Minding Our Own Business
Despite the invectives some people might throw at me and likeminded folks, I think there's many wonderful things about this country, such as its constitutional ideals of freedom of speech and religion; the diversity that still exists in various corners of the nation; the willingness to strive to improve ourselves and our communities; and above all, the much vaunted (if not fully realized) concept of equality. I guess you could say it's the American Experiment that I think is great, and the fact that so many people have immigrated and continue to seek a home in this land is testimony to what America means and has meant.
But on the other side of the coin, what works here doesn't always work elsewhere, and when we try to idealistically insist that our way is the best way, we don't always leave room for the possibility that others might have a different idea, or that other traditions and values don't always mesh with "democracy." Even our most idealistic and supposedly altruistic venture, the Peace Corps, was initiated as a tool during the Cold War; export what's best about America, and hopefully our interactions with third-world inhabitants will leave them impressed enough that they won't be seduced by the Reds. Thankfully, the Peace Corps has morphed beyond its initial political motives, and continues today as a means to improve communities beyond our borders.
Our other efforts, however, haven't been quite as successful. Our military endeavors since World War II have had a decidedly negative impact, for the most part. Korea wasn't exactly a mission that most people tout when they want to point to American achievements, and the CIA's skulduggery in places like Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), and Chile (1973) on behalf of American economic and political interests have led to disastrous results and tragedy. Our propensity to interfere in other nation's civil wars or internal conflicts have led to consequences that could have been avoided, as in Vietnam, or increased chaos and casualties, such as in El Salvador.
Despite our generosity, our prosperity, and our ideals and values, the image of the "Ugly American" is reinforced each time we stick our noses where we aren't wanted. Iraq is no different. We paraded in, bombed the country, imprisoned and tortured its people, and have continued to camp out, claiming that we're going to bring freedom and democracy in the end.
It isn't just our military and political values and goals that we push; it's also a lot of economics as well. There's practically no place on the planet now where you can escape Coca-Cola; there are McDonald's in Mumbai and KFCs in Kuala Lumpur, Long John Silver's in London, and our film and television stars are making a pile of cash pushing American products in Japanese commercials. The rampant Westernization of the rest of the globe has slowly eradicated local traditions, clothing, and cuisine everywhere. Capitalism is pushed everywhere, and NAFTA and similar policies means workers in second and third-world nations are producing our goods, catering to our needs, handling our finances and legal transactions, and much, much more. But is it what everyone wants or needs?
In this article I ran across the other day, it appears not. It seems others around the world would prefer to be left alone. I, for one, have no problem with that. We should take our soldiers (what are they still doing in tons of countries all over?) and our institutions home, and concentrate on ourselves for a while. This isn't to say that I advocate a new isolationism; far from that. We still need to assist in humanitarian aid, global medical efforts (simply picking up our toys and coming home won't protect us from pandemics!), and intervene when horrors like the ethnic cleansing of the Balkans, or the genocide in Rwanda, or the current crisis in Sudan occur. But otherwise we should be spending our time and money focusing on our own economy, our own health care system, our own education system, our infrastructure, our environment. Only then can we continue to shine, to be a beacon and model for all others.
There's a lot to love about America, and a lot we should share, and instances where we can provide leadership. But there's also a time for minding our own business, and I think that that time is now.
But on the other side of the coin, what works here doesn't always work elsewhere, and when we try to idealistically insist that our way is the best way, we don't always leave room for the possibility that others might have a different idea, or that other traditions and values don't always mesh with "democracy." Even our most idealistic and supposedly altruistic venture, the Peace Corps, was initiated as a tool during the Cold War; export what's best about America, and hopefully our interactions with third-world inhabitants will leave them impressed enough that they won't be seduced by the Reds. Thankfully, the Peace Corps has morphed beyond its initial political motives, and continues today as a means to improve communities beyond our borders.
Our other efforts, however, haven't been quite as successful. Our military endeavors since World War II have had a decidedly negative impact, for the most part. Korea wasn't exactly a mission that most people tout when they want to point to American achievements, and the CIA's skulduggery in places like Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), and Chile (1973) on behalf of American economic and political interests have led to disastrous results and tragedy. Our propensity to interfere in other nation's civil wars or internal conflicts have led to consequences that could have been avoided, as in Vietnam, or increased chaos and casualties, such as in El Salvador.
Despite our generosity, our prosperity, and our ideals and values, the image of the "Ugly American" is reinforced each time we stick our noses where we aren't wanted. Iraq is no different. We paraded in, bombed the country, imprisoned and tortured its people, and have continued to camp out, claiming that we're going to bring freedom and democracy in the end.
It isn't just our military and political values and goals that we push; it's also a lot of economics as well. There's practically no place on the planet now where you can escape Coca-Cola; there are McDonald's in Mumbai and KFCs in Kuala Lumpur, Long John Silver's in London, and our film and television stars are making a pile of cash pushing American products in Japanese commercials. The rampant Westernization of the rest of the globe has slowly eradicated local traditions, clothing, and cuisine everywhere. Capitalism is pushed everywhere, and NAFTA and similar policies means workers in second and third-world nations are producing our goods, catering to our needs, handling our finances and legal transactions, and much, much more. But is it what everyone wants or needs?
In this article I ran across the other day, it appears not. It seems others around the world would prefer to be left alone. I, for one, have no problem with that. We should take our soldiers (what are they still doing in tons of countries all over?) and our institutions home, and concentrate on ourselves for a while. This isn't to say that I advocate a new isolationism; far from that. We still need to assist in humanitarian aid, global medical efforts (simply picking up our toys and coming home won't protect us from pandemics!), and intervene when horrors like the ethnic cleansing of the Balkans, or the genocide in Rwanda, or the current crisis in Sudan occur. But otherwise we should be spending our time and money focusing on our own economy, our own health care system, our own education system, our infrastructure, our environment. Only then can we continue to shine, to be a beacon and model for all others.
There's a lot to love about America, and a lot we should share, and instances where we can provide leadership. But there's also a time for minding our own business, and I think that that time is now.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 9:54 PM
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