Is America Really Failing?
The first assignment in my high school US history class this year was to make a flag that we thought represented our country. The flags were all unique, but what surprised me most was how negative every flag was; they were covered with illustrations of fire, inequality, fractures, and overall decline. This sentiment, called American declinism, is a common one. The political left will tell you about a widening income gap, bad social programs, and discrimination, while the political right will warn of big government, soaring debt, and “wokeism.” Yet, this negativity conceals an incredible success story. In this article, I will try to prove to you that America remains one of the most productive and best countries in the world.
Education & Development
While modern media often depicts the American education system as plagued with problems and challenges, this often shrouds the success of education in America. In fact, America spends the 4th most per pupil in the world and spends twice as much on secondary school (high school) than the average OECD member (a group of rich countries). The only countries that beat the U.S. are smaller wealthier countries like Luxembourg, which can spend more money per person on education simply because its population is smaller and richer. In addition, over 50% of Americans have completed tertiary (e.g. university, trade school, community college) level education, ranking it in the top 5–10 (rank depends on source) in this category. America’s well-educated citizens and workforce have helped build a diverse and thriving economy.
The huge value of a well-educated workforce is best manifested through American prowess in research and development (R&D). R&D is an important indicator of future growth due to the creation and economic value of new technologies. Spending on the sector has risen significantly over the past decade to 3.5% of our economic production, higher than most of the world. This point is further illustrated by the number of patents the U.S. holds; America’s share of patents was 19% in 2004, which rose to 22% by 2021. Essentially, America has long been and continues to be at the forefront of innovation.
Economy & Social Spending
Beyond innovation, Americans simply make more money than their counterparts in “first-world” economies. For example, the average truck driver in the United States makes more per year than the average doctor in the United Kingdom. Additionally, this economic lead over other countries is increasing. For example, GDP per capita (economic production per person) in the US was only a tiny bit (around $1.5k) more than Germany in 1990, while now the GDP gap is over 12 times greater (around $20k). Basically, America’s economic lead over other wealthy countries has been increasing and continues to do so into the future.
Another facet of American economics is social spending. One response to all the previously given arguments is that Americans only have higher incomes than Europe because they have markedly worse social programs. While American spending on social safety nets is most certainly stingier than other countries, the U.S. has improved significantly. Tax credits and health insurance have been greatly expanded, helping the income of America’s poorest fifth to rise by 74% (adjusted for inflation) over the past 3 decades. In fact, American social spending has risen by over a quarter over the past few decades, all while average income has skyrocketed. Despite a few bumps, America is on the right track, spending more to help people while also growing the economy.
Negative News Bias
Even so, negative sentiment towards the U.S. is ever present. Statistically, the American economy has been thriving, and most spotlight issues like racism and government debt are common in many countries. But the news is ever depressing; stories focus on the negatives — an explosion, a downturn, a train wreck — rather than any positives. So, if America is so great (or at least not that bad), why is sentiment towards America so negative? One key cause is called negative news bias, where news is skewed towards the negatives to help attract clicks. This is because humans (like you) are wired to react more to negative things (including news). While this is a phenomenon observed in most countries, some studies have found that American reporting/media is consistently more negative than their international counterparts, both from liberal and conservative news sources. This causes an environment of frustration and negativity, despite the fact that the source of these sentiments is often rooted in negatively distorted news.
Impacts & Conclusion
This discontent and pessimism can cause people to make seemingly helpful changes that can actually make the addressed problem worse. For example, politicians will make questionable decisions that build and capitalize off of negativity and hatred, often with terrible consequences. I’m not here to paint you a perfect picture of America or to draw a happy, patriotic flag for my history assignment. The U.S. is far from perfect; we have a number of problems and shortcomings (looking at you, healthcare) that many first-world countries don’t have, but that’s not what I’m arguing. The point is to give you hope for our country and to show that we’re on the right track. Rather than hating the country we have been given today, we should have pride in our continuing efforts to improve it. America really is not that bad, and all of us together can make it that much better.