The Unravelling of the United States of America

Posted on July 11, 2016 under Storytelling with 3 comments

Old Glory

 

If this happens to be your very first trip to my Week45 website, let me assure you that this is not a typical post. Far from it.  My columns are generally non- political and non- controversial. They are usually upbeat, optimistic and tinged with humour. But occasionally, something  just sticks in my craw and I have to get it out.

Pardon me while I rant.

Are we witnessing the unravelling of the U.S.A. in real time?

America is deeply divided along political lines, and racism is rearing its ugly head again. Let’s not kid ourselves. It’s not that it ever went away, but we see it more openly and instantly with the advent of social media. It would be too simplistic to point the finger at one person or one event, but disenchantment and disillusionment are rampant.

Politics is gridlocked. Even when reasonable policies and new initiatives make sense, the two major political entities act like children in a playground when things don’t go well.

Guns.

Sorry, but I just don’t get it. Yes, Americans have the right to bear arms but the ability of just about anyone to arm themselves with guns, rifles and semi- automatic weapons defies logic. Why should any ordinary citizen be given the right to purchase an AR 15, or its derivative to gun down defenseless people?

Hostage taking is ubiquitous. It sometimes seems that politicians are being held hostage by the NRA.

The carnage in the past week has been plain awful as it was in the previous week, and the one before that. We are becoming inured to the devastation due to the sheer frequency of these events. We are keeping television networks’ ratings up along with advertising revenue.

Pathetically and almost inexplicably, gun sales soar after each incident.

According to a study conducted in 2013, the U.S. has an average of 88 guns per 100 people and there are 10 gun related deaths per 100,000 people. Japan has less than one gun per 100 people ( .6 ) and has .6 gun related deaths per 100,000 people.

( http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/09/19/u-s-has-more-guns-and-gun-deaths-than-any-other-country-study-finds/ )

More guns do not make America safer.

Sandy Hook. 20 Elementary school children…

Guns and Politics.

George W. Bush went to Iraq in 2003 on an ill-advised and ill- fated mission, looking for weapons of mass destruction (WMD).  He could have saved thousands of lives and billions of dollars by looking no further than his own country.  There are over 300,000,000 guns in the U.S. with a population of roughly 325,000,000 people. The WMD are on every doorstep and nothing, not the killing of innocent children, innocent black people or innocent cops seems to stop the carnage.

Racial profiling.

I am not an expert on racial profiling, but it does appear that an inordinate number of black people (mostly male) are subject to treatment by law enforcement officers that would never happen if the same person were white. This is not uniquely an American problem but when it occurs daily, we sit up and take notice.

Income inequality.

The gap continues to widen between the haves and the have nots. Something has to give. This phenomenon is not restricted to the U.S. You can feel the frustration smouldering.

Hatred and fear.

Some presidential candidates are preying on fear, leading to a rise of nationalism, homophobia  and xenophobia not seen in a very long time. Very scary stuff. Xenophobia is described as an intense and irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries. Funny thing. Most Americans come from immigrant stock, the last time I checked. Canada is not perfect but we are welcoming immigrants and refugees in record numbers.

The mortar is crumbling on a once proud country.