http://www.emyouthemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/PakmodeWebLogo.pngJoseph Stromski II and Chelsea Martin
joe.stromski@emyouthemagazine.com
Ever since that earthquake rocked Haiti, it seems to be the only thing in the world that matters. It’s trending on Google, Anderson Cooper and his disaster relief efforts are featured on numerous nightly broadcasts, and it has spent quite a bit of time on Twitter’s Trending Topic list.
The great thing about all the coverage Haiti is receiving is that it has created the desire for Americans to donate millions of dollars to various relief organizations, which are aiding the thousands of Haitians who were victims of last month’s quake.
But the reality is that disasters like this really highlight the American people’s inability to realize what’s happening in their own country. Be it underfunded educational institutions, impoverished families or the ever-climbing unemployment rate, there are millions of Americans suffering everyday, and very rarely is there a major, nationwide movement to do something about it, like a text message campaign endorsed by thousands of individuals, the government, several major media companies and celebrities.
Not to defend the behavior of Americans (and their lack of ability to recognize the severe needs of people living in their own backyard), but in this country most people seem to be living in an alternate reality. American citizens have been brainwashed in to thinking that if you work hard enough, make enough sacrifices and make smart decisions, anyone can succeed in this country. This is the land of opportunity, after all.
The fact that people can’t make a go of it here, or sometimes can’t provide for themselves, needs to be chalked up to their own inadequacies or laziness. People need to tell themselves it must be the fault of the individual for his or her lack of success; otherwise, they may have to address the fact health care is so ridiculously expensive that it bankrupts small businesses, work conditions are appalling for many Americans (regardless of attempted government regulation), post-secondary education is unattainable for the average person without accumulating a large amount of personal debt, and that many of the social programs that helped carry the country through some of its most difficult times have been eroded with horror stories of abuse.
It’s sad that people have convinced themselves that social programs don’t work. They look at anecdotal evidence or even urban myths to not encourage their elected representatives to properly fund social services. Instead of working to correct the system to help reduce abuse and increase the amount of assistance that can reach Americans down on their luck – society has convinced itself that this is the perfect opportunity to cut back on taxes.
You have to live in an alternate reality to be able to sleep at night. If the majority of Americans opened their eyes, they’d realize there are people in this country living in third-world conditions. We still have large inner-city and rural populations graduating high school illiterate and lacking basic math skills and average American families losing their houses because they have overwhelming medical debt, all while we fight two wars thousands of miles away.
If people paid attention they would be outraged, but they are clearly not. Instead, it is much easier to send a text message and donate $10 to an aid service of choice, hoping their money does something to help a country stricken by natural disaster, and go to sleep at night feeling like they helped save the world.
It just isn’t the average American to blame, either. The United States government has bred an undereducated society and placed corrupt, corporation-infiltrated, inadequate regulatory agencies to watch over its flock. Meanwhile, the press and other independent regulatory agencies have been asleep at the wheel while court cases, executive orders and legislation have slowly whittled away the rights of the American people.
Whenever you want to find the reason for most Americans’ ridiculous behavior, all you need to do is follow the money. It is far more beneficial to the current social, business and government structure to have people focused on a country other than their own. It costs everyone less money, including the taxpayers, and that gets politicians reelected and CEOs bigger bonuses. And isn’t that what it all boils down to?
The Bottom Line: America has problems, too. And it’s sad that society creates people who are too blind to recognize them. Maybe people would finally do something about it if an unemployment meteor crashed into Detroit or Hurricane Hunger ravaged the south coast, but it shouldn’t take a natural disaster for people to want to help.
Follow me on Twitter at mfstromski or visit my blog at jstromsk.wordpress.com
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