Does anybody see what America has become? There was a point when America was the underdog. As oppressed citizens, we fought for the freedom we now take for granted. Sitting on the top for so long, Americans became lazy. Quietly, and gradually, other nations took our slumber as a sign to move forward. As other nations progress and and advance in just about everything, America is now known for "stepping into conflicts they have no part in" and being flat out obese. I understand that this is a gross simplification of a vast democratic nation, however, unfortunately, it is still true.
Do Americans truly find pride in their nation? According to my AP Government book, the majority of American citizens don't even understand their government. In fact, they vote without actually knowing what they are voting for far too often. This isn't entirely out of reason, for between the media we don't trust and the politicians we trust even less, how can we know if what we research is even true? And if that is the case, why even research when either way we're receiving slanted information? It is my belief that we just have to decide what the least slanted information is, and utilize it in the search for our own opinion on the matter. If you truly don't trust your government, than become involved in it and CHANGE something. All too often there is an argument set forth regarding the fact that one is simply ONE person, and change is merely unattainable through these means. Should I even address this? That view only furthers America's LAZINESS. Karl Marx was one person. So was Hitler. So were each of the men who participated in the Boston Tea Party. Gandhi. Napoleon. Socrates. Albert Einstein. Thomas Edison. William Shakespeare. Charles Dickens. The list is unending, and although each of these people's actions are viewed from positively horrific to pure genius, the fact is that each is ONE. Abraham Lincoln once said, "The probability that we may fail ought not to deter us from a cause we believe to be just." If you truly believed in something, you would find no issue in supporting it. You're probably saying, I don't KNOW what I believe. That, my friend, is because you're afraid to find out. Too often humans do themselves a great disservice in blocking themselves off from who they truly are. I will show you a prime example.
It is true that in growing up, many young people consider it a great struggle to discover "who they are", for others, the question is not of discovering themselves, but in creating themselves. Either way, people are going in the wrong direction.
High school stereotypes. They are incredible in number, and knowledge of most of them is relatively universal. Many high school students use them as insults, even though they probably adhere to one themselves. When elementary school becomes middle school, people change. Girls who were once friends with each other become so incapable of dealing with each other that they cannot even be left in the same room. Guys distance themselves from each other and find a new "clique". Girls start considering their personal appearance more important, which includes the friends they are surrounded with. Guys start to notice. Upon first glance, this looks like the first step the children have in creating themselves, and for some it is. However, that "some" is very, very few. For the rest of the children, they merely overproject an image they have either seen before or heard of. The emo-goth-scene kids want attention, so they wear bright colors and/or shocking jewelry and makeup. The "popular" kids (which have many facets of stereotype in themselves) want to be "on top" of the social groups- which in most cases means you are rich, beautiful, and have a good knowledge of who/what is also rich and beautiful. Obvious example: Hollister. Hollister clothes really aren't original nor are they of incredible quality, but they burn such a hole in your pocket that wearing Hollister every day will clearly convey that you have a lot of money to spend- money that, if you are a student, probably wasn't yours to begin with. I'm not exactly sure how it started that Hollister was stylish, but since then, it has only heightened price and sickening attempts at "popularity". Then there are the "alternatives". For middle schoolers, this means Tripp pants and Pantera shirts. The general attitude for the younger alternatives is anger at the world for "sucking in general" and dislike of parents. Some people will only experience one of these groups, some will experience all. As high school rolls around, the stereotypes ALMOST disappear as the years go by. However, one should not be fooled, the stereotypes have merely expanded to accomodate a more diverse loss of self. For some reason, the "popular/prettier than you" girls start wearing sweatpants what seems like all the time. I haven't entirely figured this out. Is it because they feel they already cemented their spot on the social pyramid that they stop trying? And if they have stopped trying, why are they still frying themselves in the tanning bed? The emo kids find new ways to express themselves, the "alternatives" just become more... alternative. I haven't had the experience of seeing these "lifestyles" develop in college, but to be quite honest, I'm not really interested to, because in all honesty the best thing for everyone would be for the entire system to just STOP. These stereotypes, combined with the drinking and drug use that from my point of view just seems to get worse every year, only provide an escape. Instead of discovering who we truly are, which does require facing ourselves numerous times, we just project some image that a bunch of other people also decided to project. So in reality, you are just becoming the same person as... a huge amount of other people.
I find this so pathetic that I'm not even insulting the action, I pity the people who partake in it. Where are the parents anymore? Where are the good examples? Where is the motivation? And where is the happiness people used to find in THEMSELVES? I just find it really hard to enjoy people when they don't even enjoy themselves.
