OBSERVATIONS ON AMERICAN LIFE THESE DAYS

Ours is a nation with two classes of people: those who own debit cards and those who own credit cards.

Americans define losers as those who either don't own a cell phone or those who, if they own a celll phone, fail to declare in person to an acquaintance or friend at least 10 times per day: "Excuse me for interrupting our conversation, I have this urgent cell phone call I have to take right now."

Americans say they are interested in recyclicng of aluminum and paper products. But if you ask them whether they are interested in factual statistics about rapid depletion of American reserves of minerals and other natural resources  inside this country, they will ask you why you can't discuss a more cheerful topic?

Americans' failure to identify urban sprawl as a major political issue in U.S. Presidential campaigns reveals a sobering void in our national political dialogues.  Urban sprawl is very harmful to our environment and deprives our nation of millions of acres of valuable cropland and ranchland and forestland. Nowhere in America is there any municipality I'm aware of that greets visitors with a sign that proudly declares, "Welcome to America's Most Pedestrian-Friendly City!"

Americans profess to believe strongly in platonic love. But 90 pecent of the Hollywood movies they choose to watch are about non-platonic and flagrantly sexual lust.

Americans who agree to ride as passengers in an automobile in which the driver chats on a cell phone as he drives, are contributing to that societal problem. They are contributing to the problem by failing to complain to the driver, and by failing to also state to the driver that unless he discontinues those cell phone conversations immediately, they refuse to ride in his car with him.

Nearly all of the Americans who travel to Mexico complain about unsanitary conditions there. But virtually NONE of those same American visitors to Mexico ever donate money toward helping to establish a nationwide sewage system throughout Mexico or higher sanitary standards throughout Mexico.

Americans of today frequently complain about widespread illicit-drug-trafficking violence in Mexico. But few of those same Americans ever give a public speech in which they urge their fellow Americans to help stop drug-trafficking in Mexico by permanently discontinuing any and all consumption of marijuana in their own lifestyle.

Americans who complain about illicit-drug-related violence in Mexico overlook the sobering fact that Americans are indirectly sponsoring the civil-war-like conditions in Mexico through their own purchases of illicit drugs from our neighbor to the south. The financial profits that druglords in Mexico reap from American clients go toward those druglords' purchase of guns and ammunition that are then used inside Mexico to kill noble and courageous opponents of  illicit drug activities.


One of the best ways to stump an American is to ask him what he admries the most about his country's neighbor to the north, Canada. 
Some Americans will say they like the fact that commercial trade with Canada has increased in recent decades. Others will say they  are grateful for Canada's contributions to the sport of ice hockey. Still others will say that they are very glad that Canada has produced a heroic super-star singer for the 21st Century, Justin Bieber.  
If you ask for elaboration, though, you find that the American observer of Canada will beg to switch the subject. "Can't talk about Canada," the American will quickly comment with irritability in his voice and facial expression.

Americans who say they oppose abortion almost never add that they will gladly donate $100 toward providing safe and affordable vasectomy surgeries for American men that can spare thousands of American women from ever being subjected to an unwanted pregnancy by any of those men.

One of the keenest insights about the level of support for law and order in an American city can be found through a study of the facial expressions and demeanor of residents of that city whenever they hear a police car's siren blaring within 1,000 yards of themselves.
Many of those private citizens appear panic-stricken and very nervous and agitated or appear to be on the verge of  suddenly and very abruptly attempting to drive or run to a side street. Many of those same panick-stricken Americans may well be criminal persons fearful that their own criminal identity had somehow been "discovered" by the police.
"Have the police finally learned about the violent felony personal-injury crimes and sex crimes I commit on a daily basis in this city?" the panic-stricken citizens might as well be asking aloud to everyone around them in those very revealing "special moments" that say a lot about the mindset of an entire city.

Americans claim that their nation's economy is healthy whenever the unemployment rate is low.  Those same Americans fail to acknowledge that their nation's economy is inherently ill and diseased and weak if a significant percentage of the citizens of that nation are holding jobs in industries that are injurious to themselves and others.
The often-injurious industries include the tobacco industry; the tattooing industry; the marijuana industry; the gambling industry; the alcohol-production industry; the professional boxing industry; the gambling industry; organized crime; the heavy-metal rock music industry; the electric-guitar music industry; and the like.

Many Americans profess to deplore the barbarous cruelty of the Coliseum and Emperors of Ancient Rome. But few of those same Americans protest when they sit in a football stadium and witness yet another college football player or professional football player grimacing in pain fronm an injury on the football field after he sustained a major injury in the middle of a game. And only a tiny percentage of Americans protest when they witness boxers bloodying each other during a televised boxing match in the United STates.