Being An American: The Ultimate “Privilege”

Siblings of Mark Wahlberg9 years ago

I don’t hate other countries; it is beneath us as a society to blanket dislike anyone based on anything, let alone their national origin. But I do know one thing for certain: the United States is the greatest country on Earth. This sort of feeling used to be aptly designated “patriotism,” but in today’s “don’t use pronouns,” “denounce your privilege!” PC-patrolled society, I guess my endless love for the country of which I am so fortunate to be a citizen is deemed “xenophobic” by some.

And you know what? I don’t give a fuck. For all the countless hours we spend discussing “privilege” in seemingly every facet of life — from your race, to your gender, to your religion, socioeconomic status, even your fucking height — I’d like to take a moment to think about a type of real “privilege” that seems unforgivably lost in the shuffle: the privilege of living in this incredible nation.

Yes, we have our flaws, as any society of 300+ million people does. But as the globe disintegrates into chaos, economic turmoil, unimaginable cruelty, and barbaric inequality, we stand alone, as we have for 240 years. The personified “nation on a hill:” weathering every storm, righting past wrongs, and learning from every mistake.

And that’s why when I see our own citizens lambasting this nation — claiming a presidential election will “finally end this joke of a country,” as a former classmate of mine tweeted on Tuesday — not understanding its history, not knowing the meaning of Memorial Day, and even burning our flag in protest, I am almost overwhelmed with sadness and frustration.

This is the United States of America, a nation founded on the backs of farmers and ordinary people claiming freedom against perhaps the most powerful empire in the history of the world at that point. Back to back World War champions, ending the reign of the most diabolical mass murderers of the 20th century. We have survived depressions, recessions, embarrassments, terrorism, perpetual threat of attack both here and abroad, and yet still, all these years later, we stand the tallest.

Nobody is asking you to believe America is perfect; it isn’t, and, no matter how patriotic you are, even a parent understands there are flaws with their own child. But, for those so willing to sit behind a keyboard as the internet tough guys of today, just ask yourself one question: if you weren’t here, where would you be?

If you can come up with an answer you feel is better than this great nation, I ask you steadfastly: get the fuck out. And good luck.

God bless America. Have a safe weekend celebrating the incredible “privilege” it is to be an American..

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