Philipic3

         America is a mythical place. A country that is made primarily of immigrants, it is the beacon of freedom around the world, the hub for world peace, and the most technologically and materially wealthy nation the world has ever known. We are the best there is, but we are definitely far from what we should be. As a democratic nation, we feel an obligation to extend the freedoms that we take for granted to numerous other countries. That makes us feel and look good, to ourselves and to those around us. The real problem with America, is that we have become hopelessly idealistic. We always have been.   Ideals are what makes the world go round, at least to Americans. We have strong opinions, and heavy weapons to back them up with. We are a nation that values individualism, yet we have incredibly wide reaching stereotypes. We need to understand what it was this country was founded upon, then decide what our country really is. Once we know who we are and where we're going, its up to us to make this country what it should be.

          First, this country was founded by a group of leading erudite plantation owners and lawyers that were definitely not a fair representation of our country. They were students of political and moral philosophy that had surfaced in Europe over a hundred years ago. Locke, for example. The movement was not as strong in Europe, mainly because the leaders in control of the populace were well set in their ways and did not see a need to reevaluate their methods of government. (Others feared the populace, and banned political books from publication) The colonies were ideal for the new movements because they were farther away from their roots. This made them more openminded and less resistant to change. (A very useful trait for a people adapting themselves and nature to the harsh environment) Another reason why the colonies were better for new movements was the sort of people that comprised the settlers. People came to America for several reasons, by force i.e. slaves and prisoners, religious freedom i.e. Puritans, or a desire to rebuild their lives in a new country. The people that came here were either bystanders, loyalists, or "patriots". Bystanders really had no inclination towards revolution or English control, loyalists were loyal to the King of England, and "Patriots" were caught up in the revolutionary fever. The patriots did not want to really establish a democracy, they just wanted a leader who would lead. It didn't matter if it was a King or a Consul, or whatever. The "Founding Fathers", or the framers of our governmental system, rarely agreed on everything. Our entire government was an elaborated series of compromises that would encourage all states to join the Union. Washington was selected to become King, but he refused. A royal in England was asked to become King of America, but he was scared of the wild country and decided not to accept. Without being able to select a monarch, they were unable to have a monarchy, and that was the traditional system for the time. Our constitution was not original, in fact, it was taken nearly word for word from the Dutch Constitution. Even the flag was taken from the Dutch design, as our lacked new ideas. We merely implemented those ideas into practice.

          Our government was a quick fix. We decided to establish our federal government after our Confederacy failed. It was meant as a compromise, and borrowed concepts from Europeans. This patchwork, however, has remained very strong in the global crises we have faced as a nation. We have done a good job as a nation, when it comes to government. The things most people complain about are really criticism about our society. People believe that the country is very stupid at a societal level, and I sometimes agree. There are a lot of stupid people in America, and the reasons for this extend to the revolutionary war ideas. The ideas like individualism and protection from the government are all important. We do not concentrate on intelligence in the way that Oriental nations do, and that is because of the meritocracy that the Chinese invented. Their testing of the populace for eligibility in governmental positions ensured that the best jobs went to the most talented people. The desire to get one's children into those good jobs made the Oriental mindset very intelligence oriented. That explains why these Asian nations have such high test scores. We do not have this mindset, and we have unnatural tendencies to highlight other people in society. We put great faith in our athletes, in our move stars, and generally into entertainment. These are all diversions. They are pastimes, but we see them as more than that. This takes time away from school, (Sorry to say, but sports do dummy down the populace) and thus hinders their intellectual achievement. I have nothing against sports; I enjoy them. The problem lies with people who go to school ONLY for sports, or people that only VALUE said entertainment skills. This is not good. In fact, it is quite bad. I can always try harder in school, but I do not. I do not try my best because I see my own interests as more important. (For me, I have my private study in philosophy and theology, not to mention playing games with friends) We have more free time, and it is a good thing. We also value creativity, and our individualism makes us much more likely to try to find other solutions to problems that may be better. That is what makes us so much more powerful than some nations, our creativity and determination. When our country is unified, our country is a mammoth hulk of industry and strength. If we only put a little more effort into intellect, just enough to make us better than most third world nations (we score poorly on tests given after elementary school), we would leave a lasting legacy on this world.

          This is just intelligence, and I have more to say about public conceptions, but that will be next week! See you later guys!