American Bully

Here is an obvious statement for you: American’s are different from many peoples and cultures of the world. Since the formation of our country, more than two hundred years ago, our people have stood apart from the rest of the world. And, since then, other countries and governments have followed our example. Some countries have been positively “Americanized” too. But just what is it that makes us so unique on the world stage? Well, not everything about us is so great and I’m sure many can agree with me on this one.
It isn’t hard to recognize that we Americans aren’t ever satisfied with what we have. If we want it, then we get it. We have bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger bank accounts and even bigger egos to go with it all. It is this attitude that seeps into our international politics and has created strong feelings of dislike within other nations. Take, for example, the Iraq War. Personally, I do not have a problem with the idea behind the War- the one that says we are delivering freedom and democracy to an oppressed people. I believe that it is an honest and just action. However, our gung-ho attitude about the whole thing was something that really set other nations off. I believe that if we wish to stay as strong as we are, we need the support of other nations which would entitle us to “tone down” our boisterous attitudes and be willing to work in close cooperation with the world neighborhood.
Another thing is that, because we are so free, we tend to have less and less respect for the government and the country as a whole. As time goes on, nationalism deteriorates and seems only to be strengthened for a short while when in the face of a national tragedy, such as 9/11 and Katrina. This, I tell you, is a tragedy in itself. The freedom of speech, great as it is, provides us with an excuse to live in a country and not have any respect for it- to have its rights and privileges and not have any gratitude for it. I feel very strongly about this topic. To me, it is like raping the country of the rights of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
That being said, there are many good things about our people that are good. Americans, no doubt, have a major advantage over many peoples in the respect that we are able to speak our minds. With the aide of modern technology, the thoughts and ideas of everyone- not just politicians can be transmitted and published. The internet, with its vast networks of people and organizations, has made the American nation grow into one that is confident in the abilities of every single individual. Everyone can have their say at the pulpit and has the ability to create change, however great or small to his or her country.
I am proud to be an American citizen. I know that there are countries out there that are teetering on the brink of civil war or national bankruptcy. Others still are practically in the dark ages in terms of not only political ideas but in a literal sense also. I believe that in order to keep the nation strong and unique to the world, we must take advantage of all of the opportunities that the forefathers bestowed us with. We must also never forget to pay or respects and do our civil duty as we are truly blessed to be able to live in the most special nation that the world has- or ever will see again.

The Morning Off

I felt like waking up slow that morning. Instinctively, like my ape brethren had done for ages, I yawned, stretched and scratched. I opened my mouth and closed it a few times just to see what the night had done to my breath. Should’ve brushed, I thought. The sun was shining through my window and I had to squint to look around the room. For a second, I thought I was in a Chinese sweat shop and that the figure in front of me was the old lady yelling at me to sew faster. But that was my dream and the figure was just my roommate.
He was sitting on his chair in his usual position, staring at the computer screen and typing something every now and then. He was always doing it- instant messaging the girl he couldn’t have but couldn’t seem to let go of. The typing was usually followed by him leaning forward to read her response and then muttering a string of obscenities. And then sometimes still, he would randomly turn to me. And I would flinch. You see, in the aforementioned ape analogy, he was the gorilla. I was more like the spider monkey.
“I don’t even know why I talk to her!” he declared on one particularly nasty occasion.
I sat up in my bed and scratched my bed head. “Don’t do it then,” I said in my tone of voice that meant I was looking for a certain response. My roommate just stared at me with his mouth slightly open. His eyes narrowed and he pointed at me. It seemed like he was going to say something. He looked to the side. Then he looked down at his hands.
“Well, I don’t know. I mean, she’s not that bad. She has her moments, you know?” he said and I shrugged and opened my mouth to reply. A beeping noise came from the computer which indicated that she was giving him a “nudge”. I was glad because I didn’t have to answer his question.
“Ooohhh, WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” he yelled as he whirled around and went back to the computer. He faintly reminded me of a cursed mummy monster with the way he approached the screen. But, like always, he plopped back down onto the creaky chair and began to type, muttering his curses.
I got up off my bed and traversed the hallway to the living room. As I passed the bathroom, I noticed that the light was on. The switch to the bathroom light is also connected to that little fan in the ceiling that, when on, says to everyone in the house that it would be wise to avoid using the toilet for the next few hours. The light was like a ticking time bomb. At any moment, my obsessive-compulsive roommate, Dan, would sit bolt upright in his bed and then proceed to go on a groggy rampage throughout the apartment, searching for whatever inconsiderate jerk decided it would be funny to leave the fan on. It drove him nuts. So I flicked the switch and went on my way.
I went to the living room and collapsed on the sofa. It wasn’t long before my next most dominant male instinct kicked in: hunger. I felt like making the most amazing breakfast in the world. Complete with sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon, waffles and orange juice. The mere sight of it would bring Rachel Ray to her knees before me…

And then I realized we were out of eggs so I went back to bed.

A change in the wind, says I...

I’ve been battling writer’s block for weeks. It’s been a good month or so since my last post and even that seemed to just suck the creativity out of me like a malnourished vampire (or something like that). But, despite the discouraging nature of things, I’m seeing a breakthrough and a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll be getting more material out in the coming days.
Every now and then, I like to look around me and see what’s going on. Oftentimes, I get so caught up in what I’m going to eat for dinner or a reason as to why the sidewalks in Rexburg are so choppy and I lose my grip on world events.
So, in an effort to increase mine (and your) knowledge of the world around us, I have decided to start a new featurette called: Call ‘Em As I See ‘Em
Paris Hilton- Prison changed her. Yeah. Good one, Paris. Three weeks prior to her happy little trip to jail, the monetary monarch was seen toting a copy of the Good Book and some inspirational literature. Like flies to…well, you know…the press was on it, delivering the “shocking” photos to all of us gossip-hungry Americans. The only thing that was shocking to me was the realization that hit me after reading the news: “Wait, Paris can read?!”
The Monster of Gaza- There’s no question that the Gaza strip has become little more than a 140 square-mile battlefield. It’s a hotbed of for radical Islamist activity. Despite our best efforts (which are minimal, at best) the problem grows bigger and more ugly every day.
But why does it matter? Why should it be important to us? After all, isn’t Egypt thousands of miles from America? Well, there’s the Washington answer: elections, oil, the birth of more and more democratic nations for the betterment of society. But what about the human answer? What about individuals?
The easy thing to do would be to just leave Gaza alone; it’s an idea that many on Capitol Hill have been tossing around. But look a bit closer, think a little more rationally and you’ll see that the idea is less then logical, in our battered, post 9/11 world. “Simply walling off Gaza and more than a million Palestinians will bring the region no closer to peace,” said Michael Hirsh in his article in Newsweek.
So whose shoulders will the cleaning up of this bloody monstrosity fall on? Since we kind of helped start it, my guess is that the U.S. is at least somewhat responsible and should help to finish it. We did train the now radical, suicide bombing Hamas party, which now controls much of the Strip.
But, the way I see it, this is a global war on terrorism and its supporters. This means that all able nations have a moral obligation to help curb the problem. I wish war were not the answer but we are past the point of negotiations and peace talks. We live in a day where fire must be fought with fire. As stupid as that may sound, it’s true. In a world where things are constantly changing, only one thing is certain: we are a long way from peace.
And, finally, a head-nod has to go out to Vanity Fair and their July 2007 issue: Africa. It was edited by singer, songwriter and activist Bono. It also feature contributions from Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Bill and Melinda Gates, Barrack Obama, Brad Pitt, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many other influential figures. The issue was printed with 20 different covers with photographs of aforementioned contributors, taken by Annie Leibovitz.
VF’s new issue is all about Africa: its people, its problems and the heroes who are helping to shape its future. It caught my eye on the stand at Sky Harbor International airport before my flight to Salt Lake on Sunday. And I am glad that it did because I found it very informative and inspiring.It’s a challenge to review an entire issue of a magazine but I think I can sum up the idea of the July VF: HOPE FOR AFRICA.