The American Way
Bill Reilly has a really nice article about the new Superman movie and the culture war in the U.S. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BillOReilly/2006/07/08/superman_and_the_culture_war
The article points out that the American way is under attack both from without and within like never before. The newest Superman movie is a sign of this. Superman no longer stands for the American way. The movie's producers wanted to make him more international. They were also afraid that making him a patriotic American would turn off foreign viewers. They didn't want to lose that important source of revenue. What those producers seem to ignore is the enormous good that America does for the world. There is nothing to be ashamed of when you stand for the American way though a number of apologists in this country would differ. Incredibly, people like U.S. House of Representatives member John Murtha have said the U.S. is the greatest danger to world peace. They see it as more of a danger to the world than Iran. I can't help wondering what planet these folks are on. It is the U.S. that is helping make this world a safer place. For the last 5 or 6 six years, the vaunted Europeans have sought to negotiate with the Iranians to get them to give up their nuclear program. They haven't gotten any where with them and Iran is closer to having a nuclear weapon then ever before. This is the same Iran that wants to wipe Israel right off the map. So much for the great Europeans. I suspect it is the U.S. that will end up actually doing something about the lunatics in Iran just like it was the U.S. that has helped solve so many previous problems. I remember hearing about a book written by Tom Brokaw about what he called "The Greatest Generation." This generation was the one that came through the Great Depression and fought in World War II. They were common people who did extraordinary things. Brokaw reportedly lamented their passing. I agree with him that it is sad that these people are dying off. These people believed in the American way. They realized what a great system the American way is. No other system offers more opportunity or freedom. If you've got the drive, ambition, and will, you can become a success in this country. You don't need your family's connections and you definitely don't need a handout from the government. Sadly, later generations are foolishly beginning to hate the great American way and hope to replace it with something that will destroy the very opportunities our great system offers. God help us if they succeed.
In short, there is nothing to be ashamed of about the American way. America remains the greatest country in the world with the most opportunities. No other country offers greater opportunities or greater freedom. All those illegal Mexican immigrants that are coming to this country aren't coming here for no reason. It is because of what America offers. We should be proud to be Americans. We have nothing to apologize for. We most definitely should continue to follow the American way and unashamedly support it. It is still the greatest system in the world today.
3 comments:
There should not be any shame surrounding the true values of the United States. I, too, lament the demise of these values and the sense of pride that attaches to “being an American”.
I look at my friend Simon Anholt’s nation brands’ index, and I believe, there, the US ranks bottom for cultural heritage when people are surveyed—and it is because there is a disconnect between the true values of the United States and how they are expressed.
The negative expression has come from some inferior American corporations—the same ones that outsource to non-American workers yet enter countries flying the US flag. It has also come from some high-profile people who have American nationality, yet act in a hugely un-American way. Certain politicians are examples, but American commerce has more than its fair share.
These let the side down. Fortunately, blogs like yours help because people can then see, one on one, that true American values still lie within the nation—and the damage done by the few can be redressed by the many who are truly passionate about making America great again.
Incidentally, that is one heck of an article by Mr O’Reilly.
I think O'Reilly was smack on in his article. I was thoroughly disgusted when I found out what they did in the latest Superman movie. It says just how far the anti-U.S. and apologist crowds are going.
Concerning the quality of American goods, I know for a long they declined. American cars used to be the best in the world. They're not any more. The Japanese had to give a real humbling lesson to our automakers to get them to realize they needed to start making a quality product again.
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