Americans are still wonderful and giving people despite how CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News try to persuade us the opposite is true. After the election of President Obama I had been on a natural high. Finally, empirical evidence that the United States was making forward progress when judging people not by color of their skin but by the content of their character. However, the last couple of months had me asking myself is this the United States of American? Have I awakened in Wonderland? Do Americans have common sense? What the hell is going on?
American history has been pretty brutal in some cases and our current Government system is broken. However, I never thought in my lifetime I would see the tactics of McCarthyism, overt racism, and a corporate greed that is so evil and powerful it threatens to destroy the United States of America as we know it. If you sit and listen to American media (print, radio, and television) you'd think this country is completely falling apart. We have our issues that certainly need to be addressed however we also know media and their owners (i.e. CNN - Time Warner, FOX-News Corp, CBS-Westinghouse, MSNBC/NBC-GE) have a vested interest in making sure we stay divided to maintain the Corporate rape of this country. Just follow the money trail of interests these news organizations have Money Trail and you'll see where their allegiances lie.
There is no doubt that we are living in a pivotal time in our history. We all feel it even if we can't articulate it very well. The far right extremist are very loud and very active (with the help of some astroturfing) but I must also continue to remind myself that there are approximately 300 million Americans in the United States and Fox Nation probably has a monopoly of less than 1% of them.
This diary is not to diminish the differences between our American brothers and sisters but to affirm the fact that we do live in a mostly civil society where people genuinely care about each other and their well beings. It is our Politics that are poison not the majority of the people. For every birther, racists, and extremist there are those who actually volunteer and try to make a difference in peoples lives.
Those are some examples of what real Americans are like. Professionals donating their time and people who know there are needs outside of their own that are not being met who try to do their part to make a difference. Not the skewed view that the teabaggers/birthers and cable news shows propagate. I was reminded of this just this past weekend. Some of you know that I had surgery a few weeks ago and I am still on crutches. I needed to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things and in that short 30 minute trip I had no less than 10 people asking if I needed help. These people were black, white, young and old. Most likely they were democrat and republican. My hope is that instead of just ridiculing genuine political differences as we try to put this country back on track that we have conversations with folks and LISTEN too. The more we listen (not roll over but really listen) the more we can challenge the status quo and maybe just maybe make a difference.