America Misunderstood
So is Osama Bin laden correct? Is modern American culture a worldwide destroyer of morals? Is Islam threatened by the West’s culture of sex, violence, pop culture? Are they correct in thinking that America is vulgar, trivial and disgusting?
Of course there are many things in today’s culture that I deplore. Abortion, divorce, premarital sex, soft porn in TV commercials, songs filled with hate, lyrics soaked in foul language, just to name a few. Do these things define America? Hardly! I believe what defines America is my belief in God, the love for my family, and the opportunity for me to be an entrepreneur. I believe the democratic process outlined in the constitution defines America. It is freedom that defines America.
It is not a woman having premarital sex that radical Islam fears but that the women in America are educated, can choose whether to marry or not marry, they can choose who to marry, they can have a career, they do not have to wear a veil or they can wear a veil, they have the power to move and be an individual. Radical Islam thrives where oppression is encouraged, where freedom is denied. Radical Islam fears freedom.
Recruitment for radical Islam occurs where there is misunderstanding about what defines America. I and several of us here at StoryTrax believe that the best way to show American values is through America’s Stories. Americans sharing stories is the best strategy for keeping others from being misinformed about America.
What do you believe are America’s Value?
Comments
America's mission
There was an interesting discussion on C-SPAN Sunday morning. I usually check the Washington Journal program -- I get a big kick out of the idea of having breakfast with people all over America while a guy at a desk reads articles from the Sunday paper. Last Sunday the discussion turned to what America's mission in the world should be.
There were the usual pessimists who said that we should just close our borders, keep everybody who doesn't like us out, and let the rest of the world do its own thing. There were also people who thought that we've got a really good thing going here, and we should spread that all over the world, regardless of the cost.
Most people, I'm glad to report, fell between these views. Many agreed that the freedom we have as Americans is great, but that it was also difficult to export because without a true understanding of what it means, it could be easily corrupted.
It seems to me that the best way to lead the world to freedom is by example. We have so much in common with the rest of the people of the world. In fact, as humans, we are much less diverse than some activist groups would like us to believe. Everyday, each of the 6 billion people of the Earth need to get food and water. Everyday, 6 billion people need to secure shelter. Everyday, 6 billion people need clothing. If the last couple of million years of human history have taught us anything, it's that there are many successful strategies that can fulfill these basic needs. Why don't we talk about how similar we are rather than how we differ?
hmmm
The value in this country is that we are truly the melting pot of the world (societal experiment for the ages!). While we consider ourselves Americans, we identify with the origins of our ancestors that came here. For example, my family is from Germany, and my husband's mother's family is from Lebanon, while his father's family is clearly Irish. So our kids have German-Lebanese_irish blood in them--no wonder they are spitfires, they are real little swirls of ethnicities!
The swirling of cultures, coupled with the freedoms taken for granted, are what makes this society as fractious as it is. You've got conservatives yelling at liberals yelling at religious yelling at seculars. What worries me is can we unite over the freedom that divides us? We were and will be attacked for our freedoms, will we be able to agree long enough to preserve our way of life? I certainly hope so, b/c truly I love the existence that I've created in my lil corner of the world.
One thing about September 11th to me was how this country literally STOPPED in its tracks and people were affected so deeply (me included). I would like it to take something perhaps NOT so drastic to get that same feeling back, that same ability to be together with our fellow citizen and move forward. Wouldn't it be nice to move forward b/c we want a better world, and not just unite against a common enemy?
Wow, this is getting deep, I better get down off the old soapbox now. Great convo starter, Erin.
American Values
Like you, Erin, I believe that freedom is the single greatest value in America. And, like you, I believe that freedom is the single greatest threat to those who would do us harm. America also thrives on tolerance. We may hold directly opposing views on any number of things, but we can cherish that fact.
I like your statement that telling America's stories is a great way to shatter myths about America in general. Misunderstandings, whether intentional or inadvertent, have cost many lives over the eons. Our only hope is to come together with respect.
Three extraordinary books to help us understand what ordinary people in some other countries face each day are 1) Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi ,2) The Sewing Circles of Herat, by Christina Lamb, and 3) Between Two Worlds, by Zainab Salbi.
Great, thoughtful, post, thanks! Anne H.
The Imporatance of Education
Reading Lolita in Tehran
The Sewing Circles of Herat
Between Two Worlds
Clay hardens by immobility – men's minds by standing pat. Both lose the power to take new impressions. (Pinchot 1910: 138)
Education - YES
You're absolutely right again! Education makes or breaks society. My husband and I are proponents of vocation (read: practical) education. Our five children have college degrees, and for the most part (but not entirely) this has been useful. But many college graduates end up without any life skills, not to mention skills that translate well into the needs of today's society (read: jobs, as well as furthering society). But that just may be a separate topic deserving its own targeted discussion. Anne H.
College isn't for everybody
I think you're on to something. We put so much pressure on students today to go to college. Education beyond high school is important, but I'm not sure it has to be college for everybody. Not everyone is cut out for that. There are so many other options now with specialized training for specialized jobs that you can get with an extra year or two of training.
I also think it's a mistake to make students go directly to college after high school. Most students handle it OK, but I think that a couple of years experience in the real world, to try out some different options, would be helpful. Perhaps some kind of a national service program? When I was in college, I remember a few students that were majoring in Elementary Education, like me (before I switched to anthropology). When they got to their senior year and were student teaching, they realized that they really didn't like the whole school situation at all. But now they were stuck because they were just a few credits shy of graduation. Opportunities to work as an apprentice, or trainee, in a school for even a few weeks before college could have made a big difference.