On being American

Recently I had a conversation with someone about differences in thinking between Canada & America. This person LOVES Canada and probably would prefer to be a Canadian citizen rather than a US citizen....relinquish his US citizenship. He talked about how Canadian citizens seem more proud of their country and are more willing to wave the flag.

I get a little tired of this way of thinking. I'm not uber-patriotic in any way, but I feel that many of us who consider ourselves liberal have developed some very damaging ways of thinking about our country that we're passing along to our children. Yes, we have corruption, yes the gap between rich and poor is at its worst in history. But there is still something underneath all of this that gives us hope...I think. I mean, the freedom to openly criticize ones country while at the same time enjoying the benefits of it in itself is a hallmark of being American.

When we think of something like the American Dream, and we realize that extreme wealth is not something most of us will reach, we have to wonder what else it's about. To me, this dream we in America really is the opportunity to be something more ... to pursue whatever it is that each of us, individually, creates for his/her own dream. While some stories that reveal this are sad...even depressing...the core nature of people and the desire to hope comes through.

Fast Food Nation exposes extreme violations of safety for our fast-food consumer economy. The man's name is Kenny, and he is grossly abused by the system...in this case, the Monfort beef processing plant. I will admit the story is horrifying and it seems strange to use this story to describe an idea like the American Dream because in most cases his story is the opposite of the American Dream. However, there's still something about the hope he represents in who we are as individuals. His dream simply is to be accepted.. He came from, "...an abusive stepfather, left home at the age of thirteen, went in and out of various schools." His dream was to belong. He hung-on so long during such abusive circumstances because of this dream... He felt a strong loyalty to Monfort. He could not read, possessed few skills other than his strength, and the company had still given him a job." Now, the main problems in the story--the sacrifice of people for the sake of a burger--is clear. And it's terrible. But if we focus on Kenny's hopes & dreams, we find a consistent story of pursuit of something more...more than an abusive father, more than what he could achieve with a lack of education. More.