We have to earn it, over and over again, by working damn hard to see the world become a better place. Freedom, fairness, justice, and equality serve that goal well because really, what good is freedom if you have nothing to make you laugh?
This article makes it sound like the world needs a babysitter and we're the best at changing diapers. It's nationalism without substance and it's foolish.
I'm quite proud to be a citizen of this nation, not because we are perfect or always get things right but because there is an ethic here that values all those rights and works hard for them. When we start in-fighting over relatively trivial matters we lose sight of what does make our country great and what allowed us to grow and prosper.
We are the greatest nation on earth for many reasons but I don't know that I could count among them our world policing skills. If anything, until somewhat recently, we've sucked.
The point is the people matter. America's decline may lead to world instability but that is far better than an America that exists only to enforce a world order and not on the foundation of good people fighting the good fight, even if sometime we get it wrong - badly.
I do agree with him on one thing, though, the fall of America would not lead to some sort of grand world coalition. There'd be more fights and wars.
Yum
(it's late and i really wish I could proof this but I feel like my head is being squished inside-out)
It felt intrinsically wrong but logically he makes some great points and a strong argument.
Then it struck me. He's got it a bit backwards. It's not America but rather the People. It's no subtle distinction. The idea that America is great and should remain a super-power simply because it's America is wrong.
America's people and system of government have been making these things happen and to think that it's impossible that another group, another set of people would come along and espouse those ideals is a bit arrogant.
The point is -- we don't just get to wear the crown because we happen to have worn it the past century. We have to earn it, over and over again, by working damn hard to see the world become a better place. Freedom, fairness, justice, and equality serve that goal well because really, what good is freedom if you have nothing to make you laugh?
This article makes it sound like the world needs a babysitter and we're the best at changing diapers. It's nationalism without substance and it's foolish.
I'm quite proud to be a citizen of this nation, not because we are perfect or always get things right but because there is an ethic here that values all those rights and works hard for them. When we start in-fighting over relatively trivial matters we lose sight of what does make our country great and what allowed us to grow and prosper.
We are the greatest nation on earth for many reasons but I don't know that I could count among them our world policing skills. If anything, until somewhat recently, we've sucked.
The point is the people matter. America's decline may lead to world instability but that is far better than an America that exists only to enforce a world order and not on the foundation of good people fighting the good fight, even if sometime we get it wrong - badly.
I do agree with him on one thing, though, the fall of America would not lead to some sort of grand world coalition. There'd be more fights and wars.
Yum
(it's late and i really wish I could proof this but I feel like my head is being squished inside-out)
Jimtoyotabedzrock # Friday, February 17, 2012 2:59:56 AM
In America we have a massive population of people who think torture is ok.
I'm not sure we are a positive force in the world anymore. We seem to be a force for perpetuating poverty, borderline slave like conditions and the exploitation of other countries people.
Our racists have expanded their reach into Canada, England, and Germany.
We are allowing our rich to not only suck us dry but the rest of the world.
WillYum # Saturday, February 18, 2012 10:13:45 PM
When evaluating nations it should be relative to other nations, not your imagined-utopia. Compare us to any other nation (over the span of at least five years, to be fairest) and you'd be hard pressed to find place - overall.
But, one statement I do have a hard time defending against would be "We are allowing our rich to not only suck us dry but the rest of the world." There seems to be a majority of rich people who really hold their own self-worth above that of the common man or woman.