Memoirs of an Insmoniac: 5

Toleration and the United States of America:

There is a common train of thought throughout the world that the United States of America is full of ignorant, intolerant individuals that know nothing of the world. Before The Piebald Penguin went to college, he was only familiar with the concept that outsiders thought poorly of Americans. But once he got to college, he encountered a number of foreign born students who actually thought that Americans were ignorant of culture, religion, and the world. While I won't deny that Americans are woefully ignorant of concepts such as geography and culture, I came to realize that it's ridiculously close-minded to think that Americans are the only people group that are ignorant. Hate me all you want, but at least look at the proof that I provide.

1. Americans are ignorant, but we are not ignorant to the point of developing a national hatred against another people group. Yes, we tend to joke about how cowardly the French are, but we have put aside our differences and forged a military, political, and economic alliance with France. Then you consider that we should "hate" the United Kingdom because they "oppressed" us. But our "oppressors" have become one of our longest, and strongest allies. How about Germany? They dragged us into two World Wars, causing the deaths of thousands of young American men. Do we hold a grudge against them? No, in fact just a few years after Hitler surrendered, it was deemed politically sound to put everything on the line for the starving residents of Berlin (Berlin Airlift). That kind of political turn around is rare. Also, if you compare the United States to other nation-states, you can clearly see that this kind of behavior is rare. The Arabs and Israelis have hated each other since Isaac, the son of Abraham was born. Ishmael was cast out and that event started the enmity between the two peoples.

2. Americans are ignorant of other nations and their cultures, but those nations are just as ignorant of American culture. In fact, they are so ignorant that many children, raised in foreign nations are led to believe that the USA has no culture. That train of thought is the epitome of ignorance. True, American culture is incredibly diverse, but that is easily explained by reading a historical record of the nation's formation. America has been described as a "melting pot" due to the diversity of its populace. But that is an ignorant belief. America is not a "melting pot" anymore than any other nation. The people who live here are American. We allow each other to believe what they want and to live how they'd like. Rebellions have thrown the nation into chaos, riots have changed policies, and men and women of great vision have shaped this country into what it is. As a result, the people who come to America don't have to worry about being something else. They can just be American. What other nation can claim to draw its strength from its diversity?

3. American media is not a proper representation of Americans in general. It's easy to misunderstand that. We share movies, music, and fashion (to some extent) with a plethora (seriously who doesn't love the word plethora? It's so much fun to say. I dare you to sit there and say it aloud and not smile. Double dog dare. Plethora, plethora, plethora, plethora...oh, yeah I was blogging...) of other nations. They see our movies and listen to our music and think that we are a nation of sex-crazed barbarians who love violence. But it's ignorant to not look beyond the superficial media of this nation.

And that's all folks. My conclusion is that Americans are ignorant, yes. But the nations of the world are equally ignorant. Humans like to live in bubbles. That's how we work.

Get Fuzzy by Darby Conly - September 10, 2011

~The Piebald Penguin

Working While Wishing Women Wouldn't War With Willpower

Today is a rather significant day. First, it's the 10 year anniversary of the "terrorist" attacks that destroyed thousands of lives and brought down two monuments to American consumerism. I put "terrorist" in quotes because I think it's a conspiracy by former President Bush to justify his bellicose and aggressive nature. Clearly the "terrorists" were innocent political prisoners who could have shed light on Bush's evil agenda...

Seriously, how can people be so angry with life that they can spout such lies and slander? I know that the last two sentences of the previous paragraph were difficult to write for me. For those of you who are even now forming ugly thoughts of me in your minds, let me put your fears to rest. I don't believe that the 9/11 attacks were a conspiracy. They were committed by men of a foreign nation with the intent to cause harm to our civilian infrastructure. And yet, I did intentionally mean to place quotes around "terrorist". This term has been coined by politicians to refer to men they don't understand.

Honestly, it's just silly. A man blows himself up, killing hundreds of people, and he is branded as a terrorist. A soldier shoots a civilian in a war zone, and he is labelled a murderer by our press and thought of as a monster. That's simply not logical. We have invented a term to appease our collective conscience. "Oh, that man was a terrorist. He didn't know better."

To quote a somewhat well-known American, "War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." ~ William T. Sherman

Now you think I just look for cool quotes to justify my point of view, and yes, I admit that I know where to look. But that doesn't make it less true. War is a disgusting practice. Humans kill other humans. It's all about terror and confusion. Every soldier who fights in combat is a "terrorist". His goal is to strike fear in the heart of his opponent so that he can win. 

Yet, we brand a specific style of war as "terrorism". We compartmentalize it. Throw it in a box and get it far away from me. "Those men from that one country far, far away, are like that." We attempt to forget that humans are not good. Why do we do this? Because it interferes with the majority's concept of a "good life". We want everyone to get along and live their lives in peace. But peace isn't an option. Humans are not good. Humans are irrational, emotional, aggressive, vindictive, manipulative, and selfish (not to mention ignorant). 

Violence erupts between two human beings far more often than it erupts between two nations, but we choose to view our leaders as war-like and spiteful. Some are. But there are a number of men and women who are trying to protect the interests of their constituents (formerly subjects, when kings and queens ruled the earth). 

I guess this is a long-winded way of saying, violence is all around us. Terrorism is all around us. We can't just sit back and pretend it doesn't exist. So long as there are two men and a single woman on this planet, violence will be a part of life. 

This post is already quite lengthy, so I will stop here. But perhaps at a later date I will talk about my views on the "War on Terror". 

Oh and the second reason today is important: This is the last day that I am unemployed. Tomorrow will mark the first day in my life that I will be employed by a company, while not actively attending an academic institution. So, yeah. Big day.

~The Piebald Penguin