There are a lot of problems that I see with the United States today, and a lot of things that I absolutely disagree with a lot of my fellow countrymen over.
For example, I loathe seeing so many SUV's (especially Hummers) on the road, seeing this as the height of irresponsibility and hypocrisy for "patriotic" Americans. Call me crazy, but I think we should begin to get serious about not just fuel efficiency, as well as investing in alternative energy research, to attain what Jimmy Carter advised us to reach for many decades ago: energy independence and long-term sustainability. We should have stronger regulations of environmental policy, and make sure that polluters do not get away with illegal dumping and other activities that are detrimental to the environment. We need more than just slaps on the wrist, as well. An end to this ridiculous notion that the "global warming theory" is some kind of conspiracy by the overwhelming majority of the world's scientists, finally revealed through the heroic efforts of corporations and billionaires who, by the way, just happen to profit by decreased environmental legislation, just by chance.
Another thing that I disagree with many of my fellow Americans on would be the economic system that we live under. Sorry, but I think the system is rigged, and that the money always flows upwards in this so-called "trickle down" economy. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Saying it as it is does not that I am starting some kind of class warfare. What it means is that I acknowledge, as a growing number of people are acknowledging, that the most powerful among us have taken actions directly against the best interests of Americans, using politicians as their tools to achieve these ends.
I cannot believe in "American exceptionalism", that my country, because it is so powerful, should be able to do whatever the hell it wants wherever the hell it wants in the world. This is arrogant, wrong, and has already proven costly, unless you think that the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq were tremendous successes in which we achieved our aims. Unless you believe that such wars are ideal for our future (and there are some neocons who surely do, whether they outright admit to it or not), then chances are, this imperial attitude has no place for building a better country.
I wish my country had some form of affordable, universal health coverage, and see it as a glaring failure that it has not achieved this yet. Obamacare may be an improvement over what existed before, but it does not go nearly far enough towards building a healthcare system that works. Every other industrialized nation in the world has something better than what exists here, and we could do better than to be too stuck up to learn from their examples.
In fact, looking at this not even close to complete list, I realize that there are a lot of things in which I differ from most Americans. Perhaps it is because I have another nationality (French), and do take this seriously. Perhaps, similarly, it is because I have actually been to some other countries, and do not fall under the sway of those countries being hopelessly "socialistic" or "communist", like so many who believe in "American exceptionalism" as the springboard for all kinds of policies that amount to corporate supremacy (and let's not kid ourselves into imagining it means something else, something more noble).
One of the things that I also disagree with most Americans on is vacation time. I see examples of some countries, and wonder why we can't have something similar here, just like with healthcare. France has five weeks paid vacation. Germany and Australia have six weeks! Not long ago, I had one, and some tried to make me feel like I should be thankful for that much!
Similarly, maternity leave is another issue where Americans tend to lag behind. No, I am not a woman, much less a mother, but you don't need to be one to recognize that there is something wrong with the way that we have been doing it. Again, almost every country seems to have something significantly better, and we could sure do worse than to learn from those various examples.
This blog entry came as a result of something that I saw on Facebook. I opened it and explored it, and am sharing it with you here below, as well as another article (both of these are available by Upworthy), that hopefully can give you pause for thought, something to chew on when we think about how we can improve the country.
Here are the links:
"When You Hear Someone Say Americans Are Lazy, Smack Them With A Printout Of This Right Here" by Brandon Weber:
http://www.upworthy.com/when-you-hear-someone-say-americans-are-lazy-smack-them-with-a-printout-of-this-right-here?c=ufb1
Having A Baby In The United States Is A Terrible Idea by Rollie Williams
http://www.upworthy.com/having-a-baby-in-the-united-states-is-a-terrible-idea
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