4 Myths and America Today

In Robert Reich’s article entitled “Four Morality Tales,” he addresses four different myths which are commonly assumed within American culture. He then addresses the history and significance of each myth, and then goes through the 1900s and explains how these myths have evolved and come together over time. He then walks through each myth and addresses how each individual myth has an idea of an “us” and a “them” which are going to be inevitable. I thought it would be interesting to provide each myth, and walk through how I think each applies in the current day of 2011. Keep in mind, when I give these examples, I am not giving my personal opinions, but instead what I think the majority of Americans actually think.
The first myth Reich explained was “The Mob at the Gates.” This basically describes the “dark forces” that we as Americans are scared of. There is always a particular group of people that we as Americans assign this role to. It’s almost as if America needs an enemy. It has been England, Native Americans, Nazis, and Communists. Right now, I think that the mob at the gates is the idea of terrorists, especially Middle-Eastern Muslims. 9/11 Changed this drastically. Because of the Muslim extremists that committed these horrendous acts, many Americans make huge generalizations about Muslims in general. Also, the media has grabbed hold of what happened on 9/11 and used it to justify prejudices against Muslims, as well as the wars the U.S. is currently engaged in. Americans today are more scared of a terrorist attack than they are of any other outside threat, and they are therefore the “Mob At The Gates” in 2011.
The second myth identified was the myth of the “Self-Made Man.” This is the idea that anyone who works and tries hard enough can make it in America. Right now, this myth is under harsh criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. With jobs and the economy at a low, people are doubting how much opportunity there is out there to be a self-made man. It is very common to graduate college without a job. Graduate school is becoming more and more a necessity in order to work one’s way up the occupational ladder. This myth currently ties a lot into the latter two myths.
The third myth was the myth of “The Benevolent Community” which is basically saying that Americans look out for each other, especially during times of hardship. He shows how this attitude was derived from several religious principles that talk about doing for others. Personally, I think America has become so cut-throat capitalistic that many have forgotten this principle all together. It has become more about winning as an individual. This happens both politically and fiscally. Instead of working together to achieve common goals, politicians point fingers and try to call each other out to prove points. Meanwhile, America’s economy is starving and young kids are jobless right out of college. We have billionaires with so much money that they don’t know what to do with, and in the same city have people that cannot get a job and have no food to eat. I don’t know where the benevolent community is, but I don’t see it nearly as much as I think we should.
The fourth and final myth is the myth of “Rot at the Top.” This is basically the myth that with power comes corruption. Both sides are politically trying to argue their own version of this right now. Obama is attempting to close tax loopholes for the wealthiest Americans who can afford to pay their fair share of taxes. He is attempting to display that the heads of multi-billion dollar corporations are paying less taxes than middle class Americans. This is Obama’s definition of how the wealthy elite are malevolent for society. Obama argues that unions are good, because they were created so the middle and lower class can be sure they are not mistreated. Meanwhile, The Republicans are arguing that Obama is the definition of corruption at the top. They are arguing that he is attempting to promote “class warfare” and that he has an agenda to gain power. They dislike unions because they think that it is a way for “lazy” people to unfairly control their wages if they don’t think they’re getting paid enough (I think?).
Our country is so divided right now and I could go on forever about these myths and the depth of each. I’ll save everyone the time. Hopefully our leaders will learn to be big boys and girls, work together, and will achieve great things, like this country is extremely capable of doing.

Something To Hold On To

Culture is changing drastically and as a result, there is a big difference among us. You cannot hold anything anymore.
When you buy something today, you are literally paying for the noise that comes out of your headphones, or the image that comes on your television. You literally get nothing else. This is because everything is digital. I have an outdated love for vinyl and it is not just because it is the best quality one can find for listening to music. It’s also because of the fact that you are buying so much more. Within that package is a world of art and beauty. While you listen to the vinyl you can read the artwork as the record plays, helping you further understand the messages the songs have to offer. There is usually expandable artwork that goes along with the themes of the album. The cover art in itself is part of the album, and can be held and viewed and contemplated on. You can hold it. It’s yours forever. It is an entity that you can hold, rather than a file on your computer or a collection of pixels in the small corner of your iPhone.
Though movies have not reached this level to the extent of music, they are on the decline with Netflix and On Demand. Now movies are digital. Soon DVDs will be a thing of the past. No longer can we hold them.
I enjoy my iPod more than anyone, because it allows me to carry my entire music collection. But, unlike many people, I still see the beauty in having a collection of music and movies that is actually there as an historical artifact.
Another downfall to iTunes is the decline of the album. People no longer buy albums in their entirety, the way they are meant to be listened to. Singles are dominating because it is so convenient to click on a song and take it out of the context it was meant to be heard in. Albums were formed as a piece of art, and taking it out of this context is like cutting out your favorite part of a Picasso painting. It’s disgraceful. Because of this, new artists are caring less and less about making good “albums” and are caring more and more about having that hit song.
The reason I listen to many of the bands I listen to is because they still release albums as entire pieces of art, and they still release them on vinyl. The idea of the album is still in the forefront of their mind, and this intrigues me and gives me hope.
This is not an anti-technology rant, simply an observation. If my iPod suddenly disappeared I would be more upset than anyone, because I would lose all 17,546 songs I have. I simply think that if vinyl was still the primary source for listening to music, people would have a greater appreciation for the art of the musical album, instead of clicking on a song and tearing it away from the album it was meant to be on.

Remembering 9/11

On CBS Sunday Morning, September 11, I watched a segment that documented different 911 victims and the different reactions to the tragedies that occurred. Of course, all of the reactions were extremely sad to watch, even 10 years after the fact. We can all agree that this was an extremely terrible thing that happened to our nation and especially to the families of the victims. All of the victims that were interviewed look weak and very much still affected by their losses. I would make the argument that we as a nation are not much different than these individuals.
What this segment really got me thinking about was what September 11 did to our nation as a whole. Many people like to argue that September 11 brought our nation together in a way that nothing else could. They like to argue that we united to come together against a common enemy.
Quite honestly, I have never seen two parties as polarized as they are today. Everything is coming down to idealism and an attempt to make sure the other side does not look good, when in reality I think that we should be working to get things achieved, especially when the economy is as bad as it is today.
There is so much finger pointing. Obama likes to continually remind us that he inherited this terrible economy from President Bush, and rightfully so. Meanwhile, if you ask any Republican, Obama is the biggest spender in our nation’s history, and is single handedly the reason that the economy is so bad. Because of this attitude, Congress refuses to pass anything that is put forth by Obama, simply because of the idea that it was created by a Democrat. Meanwhile, jobs are at an extreme low, and we are on the verge of another depression. All the politicians are doing is pointing fingers at who is to blame, while our country suffers because of it. I think Obama would get things done if he had any one Republican that would work with him, but once again, our country is more divided that it has ever been.
This is the point where I look back and question if our nation has come together at all since 911. Look at the way Muslims are depicted in the mass media. They are made to look like terrorists, and the morons watching these stations buy into it. I talked to a Muslim American at the park the other day who told me she was scared to leave her house on 911 because of the hateful remarks she gets from people. This is a damned shame. This is the land of the free. 99% of the Muslims out there are peaceful people with the same common goals as anyone else. The fact that we are so divisive and cannot come together on anything is a shame.
This idea ties a lot into the theme of myths and the idea that 911 strengthened our nation and helped us come together. While fully respecting 911 as a horrible moment in our nation’s history, I would argue that it is even more of a tragedy because of how divisive our nation has become since. If this moment does not bring us together, what, if anything, will?

Freedom of Expression

I enjoy a good debate. When I heard about the girl who was not allowed to wear a shirt that says “Gay? Fine by me.” many thoughts crossed my mind. I put myself in the shoes of the principal and what I would do if this were my school, my student, and my decision to make.
First off, this is simply a political statement. Regardless of what this statement is, students should be allowed to express their political point of view, as long as it does not degrade anyone else. I guarantee you that this girl would not be sent home for wearing a “W The President” shirt or an Obama shirt.
Secondly, the statement on the shirt was not hateful or degrading of any group. Quite the contrary, it was a very accepting and inclusive message. By wearing this shirt, the young woman was simply implying, “I do not care if you are gay.” What is wrong with this? Even if you do disapprove of gay people, what is wrong with someone who doesn’t? How does this affect you? If a girl wore a shirt to school with curse words, or hate filled messages, sure you send them home. There has to be a line and I understand that. If I were principal, that line would be drawn with inappropriate or hateful messages. There is nothing wrong with expressing one’s point of view. That’s the beauty of America.
What bothers me is the fact that this girl was not allowed to wear a shirt to school because the majority of the people around her disagree with her political agenda. Is that where we want to be as Americans? Do we want to be so scared of an opposing point of view that we refuse to acknowledge that it exists? I think not. It may be radical, but sending someone home for a shirt like this is not too different than what Hitler did when he was in power. He destroyed anything that opposed what he thought. Mindsets like this are dangerous.
On a positive note, the girl’s family threatened to sue and is now allowed to wear the shirt whenever she pleases. It is sad that it came to this, but it gives me faith in the United States as a country. We are not Nazi Germany. People are free to express their opinion. That, my friend, is a beautiful thing.