Oh, we're capable of great things.... yet just equally contradict ourselves in virtually everything. Arts, media, culture for instance have seen great achievements that were later corrupted by hypocrisy and corporate greed. Censorship to avoid offending the small minded, the bigoted, the traditionalists... instead of aiming for our best we settle for what draws the biggest ratings, sets the highest advertising budgets, offends the fewest people, has everyone talking but not challenging us to think, reflect, explore... to a large extent. Not everything, but depressingly far too often.
We say we're #1, always supposed to agree that America is great and its best days are ahead of it. I can't agree to the first that we ARE great... what constitutes greatness? What does America stand for, and what about the disconnect of reality to ideal? We were instrumental in turning the tide in WWII, but in our need to defeat the Soviet Union in the Cold War, right afterwards we took in a number of those scientists in Germany with affiliation to the Nazis and closely worked with right wing regimes and toppled governments that we did not think we could control. Even Democrats like FDR and Truman affiliated themselves with the corrupt Saudi royal dynasty founders...for easy access to oil and to keep them away from Soviet influence. A truly great country leads without being motivated primarily by self interest or fear. Democrat and Republican, for the most part we have had few examples of profiles in courage. Real leadership, real honesty. And probably true that really honest people can't go far in politics... especially when there are so many interest groups that don't want to take selfish concerns out of the equation. It's very easy to talk about positive campaigning, but much easier to trash your opponent personally... or call the ideas offered by that opponent evil, immoral, or most prominently used as a term to instill fear and anger.. "socialism"!
We have the worst medical care delivery system in the developed world. We have an aging, degrading infrastructure. Our trains don't measure up with most of the developed world. Our internet and telecommunications lag behind a number of developed countries. We have a pension crisis looming that could destroy the retirement dreams of millions. Yet we are supposed to be called "great" because America is really good at kicking butt? And yes, we have a lot of successful corporations... but the disparity between the average worker(and don't even get me started on those on the lower rung)and our hallowed, productive CEOs is exponentially increasing. The wealthiest are indeed doing great... but those who did well even thirty or forty years ago would be considered struggling today. We are told hard work, believing in our dreams, making sacrifices will help lift the boats of those who aren't doing well... but the reality of what actually is going on is far more depressing. It's not that those attitudes are in themselves bad... they are most definitely not. But the reality for too many is one has to work harder and harder, accepting a life of misery and servitude to the time clock(security cam) and management.
We CAN be great. We CAN be a lot more. But as a country founded on a tenuous contradiction...freedom and liberty but with millions in slavery with no real choices in their lives, with suffrage originally granted to a relatively few rich white men... we have always been a nation of contradictions, extremes. For awhile in the previous century, it looked like maybe, just maybe, we were on the right track. But we're sliding backwards, and soon enough we my well find we can't slow down that train. America sure isn't great now, just a promising tease that will be up to us to change for the better... if we can at all. I LOVE America... but the inclusive, compassionate, positive vision of what we can be. Gotta say I'm a contradiction too, but love and loyalty and true patriotism means one has to be honest about the present, the reality... and not distracted by illusion. Enabling doesn't help anyone.
