And this is exactly what I find troubling about the collective American reaction to this tragedy.
An incredible number of flags can be found covering every surface in America. An incredible change can be seen in people who used to despise President Bush, now suddenly praising him. An incredible lack of tolerance for people who happen to disagree with the mainstream thought is running rampant.
And all this is the opposite of what I feel should be happening. As a nation, we bicker at every opportunity, railing against just about every legislation that is proposed, picking apart every speech given by a public figure, and more. And in our usual existence, these things are in reaction to minor issues: a few tax dollars and the like.
But now, when one false move by our country could mean another world war, or a permanent hatred of America by 1/3 of the world's population, or more... NOW when each decision made by the government has the potential to be a shockingly destructive force against the rest of the world and America itself... now we all blindly follow, 95% of us happy to just agree with whatever our leaders say, and the other 5% quickly decried as "Unamerican," "inappropriate," and other slanderous terms.
I'm not saying that we have to disagree with what our government is doing. I would be completely satisfied if every American citizen spent a few days seriously considering, in depth, what the best options are, and considering the consequences of our leaders' actions. If 99% of Americans concluded that they thought what the government was doing was the ideal solution, then that's great.
But instead, we plaster every building with flags to show that we will uncritically support and go along with whatever our government does; we publish articles shouting down anyone who happens to disagree with the mass opinion. In our defense of America, we are squelching the freedom of expression and sensitivity to numerous public opinions that were the founding principles of the US in the first place.
I'm going to cut this rant short there, because I could keep going for hours. Thanks for letting me vent.
best wishes,
Scott
Re: bourgeois bohemians
Scott
location: Canada
listening to: Brooks Williams
registered: 2009.07.04
posts: 89
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Scott
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And this is exactly what I find troubling about the collective American reaction to this tragedy.
An incredible number of flags can be found covering every surface in America. An incredible change can be seen in people who used to despise President Bush, now suddenly praising him. An incredible lack of tolerance for people who happen to disagree with the mainstream thought is running rampant.
And all this is the opposite of what I feel should be happening. As a nation, we bicker at every opportunity, railing against just about every legislation that is proposed, picking apart every speech given by a public figure, and more. And in our usual existence, these things are in reaction to minor issues: a few tax dollars and the like.
But now, when one false move by our country could mean another world war, or a permanent hatred of America by 1/3 of the world's population, or more... NOW when each decision made by the government has the potential to be a shockingly destructive force against the rest of the world and America itself... now we all blindly follow, 95% of us happy to just agree with whatever our leaders say, and the other 5% quickly decried as "Unamerican," "inappropriate," and other slanderous terms.
I'm not saying that we have to disagree with what our government is doing. I would be completely satisfied if every American citizen spent a few days seriously considering, in depth, what the best options are, and considering the consequences of our leaders' actions. If 99% of Americans concluded that they thought what the government was doing was the ideal solution, then that's great.
But instead, we plaster every building with flags to show that we will uncritically support and go along with whatever our government does; we publish articles shouting down anyone who happens to disagree with the mass opinion. In our defense of America, we are squelching the freedom of expression and sensitivity to numerous public opinions that were the founding principles of the US in the first place.
I'm going to cut this rant short there, because I could keep going for hours. Thanks for letting me vent.
best wishes,
Scott
An incredible number of flags can be found covering every surface in America. An incredible change can be seen in people who used to despise President Bush, now suddenly praising him. An incredible lack of tolerance for people who happen to disagree with the mainstream thought is running rampant.
And all this is the opposite of what I feel should be happening. As a nation, we bicker at every opportunity, railing against just about every legislation that is proposed, picking apart every speech given by a public figure, and more. And in our usual existence, these things are in reaction to minor issues: a few tax dollars and the like.
But now, when one false move by our country could mean another world war, or a permanent hatred of America by 1/3 of the world's population, or more... NOW when each decision made by the government has the potential to be a shockingly destructive force against the rest of the world and America itself... now we all blindly follow, 95% of us happy to just agree with whatever our leaders say, and the other 5% quickly decried as "Unamerican," "inappropriate," and other slanderous terms.
I'm not saying that we have to disagree with what our government is doing. I would be completely satisfied if every American citizen spent a few days seriously considering, in depth, what the best options are, and considering the consequences of our leaders' actions. If 99% of Americans concluded that they thought what the government was doing was the ideal solution, then that's great.
But instead, we plaster every building with flags to show that we will uncritically support and go along with whatever our government does; we publish articles shouting down anyone who happens to disagree with the mass opinion. In our defense of America, we are squelching the freedom of expression and sensitivity to numerous public opinions that were the founding principles of the US in the first place.
I'm going to cut this rant short there, because I could keep going for hours. Thanks for letting me vent.
best wishes,
Scott
