Do most (U.S. of) Americans care?

[dragons in the flower bed]

An acquaintance who recently moved back to the States says most people here care only about shopping and selling and waving flags in a shallow support-the-troops kind of gesture. I think that's just a stereotype perpetuated by the media, so I argued that most of the people I know are much more thoughtful and active than that in their stance on issues. But most of the people I know are different in some way -- homeschoolers, Pagans or LGBT. My personal sample group is obviously predisposed to going against the flow.

 

So, what do you think? Are most of the people you know personally mindless shopping drones who choose their political statements based on what bumper stickers are most widely available?

 

(BTW, I do not in any way mean to indicate that supporting the troops is stupid or mindless. Not at all. Just that those stickers tend to be more available, and no one these days is really against supporting people who are in a traumatic situation, so it's the easiest statement to make if you happen to be a nonthinker. Supporting the troops can certainly also be a thoughtful, important form of political activism.)

[mrsdash]

Although I agree with you that people have more substance than your friend may seem to think, I can definitely see where she would get that impression. There are days when I feel like a good amount of the young in our country has been brainwashed by marketing ploys. There are days when I think that the level of brainless mush has risen and I am sometimes afraid of our future generations. I think the MTV/reality show mentality has contributed to this mess.

[Zelda]

I don't think support of our troops is the easiest route at all. In our small, now very liberal, town, the easiest route to go is the mindless TRASHING of our troops.

 

 

Nor in my somewhat enormous, very liberal town where its much more en vogue to go "counter culture". I don't think any philosophy has a monopoly on the mindless bumper sticker culture and in my town I know the mind-set where most of that kind of energy finds its source and its not with supporting the troops.

[laughing lioness]

I wonder if it's not so much about caring or not as it is about entitlement and assuming that we have what we have because we deserve it and we shouldn't be denied. I do think that mostly we (Americans) are a people who value entertainment and ease - frequently to the point of idolizing it.

[jamnkats]

I wonder if it's not so much about caring or not as it is about entitlement and assuming that we have what we have because we deserve it and we shouldn't be denied. I do think that mostly we (Americans) are a people who value entertainment and ease - frequently to the point of idolizing it.

 

We are in the US after 4 years in Mexico and i think this hits the nail on the head. This culture is at once seductive and dangerous. I can't wait to get back home. :)

[Danestress]

I tend to think of myself as someone who does care. But I know that even when genocide and mass rapes are occurring in Darfur, I do Christmas shopping and buy groceries for my family. I know that when the Balkans were a blood bath, I was still concerned with law school exams. I get so upset by certain actions and inactions of my government, but I still manage to spend more time thinking about what to have for supper than seems appropriate under the circumstances. I doesn't *look* a lot like caring, does it? When I listen to the radio these days, there is so much discussion about the way the economy is affecting Americans, as if the suffering of the rest of the world is just not really relavant.

 

So I guess I would say, "No." If caring is action, then caring about what happens in the Sudan would look very different from how it looks. Americans give huge amounts of money to relief organizations overseas, though. We are, I think, a very charitable people in many ways. And in that respect, it seems like Americans do care on some level. But I don't think we are willing to suffer ourselves even if it relieves the sufferings of others. I don't think that most Americans think about humans as a whole - we tend to ask, "What is good for me? What is good for America?" and are reluctant to take actions that will cost American dollars and lives unless there is some clear benefit to Americans themselves.

[Stacy in NJ]

I think people, whether Americans or not, sometimes are disappointed that with Americans. Don't you know, we're suppose to be something other than human? We're not allowed to indulge in the same stupidity that all other human beings indulge in. We're THE superpower. We frequently don't live up to the ideal, therefore we're obviously bad, bad, bad.

 

I think Americans are very fortunate in the political construction of our country and in the effort and sacrifice past generations have offered to make our country successful. But, we are like every other people in the world no less, or no more thoughtful, intelligent, hardworking.

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

My viewpoint is skewed, as well. We're a former military family. I have a half-brother-in-law & a nephew in the navy. Many of our friends are still active or reserves. My dear friend just returned from a year in Iraq. No mindless flag waving here.

I do, however see what you mean by the commercialism of it all, but look at it this way: How does it affect the actual men and women returning from service? I would say it has a good affect, they see support (even if it is superficial) which is very different than the lack of support for troops seen in the past. I don't care if someone sporting a "I support our troops" bumper sticker has slapped it on as a mindless drone. I do care that my dear family and friends returning from duty or serving duty stateside are visually reminded that they are not hated.

 

What irks me is those that spout mindless liberal platitiudes and don't think of the consequences of those choices. My sil is a shining example.

 

What irks me is rhetoric from either side and the mindless stereotyping of one political bent towards the other. Many liberals and conservatives alike have shown genuine support for our troops, just as many from both camps have spouted stupid, hurtful things without thinking through the consequences. Do not make the assumption that everyone serving our country in the armed forces is on your side of the political fence. Our troops have volunteered from every walk of life, and are as varied and diverse as America herself.

[dragons in the flower bed]

I do think that mostly we (Americans) are a people who value entertainment and ease

 

 

This makes sense to me.

[dragons in the flower bed]

We frequently don't live up to the ideal, therefore we're obviously bad, bad, bad.

 

Mm, that makes sense, too. We're an experiment, so it makes sense that we're being observed more closely.

[dragons in the flower bed]

I had many thoughtful conversations this summer with my oldest's fiance. Yes, he's a kid in his twenties, but he's spent a lot of time thinking through his positions. Yes, he has some mindless kayak buddies, but the vast majority of his friends know what they believe and why. Of course, that sample is skewed coming out of Hillsdale College... :D

 

:) Yes, I think is the core of what I wonder. How many Americans know what their political beliefs are and why they have those?

[Lisa R.]

and have come back to the U.S. to be critical of Americans.

 

I've noticed this with Americans who've lived overseas for years and then come back to visit. I've noticed this with foreigners who come to the U.S. to go to school. Coming back to America is often a culture shock. The best way to deal with this is not to criticize this country, in my opinion.

 

Really, I have no patience with this. Americans aren't perfect. There are shallow people in every country on this earth. We are, in spite of this economic downturn, one of the wealthiest countries on this earth. This causes envy and anti-Americanism.

 

I guess I can understand people who live outside of our country criticizing us. However, I don't understand why people who come to live here still criticize Americans. Why do they choose to live here if they find it so distasteful?

 

Sure, I know goofy, shallow people. They also reside in the country from which this person once lived.

 

Most Americans I know are patriotic. Many, if not most Americans like to shop. They are, however, interested in other things, too.

[Zelda]

we tend to ask, "What is good for me? What is good for America?" and are reluctant to take actions that will cost American dollars and lives unless there is some clear benefit to Americans themselves.

 

Am I the only one that doesn't see this as a problem?

[Zelda]

superpower. We frequently don't live up to the ideal, therefore we're obviously bad, bad, bad.

 

 

I think the obvious answer is to lower the standard so that we can all meet it and feel good about ourselves.

[sagira]

I wonder if it's not so much about caring or not as it is about entitlement and assuming that we have what we have because we deserve it and we shouldn't be denied. I do think that mostly we (Americans) are a people who value entertainment and ease - frequently to the point of idolizing it.

 

That sounds like my dh -- hehe :D

 

And don't get me wrong, I do value my ease, no doubt about that. I just don't need to be entertained that much. Just give me a few nonfiction books about topics I care about and Internet access.

[Tarheel Heather]

An acquaintance who recently moved back to the States says most people here care only about shopping and selling and waving flags in a shallow support-the-troops kind of gesture. I think that's just a stereotype perpetuated by the media, so I argued that most of the people I know are much more thoughtful and active than that in their stance on issues. But most of the people I know are different in some way -- homeschoolers, Pagans or LGBT. My personal sample group is obviously predisposed to going against the flow.

 

So, what do you think? Are most of the people you know personally mindless shopping drones who choose their political statements based on what bumper stickers are most widely available?

 

(BTW, I do not in any way mean to indicate that supporting the troops is stupid or mindless. Not at all. Just that those stickers tend to be more available, and no one these days is really against supporting people who are in a traumatic situation, so it's the easiest statement to make if you happen to be a nonthinker. Supporting the troops can certainly also be a thoughtful, important form of political activism.)

 

 

My brother is over there now in the thick of it. He has had several missions that are down right scary. There are several young men in his unit that have zero support from home, no letters, no one to send basic supplies since there is no place available to shop. His unit is in need of supplies, there are young men who need a word of encouragement and support. They are being shot at on a daily basis.

 

I support my brother and his unit. As for the holiday's, there is a whole new perspective for us since he has been in Iraq. We just want him home in one piece.

[Peek a Boo]

I have a bit of a different opinion:

 

each person has different priorities for passions.

 

The person who isn't as concerned about our troops may be APPALLED at your [general your] own lack of passion for the environment, child slavery, global hunger, the unborn, local civic involvement, the firefighters, local law enforcement, or any other number of issues they see as more important or in more dire need of support.

 

so be careful --they might be thinking the same thing about you [general you, lol] ;)

[Danestress]

Am I the only one that doesn't see this as a problem?

 

I mentioned it as a problem so no, I don't think you are the only one:)

[Zelda]

I mentioned it as a problem so no, I don't think you are the only one:)

 

Good. Because minding your own is good for everyone. Eventually, minding your own home expands to minding your own street to minding your own neighborhood to minding your own town...you see where I'm going with this. I'd like to see more people put some real effort into minding their own instead of letting their own go to pot while they're out searching for solutions to "bigger" problems.

[Renee in NC]

Good. Because minding your own is good for everyone. Eventually, minding your own home expands to minding your own street to minding your own neighborhood to minding your own town...you see where I'm going with this. I'd like to see more people put some real effort into minding their own instead of letting their own go to pot while they're out searching for solutions to "bigger" problems.

 

This is a very good point. It's easy to care about the starving in some far away place - much harder to care for those in your own backyard.

[Peek a Boo]

Good. Because minding your own is good for everyone. Eventually, minding your own home expands to minding your own street to minding your own neighborhood to minding your own town...you see where I'm going with this. I'd like to see more people put some real effort into minding their own instead of letting their own go to pot while they're out searching for solutions to "bigger" problems.

 

so would this be trickle UP minding, or trickle DOWN minding? ;)

[Renee in NC]

so would this be trickle UP minding, or trickle DOWN minding? ;)

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

At this point, I don't know that it matters!:tongue_smilie:

[Zelda]

so would this be trickle UP minding, or trickle DOWN minding? ;)

 

I like voodoo-minding. It has a nostalgic touch of hysteria.

[Jugglin'5]

Good. Because minding your own is good for everyone. Eventually,minding your own home expands to minding your own street to mindingyour own neighborhood to minding your own town...you see where I'mgoing with this. I'd like to see more people put some real effort intominding their own instead of letting their own go to pot while they'reout searching for solutions to "bigger" problems.

 

 

LOL, as P.J. o'Rourke said, "Everybody wants to save the world, but nobody wants to help Mom with the dishes." Or something like that.:)

[dragons in the flower bed]

I like voodoo-minding. It has a nostalgic touch of hysteria.

 

LOL!

[Danestress]

Good. Because minding your own is good for everyone. Eventually, minding your own home expands to minding your own street to minding your own neighborhood to minding your own town...you see where I'm going with this. I'd like to see more people put some real effort into minding their own instead of letting their own go to pot while they're out searching for solutions to "bigger" problems.

 

I actually think it's a problem not to care about others and only to care about yourself. I do actually care what happens to people in the world who I don't know and who live on continents I may never visit. I tend to care most about the problem in front of me, so I tend to give charity dollars in my own community and volunteer in my own community. But not exclusively, and I think Americans only caring about Americans has the potential for very sad consequences.

[Night Elf]

each person has different priorities for passions.

 

:iagree: I don't think about the troops often because I do not personally know anyone in the military. Honestly. My uncle was a marine many, many years ago. He was in Vietnam and has never talked about it. I have no personal experience with anything military. We aren't even flag-flyers because we don't own an American flag. It doesn't mean I don't respect my country, the American flag, or the military.

 

And yes, I love to shop. I love the ease of my life. I love conveniences. I love that I live in the present and didn't have to live like Little House on the Prairie or other olden times like that. Yuck. I see living conditions in other countries and am thankful that my life isn't like that. I do give to charities but have no interest in active participation such as volunteering time or traveling. I can help a neighbor when needed and that is more important to me. In fact, my family is able to help another family have a Christmas this year. It's a family I personally know which makes it even more special to me. I don't feel shallow or superficial but I guess others might describe me that way. Oh well!

[lovemyboys]

It doesn't *look* a lot like caring, does it? When I listen to the radio these days, there is so much discussion about the way the economy is affecting Americans, as if the suffering of the rest of the world is just not really relavant.

 

If caring is action, then caring about what happens in the Sudan would look very different from how it looks. Americans give huge amounts of money to relief organizations overseas, though. We are, I think, a very charitable people in many ways. And in that respect, it seems like Americans do care on some level. But I don't think we are willing to suffer ourselves even if it relieves the sufferings of others. I don't think that most Americans think about humans as a whole - we tend to ask, "What is good for me? What is good for America?" and are reluctant to take actions that will cost American dollars and lives unless there is some clear benefit to Americans themselves.

 

But don't you think that that's pretty much human nature? The Salvation Army motto is "soup, soap, salvation" -- take care of the most urgent human needs before the rest, even our souls.

 

We do care. But we still have to feed our family, observe our holidays, live our lives. Like the rest of the world.

 

What we have in America, that some in other countries don't have, is the luxury of time, free time. We have convenience in our foods, access of groceries and other supplies, transportation, jobs and worklife, technology -- and the economic base to afford much of it, even in the lower economic levels. Very few of our "poor" have a lifestyle that compares with true poverty in other countries. Plus, most Americans work hard, with less time off than those in many other countries expect.

 

But it's easy to bad-mouth the US. There are very few other countries who engage in such open dialogue and have the freedom of frank criticism for all levels of government and society as we do. For those who have lived overseas, there's the easy "snobbery" of looking down on the homogenous, shallow, isolationist US -- which is anything but. But it still seems chic and cosmopolitan to do.

 

To answer the OP, I know some of both types. (Don't we all?) Many who stay very deeply informed on issues and are involved in walking the walk. Others hear a catch-phrase every now and then and they're good to go (voting or not, understanding or not).

 

Not to pick on you in particular, Danestress, but I think "we" have to watch the tendency to commit "our" troops and resources to try to solve all the world's issues. Because, like you said, "we" aren't the ones actually going and doing it -- our overcommitted military members are the ones going in harm's way, doing without, dealing with the conditions, missing family. I expect our leaders to carefully assess situations to determine "our American" interests before committing troops, resources, finances.

 

But it's sort of a ****ed if we do, ****ed if we don't situation either way.

[Stacy in NJ]

Good. Because minding your own is good for everyone. Eventually, minding your own home expands to minding your own street to minding your own neighborhood to minding your own town...you see where I'm going with this. I'd like to see more people put some real effort into minding their own instead of letting their own go to pot while they're out searching for solutions to "bigger" problems.

 

Zelda, I've decided I'm in love with you. Will you marry me?

 

Kidding!!! I just like the way you think.

:D

[Zelda]

Zelda, I've decided I'm in love with you. Will you marry me?

 

Kidding!!! I just like the way you think.

:D

 

Ha! You know, you better talk to the last guy that fell for that first. :D

[Zelda]

I actually think it's a problem not to care about others and only to care about yourself.

 

My next door neighbor heads one of the biggest charities in our area. Her kids are a disaster. She's unleashed 4 fairly useless people upon society and if they breed there is no telling how many more of them we'll have. No amount of canned goods for the needy can make up for that. Sure, go ahead, care about others, I'm all for that stuff but don't take bricks out of the foundation of your home to help someone build theirs for the sake of charity. Americans should care about America first.

[lovemyboys]

My next door neighbor heads one of the biggest charities in our area. Her kids are a disaster. She's unleashed 4 fairly useless people upon society and if they breed there is no telling how many more of them we'll have. No amount of canned goods for the needy can make up for that. Sure, go ahead, care about others, I'm all for that stuff but don't take bricks out of the foundation of your home to help someone build theirs for the sake of charity. Americans should care about America first.

 

That's a great analogy (metaphor?), though a sad neighbor story.

 

It reminds me of the stewardess telling us to put our own breathing mask on before trying to help others. If you can't breathe, you sure can't help anyone else, and no one will make it.

[Parrothead]

That's a great analogy (metaphor?), though a sad neighbor story.

 

It reminds me of the stewardess telling us to put our own breathing mask on before trying to help others. If you can't breathe, you sure can't help anyone else, and no one will make it.

:iagree:

 

To the OP, I feel that it has become fashionable to bash Americans. It is done subtlety by our own sitcoms and not so subtlety in our own news. It is done by American bloggers, American individuals in their homes and American groups in the streets. It is done by people in countries close to us and countries far away.

 

We have lost a lot of respect we once had over the last 20 years. Sadly, I've watched it happen. My opinion of the causes is too political to discuss here, but I really hope things turn around in the next decade.

 

As for caring, I know a lot of people who care. I also know people that go for the catch phrase of the day, and/or what ever is popular.

Edited December 10, 2008 by Parrothead

[Danestress]

My next door neighbor heads one of the biggest charities in our area. Her kids are a disaster. She's unleashed 4 fairly useless people upon society and if they breed there is no telling how many more of them we'll have. No amount of canned goods for the needy can make up for that. Sure, go ahead, care about others, I'm all for that stuff but don't take bricks out of the foundation of your home to help someone build theirs for the sake of charity. Americans should care about America first.

 

Of course I can think of many people who care vigilantly for their neighbors in a very broad biblical sense of "neighbor" and who have lovely children.

 

I'm not sure what it looks like to care for America first. My husband has spent most of his adult life in the military, and I have spent most of my adult life as a military wife, so we have put that service ahead of some of the other goals we might have set for ourselves. And in some ways, our children have suffered for that (especially our oldest) because it's hard to move so much. I don't really have regrets, but I do understand what you are saying. You have to balance the desire to live honorably and selflessly with the desire to protect your children. But you know, someone has to sacrifice if our nation is going to prosper, and likewise people do suffer in the effort to relieve the suffering of others.

 

But honestly, a lot of time when Americans (as individuals and as a nation) are helping other countries, we are doing that partly for our own security interests because nothing breeds terrorism like hopelessness and anger. So it's hard to say sometimes whether a humanitarian effort is really just humanitarian or also wrapped up in a desire for our own security.

Edited December 10, 2008 by Danestress

[Peek a Boo]

Ha! You know, you better talk to the last guy that fell for that first. :D

 

 

yeah...what a sucker! lol.......

 

:D

[Peek a Boo]

I'm not sure what it looks like to care for America first. ... And in some ways, our children have suffered for that .... But you know, someone has to sacrifice if our nation is going to prosper, and likewise people do suffer in the effort to relieve the suffering of others.

 

...., we are doing that partly for our own security interests

 

1. back to my initial post in this thread: so as long as we have enough people w/ varied passions helping to take care of each other and pick up the pieces, then there will be a large, diverse pool of organizations to help us as we help others in our own ways :) A free-market safety net, if you will.

 

2. and this is the essence of how charity works in Objectivism/capitalsm, i think. If you want to live in The Best society, you are willing to put your money where your desire is. And you know it's worth every. penny.

[Mama Lynx]

I certainly do know people who are shallow and thoughtless. But I know plenty of thoughtful people of substance, too.

 

I don't think that anyone I know chooses their bumper stickers based on what is "easily available." I do think many of them choose their political statements based on nothing more than what the mainstream media tells them, and that they are too willing to readily believe than to look deeper. So I do think that many bumper stickers do not reflect thought, but I also think that if someone cares enough to buy a bumper sticker and slap it on, it generally expresses something that they do, actually believe.

 

It's fashionable to bash America. I've spent time in Europe, and did not find, on the whole, more thoughtful or substantive people there. I found them to be much the same in terms of how many of them were willing to think, and how deeply.

[LilyK]

We are in the US after 4 years in Mexico and i think this hits the nail on the head. This culture is at once seductive and dangerous. I can't wait to get back home. :)

 

I wish you a lovely journey back.

[SnowWhite]

Most of the people I know care deeply about their beliefs and views, but they don't always share them freely. In a country as diverse as the US, one in which friendliness and oppositional arguing seem to be mutually exclusive, it is easier to keep dialogue "surfacey" and shallow, so that we can build connections with others who may be VERY unlike ourselves based on the few things we have in common.

 

You and I, Rose, for example, are very different people. We likely hold completely different political beliefs (though I'm sure there are some upon which we agree, like wanting the government to stay out of our educational choices as much as possible), and we certainly hold diametrically opposed religious viewpoints. Yet, we are able to respect and even like one another based upon the things we have in common... gorgeous intelligent little boys for whom we would gladly walk through fire, and with whom we are joyously learning history, science and philosophy.

 

So, your friend has perhaps not yet dug deeply enough in friendship to find the depths of new acquaintances' characters and beliefs.

 

As Peek suggested, those friends may be whole-heartedly supporting any number of causes (which might or might not be the same causes your friend believes to be worthy).

[Haiku]

But I don't think we are willing to suffer ourselves even if it relieves the sufferings of others.

 

I agree. I think we are overfed and over-entertained and over-pampered and therefore we don't have a whole lot of passion to do anything because we're so darn comfortable. The "I've got mine" mentality that I witness around me really bothers me. We are willing to throw money at problems, but if it requires actual work, we tend to decline.

 

I also think that Americans are woefully uneducated about the rest of the world, and since we don't know much about it, we don't particularly care much about it.

 

I have lived overseas and seen people in dire circumstances. Many of them are more knowledgeable about what's going on in the world and more willing to do something about it even if it costs them something. ETA: I think this has to do with the fact that we have billions of things competing for our attention, so we are very distracted. People with fewer entertainment options tend to pay more attention to news, ime.

 

Tara

Edited December 10, 2008 by TaraTheLiberator

[Zelda]

I do understand what you are saying. You have to balance the desire to live honorably and selflessly with the desire to protect your children.

 

You do? Protecting your children is certainly honorable and I never suggested doing anything unethical or dishonorable or illegal. Selfish in the sense that you are looking out for yourself/your interests? Yes, absolutely. Caring about yourself and making sure you have a solid foundation at home before overextending yourself to prove your largesse, as an individual or a nation, isn't admirable or honorable.

 

Words like humanitarian give me hives.

[Danestress]

Selfish in the sense that you are looking out for yourself/your interests? Yes, absolutely. Caring about yourself and making sure you have a solid foundation at home before overextending yourself to prove your largesse, as an individual or a nation, isn't admirable or honorable.

 

Words like humanitarian give me hives.

 

 

Yes, doing something to just prove largesse is a bad motive.

[Happy]

My next door neighbor heads one of the biggest charities in our area. Her kids are a disaster. She's unleashed 4 fairly useless people upon society and if they breed there is no telling how many more of them we'll have. No amount of canned goods for the needy can make up for that. Sure, go ahead, care about others, I'm all for that stuff but don't take bricks out of the foundation of your home to help someone build theirs for the sake of charity. Americans should care about America first.

 

Flip this around.

 

Perhaps she volunteers *because* her home life is a wreck. At least by volunteering she has control of something.

 

My dh and I 'unleased' a difficult kid into society. Despite our best efforts, he is not a pleasant person. As an adult, he still has much to learn about holding a job, getting along with others, and being a person of respect. He learned differently in our home and has chosen to live the opposite of what he learned.

 

I find that my volunteer work is a solace for my bruised heart. When my mother was dying, I worked long hours because it was the only dad-blamed thing in my life I could control.

 

At least with her volunteering, some good happens.

[LBC]

I haven't read all the replies, but your friend may be suffering from reverse culture shock.

 

I remember returning home to Canada after a four month trip to Egypt and the Sudan, and it was difficult to see my culture in contrast to where I had been. Even if she has been in a western or European culture, there are still some very big differences, and it takes time to adjust.

I remember being in San Jose California for a few months. I was driving north to BC, and the further north I got, the slower things were. It was such a strange experience. In San Jose, if you didn't drive fast, you were honked at, and passed by people traveling way over the speed limit. Oregon was a bit slower; Washington was a lot slower; BC seemed to be moving backward.:D

 

Eventually we adjust, but not before passing judgment at some level.

 

Lori

[Haiku]

Without them, however, our country would be a very different place.

 

Hear, hear!

 

Tara

[WTMCassandra]

I think there are pockets of both kinds of people in America. I was shocked to hear all the stories, for instance, of people voting last month for the first time in their lives at age 60 or whatever. On this board, I suspect, is a large pocket of the thinking kinds of people.

[5kidsforME]

We are in the US after 4 years in Mexico and i think this hits the nail on the head. This culture is at once seductive and dangerous. I can't wait to get back home. :)

 

 

So why are you in our Great Land Of the USA?

[Jenny in Atl]

So why are you in our Great Land Of the USA?

 

I believe she is visiting her family.

[Haiku]

I wonder why it seems so inconceivable to some people that the United States might not have the greatest culture. We have a lot of freedom, yes, and that is good thing, but our culture lacks many elements that some people feel are important.

 

I wonder whether the people who seem so offended by criticism of American culture have traveled outside the US. I wonder that because most of the people that I know in real life who are the staunchest, most unquestioning defenders of America's superiority in all respects have never been anywhere else.

 

America can be a great country and have problems at the same time, and I don't think it's bad to recognize that.

 

Tara

[Hillary in KS]

Most the people I know don't talk much about their good deeds. They are hidden people.

 

Most of the people I know spend a lot more money on their good deeds than they do on unnecessary items for themselves. They are clean and tidy, but not bejeweled or BMWed (although they could be).

 

Most of them stay out of the malls because there's nothing there they want and a lot they don't want to see. (Victoria's Secret, say, while shopping with their teen boys.)

 

Most of the people I know are in church 10x more than they are in a mall, timewise. Without knowing the facts (because they don't talk about it), I would also bet their wallets reflect this ratio.

 

They eat. They make sure others eat. They have a house. They open their homes to others, and give to shelters, both in time and money.

 

But they are the hidden people, who don't walk around telling everyone how great they are. Without them, however, our country would be a very different place.

 

 

Well said. What a lovely post. Thank you!