I'm not the only groggy
American since 911 that has tried to wake up and smell the U.S. foreign policy.
We have all tried to become more aware of what our own government is doing.
(Funny, you'd think we'd only have to worry about the other guy) The average
American should feel no shame for being sleepy, complacent or completely ignorant
of the events outside their homeland's borders. Living the American Dream
keeps them pretty busy.
Americans get up early,
slurp their gourmet coffee, and watch Good Morning (Let us lull you back to
sleep)America, where just like all the other commercial-driven, news-dramas,
the big news items are a re-telling of last weeks 'pop' stories. There are
rarely more than eight or nine top stories, and the gaps between are filled
with consumer tips, decorating ideas or interviews with pop-culture stars.
There is not much news in the news. The real news, which is more than could
possibly be aired in a one-hour broadcast, is not very pleasant. Viewers are
not deemed to have much tolerance for unpleasantness by sponsors. They want
it kept light and peppy.
After a bite of toast, Americans go to work. If you're not working, you're
not being an American.
At work is where they are constantly stressed. They're always trying to get
ahead of the other guy and make the big money they see the music, movie, and
sports stars enjoying on TV. To their friends, their family, their mates,
to everyone in their lives, they strive to be seen as successful. It's the
most important thing to be.
They want all of the newest things they see advertised, and the advertising
doesn't stop, nor can they avoid it. They have to have the shiniest, fastest,
most-expensive thing. This 'thing' is always much more thing than
they need, and much more than they can afford. That doesn't matter. The American
Dream has much more to do with debt than it ever had to do with opportunity.
From the time they are old enough to say, "Momma, buy me that."
their lives are sold to them. Hidden under layers of different options of
the same thing, giving them the false sense of choice, they are still being
sold only what the machine wants them to buy. But then, if they don't buy,
America doesn't work.
They are socially coerced to marry young, have children, buy houses, cars,
gadgets and standard quality products and services at premium prices. All
this is so the machine keeps turning and everyone can keep their jobs. Every
facet of our lives has something to do with somebody making money. In short,
they are corralled, herded, and shoved down a chute that leads them to becoming
income and tax generating consumers that fuel the machine.
Every hour of their day is spent just trying to keep up with what they've
been led to believe is the typical and acceptable life. Between college, careers,
spouses, kids, and therapists, there's not much time left to research what's
going on with the world outside their own lives, let alone outside their country.
Americans are not just waking up to learn of the un-checked and un-challenged
actions of their government and politicians; the machine itself is what they're
waking up to. Yes, it's always been here. It's what built this country and
made it great. Unfortunately, the average American, born into the machine,
hardly notices it's there.
Now we have been rudely awakened again, and again we see the machine has continued
to grow far too big and too powerful. It is beginning to shudder under its
own weight and is in grave disrepair. We urgently need to fix it before it
completely falls apart or is ripped apart by others.
As groggy as we may be, we
can't afford to fall back asleep.
-Yost