I guess being kind and respectful to your fellow human beings is a lost cause in America these days, huh? I've known that this concept has been dying for a while, but now I'm pretty sure it's officially dead.
Complete and utter disrespect seems to be the order of the day no matter where you go in this country. This is even more accentuated if you've spent any time away from the United States, and then came back to be greeted by it's oh so friendly citizens. Case and point: My brother is in the Air Force, and for some time now, has been stationed in Okinawa Japan. In Japan, being respectful to others is a very big part of their culture. Just going to eat at a fast food joint, you see the employees dressed in fancy, nicely pressed uniforms, and they treat every customer as though you are royalty...and they are honored to do so. When's the last time you had a positive customer service experience in America? Yeah, I can't remember either. My brother also told me about how easy it is to know when an American is nearby. He will be waiting at a red light, when all of the sudden he hears the obnoxiously loud thumping of sub woofers coming from 5 cars back. Yup...an American GI. You won't won't see the locals there forcing everyone around them to listen to their shitty music...because that's disrespectful to others. And 95% of the time you hear of any crime on the island of Okinawa, it's caused by an American.
It's no wonder that every other country in the world hates our guts. Most Americans are rude, obnoxious, selfish, careless, disrespectful, and generally have an "It's All About Me...Fuck Everyone Else" kind of mentality. But yet you will here every American say that this is the greatest country on Earth. Let me break it down simply about how the world sees us. Let's pretend you work in an office building with many many cubicles in it. Well you stand up on your desk in your cubicle and yell as loud as you can, "Excuse me everyone! Stop what you are doing for a moment...I have something to say. I just wanted to let everyone here know that I'm better than you. Thanks!" Now, if someone did that where you worked, can you imagine the reaction from everyone else there?
So why are Americans such dicks? Well, it hasn't always been that way. Granted, I'm not saying everything has to look like an Andy Griffith episode, but I can remember in the not-so-distant past that things weren't nearly this bad. Today, you can't walk into a department store without seeing an employee sigh and roll his or her eyes because they actually have to do their job. You can't turn on the TV without seeing a "reality" show where people are screaming, yelling and talking trash about the other people on the show....and then every other word has to be bleeped out, so much that by the end of the show, it feels like you just sat through a fucking hearing test. You can't turn on the nightly news without hearing about murders, kidnaps, rapes, child abuse, theft, and assault....everywhere from the biggest cities to the smallest communities. Having a bad attitude is being promoted so much, in fact being pounded into the heads of Americans from every aspect...music, television, and the general public. It's sad to see the country that I once loved be diminished to this type of culture. I find it to be nearly impossible to find anything positive to say about the United States anymore, and it pains me to admit that.
So now I know what you're saying. "Marcus, if you think America sucks so bad, why don't you just get the hell out?" Well the truth is...I'm trying. I want nothing more than to move to Canada permenantly and become a citizen. Do you know how expensive a move like that costs? Anyone who is middle class in America knows how broke I am right now. You don't work like a dog to get ahead...you work like a dog just to be able to stay where you are. I'll be glad to accept any donations that you might have to fund my great Canadian dream! Just let me know and I'll set up the link where you can send your money.
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