THis Land is My Land

I don't like to rant and rave much anymore. Must be a product of aging. And living in Mexico for awhile without a regular job helped mellow me out a bit. Every once in a while, something just sticks in your craw, tho', and there's no denying it. Still, I will try to keep myself from going overboard.

Over the last few years, starting in college, I've encountered plenty of people who more or less share the same political standing as I do. During this time I've come to realize just what it is much of America hates about us liberals. No one is really against universal healthcare or a living wage. Most folks think oil is a big problem. And a lot of folks are beginning to see that global warming could, just maybe, be a real threat.

Many people are passionately against reproductive rights and gay marriage, but these folks don't make up a majority of the population, yet it seems sometimes like the majority of folks really hate us. Why?

Because, like me, they're tired of hearing about everything that's wrong with our culture. Fast food, violent movies, lazy children and SUVs are not the end-all and be-all of what it means to be American. Many of my fellow liberals, some personal acquaintences in particular, equate America with all the wrongs in the world.

I am thinking of one person in particular as I write this. This person spent most of the time complaining about America and Americans, but could speak no wrong about foreign countries they had visited. They spent most of their time hanging out with other self-loathing Americans or with foreigners who shared the same view. All this Uncle Sam bashing feeding off of itself.

But, no nation is pure and good. The Spanish erradicated the Native Americans long before the British set foot in Jamestown. The British opressed the Irish. The Chinese continue to opress the Tibetans. Opressed Arabs, tired of living in slums and being treated like second-class citizens, were rioting in France not that long ago. Muslim fundamentalists are killing innocent people all around the world. We Americans have done worse and better.

Woody Guthrie could see what was wrong with America while still loving the land, its people and our ideals. He criticized rich factory owners who abused their workers, he sang about corruption in the government and opposed racism and sexism. He also supported the war effort in WWII, wrote "This Land is Your Land" and elevated the people of this country. I'd like to think of myself as coming from the same place.

This is the nation that killed the Indians, enslaved the Blacks and is destroying the environment. It's also the country that gave my great-grandparents a new opportunity, saved the world from fascism and created rock and roll.

On the whole, in comparison with other countries, that's not so bad.