A Positive America

KELLY FAN | ARTIST

A lot of people like to bitch when it comes to America.

Seems like whenever the topic of the USA pops up, people have a problem with everything, from our military to our economy, and especially our government.

And out of all those who complain, I can guarantee that not a single one truly understands just how lucky they are to live here.

They don’t know what it is like to live in a country where they would be arrested for criticizing the government. They can’t begin to comprehend a country like Guinea Bissau, where President Bernardo Vieira stole foreign aid money buy a chain of hotels and mansions in Europe while his people starved to death. And they don’t know what it is like to live a life where they are not free.

Because that is the essence of America, after all. We have the freedom to believe, write, and speak whatever we want. Can you even imagine a country where you can’t do any of the above?

A few years ago Mad magazine named President George W. Bush as one of the dumbest individuals of the year. It would be unthinkable to us if the government had retaliated. A similar instance occurred in 2003 in China. The Beijing Xinbao newspaper published an article in which it labeled the national parliament as "amateurish". The punishment? Most of the staff was fired, a few jailed, every issue tracked down and destroyed, and the newspaper was shut down.

Some people like to complain about our military, using the length of the Iraq war as an example of America’s incompetence. Let’s be clear on one thing: Iraq’s insurgents were never a match for our military. If we had so desired, the war would have been over in less than a week.

But what the critics fail to recognize is that we conduct war differently from other countries. We set rules of conduct that we follow, even when the enemy doesn’t. We don’t kill those who surrender. We try not to kill women and children. We expend every possible effort to minimize civilian casualties. And to top it all off, we do our utmost to rebuild the country we invaded.

No one else is like this. If it were Russia or China in our position, in less than a month Iraq would cease to exist and all the resources would have been sucked out. Despite going through one of the worst gasoline crises of all time, we have not touched a drop of Iraqian oil. Why? Because, quite simply, we are America.

Lots of people also like to criticize our economy, claiming that America’s time as a superpower is over. Countries around the world were gleeful were gleeful that we were hurting. That is, until they realized that our falling economy was destroying theirs.

You see, America is financially, politically, and culturally the center of the world. And despite our economy essentially failing, America remains the leading industrial power, and we still have the strongest economy.

But what do we do for others? Well, we provide with our constitution a haven for everyone, regardless of race, religion, or any other aspect of their character. We provide billions of dollars in free money through USAID to countries every year. We essentially protect countries like Israel in a hostile region by providing them with a modern military. We even support human rights of those who aren’t American, and we encourage other nations to do the same.

No country is ever perfect. No country could ever manage to get even close. But the United States of America is the greatest country in the world, and those who complain and endlessly criticize should realize that. So stop bitching and start appreciating, because no matter what you believe, we are still number one.

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