- There’s a lot I’ve always hated about the United States: the culture of waste and stupidity most people living there are so saturated with they can’t even perceive, the chauvinism, rednecks, corporate power and general greed and a couple other things. It’s not why I left, over 20 years ago, but it made being away a lot easier. But I still have my U.S. passport because I love what the U.S. stands for – the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, mostly, liberties unequalled in most other countries of the world, and the current attack on those liberties by people claiming to defend them sickens me. People who, if someone else did what they themselves are doing, they would call radicals and terrorists.
- The U.S. media are so fucked in the head it amazes me, and I’ve always been cynical about the media. I mean, what is their product that they’re selling? An audience. You, being sold to advertisers. (Not me, pal, because I don’t watch television.) The media have always been biased, in every country in the world. I read 5 newspapers a day as part of my job, and each one has its bias, I’m reminded of this daily. But this has reached scary proportions now. Well, it’s always been scary, now it’s threatening. The media in the United States do not inform, they entertain and lull. It is Brave New World all over again, with a little 1984 thrown in. The U.S. media, actually, piss me off more than W. himself. Because W. has from the beginning played with a completely open deck, doing nothing more than faithfully serving his clientele – transferring the federal government’s $20 billion or so surplus to the military industrial complex via the bombing of Afghanistan, and installing a government there that will comply with the oil industry’s desire to build a pipeline through the country, which the Taliban opposed. I wish I could say there was some secret Bush conspiracy, but it’s no secret. The man is alleged to have pulled strings during the Vietnam War to avoid active service and eventually gone AWOL from the Texas National Guard for the last 2 years of his service; he’s alleged to have violated securities laws four times, abused drugs and what else? And what do the media say? Nothing. Why aren’t they asking him about this? Why is there no dissent in the mass media? Why are only bloggers dissenting?
Happy Independence Day, United States.
Don’t you know? Most bloggers are terrorists, as defined by the triumvate of evil – Ashcroft, Cheney and Rumsfeld.
I stands to reason that bloggers are, by nature, outspoken about their feelings. Soon we will be reading about a crackdown on blogging, we will find our websites are being spied on, our hosts will be pressured to take our sites down, and we will have a hundred or so “peaceblogs” sprouting up, with waving flag gifs, midis of the national anthem, and lots of kitten pictures.
The only way to make change is to keep talking, keep questioning and keep dissenting. We are still allowed to do that in America, aren’t we?
Happy Fourth, Mig.
Why does this holiday always make me feel, uh, yucky? (Is that the opposite of cute or cool?)
I wrote my own rather nasty post in honor of the day. And I couldn’t help linking to you.
things are pretty fucked up aren’t they? eh. i’m sitting at home, getting paid. that part’s pretty cool.
and i’m sitting at home, getting drunk on prosecco with my wonderful wife. which is also cool.
are you primarily talking about tv or print media?
Michele, Mig: welcome to my world.
No one is questioning Dubya because the idea of the media being liberal is a myth. If it makes you feel any better, we didn’t actually elect him.
tasha: mass media.
Actually, I love the 4th of July. My parents always have a big party, tons of interesting people come and bring delicious food, we have a big bonfire and fireworks and some of my best memories are of the 4th. The 4th of July represents the birth of the country and a time when Americans were considered to be rebels and terrorists. It commerates a time when we bravely stood up to the greatest power in the world and fought it to a standstill. All of the flaws that you mention of the United States are shared by every other country in the world. However, our accomplishments are unique. Even if conspicious consumption, bigotry and intolerance, ignorance, and illiteracy drive you nuts remember—all countries have these problems. You may not realize it, because as foreigners abroad one generally interacts with a higher echelon of society, but, trust me, all countries have these problems. Of course, the United States is perhaps unique in making someone who embodies its principle flaws its leader, but maybe that’s a honest outcome of democracy. I came to this weblog through the Guardian which directed me to that American dude living in Sweden. Bang on!
Bart, no offense, but I don’t trust anyone. Every country has these, or other, problems. People are people. But no other country enjoys the power or riches, currently, that the US, as a country, does – consuming, and wasting, such a large share of the world’s resources.
Look: just for the hell of it, let’s compare per capita income, literacy rates, and infant mortality rates in four countries: US, Austria (where i live), Japan (where i once lived), and Sweden (where that other American dude lives)
Per capita income (GDP):
US $33,586
Austria $23,441
Japan $23,311
Sweden $20,737
Literacy rates:
US 97%
Austria 98%
Japan 99%
Sweden 99%
Infant mortality (deaths per 1000 live births):
US 7.2 [5.0 (pacific islanders) 6.0 (whites) 8.7 (Native American) and 13.7 (African American)] Austria 5.10
Japan 4.07
Sweden 3.91
The US has a lower literacy rate than other countries with lower per capita GDP, and higher infant mortality rates. For example. American children consistently score lower on standardized tests than children in other rich Western countries. I just find this comparative lack of regard for health and education sad, is all I’m saying.
INSTEAD OF BICKERING, LETS TRY 2 MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. DO WUT U CAN AND THATS ALL U CAN DO. AND I AM ONLY 12. WUTS THAT MAKE U?