America As I See It…
By Ron Signore
If you haven’t seen the “America” speech from, The Newsroom (2012), it would be a great course for where I am coming from mentally. It starts with a student asking the question, “What makes America the greatest country in the world?” The question was directed at the main character, news anchor Will McAvoy (portrayed by Jeff Daniels). As part of a panel, McAvoy is the guy sitting between a Republican and a Democrat, who have each postured their agendas to the academic crowd. The moderator essentially calls out McAvoy for always taking the safe ground answers so as not to ruffle any feathers.
However, this question about the greatness of America becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s back for McAvoy. After failure to critically answer the question, he hesitates and then delivers one of the most brilliantly written answers for television which ends up putting McAvoy at the center of controversy. He calls out Republicans, Democrats, but most importantly he calls out a country that has all the potential in the world, yet we have allowed ourselves to fail it. Granted the specific stats are from 2012, there are similarities that are so strongly correlated today.
What makes America the greatest country in the world? Freedom? He calls out that out of 207 sovereign states in the world, 180 have freedom. From there he explains, “There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world. We’re 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending – where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies. Now, none of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt a member of the worst period generation period ever period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don’t know what the F*CK you’re talking about!”
But it is what he expresses next that makes you stop and think. “ … It sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws – for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were and we never beat our chest. We built great, big things, made ungodly technological advanced, explored the universe, cured diseases and we cultivated the world’s greatest artists AND the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn’t belittle it. It didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn’t scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed… by great men, men who were revered. First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.”
I can’t be sure if this show was ahead of it’s time, or if history just continues to repeat itself, but the morality of this country has changed. It is like we constantly forget our priorities. We forget what made us the country in the world that attracted so many to pursue the American Dream. Technological advances, curing disease, and the battle against poverty are three variables that that can be put in a root cause analysis and education would be the answer the equation spits out.
The more I sit back and ponder the issues that burden us today, the issues that hold us back from progression, it calls to deniers. Our population has grown to be divided up into believers and deniers, and while religion may be the root of that issue, the fact is there is a lack of education evident that stems back to our education system.
While a portion of the country wants to stand behind their faith, another portion chases opinions down rabbit holes in efforts to rationalize an outcome to something they wish they had. Then there is the portion of our country developed critical thinking skills along the way. Connecting dots in history. Applying a way of life and how to treat people, whether by faith or just common decency from the social contract theory but allowing their mind to grow with the possibilities applicable sciences allows for. Frankly, if you believe in growth through the achievements of science, the possibilities could be endless.
The American education system has been broken for as long as I can remember. While my personal beliefs are that people have natural boundaries to their intellect, fixing our education system is not going to conceptually make someone with a 75 IQ suddenly be 150 IQ. It would, however, be the basis for the genesis of the American Dream for many. The American Dream could be the answer to what makes us the greatest country in the world. It goes beyond freedom. It is the ability to have opportunity, what one does with opportunities when they get them is up to them. Many squander it, while other’s beg for it.
We are not providing equal opportunity at the grassroots level of education, and where there are squandered opportunities by those who by chance have academic advantages, it has fallen back on the notion that we go to school to get a passing grade. We measure our education the way we are tested in our professional lives. We are tested for the grit and the grind to complete courses at hand. While those are outstanding attributes to sharpen for everyone, it doesn’t guarantee someone’s intellect capabilities. This has led to the current job market where some are allowed to just pass by and go through the motions without testing what they know.
Science has continued to help identify neurodivergences that we didn’t have 30 years ago. How many of us went to school (or know someone), struggled, and became branded as dumb, or a troublemaker? How many of us went to school, barely did the work, but scored high marks? Or the common tale of doing all the work, studying, but just a terrible test taker? These, amongst other scenarios, are part of our current education system, so how do we provide equal opportunity in early education for every child in this country?
This is not an overnight fix, but we need to start addressing it with a little more tenacity. The things that divide us like economic status, neurodivergence and the different ways people can learn, should not hinder anyone from pursuing the American Dream. Furthermore, if we can attack this at the early education levels, we may put ourselves back on a track to lead in the areas we seem to be faltering around the globe compared to our counterpart nations.
We have barriers that should be removed, but our idiocy as a population won’t allow it. Many sit there preaching the denial of evolution, many hypocritically. Some will sit there and bellow this liberal notion because it may mean new tax. Some will fight back because of concepts that we now claim as “woke.” All of which have cost us teachers, funding, facilities, and security within our schools. While all that goes on, while many want to limit the reach of government for fear of the big bad word of “socialism,” in a country that does and has practiced in quasi-socialism, our country owes it to our future generations to find a way to have us in a position where intelligence is no longer belittled and become a source of pride and envy. A position that helps us cure diseases, continue exploration beyond our wildest dreams, and at the very least, have a common curriculum for facts that can help everyone achieve more.
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