Greetings and Salutations;
I ran across a very sad post on Facebook a bit ago, and was moved to reply to it. Perhaps I am too optimistic…but in these days of political madness and Evil, I think that Optimism may be our only hope.
Preston Wigfall Calvin Kirk on this and this alone I agree with you. As you so adroitly illustrate.. absent social media… Americans would be no smarter. They would be no better informed and they would be just as racist and xenophobic. The Russians exploited American weaknesses that the entire world is aware of… QUERY: When EXACTLY was America GREAT? Name the time period that you and your ilk wish to return… I’ll wait..
Here is my reply
Preston Wigfall
America has always been a complicated and contradictory place. We are, as a country, still mewling infants, and some of us realize that.
We are a population ranging from the people who hate education so much that they cling to their ignorance as if it were a comforting teddy bear, to some of the best and most highly educated minds in the world.
We range from a homophobia so great that it moves people to violence at the very hint of it, to some of the most accepting and tolerant people one could wish to deal with.
America was unique in that it was founded on the principles of many cultures coming together, and becoming greater than the sum of its parts. The fact that a person who was the poorest of the poor, or, the most oppressed in their home country could come here, and become rich, or become a respected leader, has puzzled the rest of the world for most of our history. It is nearly unique in the world.
Overall, I would agree..America has never been truly “Great”…but over the years, American has done some truly great things. We struggle with becoming that “Shining city on the Hill” which is the Utopian Ideal we were founded on. In the past, we have made great strides towards that goal. Today, we are reminded how fragile that progress can be. We are building a spun-glass bridge here, and, the efforts of one, malicious vandal can smash much of its beauty.
There are many Citizens here who are horrified that the tiny percentage of Barbarians who have managed to manipulate themselves into power, are destroying decades of progress. If we were a different place, there would have already been a palace coup, and the military would be running the country… However, we are struggling to follow the root of our society, The Constitution, and stick to being a society of Law, not Man.
I do not know what the future will bring, but, I pray that we will, very soon, wake up, and realize the road of madness and destruction we are on, take action, and change our path. It will take decades to rebuild that which has been lost. It is very unlikely that I will live long enough to see America get close to where it was a few years ago. But, I pray that I will see that momentum start, and I work to encourage the Citizens who have lost hope, to stand up and vote, and do what they can to stop the madness.