I don't know if it's growing up in Tea Party country or a sign of the times but I have generated quite a few problems with so called freedom. Growing up I was fed a version of history that is both centered on America and focused on portraying America (and Americans) as excellent.
This is all to lead up to the idea for why America tells me we've gone to war so much in our short history. That reason is said to be freedom.
The dictionary definition of freedom is:
"the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint." (source Google)
The point I started to have some unpleasant feeling towards the word was during the two wars starting after the events of 2001. The reason as I remember it was to "spread freedom". It conjured up an image of american with a big butter knife spreading freedom like jam. Jammy goodness for all!
But wait, how can you spread freedom? It's an idea, and in actual concept has been shrinking for years (and at no time faster than right after 2001). If you ask historians the reason for the american revolution was taxation without representation. Do we have it better now? Look at the colonies still associated with the UK, are things bad there?
Meanwhile in the United States we have the greatest wealth gap in our history. Freedom in this country seems to be more about a freedom to amass large hunks of resources at the expense of others. The poor are completely unrepresented in government as money has become speech. Don't pretend we live in a democracy, that day was over a little while ago. Let's watch how long before I can't speak against our wonderful capitalist masters (heavy sarcasm).
There is no freedom so long as there are those not free to eat, or drink clean water, or live a respectable life. All the numbers point to there being more than enough resources on this planet to go around. So why don't they? Freedom. There's plenty of freedom in America. It's just a shame that it's in the hands of so few.
This is all to lead up to the idea for why America tells me we've gone to war so much in our short history. That reason is said to be freedom.
The dictionary definition of freedom is:
"the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint." (source Google)
The point I started to have some unpleasant feeling towards the word was during the two wars starting after the events of 2001. The reason as I remember it was to "spread freedom". It conjured up an image of american with a big butter knife spreading freedom like jam. Jammy goodness for all!
But wait, how can you spread freedom? It's an idea, and in actual concept has been shrinking for years (and at no time faster than right after 2001). If you ask historians the reason for the american revolution was taxation without representation. Do we have it better now? Look at the colonies still associated with the UK, are things bad there?
Meanwhile in the United States we have the greatest wealth gap in our history. Freedom in this country seems to be more about a freedom to amass large hunks of resources at the expense of others. The poor are completely unrepresented in government as money has become speech. Don't pretend we live in a democracy, that day was over a little while ago. Let's watch how long before I can't speak against our wonderful capitalist masters (heavy sarcasm).
There is no freedom so long as there are those not free to eat, or drink clean water, or live a respectable life. All the numbers point to there being more than enough resources on this planet to go around. So why don't they? Freedom. There's plenty of freedom in America. It's just a shame that it's in the hands of so few.
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