Un-American Activities

In American Politics, both sides of the political aisle use terms like “Un-American” and its fraternal twin, “Un-Patriotic” to label their opponents when the rhetoric heats up past civil debate. The Left is often willing to use this desperate labeling when it suits them. For the Right though, these two labels are more often than not, a first strike strategy.

Both terms are meant to shame someone for what they are doing at the citizenship level. Both terms are empty accusations that, rather than create open dialog, often shuts it down, turning that back and forth into an insult fest. No one wins. Nothing of worth is often the result. People have just wasted time flapping their gums.

What does “Un-American” actually mean? Is there even a definition that can identify for us, when an activity has crossed over the line from suitable American behavior into the “Un” side of American behavior? Both sides often fall into the same trap by labelling opposing views of the same behavior as acceptable or unacceptable. Who is right and who is wrong?  And does it even make sense or more importantly, is it ever really successful? The terms are so over used and abused, they effect little movement from one side or the other.

The two terms are nothing but stand-ins when a conversation or declaration is made by someone who has nothing of real worth to say but still wants to stir their pot and look good for their target audience of sycophants and slack jawed minions. As soon as I hear or read the term, “Un-American”, my eyes glaze over and I move on.

The United States of America has finally accrued enough years under its belt to claim some staying power in the collection of countries that have thousands of years stashed in their historical records. For so long, America was laughed at because we were nothing but infants strutting around with puffed up chests. We were brash. We were ruthless in our pursuit of the American Ideal of the time. Our melted pot population brought a unique world view the planet had never seen. We were the future.

Over time, the lofty ideals set down in our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, were pushed aside, re-calibrated, and often ignored in order to attain the lofty goals needed to become a world power that would be respected and yes, even feared on the world stage. America became the most powerful country on the planet through a mixture of altruistic endeavors combined with ruthless exploitation of the countries we shared this rock with.

So when someone uses a term like “Un-American” or “Un- Patriotic”, I tend to laugh. I know that no behavior, good or bad, is Un-American. We have proven it is American to be nice and be an asshole at the same time. We need to stop glorifying our worst behaviors and settle in as just another member of the coalition of countries who are just trying to get through their days. Our time at the top of the heap should end. We do not deserve to hold on to that position any longer.

Our country is on the down swing. Our worse tendencies as a nation are accelerating our fall. Will the fall be harsh and total? Or will we find a way to land softly and stop carrying that big stick we are so proud of.

We can and hopefully will still become the country we want to be. It will take presenting ourselves in a better light and not as a country whose only focus is exploiting everyone on the planet. We need to get over ourselves; find some humility and allow other countries their their time in the limelight.

In the meantime, stop using phrases and words that do nothing but fire up the conversations.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ..........................

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There is no better anthem for Americans to cherish than "America the Beautiful". The song champions only the best we hope to strive for. No mention of war, death and exploitative adventurism like the current anthem someone decided was how we should represent ourselves to the World. We need to stop strutting.

Here is my favorite cover by Ray Charles. Hope it gives someone shivers. It works on me every time.