There are moments when strapped for time, sapped of energy, I wonder why I sit down and type my crappy ass entries like I do for no apparent reason. I am sure the world would do just fine without my pointlessly silly and trite words. Yet...
Here is why I do. The delight of reading so many who CAN write thoughtful words. Like the wonderful treedancer. Her thoughts on America really got me thinking. I also saw an interview with Bono last night that was of a similar vein. I appreciated Treedancers' UK point of view and ponderings very much and it has led me to put my own thoughts down sort of in response. I believe this sort of communication is what makes something like Diaryland and the internet the very sort of thing we so badly need in this world.
Anyway in response...
My dear friend. I would assert that America is neither as lost as you think now nor as wonderful as you believe we were.
As our founders wrote their lofty words of liberty and justice, they enslaved human beings. Even as the US liberated and then rebuilt Europe, a segment of our population was STILL treated like second class citizens. In fact our supposed equality for all has never existed. It might never exist. It is only now actually that one could even make a case for it being anything close.
The Apple Pie and Quilting America was just the shiny front porch of a house full of secrets. It's like your house was on fire. The big, strapping man down the street comes in saves what he can and then rebuilds your house and asks for nothing in return. You think "what a great man" until one day you see that he is in his backyard beating his wife. That's the America of the 1940's.
Neither is America in turmoil with the whacko conservative zealots on one side and the ultra liberal socialistic protesters on the other splitting our nation in two. Oh it makes a good headline I am sure, but if I am being generous the above represents 5% of our population.
Besides which we Americans are by nature dissenters. We threw off the chains of European "royalty" and we've been at each others' throats ever since. We even had a Civil War. The majority of Americans can disagree with their friends, families, spouse, President whomever, and do so without childish name-calling hair pulling or whatever. Those who are the most extreme are just the ones who feel the need to yell the loudest. Take for example my friend ikss, she and I disagree on a lot, but I respect her opinion as honest and intelligent and enjoy reading it and just generally love her to death. That's how opposing views mostly get along.
Most Americans do not live in NYC or LA despite what the media thinks. It is a huge country with a divergent mix of people. And it is ever changing. I wouldn't put a lot of stock in stereotypes or the mindless drivel and hype of our arguing politicians. I work and live in a city in the South, my workplace is a mix of races and gender and people from Europe, the UK, Asia etc. I live in a rural area of Georgia and *gasp* my next door neighbor is African-American! Sure, there are still some frightfully backward people out there just as there are in every country probably no more, no less.
In other words don't buy the hype either good or bad. Don't judge America by it's fringe radicals, or it's phoney squeaky clean image of the past, judge it as compared to the rest of the world. Nobody gives more to the rest of the world, nobody sticks their neck out for others. Also nobody else likely sticks their nose where it doesn't belong as much. Would the rest of the world be happy if we kept our money, our culture, our technology locked on our "island"?
I disagree often with Bush. I will as well if Kerry is elected. I am not a democrat or republican, I agree with some of both parties policies. There are a lot of Americans like me.
We have fought with Europe from the beginning even fought militarily against almost all the major powers of Europe or Asia, that is more the norm than recent years have been. We will fight again. BUT we will always come together when events dictate we must. Maybe Iraq wasn't the way to go. But either way a stormy cloud on the horizon looms over us all. As France is learning even avoidance won't work. We will have to eventually have to join together to fight those who hate equality and decency and peace. And we will.
So America is neither as great or as bad as anyone thinks.
To answer the question "What's happened to America?".
This experiment in self-government set in motion by the lofty words of slave-holders has never reached it's goal. It may never. But never before have we ever been this close to those ideals and I believe with each generations passing we will get closer. Most of us have the same goals. We just disagree how to get there. That is America. And it is still proven everyday that anyone can rise up from their station in life with enough effort and talent.
And I have nothing but affection for my European friends, even the French. I think Europeans are going through an identity crisis. The last century ended your colonial power and world domination. Now you've ceded your national sovereignty to the EU. I think there's a lot of wounded pride left over from WW2. But these are all small problems and I still believe Europe and the US are bound together until Western Civilization is destroyed. Which of course will eventually happen.
Wow, this has been a book. And a poor one likely too. Oh well. That is your gutterpoet.