Shriram | Week 5 | Greatest Country in the World
The concept of America has always baffled me. To an extent, it still does. When I was much younger, America was incredible—a powerful country built from a revolutionary vision of equality for all. It was ideal. For the past few years, however, my personal perception (and it seems the global perception) of America had been steadily declining. It dipped to a point where there wasn’t a single trace left of my younger self that was so impressed with the diversity and equality that was enjoyed by everyone around me; he was instead replaced by a much more jaded self: one who hated the aggressive harm done through foreign policy, who resented the increasing number of politicians who would turn a blind eye to their very own constituents, who hated the fact that poverty was so prevalent in the richest country in the history of the world. I saw America as a country of great hypocrisy—one that loudly boasts a guarantee of freedom and opportunity yet continuously mistreats essential parts of its population—and began to resent it.
Then, I watched the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Faster than it left, the patriotism returned, but differently. The Olympics seemingly united (ironically) a very divided nation through rooting for American athletes competing as and among the greatest in the world. It made me realize a key difference between the patriotism I enjoyed and the resentment I held previously.
I have immense patriotism for the United States of America; the country which was able to put a man on the moon and provide countless technological and scientific advancements which have become globally revolutionary is certainly impressive. However, at times (notably recently), the government of the nation has not acted as a full representation of its people and therefore of the country—which exists solely due to these people. This was the key realization that I made: a country is barely more than its people. The people of America are diverse, capable, creative, and resolute.
The people of this country made Whiplash (what an incredible movie!).
Some people I know still despise the nation. They are similarly disapproving of the actions of the government, of its troubled history, and of its brash image, and this view is understandable. I am also not satisfied with the government of the United States. But I don’t equate that to the entire nation.
To me, America is something more than the objective sum of its parts. It is a nation which places heavy emphasis on freedoms and whose people will never stop fighting for them. America is going to school with incredibly smart friends from all different cultures and backgrounds, and being able to share experiences and ideas with so many different minds. It is forever changing as an entity which will never be complete, which (as some argued in our synthesis essay!) defines itself by the desire of the people to create a better future for all.
I think I’ll choose to continue being at least a little patriotic.
Hey Shriram! It really is easy to fall into the pitfall of hyper-fixating on America’s negatives. How could one not, especially when things seem to be spiraling towards impending doom? And coming from sunny California where people are much more proactive when fighting against issues like social inequality, it’s honestly a bit shocking sometimes when people across the nation disagree with things that just seem so “right”. When I heard the recent news about Ireland’s new female president and some of her ideologies, I couldn't help but feel a little… bitter towards our current presidential situation.
ReplyDeleteYes, although these freedoms are granted to us by the supreme Law of the Land and are “unalienable rights”, it’s not necessarily the same elsewhere in the world. There’s a tendency of overlooking the lovely things we’ve taken for granted. Of course people should always strive and continuously fight against America’s corrupt politicians or uproot terrible policies, yet on occasion just taking the time to cherish the positives of America’s progression is much less suffocating than wallowing in despair. Sure, other places in the world might seem appealing, but where else is like the Bay Area, a minority-majority region where you can see so many different kinds of people and get to enjoy their culture as well as your own?
Hi Shriram! Your initial perception of America as a diverse nation that is driven by ideals of equality and freedom is completely logical given the fact that the United States was quite literally founded on the ideas of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” I do agree that the United States has traveled far from the nation that it used to be, as these very rights of certain groups are actively being infringed upon. And yet, in spite of some of the current injustices of our government, I also still hold the concept of America in high regard, because there are so many examples of American success and progress that outweigh the corruption. A strong example of this is the Olympics; as you mentioned, a diverse range of Americans coming together to support the world’s greatest athletes is proof that we as a country are headed in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteSince America was literally built on the grounds of slavery and racial discrimination, it is reasonable that many people believe that it is still dominated by racism today. But like you said, America is an entity that is constantly evolving, and I believe that the nation it has become today cannot be considered equal to the nation that existed about 250 years ago. Through all of this time, the one continuity that has persisted throughout American history is the idea of equality and diversity, and I think that is what truly makes America beautiful and worthy of being praised today.
Hi Shriram! I definitely agree with you; the state of so many parts of our country could not be farther from ideal. But “ideal” is not necessarily reachable. An ideal government does not exist because some amount of people will always benefit more than others, but that doesn’t mean the United States hasn’t made progress. One of the key reasons why the United States Constitution is by far the longest-governing constitution in the world is because of its adaptability to change and progress. Amendments are able to be added, altered, and removed, and laws change to reflect the country’s needs. Even though the country right now is not the greatest, the progress America has made is undoubtedly incredible.
ReplyDeleteIt might take a while for America to become a better representative of the American people, but the great thing is that there will always be hope that someday, it will.