Americans hate Americans! I know it is hard to believe, but it is nonetheless true. One needs only to read the Op-Ed pages of the newspaper; or, to listen to the talking-heads on broadcast media; or, read the comments posted on Facebook. Furthermore, Americans hate Americans because they worship similitude; and, the shit hits the fan if there should be somebody out there who sees things differently than we do. And Americans hate with passionate intensity! They cannot merely agree-to-disagree: They insult, degrade and bully until the dissenter bows to their will, regardless of whether their position is correct or erroneous. It does not matter so long as we are right and they are wrong! But Americans hate because they fear! They are not just afraid of being on the losing side of an argument: They are afraid of losing what little they own, or perceive that they could own. In short, Americans are afraid of being ordinary: That they are no greater than anyone else on this planet, especially those poor bastards in third-world countries. Is it because we have been raised on nonsense such as the American dream, that notion that this nation and its people are extraordinary; and, therefore, entitled to more wealth and privilege than everybody else? Is it because our founding-fathers were bigger bad-asses than in other countries? Of, is it that we merely are so enamored with ourselves that we assume we are better without having been anywhere else? In that case, how can you know the U.S. is the greatest country on earth? As a scholar of American constitutional history, I have been all over Europe explaining our governing document and its intellectual history. As a person, I have made it a point to see the world: To not be cloistered within only the American borders and its point-of-view. As such, I see how Americans can be viewed as arrogant when they hoist their values and politics upon other countries; and, yet, feel violated when those same countries reject our jingoism for what it is--self-centeredness! As such, I look forward to the end of the American empire. It has run its course, just as all the empires before it such as Rome, Spain, Great Britain and all the others throughout human history. The sooner we get off the world stage, the sooner Americans will see beyond that what stares back at them in the mirror; to hear not just the words echoed back out of their own mouths; and, the answer the call of a planet coming together to address salient problems, such as global warming, global economic chaos, and global hunger. It is this end in mind that has made me a citizen of the world who can disagree without prejudice and champion without hate!
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:06:18 +0000
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