Well said. I've always thought that if more people visited other countries similar to the beautiful Bahamas, which I visited many years ago, they would learn firsthand how much we take for granted and how fortunate we are to live in America.
Thank you so much for writing this. I teach at an elite college and most students do not love America and cannot think of a single good thing about the country. How do I know? Because I ask my classes and this is how they respond. Coming from a black working class background in the South, the child of two parents who did not finish high school, who spent his first ten years without hot running water, etc. to arrive at my current station among the top ten percent I know America is great. To quote Obama, "In no other country is my story even possible."
👏👏👏 An outstanding article by Anisa! People can bag on the United States and the international media can exaggerate how bad it is all day long. But it doesn’t change the greatness of the United States. Does our country have many flaws? Of course. We are flawed in our race relations, LGBTQ+ people don’t yet have full equal rights, there are draconian restrictions on abortion in some states, wealth inequality, crummy public education and healthcare systems, crumbling infrastructure, a dysfunctional government, lack of community, too much gun violence, and much more. But none of this changes that the United States is a remarkable nation in which we have rights and freedoms that 99% of the people on this Earth can only dream of. We live in the richest society the world has ever known with an unprecedented amount of educational and economic opportunity. Americans can say whatever they want, worship as they please, write anything they want, read any book they want, listen to any kind of music they want, and assemble anytime they like. Americans have choices galore, a plentiful supply of food and can shop anywhere they want. Upward mobility though certainly less than it used to be, is still fairly prevalent in America. You can go from being poor to being Middle Class or even wealthy if you work hard. The United States is one of the least racist, most inclusive countries in the world. Our overall healthcare system may suck, but we rank number one in the world in quality of care. We are diverse country in terms of regions, landscapes, dialectics, and cultures. Our national parks are absolutely amazing! Our food is absolutely amazing too! BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, Oreo cookies, hot fudge sundaes, banana splits, peach cobbler, Coca Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, mozzarella sticks, Hershey bars, milkshakes, and so much more! Americans are second to none when it comes to food!
We have the best military in the world. We never have to worry about being invaded or attacked by another country. In America, you are relatively safe as compared to living in much of the world. America’s scientists are among the most brilliant and innovative in the world. 🌎 The United States’ system of checks and balances ensure one branch of the government can’t just take over and start a dictatorship. Want to start your own company? It’s relatively easy to do it in the USA! The United States is a nation that was founded as a republic, a government where the people ruled not a king or queen, and it has endured for 250 years. It was never guaranteed or inevitable. But we did it! The republic survived so many crisis that could’ve have caused it to collapse! We survive these challenging times as well! All these spoiled brat college kids who whine about America need to open their eyes or move elsewhere. Be my guest and go live in Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, Somalia, Ghana, Nigeria, Yemen, Burkina Faso, or Sierra Leone and then come back and tell me how superior it is. Love or hate Donald Trump, he is the democratically elected President of this country. He’s not a fascist or a dictator. If you want to see a real dictator look at someone like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-Un, Rodrigo Duerte, the Ayatollahs of Iran, Crown Prince Bin Salman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, or Abdul al-Sisi, they make Donald Trump look like a Christian choir boy by comparison.
Well said. I've always thought that if more people visited other countries similar to the beautiful Bahamas, which I visited many years ago, they would learn firsthand how much we take for granted and how fortunate we are to live in America.
Thank you so much for writing this. I teach at an elite college and most students do not love America and cannot think of a single good thing about the country. How do I know? Because I ask my classes and this is how they respond. Coming from a black working class background in the South, the child of two parents who did not finish high school, who spent his first ten years without hot running water, etc. to arrive at my current station among the top ten percent I know America is great. To quote Obama, "In no other country is my story even possible."
Thank you for sharing your story. We need more people to do likewise.
Definitely appreciated this excellent piece!
👏👏👏 An outstanding article by Anisa! People can bag on the United States and the international media can exaggerate how bad it is all day long. But it doesn’t change the greatness of the United States. Does our country have many flaws? Of course. We are flawed in our race relations, LGBTQ+ people don’t yet have full equal rights, there are draconian restrictions on abortion in some states, wealth inequality, crummy public education and healthcare systems, crumbling infrastructure, a dysfunctional government, lack of community, too much gun violence, and much more. But none of this changes that the United States is a remarkable nation in which we have rights and freedoms that 99% of the people on this Earth can only dream of. We live in the richest society the world has ever known with an unprecedented amount of educational and economic opportunity. Americans can say whatever they want, worship as they please, write anything they want, read any book they want, listen to any kind of music they want, and assemble anytime they like. Americans have choices galore, a plentiful supply of food and can shop anywhere they want. Upward mobility though certainly less than it used to be, is still fairly prevalent in America. You can go from being poor to being Middle Class or even wealthy if you work hard. The United States is one of the least racist, most inclusive countries in the world. Our overall healthcare system may suck, but we rank number one in the world in quality of care. We are diverse country in terms of regions, landscapes, dialectics, and cultures. Our national parks are absolutely amazing! Our food is absolutely amazing too! BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, Oreo cookies, hot fudge sundaes, banana splits, peach cobbler, Coca Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, mozzarella sticks, Hershey bars, milkshakes, and so much more! Americans are second to none when it comes to food!
We have the best military in the world. We never have to worry about being invaded or attacked by another country. In America, you are relatively safe as compared to living in much of the world. America’s scientists are among the most brilliant and innovative in the world. 🌎 The United States’ system of checks and balances ensure one branch of the government can’t just take over and start a dictatorship. Want to start your own company? It’s relatively easy to do it in the USA! The United States is a nation that was founded as a republic, a government where the people ruled not a king or queen, and it has endured for 250 years. It was never guaranteed or inevitable. But we did it! The republic survived so many crisis that could’ve have caused it to collapse! We survive these challenging times as well! All these spoiled brat college kids who whine about America need to open their eyes or move elsewhere. Be my guest and go live in Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, Somalia, Ghana, Nigeria, Yemen, Burkina Faso, or Sierra Leone and then come back and tell me how superior it is. Love or hate Donald Trump, he is the democratically elected President of this country. He’s not a fascist or a dictator. If you want to see a real dictator look at someone like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-Un, Rodrigo Duerte, the Ayatollahs of Iran, Crown Prince Bin Salman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, or Abdul al-Sisi, they make Donald Trump look like a Christian choir boy by comparison.