America is Not the Greatest Anymore

I wrote the following piece as part of a homework assignment in my Composition II class a few weeks ago.  The assignment was to watch a YouTube video of a part of an episode of The Newsroom and write at least three paragraphs reacting to it.  I am proud enough of what I wrote that I am republishing it here to show all of you lovely people.  I welcome any discussion there may be, and I hope you enjoy reading.

America is Not the Greatest Anymore

The message of the video, “The Most Honest Three Minutes in Television History,” breaks my heart, because it is true.  America is no longer the greatest country in the world, and we let it happen while we were playing Angry Birds on our smartphones.  This country used to be the best country in the world.  Sixty years ago, I would have proudly told anyone that I am an American, but today, instead of feeling a national pride in my country of origin, all I feel is shame.  I am ashamed that instead of innovating, we are watching total garbage like Jersey Shore.  I am ashamed of my generation.  I am ashamed that in the last fifty years, citizens of this country have developed the most unbelievably amazing technology, and now we use it to entertain ourselves rather than affect change in the world.  We are complacent.  No one is putting forth what is necessary to do these great things America used to be known for, and this is a contributing factor as to why HIV and cancer still do not have cures.  We are too content.

America used to be based on morality and respect.  Life was about working hard for what you have and earning your place in society.  Once upon a time, people knew their neighbors and even talked to them.  I was raised by members of what Tom Brokaw called the “Greatest Generation”.  The Greatest Generation are those who grew up during the Great Depression, then went on to fight in World War II or worked hard for the war effort, then successfully built America up after the war.  They did these things because it was the right thing to do.  There used to be a “right thing to do” in America.  I fear the sentiment is now “the right thing for me”.  John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”  People were proud of themselves and their achievements, and weren’t afraid to work hard for what they wanted.  They took pride in their country and worked hard to make it be a good country.  People didn’t beg for help at the first sign of trouble, but soldiered on.  We used to value independence.

America is not the land it once was.  It is no longer “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” but “the land of the paranoid and the home of the lazy.”  Children are walked like dogs out of fear they will be snatched from their parents’ arms by faceless strangers.  Instead of being walked, dogs live in purses.  Men speak to women disparagingly, chivalry has died, and our great American pastime is now Grand Theft Auto and reality TV.  The smart are shunned and labeled “geeks” or “nerds” and the unintelligent rule the land.  Once, being a Senator was something you did in addition to your real job; now it’s a job unto itself, pandering to corporate greed and walking upon the backs of smaller, better men.  What has happened to us?

There was a time when we stood up for what was right, regardless of whether it was the easier path.  We once followed a moral code.  We didn’t belittle people because it was funny.  We didn’t videotape people being stabbed instead of calling for help or stepping in and stopping it ourselves.  America was once a country of honor, and now that honor has fallen to our feet in shambles.   There was a time when we truly lived.  We traveled and saw things, not concrete edifices but actual things, things to tell our children and grandchildren about.  The most fascinating people I have ever met have all been over sixty years old.  We used to look at the world with wonder, filled with the desire to explore and learn.  We were once true pioneers, and now we sit at home, content to never see anything or go anywhere but to our computers, where we virtually travel the world whenever we want without ever experiencing anything.

As much as I love the internet, and I spend an unholy amount of my time in front of a computer screen for recreational purposes, there are times when I wish it had never existed.  I remember life before the internet, and during the early and mid-nineties before it was prevalent, and I remember a much more tangible connection to people.  All the kids played outdoors, and there was a true neighborhood atmosphere when I was a child.  Today, no kids play outdoors and the only thing heard in the average neighborhood is the hum of hundreds of air conditioners.  The internet made the world too big, too close, and now we live in boxes and hide from the world.  We no longer know how to work hard for our survival any more than we remember how to be honest or daring or brave.