America the Ugly

When I listen to people who launch into diatribes against America and Americans, --including nominal Americans themselves here in the psychological city-state of San Francisco--- I listen for common themes. I think I have reduced them to a handy four.

America is a racist, violent, greedy country full of stupid people.

I think that about covers it. “Stupid” is the most capacious of the adjectives. It covers cultural vulgarity and shallowness as well as anti-intellectual religious belief.

So to be a good person, ---say, like a European ;-), or a liberal--- you’d need to be multicultural, pacifist, socialist and enlightened or, as they like to say around here, “conscious”.

Why, after having just written this, do I find myself suppressing a grin and laughter? With apologies to Tim McGraw, “I guess that's just the Murrkan in me.”

And I do wonder…why is most of the Third World trying to move here by hook or by crook. Must be masochists or something, eh?

PS. Next day...maybe there's a fifth: hypocritical. That's not covered by stupid, 'cause you can be smart and hypocritical...Point being that we (non-liberals) identify the USA with good values and then act like the Anti-Amurrkans tell us we do, all racist and violent and greedy and stupidlike.