Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:52 pm
Even though there are many great things about America, there are even more things to be ashamed of. Anyone unfortunate to interact with people from around the world likely hear questions from their colleagues, friends, and family overseas that leave them speechless. There is not much one can say when they are too embarrassed to even attempt to explain why a large portion of American society is going off the proverbial rails and looking to hurt someone. What is a mystery though, is why the rest of the civilized world sees America’s insanity and yet most of the people that live here are either oblivious or part of the problem.
Yesterday on Meet the Press, Secretary of State John Kerry shared his unfortunate experiences of having to listen to the rest of the world’s incredulity over the GOP presidential race. Kerry said,
“Everywhere I go, every leader I meet, they ask about what is happening to America. They cannot believe it. They’re shocked and concerned about what this says about America, its steadiness and reliability. Some of the questions, the way they’re posed, it’s clear that what’s happening is an embarrassment to our country.”
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Secretary Kerry is right, of course, but the sad fact is that most Americans are not embarrassed, they are proud. What is going on in the presidential primaries is exactly what a significant portion of the population believes defines and represents them as “real Americans;” bigoted, greedy, fanatically religious, and generally epitomize anti-social malcontents. For the record, a malcontent is a person who is always unhappy and angry and lust to act on their inherent personality dysfunction.
Over the weekend, that anti-social typically American kind of person ruined what should have been a pleasant outing for a large number of children celebrating the alleged resurrection of their slain messiah. Part of the “Easter” celebration is turning children loose to seek out hens’ eggs gathered, colored, and hidden by a “big bunny,” but in a Connecticut community, an Easter egg hunt revealed perfectly why Americans should be embarrassed and why the Republican presidential candidates are thriving.
The Easter egg hunt was organized and paid for by the Pez company as a kind act of generosity to the community. However, it quickly turned into a shoving match between greedy, angry and generally anti-social malcontent parents and small children anxious to hunt Easter eggs; many of whom were left injured and eggless. Pez general manager, Shawn Peterson, lamented that despite the Pez staff doing their due diligence to enforce starting times and protect children, “that lasted less than a minute and the parents rushed the field like locusts and took everything.”
Pez officials had taken the time to “hide” over 9,000 eggs on three different fields at the Pez Visitor Center, and as in years past, they carefully planned to stagger starting times to give every child a chance to enjoy the company’s community largesse. No small number of parents had a very different, and inherently American, plan for the small children and the booty; overpower the children and steal the treasure.
One parent, Nicole Welch, recounted that “When it came time, the parents just bum-rushed that area.” Another mother, Lisa Stahl, said, “Shame on that parent that broke the little boy’s bucket causing him to lose the few eggs he had, that the parent then picked up. And shame on the parent that bloodied another child’s nose and to those of you that hogged all the eggs for your own kids. If anyone is to blame for what happened today it’s the parents.” One mother, Val McCormick complained that what was supposed to be a nice outing and Easter egg hunt “was worse than being at Wal-Mart on Black Friday.”
The company that put on the free annual Easter egg hunt canceled the event and issued a special Easter statement on ‘resurrection’ Sunday expressing regret over the incident.
“Unfortunately people chose to enter the fields prior to anyone from Pez staff starting the activity. The crowd proceeded to rush the field without being directed to do so and before the posted start time.
We sincerely tried our best to create a fun, free activity for everyone to enjoy. Due to the actions of a few, the good intent quickly turned into a mess. I would like to sincerely apologize to each of our guests, this was not something created to frustrate or make people angry. We only wanted to do good for the local community.”
Silly Pez officials; have they not yet learned that any effort, by any one in the private sector or government, to do good for Americans will always be thwarted by mean people who exist to turn it into a mess? Look, there are just too many people in this country that are inherently hateful and greedy to expect an act of kindness to go unpunished. The mindset of Republicans supporting Trump and Cruz should be proof enough that a large segment of the population are mean-spirited by nature; they call themselves “the real America.”
The rest of the world witnesses more than just the nasty presidential primaries where defaming many different groups, or unfoundedly demeaning a female candidate’s character, is typical and celebrated. They also see the growing conservative outrage at just the idea of America helping anyone whether they are beleaguered refugees, poor children, immigrant farm workers, the elderly or Veterans; so it is left to men like John Kerry to attempt to explain “what is happening to America.”
It is telling that the rest of the world can see that a fair share of the American people are greedy and inordinately mean towards any and every one; including small American children celebrating Easter. “What is happening to America” is not about the fear and hate mongering from the GOP presidential candidates, it is about an ever-increasing level of general animus among the population that thinks it is perfectly acceptable, and typically American, to despise non-white non-Christians, assault young children, break their Easter baskets, and steal their colored eggs and not be the least bit embarrassed.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
