Ten Problems With (And Solutions To) American Culture

I've been annoyed lately. There are just too many issues flying around that are completely ignored, or relegated to a small snippet in the newspapers. Even so, there are many people trying to solve these problems in totally counterproductive and counterintuitive ways. As such, I've felt the need for a cohesive assessment of the situation. I even tried to tack on some possible solutions. So here it is. The ten problems of (and solutions to) American culture.

Children and Young People

1) "Everyone's A Winner!"
No, not everyone. Not even close. I began my schooling in the early 1990s, just as this ideology was starting to gain ground. Thankfully, I didn't receive full exposure to it until well into third grade. By then I had realized the many truths of the world--and was shocked when social activities were dominated by this concept. People were convinced that nothing could deviate them from their perfect way of life. But things do--all the time. This policy does nothing but to further implant a falsehood of the world into a young child's mind. As soon as they emerge from their protective cocoon, children will receive a large shock that is much more damaging that losing a dodgeball match. And those that can't cope with this will repress their dissatisfaction, leading to a violent explosion years down the line. Is this how we want our society to be structured? I certainly hope not.

We need to ensure that schoolchildren receive a proper education in both academic subjects and social life. They need to experience defeat as well as triumph in order to be well-rounded. It's not really tough love, it's simply a nonchalant attitude towards constant reward.

2) "I have School from 8:00-3:00, Band from 3:10-4:40, Homework in the car, Soccer from 5:00-6:30, Dinner, Piano from 6:31-8:00..."
Overachieving. It's one of the greatest things one can do. If it's a well-informed personal decision. However, when a young person is forced into a strict, confined schedule by a will other than their own, their free life will suddenly be dominated by abstract events that restrain them from the carefree joys of childhood. As this becomes a common occurrence, don't be surprised if your crack structural engineer takes too many vacations, makes too many mistakes, and goofs around in the office. She never had a chance in her life to be free.

Teenagers and Young Adults

3) "Leave Me Alone."
Technological innovation has allowed us to be hermetically sealed from the rest of our environment. We rarely have to deal with people face-to-face, unless it is on our own accord. That said, most people don't want to socialize with others. They're perfectly happy sitting around in the corner talking to a disembodied voice on the phone, or chatting it up on an instant messaging client. This isolation is creepy and weird, especially on a grand scale. It's the reason why major social outlets don't exist in our culture anymore. Even popular destinations, such as the movie theater, shroud the entire party in darkness and silence. There is no proper way to "get a life", as most people's lives revolve around a screen or a speaker.

However, there are alternatives. Social lives can be maintained in small circles with close friends, and there are plenty of places that can be used as a background to a meaningful social life: a beach, a park, a mall, or a coffee shop work well. They won't necessarily be the main event, but they do allow for a situation that encourages communication and fun.

4) "I'm Entitled To Everything.
It has quickly become fashionable for young teenagers to be as bratty as possible. For God's sake, there's even a popular line of girl's products called Bratz. Everyone expects everything instantaneously and as conveniently as possible, even if the infrastructure to provide such comfort doesn't even exist. And if they don't get what they want, they make a fuss out of it, stomping away with a furrow in their brow (here, let me take that out of there for you). Patience is a virtue, but it's also a necessity in some situations. If one wishes to be well-adjusted, they would be wise to give things time and to respect another's situation.

The only way to coerce kids into being respectful of a situation is to be respectful to them, and introduce the concept of other's predicaments. No one learned to be respectful of another without being respected themselves.

Teenagers and Young Adults: The Politically Polar Game

5) "I Believe Everything I'm Told By Authority Figures"
The next time I read a web log post stating that George W. Bush is a highly principled man that cannot be mistaken in his judgement, I am going to break something without even knowing it. There are countless individuals who are too lazy when it comes to political belief. They completely ignore the world around them, placing faith (and a vote) in favor of the party of their choice. It does not matter what the implications of their support are, merely that they are giving support to one side. It is blind partisanship like this that has produced the likes of the so-called "Patriot Act" (what kind of patriot revokes freedoms?) and ecologically damaging laws that directly affect our daily lives. I wonder if that person who's been held as a "terrorist" for four years without reason ever embraced this ideology?

How do we solve this doozy? It would take a lot more than a grassroots movement to get these people to listen--they don't listen to grassroots movements. The only way to really reach them is to publicly display, likely through advertisements, the implications of their political path. Any mention of the consequences of ignorance would surely help such individuals towards a more informed political persuasion.

6) "I Believe Nothing I'm Told By Authority Figures"
While a full investment in authority is damaging, a full rejection of such is also foolish. There are plenty of seasoned individuals in powerful positions that are actually doing a good job, especially in specific areas. They have the benefit of experience and wisdom from working with the system for a while. These good people also take into account the repercussions of their decisions, and truly work to make the best of the situation. Even partially corrupt, highly principled individuals who don't take "no" for an answer (current president) have achieved plenty of things that are worthy of congratulations. Many quote Lord Acton in saying, "absolute power corrupts absolutely," but luckily, no one in our government has absolute power.

Well, not yet. If there is a consistent partisanship across the nation's capital, a large political conspiracy can arise, creating an almost tyrannical rule of our nation. Democrat, Republican, Independent even. We need to be metered in our choices in who travels to that city to serve the people as endowed equals, not overlords.

7) "Our Religion (Especially Christianity) Should Be Universal"
The Southern United States. This region and its states have adopted several different monikers, most notably the "Bible Belt" in Texas and "Jesusland" as the whole. The bulk of the population is hardline Christian, adhering to the values of slightly altered denominations as one giant community. Even civic institutions embrace the religion, despite its prohibition to be forcibly displayed in public places by the Constitution. Bible thumpers run rampant, on a constant quest to convert nonbelievers over to their views. This demand, though, seems foolish; it is in direct conflict with the basic American ideology: to live one's life the way one wants to live it. It is what has allowed us to embrace hundreds of different cultures and make our country diverse. If a Buddhist family were to move to Mississippi and were comfortable with the local culture aside from the Bible thumping, they would be outraged and try to stop people from forcing them to live their private lives in a way they did not want to. This is the distinction between public and private life: in public life, one must adhere to basic civic guidelines, but in private life, an individual should be allowed to do whatever he pleases.

8) "That Religion (Especially Christianity) Should Be Outlawed"
Since our nation is a huge salad bowl of different cultures, we have cobbled together a bit of a public culture that incorporates parts here and there. Our basic doctrine of law and order comes directly from the western Christian tradition, as does the deistic formation of American government in the late 18th century. These are the most widespread foundations of public life, but there are thousands of local principles as well. In New York, for instance, there are strong veins of Jewish, Italian, and Arab influence. They do not demand acceptance of the cultures they represent, but merely an understanding and a community that accepts all individuals as equals. Some have called for the removal of such influences from public culture, including the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. However, the utterance of these words does not require a belief; it merely reflects the largely monotheistic belief of the nation in the middle of the 20th century, which differentiated us from Communists. Today, it has much less significance, but we must still respect the public culture that has come together from so many individuals. Besides, it's not much to ask as long as your private rights are secured.

"Mature" Adults

9) "Why Can't I Eat Three Whoppers In One Sitting?"
Why must people eat so much? Obesity is rampant, and although fast food has become more popular in recent years, overeating has seemingly expanded exponentially. I consistently see people ordering pounds and pounds of food filled with ingredients that are only meant to be eaten in a single serving. Every time I go to a fast food restaurant, I order the small size. Apparently a small drink is around 20 ounces of carbonated sugar water, and a small fry is around forty thin french fries stuffed to the brim of a paper sack. Contrast this "scarcity" (if you call it that) with a 64-ounce dashboard cup, and a cardboard box bigger than a Big Mac jammed with potatoes. This might be the medium size at some restaurants, if you're eating at Cholesterol Burger. The fact is that this is as much of an issue for the individual making the decision as it is for the restaurant selling the large sizes. As the smaller sizes continue to become larger, people will continue to get fatter as they are psychologically tempted towards the range of "medium" and "large".

Corporate problems are difficult to deal with. They are only interested in profits and complying with government legislation on how unhealthy their product can be. Legislation seems like a silly way to fix this problem, but a grassroots movement in the customer base seems likely to turn things around. If a large number of people started demanding smaller portions upon realizing the damaging effects of that amount of food, fast food outlets might be persuaded to offer more portions in the more moderate realm.

10) "I Don't Know What We're Yelling About!"
If you have ever watched a cable news channel, stop watching. If you have never watched a cable news channel, put down the remote and don't even think about tuning to CNN. These networks are more pointless, loud, and angry than ever. They feature big names such as "Larry King", "Chris Matthews", "Lou Dobbs", et. cetera. Their claim to fame? Being as loud as humanly possible. And as biased as possible. Essentially everything they told these kids not to be in Journalism School. These monsters contribute to a misunderstanding of thousands of events that transpire each week, and introduce a strong bias to those who do not understand the context of the situation. If none of these damaging events occur, well then at least the viewer is annoyed by the harshness and severity of the interviewer's tone.

Punditry is one of the most counterproductive forms of debate known to man. It must simply be ignored, so the networks realize that they actually need to practice journalism, not straw man "entertainment".

Rationalization/Rationalisation

chriscurnow.com: Alienation and the culture of terrorism

As we move further into a world where our goal is to be as individualistic as possible, it seems we've been fueling one of the fires that keeps terrorism going. By allowing people to be left out, to deny social recognition of their thoughts and beliefs, we might be inciting inner frustration. If we ignore people, or if an individual does not have an adequate outlet for their beliefs, it could lead to any measure of venting, including incorporation into a group that "understands." Violent fundamentalist cell anyone? Yes, it's the "gang" rationale. If you don't fit in to the culture you're surrounded by, well, one might drive to fight against it.

The only question I have is this: if an individual does not fit in to a society, then why must they persist in that geographic locale? Why can't they move to a place where they are surrounded by a large, peaceful, mainline culture that will allow them to feel comfortable and accepted? I know this is very difficult for many people in financial holes, but what of those who are from affluent backgrounds, or who make decent pay on their own? All of the suicide bombers from the events of July the 7th were quite young and highly motivated. I would wager that at least two of them were well-off enough to move to a city that would be highly acceptant of their culture (frankly, I think England is a wonderful place for the vast majority of Muslims to go to feel comfortable, but if it does not suffice, then one might want to move to a more "eastern" locale). However, they instead chose to go out in a blast of idiocy and horror, killing those who were quite willing to accept them into the vast salad bowl that is London.

This is why we are outraged. In the United Kingdom and the United States, we are willing to accept all races without a thought of culture or background. We simply wish that everyone adhere to a common, public way of life that won't interfere with our own. When in private, anyone is free to express themselves whichever way they please. It seems like a fair deal to me. But whenever someone blows up a train or a bus or a building or a busy sidewalk, they're simply stating, "No deal. We want to live our lives exactly the way we want. We're not willing to compromise. We want our beliefs, our culture, our way of life taking up 100% of the landscape."

If they want that level of extremism, they might as well move the hell away from the UK and the US. In ethnically diverse countries, we don't believe in domination. We believe in choice.

You Can't Beat The System

Now leave London and the rest of the world the fuck alone. Jesus, learn to take it you fundamentalist religious bastards: you're never going to get everyone to subscribe to your beliefs, no matter what you do. Just drop it and do it like other religions do: fairly peacefully.