Once upon a time, being American was the greatest honor in the world. With heads held up, people could proudly declare their heritage and feel their hearts swell at the sight of a billowing striped flag. Soldiers’ boots could touch foreign earth knowing the blood spilled would be for a nation that was more than deserving. But that was years ago; now, what does this country have worthy of a human life? Next to nothing. America was won by Englishmen trying to escape oppression at the expense of the native people. When compromise and allegiance could not be found, violence and hostility ran rampant. A culture so rich, a people so knowledgable, was all but lost in order to pave the way for a new definition of “American.” This one would prove, at first, to be not-quite-so-terrible but has since …show more content…
Though we claim to allow freedom of speech, it’s suddenly “politically incorrect” to say words like retarded or black. Too many folks worry about hurting feelings when that is the very least we need to be concerned about. Children are starving, homeless, without parents in grimy alleyways on the streets of New York, but rather than trying to help them, we’re too wrapped up in our selfish offenses. To contemplate this is truly sickening. All around this country churches are getting smaller and bars are getting bigger. Teenagers aren’t heeding their parents’ warnings, couples are separating, everything the founding fathers wanted for this nation is falling apart. How anyone these days can be proud to be American is far beyond me. What does it mean to be American? Nothing proud, that much is true. An old redneck can’t even drive his truck through the Southern backroads, Confederate flag waving, without being scolded or insulted. Talk has become so cheap, it’s barely worth a copper penny. The beliefs America once valued are all but forgotten. What this part of the world has become is something that does nothing except make me hang my head in