The Stupidification of America
So it's Monday morning, and I've been observing. And I have
thoughts.
(Oh. Sweet. Cripes. I'm gonna need more coffee for this, aren’t
I?)
Probably. While I am going to
comment on a couple of arguably political topics, I will do my best to refrain from
offering my opinion on the subject matters. Nay, I sayeth to thee, my purpose
here is to comment not on the topics themselves but on the comments and commentators
to the subjects on which I will comment without commenting.
(Ok, nay comment… wait, what?
Please don't do this on Monday…)
Too late. I'm on a roll. Therefore,
I shall begin with my conclusion and work backwards. In a nutshell, Americans are
stupid. And we collectively prove that time and time again. If you ask me, it's
not the political policies of one party or another that has diminished American
clout world-wide, it's the invention of the Internet. Never before in our
history has the voice of the stupid been able to travel so far, and by and
large the majority of the stupid comes from right here in the good 'ol US of A.
*Waits for the casting of aspersions
of lack of patriotism and traitorous malcontent*
Get it out of your system? Good.
Moving on… One needs to look no further than the visceral, and yes blatantly ignorant,
nation-wide commentary over the last few days to the subjects of the Confederate
Flag and the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage equality. In the wake of these
matters coming to light, I'm led to paraphrase the sage and wise Obi Wan Kenobi
in describing the Internet: "You'll never see a more wretched hive of scum
and stupidity."
The illegitimacy of some of the
arguments I've seen in support of one side or the other, and the downright asininity
of some of the comments, truly astounded me. I would read the commentary and
could not help but to think to myself "are we really this stupid as a
collective people?" And then I read some more comments and found the
answer to that rhetorical query to be a resounding yes, yes we are. And then I
literally banged my head on my desk.
Perhaps some of my favorite examples
of the "Stupidification of America" as I'm calling it are those folks
that oppose the Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriage by threatening
to move to Canada… you know, where same-sex marriage has already been permitted
by Canadian National Law for over a decade.
*blink blink*
I hope those comments were made
in jest, because if they weren't then I truly fear for the future of this
once-great nation of ours. And I say once-great,
because the nation I see now is full of a bunch of morons. And that makes me
sad. And I blame the Internet.
(Um, okay….)
Think about it. This nation was
once feared for its military might, revered for its economic prosperity, and
emulated for its progressiveness. Now, the image of America is broadcast worldwide
through Youtube videos of idiots trying to ride surfboards off rooftops, or selfies
of stupid, duck-faced girls in bathrooms with deuces floating in the commodes
behind then. This asshattery is what the world sees, and we wonder why this
nation has lost so much respect.
We all do stupid things. Of
course we do. It's human nature. That we feel the need to broadcast our own stupidity
for the world to see? Therein lays the greatest stupidity. All anyone anywhere
needs to do to see that American "culture" is not what we purport it
to be is to simply log on.
Ultimately this is admittedly an
oversimplified view, but then again…. Is it really? How can we expect respect
when we don't show it to each other? How can we expect other nations to look to
us for guidance when we can't even get our proverbial sh*t together? Right now
the Internet is a big, wide, picture window into the living room of America's
lavish mansion. When the shades are drawn, the structure is the epitome of solid
construction, architecture and grace. It's well landscaped, and meticulously
maintained. We are the envy of everyone else on the block. Leave those blinds
open, however… and everyone can see that inside the place is in complete
disarray. The furniture is overturned, there are dishes in the kitchen sink, rotting
food on the counters, and the entire family is standing in front of the window,
arguing with one another. Don't even get me started on the piles upon piles of
dirty laundry.
Now, suddenly, people aren't so
envious. This prodigious house no longer holds the allure it once held. Those we
thought we'd want to run the homeowner's association now don't seem fit to run their
own household.
So what's the solution? Well, the
quickest solution is to simply close the blinds so no one can see.
(So, you're suggesting we, what,
turn off the Internet??)
No. You should know me well
enough by now to realize that blaming the Internet was nothing more than a
comedic vehicle to drive my point home. No, the Internet isn't the problem. It's
us. And there is only one solution.
Americans need to treat each
other with greater respect.
If you want to earn respect, you
need to first respect yourself. And I remind you again that respect is
something that must be earned, not demanded. I proffer this notion collectively
and repeat – we as Americans need to respect each other before the world will
respect us again.
For f*ck's sake, people, we will once
again be celebrating the birth of this nation in six days. All eyes are on us.
Right now. Right this moment. July 4th is the most important
anniversary in our history, and we should be celebrating the greatness of what
makes us US, UNITED states. Instead we're bickering like a bunch of idiots over a
Supreme Court ruling and a 150 year old flag.
[WARNING: VAGUE STATEMENT OF
STANCE ON THESE ISSUES TO FOLLOW.]
What saddens me is that, to me,
there is really only one, rational way in which to view each of these topics,
and it is the ignorance in refusing to view these topics in such manners that
makes me morosely sad for our society.
(So you're saying you believe
that –)
I'm saying that I believe people
need to look at the bigger picture. I'm saying that I believe we need to stop focusing
on these divisive issues, ones that shouldn't divide us in the first place, and
turn our attention to those things on which we as a collective people should
focus. Renewable Energy. Food supply. The Environment. Those things that truly affect us. I fear, I genuinely
fear that a day will come in my lifetime when we are forced to deal with these
matters. And I fear we still won't be able to, because we've spent so much
time, energy and resources dividing ourselves. All while the world watches.
This coming Saturday we celebrate
Independence Day. Have you ever actually read the Declaration of Independence?
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that a great many of you have not.
There is one passage in the document that has always resonated with me:
"…accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more
disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."
While the foremost evil in the aforementioned
was the tyranny of the British crown, I truly believe that we still need to
hold true to this basic principal. We need to right ourselves and abolish this evil
divisiveness to which we've become accustomed. We need to stop manufacturing that
which divides us, and build up that which unites us. We are more disposed to
suffer such evil because we possess neither the courage nor conviction to abolish
it from our society.
Merriam-Webster defines "stupidity"
as "the state of being foolish or unintelligent." Or, in our case,
the united states of being foolish or unintelligent.
I still love you, America, don't
get me wrong. I salute our flag and my heart warms with thoughts of the notions
on which this country of mine was founded. Of course, I also love my dog, who
repeatedly falls for the "hidden tennis ball" trick and is afraid of
her own farts.
Point being… it's ok to be stupid
every once in a while. We're still going to love and support you. We will still
stand up and fight for you. But please, I beg of you, please – make it worth
it. Make my pride and dedication worth it. Be the America you were meant to be.
Let us collectively as a nation not be that from which we the people sought to
separate ourselves in the first place – let not our humble petitions for
redress of the oppressions we suffer be answered only by repeated injury. Let us
not be deaf to our own voice of justice and of consanguinity. Perhaps if we
take a step back and truly examine that which divides us, we will once again find
the strength to mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our
sacred honor, as did those that came before us.
© 2015 J.J. Goodman. All rights reserved.
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