Spring Break
Thankful for American democracy
Issue date: 11/20/08
In a class earlier this week, we watched a video in which the speaker went through a long list of problems plaguing the modern world. To me, the single most noteworthy aspect of the list was that not a single item on it applied to the United States. This realization, coupled with the approach of Thanksgiving, leads me to think about how lucky we are to live in a nation like this. Of course the U.S. has its share of flaws, but, no matter how seriously we take them and how much time we spend trying to fix them, we should never lose sight of the fact that we are largely exempt from the most serious problems people face in the world today. Yet we still spend inordinate amounts of time complaining. It seems as if the more we have to be thankful for, the more we have to complain about.
I'll start with the big picture. Earlier this month we elected Barack Obama, a black man, as President. Whether we agree with his policies or not, we can be thankful that we have moved on from the past eras of discrimination and slavery. The Civil War is over. This also means that President Bush and most of the Republicans whose policies many Americans detested have been forced out of office. Our democracy works. President Bush is now going out of his way to help President-Elect Obama transition smoothly into office. This is a striking contrast to elections in other nations, such as Zimbabwe, where the reigning president resorted to violence, rather than risk losing his stranglehold on the struggling nation. Throughout President Bush's term, Americans frequently and publicly expressed their disapproval of his policies using political protests, news media and even comedy. This is possible, because we consider our right to free speech sacred, while others in certain places around the world would fear to be heard expressing the "wrong" views. Of course we use this free speech to complain about how restrictive our country is.
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists who resented our way of life flew four of our own planes into three of our most important buildings and one open field. Since then, there has not been one successful terrorist attack on American territory. So we complain about the length of the security lines at our airports.
I'll start with the big picture. Earlier this month we elected Barack Obama, a black man, as President. Whether we agree with his policies or not, we can be thankful that we have moved on from the past eras of discrimination and slavery. The Civil War is over. This also means that President Bush and most of the Republicans whose policies many Americans detested have been forced out of office. Our democracy works. President Bush is now going out of his way to help President-Elect Obama transition smoothly into office. This is a striking contrast to elections in other nations, such as Zimbabwe, where the reigning president resorted to violence, rather than risk losing his stranglehold on the struggling nation. Throughout President Bush's term, Americans frequently and publicly expressed their disapproval of his policies using political protests, news media and even comedy. This is possible, because we consider our right to free speech sacred, while others in certain places around the world would fear to be heard expressing the "wrong" views. Of course we use this free speech to complain about how restrictive our country is.
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists who resented our way of life flew four of our own planes into three of our most important buildings and one open field. Since then, there has not been one successful terrorist attack on American territory. So we complain about the length of the security lines at our airports.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Steve
posted 11/20/08 @ 11:40 PM EST
Clearly 'horrendous health care' wasn't on this list of problems plaguing the world....
skeptical
posted 11/21/08 @ 3:56 PM EST
I don't think you even have to get as specific as health care. What about just poverty and violence? Both exist in the United States, and although they may affect a relatively smaller number of people, it seems inaccurate to say that not a single one of the "problems plaguing the modern world" apply to the United States. (Continued…)
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