What does it mean to be American?

[Barack2theFuture]

After reading Langston Hughes' "Theme for English B" and "I, Too"

college classroom--14 students

12 women, two men

mostly 20-somethings, three women mid-30's-mid 40's

Question: What does it mean to you to be American?

Consensus? Arrogance, racism and hypocrisy. 10 people stated this.

Only one said freedom and equality.

[ejpoeta]

1. wow. i figured it's we're the best no matter what.

we are an arrogant country that's for sure. though it is surprising still to see such a percentage thinking these things.

[Posteritatis]

2. What did the other three have to say? (nt)

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. "Huh?" nt

[Taverner]

4. I would simply say "Me me me me me me me!"

[HelenWheels]

5. Winning is the most important thing in the US

It doesn't matter what you do to win--cheat, run over everyone else, start a war--just win.

[sea four]

6. A citizen of the United States...

but ignorant would be a good answer too...

[txlibdem]

7. Depends if you have a good degree or not

With a good degree: you can be a tool that the rich use to keep the masses in their place, promise them something better but never deliver, give the boot to any underlings who wise up and question the party line, and ultimately assist the rich in robbing the tax payers of all they have and all they have managed to scrape together over their entire lives, until you yourself outlive your usefulness and are given a knife in the back. Then you will understand that you are just a wage slave in fancier shoes.

Without a good degree: you can be a wage slave, being lied to by the tools of the rich, told that you will one day be rewarded so just keep working as hard as you can, don't ask questions or you'll get the boot, don't make waves or you'll get the boot, don't think (you don't have a degree so you can't possibly have any ideas anyway), just work until you die, or work until we no longer need you, or work until we fire you on a whim. Mush. Mush, you little wage slaves!


But don't worry, they have a health plan for you:
1. Don't get sick
2. If you do get sick, DIE QUICKLY

[RadiationTherapy]

9. Precisely. Correct to the word. I appreciate your time and craftsmanship.

[provis99]

8. having lots and lots of guns.

[hfojvt]

10. it's really only a consensus if everybody agrees

so 10 out of 14 is not quite there

Do the 10 feel that THEY are arrogant, racist and hypocritical as Americans? Or is that just how they feel about the rest of us?

If that is the case, they do seem to exhibit the first trait.

I would say that Greed is a primary American characteristic. It's what I heard from childhood, that we are the "richest country on earth".

In an ideal sense, one expects an American to be tolerant (because of a tradition of free speech and also the melting pot) and independent and hard-working (some of that comes from the greed) and compassionate. Obviously many real Americans fall short of those ideals, but the point of having ideals is to try to encourage people to be better, to be an American. It is not so much about what an American IS, but what an American SHOULD BE (and perhaps what many of us are, on our better days).

[Brooklyns_Finest]

11. Great Post

I always get the vibe around here that America sucks, but "I, the progressive DUer is good peoples".