Hashtag woke and whatnot.
I’m surprised that people seem so blown away by this idea that America might not be the best.
I have a couple of responses, which will sound harsh, but are not intended to be. So hear me out.
1) I’m both happier and sadder because of the “America is the problem” video. It’s great to see an american go wake up and shed some ignorance about the idea that other countries are “such terrible places that need to be like us”. But I’m also pretty bummed out that you’re THIS surprised by the concept; it indicates to me that general mainstream american culture is entirely unaware of anything going on outside of it. A wonderful illustration of that is how you plaster this shock-statistic of 7 some odd thousand US DOLLARS a year as the average income in Manila. US dollars is not the currency there, and so that has absolutely no meaning — it underscores the ignorance and frustrates me because people there are still able to eat, pay rent, live their lives, etc. You cannot compare standard of living based on income in USD alone, it’s deceptive. A banana there does not cost what it costs here, period.
2) In your attempt to shed what appears to me to be your white guilt/first-world guilt/whatever kind of guilt you have, you don’t realize that you’re actually going to the polar opposite side of it. Proclaiming that the people in this particular country are “some of the best people in the world” ignores the fact that there are great people everywhere. Everywhere. Inside the US, and outside of it. Don’t get carried away. I’ve been to four continents. People like this exist EVERYWHERE.
3) “America” is not the problem — but certain societal norms that America subscribes to DO contribute to the problem. However, you’re correlating having goals and purpose with happiness. They are not related; apparent correlation does not indicate causality.
I say all of this because I have spent a lot of my life travelling, and have lived extended periods in cultures (plural) outside the US. I suggest you think harder about this idea that “America is a problem”, and rather think about a different one: are there things that Americans do, as do other countries/cultures, that make us unhappy? Because I think that this isn’t so simple as to say “America is the problem”. I used to blog about this exact thing, and I came to realize that identifying “A” problem is neither practical nor realistic.
Just remember that Americans are brought up with those posters on their walls that tell them to “BE FREE” and “LOVE YOURSELF” without any life experience to provide understanding as to what those things mean. It sounds to me like you’re getting that experience now, which is excellent, but telling everyone that what they want for themselves that may provide them purpose is quite presumptuous. I agree with you that making goals based on what the world around you tells you to want IS going ot make you unhappy. However, I haven’t constructed my life goals based on some narrative that was handed to me by Nike. I’ve carefully built a vision for myself that may or may not come true, but that I work towards because it makes me feel good NOW. I don’t care if you think I’m deluding myself by saying this because I’ve walked the path before that you’ve laid out here and find that more moderate, nuanced ways of thinking help make one happier. I’d also venture a guess that there are other people reading this that may feel discouraged by you telling them their dreams are stupid.
You’re only 25. I was just a year or two younger than you when I had my first “America is the problem” moment, when I was living in Argentina. Take it from me — there are healthier ways to think about it that don’t blanket stereotype an entire society.
I don’t tell you this to say you’re wrong. I just say it because I hope that it helps provide some more perspective. Good people exist everywhere, and goals for peoples lives can give them purpose, fulfillment, and happiness. Mindless, unthought-out goals, however, can do the opposite.
Just some food for thought.