Rise Above it America

 Rise Above it America 

America has lost its way, of this I’m certain. Where once there were ad campaigns for ‘’Made in the USA’’ and shows of unity for our troops after America was attacked by terrorists on 9/11, these have been replaced with people screaming at each other over the vilified topic of the moment and a movement to ban cows due to their overwhelming flatulence upon the earth. How did we get here and how can a ‘’child of the 80s’’ such as I am deal with all of this madness? 

First, let’s explore the main reason of how we got here. Social media, plain and simple. For those of you who remember, you need only look back to a moment in time I referenced above, the aftermath of 9/11. Sure, many people were against the war in Iraq and had an opinion on the Weapons of Mass Destruction that never ended up coming to fruition, but for the most part, we were united. United in our sadness and grief, we watched the Yankees vs. Mets World Series (Subway Series) matchup with renewed interest. All the while, singing along and tearing up at the playing of our national anthem. Regardless of skin color by the way, we all came together, collectively. Now, imagine if social media were around back then? What do you think would’ve happened? You know the answer. There would have been those who were overly patriotic (now known as Trumpers, MAGA, Ultra MAGA, Alt Right, etc), those in the center or only mildly interested (most of America, regardless of what the media tells you), and then you’d have the sympathizers (those who would defend the terrorists for what they had done). 

I have to go down this rabbit hole because there are those of you out there who will disagree that sympathizers would exist. I can assure you, there would most definitely be sympathizers. I say this because it goes against all reason for you to think there would be, so of course, they would exist. They would vilify America, attack President Bush for invading Iraq, attack the families of loved ones who were killed, etc. All of this would be true because we’ve seen things like this happen on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. It’s been discussed in detail elsewhere, but it’s very easy to attack someone online vs. face to face. A tweet can now be worth a thousand words, or so the old saying now goes. People don’t care, there is no empathy, sympathy or caring in the online universe. Anything goes, so of course it would stand to reason that sympathizers would not only exist, they would be a vocal group of people making up a much larger percentage than you would ever think possible. It’s even harder to fathom considering terrorists targeted and killed thousands of American citizens but, it would nonetheless be true.  

Secondly, we can blame the American media complex. Simply put, there can be no bigger joke in America than the media. Constantly pandering to the left, they refuse to provide the news, they instead provide their opinions. Those on the left will point to Fox News as pandering to the right, and this is correct, but that’s because there was a void in the market. There would of course have to be the opposite version available for those that didn’t want to watch the drivel that is now MSNBC, CNN or the like. I’m not defending Fox News by the way, it’s equally egregious of providing false narratives, but does it really make sense to discuss which false news network is better? They’re all duping you and me on a daily basis, whether you’re left, right or center, this should not sit well with you as an American citizen. 

Opinions sell, news is boring. In this social media/false news/fast news world we live in, it’s more important to get clicks, likes and views than it is to actually provide people with the news of the day. This is a massive injustice to us as Americans and has caused a divide that, quite frankly, I don’t think can be repaired without a massive underground movement for change. Whereas before it was your American duty to be patriotic and love our country, we’re now inundated with stories on a daily basis about injustices, riots and stories of how we should feel ashamed to be Americans. I do agree that America is full of horrible events dotting the landscape of our history, but I have news for you, every country has this same issue. To hear the media tell it, we’re on our own little island of misery and should apologize for everything, including the founding of our country. I, for one, completely disagree. 

Much like a human being, America is full of warts, terrible atrocities and unforgivable events. No amount of apologies will help us forget what happened or have those who have been wronged accept any apology that would suffice for events already having taken place. America is very flawed, of course it is. A country is a reflection of the people who live in it and the people who are either elected or rise to power to run it. Put another way, it’s an experiment of human reflection. As we’re all painfully aware on a daily basis, human beings can be quite nasty to one another. Not all of us of course, the false media does provide us with some stories of kindness and giving that will warm your soul and make your day better. Even the trash heap that is social media can share heartfelt pictures of your friends with their families, many of which are people of different races, backgrounds and religions, getting along and loving one another as friends and brothers/sisters. 

My point is this, both social media and the American media complex have agendas, most of them not great for your psyche or love of your neighbor and our country. Don’t listen to them, they’re wrong. America is the greatest country on earth. I know this because you’re reading what I’ve written here. I have the freedom to sit at my laptop and provide my opinion, although this can happen in other countries, the freedoms we enjoy should not be taken for granted or taken lightly. As a child, there is no way I would’ve believed that being a patriot was something I may have to apologize for or be embarrassed of, but that’s exactly the direction we’re heading in. If we have a population who has no love of country and apathy as it relates to our standing in the world, there is no way that country can survive in the long term. 

‘’From the errors of other nations, let us learn wisdom.’’ This is a quote from Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, which was a pamphlet used to inspire the American people in their fight for freedom from the British during the American Revolution. The American populace would do well to remember, as our forefathers did, to not only read Common Sense but use it when applying decisions in our daily life. Let’s start an underground movement. Then, and only then, will we have the ability to move forward, together, in prosperity.