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BS ‘n’ About…
National Values
What exactly does America stand for these days? Freedom? Democracy? Diversity? Empire? The Almighty Dollar? All of the above? Has what we stand for changed? Do the facts add up to our perceptions?
One thing is certain. Things are different. We have changed. America has changed. The kinder, simpler, gentler America of Not That Long Ago would probably be appalled by today’s excesses. The parents of the Baby Boom, Great Depression children and WWII winners that they were, would be saddened by how little we’ve learned from the hardships they so brutally endured. Their America was cautious, thrifty, and fiercely protective of its freedoms. Ours is reckless, spendthrifty, and willing to trade its freedoms for a false sense of security.
Not That Long Ago our Baby Boom childhoods were built around the Pledge of Allegiance, lofty patriotic songs, and the no-doubt-about-it belief in the righteousness of our cause. Had a poll been taken, the Statue of Liberty would have been a runaway winner as our national symbol. …both here and abroad. When Lee Iacocca filled New York harbor with fireworks celebrating her centennial, it seemed like we had accomplished something special in the history of nations. We were a people united in noble common cause. The Statue of Liberty filled our childhoods as a powerful symbol of everything America stood for, everything America valued.
These days the Statue of Liberty is just an old museum next to the ruins of Ellis Island. She’s no longer referred to by the politicians, splashed about by the advertisers, nor mentioned in the papers. That our national symbol was a gift from a fellow democracy, essentially thanking us for all we stood for, seems to have been forgotten in all the furor over ‘Freedom Fries’ in Congress.
The last of us who first saw America from a ship’s railing are dying off. From the inside looking out, we, their children, see the world through a filter of Homeland Security, worldwide protests, Immigration Laws, and freedom-restricting Amendment proposals. Our fears have been stirred up and used against us to the point where we value security more than freedom. We’re we polled about a national symbol today, it sure-as-tootin’ wouldn’t be some smelly old museum in New York harbor. Most of us would probably view it as a politically-charged red vs. blue trick question. That alone says a lot about how we’ve changed.
Our parents didn’t waste food. They didn’t waste gas. They didn’t waste money. And they didn’t waste time. They believed money was a function of hard work. Stock markets, get rich quick schemes, and Lottos would’ve all gone broke if they depended on our parents throwing their hard-earned wages at them. They liked safe investments: A sensible house. A sensible car. Savings Bonds for the kids educations. Families ate dinner together. Faith was a personal thing.
We waste food. We waste gas. We waste money. And we waste time. We believe money is a function of shrewd investing. Stock markets, get rich quick schemes, and the Lotto rake in billions from us. We like risky investments: Too much house. Too much car. Dot.com stock for the kids’ education. We never eat dinner together. Faith is a political thing.
These days we waste half our paychecks on convenience, packaging, and upgrades. We bounce from job to job and relationship to relationship. At work we don’t make anything anymore, we just push numbers around on a screen. At home we tend to go our separate ways, living the pot pie, hi-def lifestyle.
We, the People of America need to take a long hard look at ourselves and our nation, where we’ve been and where we’re headed. One thing is certain. The flavor of America is very different from what it was Not That Long Ago. We have changed. America has changed. Are we happy with where we’re at and do we have any idea as to where we want to go from here?
Not That Long Ago, we were a nation that received gifts like the Statue of Liberty. Our borders were open, yet we still felt safe, both home and abroad. America stood for an ideal that was universally recognized and respected. We were sure of ourselves, our country, and our place in the world. Not That Long Ago…
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