If you read back through this blog, you'll find that I've been wrestling with the peculiarities of America for some time now.
I think I have identified the problems. There are at least two, and they stem from the very creation of America, from the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. Feel free to research this event if you're not sure what this was. I suspect that many (most?) Americans know something about this.
The two results of this convention that has had major consequences to American life today are first, the ruling arrangement or 'plan', and second, the Constitution and Declaration themselves. I'd like to look at the Constitution and Declaration first.
The American Constitution and Declaration are a source of great pride to Americans, so much so that they are largely revered and considered flawless, even if Americans wont actually say so. It is a point of pride to announce that in the face of social adversity, Americans seek to defend the Constitution.
But what if there are some manifest 'problems' with the original text, perhaps the original assumptions? From an outsider's perspective, here's a glaring one:
“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” from the Declaration of Independence
and the Second Amendment to the American Constitution, which is typically truncated to the latter half
".. the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
While these are actually from different documents, they are central within the American psyche. The problem? Combined, they imply that it is socially acceptable to be greedy at the expense of the social good, and to defend the fruits of that greed with deadly force.
So seemingly, not only has this nation's manifesto declared the individual as the priority over the common good, this assumption has been further entrenched by allowing ready access to a means of defense that would normally be reserved for only those who've demonstrated suitable training and maturity.
"Grab and Defend": It is hard to think of an uglier message to hand the people of a nation.
I fully accept that this is only the most superficial interpretation of these documents, and they also contain many other quotes that should counter this interpretation, however, they don't seem to lend themselves to the same abuse.
Consequently, this 'Constitutionally decreed' freedom to pursue unbridled greed, however shamelessly self-serving, and the subsequent enabling of the deadly means (firearms) to defend the winnings, has set a social tone for Americans that gives rise to the distressingly high level of violence they live with, it would seem.
2 comments:
Robert Heinlein once observed that "America has always been a dangerous country", and many historians seem to be unaware of how many bullet holes there were in the halcyon days of yore. The Canadian and European historical experiences are different, for a multitude of reasons.
What we see in the American experience is the never-ending battle between the rich elites and the populist political movements like say, that of Bob La Follette in the 1880's and 1890's.
Thanks to Reagan, there has been 30 years (almost 2 generations)of pandering to the elite, and now the pendulum appears to be swinging back. Time will tell.
On the 'time will tell' note I'll add that it would be nice to think that Obama may actually make some headway on these deeper matters.
Perhaps someday America may chose to be less dangerous.
Post a Comment