Sing along:
Proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
Huh? "At least" I know I'm free? What the hell? Is that all we have? Freedom? I know that there are other countries that have what passes for freedom here. What makes America so great? Why should I be proud to be an American? I really want to know. I guess I don't understand patriotism. I mean we do have a great history and we were leaders in the world of freedom. Lately however, I think we've fallen behind.
I'm not sure why I should be proud to be an American, but I can tell you why I'm upset that I'm an American. I'm sure you're thinking that I'm going to bring up how the patriot act is chipping away at our freedoms, but I'm not. This is a selfish post and well, the patriot act really doesn't effect me in the here and now. Sure it has the potential to erode away freedoms in a runaway-snowball effect destroying us all and "when they came for me, there was no one left to help." I know, I know. But as it stands now, I don't care. I don't even care if they wiretap me or look at me nude through hidden cameras. I just am not bothered by that....not today.
So, if I'm not upset because of the patriot act, then it must be because of the war in Iraq. Again, no. Don't get me wrong. Regardless of the intelligence leading up to the war, I'm still against preemptive military moves. If Sadaam and Osama weren't, in reality, enemies as they actually were, I would almost be able to justify it. (Although not really, I wouldn't, but for the sake of a non-arguement...). I also don't like playing for the war with money, lives or increased hatred in the Middle East. Again, this is a selfish post and in the "day-to-day", I really don't immediately feel the effect of the war.
The reason why I'm upset at being an American is that I was sick the other day. I had too much snot dripping down my face to go into work and have a bunch of people stare at me while I'm unable to wipe my face without being fired. I had to call-in. At my current job, I don't get sick pay. Also, at my current job, employees get written up when they call in sick. You can have up to seven write-ups before you're fired. Though, I think that everyone has been sick seven days a year at least once in their lives. Needless to say, people come into work sick a lot or they apply for FMLA for "back pain".
I got to thinking about my time off. After 1 year, I got five paid days off. I don't get holidays off, I get paid an extra $3 an hour on holidays. America is the only industrialized nation that doesn't have laws regarding mandatory time off. 20-25 days off a year are the norm in most countries. Japan gets more time off than Americans. China....yes, even China gets more time off than me with a generous 15 days off a year. The average German worker works 25% less than the average American worker......25%!!!!! Are you kidding me? They actually work to live and not live to work.
OK, so now you can say that I should be proud that we are such hard workers, we bring in more money. We do bring in more money...via productivity. However, that money goes straight to the top...the top 1%. Americans have less disposable income than almost every other industrialized nation (including the ones with all of that socialized medicine eating up their income through taxes). So, we work more, to make less, to pay our hospital bills. I'm not proud of that at all. I feel ashamed.
I want to understand patriotism, but it is just starting to look like blind nationalism. Maybe I could understand if I had some more time off.
I DO know how to be proud to be an American, but I don't think all of America will agree with me. We are behind a lot of countries in the field of gay rights. Just recently, South Africa passed us. South Africa?!? You know you are behind in human rights when South Africa passes you by! Gees! Anyway, let's take for example the Netherlands where same sex marriage is legal. Well, in the Netherlands, it is illegal for a lesbian to get artificial insemination. I'm proud that we aren't that barbaric.
Sing along:
Proud to be an American
Where at least a lesbian can be artificially inseminated
