Is America Great?

Don’t send death threats.

The title of this article is a question not a statement. Don’t accuse me of ‘hating’ America. Don’t tell me to go back to the country where I came from.

I came from America.

As a member of Generation X, I am well versed in not being great. Every day growing up I was inundated with articles and talking heads who stated my whole generation was a disappointment. We were entitled, we were lazy, we were slackers. We were all the things that the media accuse the Millennials of being today.

Now that those members of Generation X are in the workforce, have they transformed from being slackers? Are they now great? If news stories exist that sing the virtues of Gen X, I haven’t seen them.

If there’s one group that is universally respected, it’s the military. Anytime somebody kneels during the national anthem, people go nuts and say they’re “disrespecting the military.” You aren’t supposed to disrespect the military, that’s the greatest sin of which anyone in America can be accused.

You know who makes up the majority of the active duty military?

Millennials.

Are Millennials who are active duty military great? Nobody says so. I wonder what it’s like to be a Millennial risking his or her life abroad reading articles written in the great USA that lambaste their whole generation?

I have a friend who grew up in Germany. He was born around 1990. He had been socially conditioned to become uncomfortable if anyone ever said Germany was “great.” He carried a burden of guilt because of World War II, even though the war had ended decades before he’d even been conceived. He’d had nothing to do with WWII, but he felt guilty about it. Why?

According to him, it was wrong to ever say your home nation was great. That's what he had been told to believe.

Americans feel pride about walking on the moon, the civil rights movement, and many other achievements that represent "American exceptionalism." Those things happened decades before I was born, but I feel pride. Why?

As Americans, we never even consider that there is anything wrong with national pride. We don’t ever consider whether or not America is great. Of course America is great!

Move on.

We’re 22 trillion in debt, we lag behind in quality of education, we don’t have universal healthcare, but we’re great. Yessir.

On social media there are memes berating parents for giving their kids participation trophies.

"You should have to actually win something to get a trophy."

"You shouldn’t be celebrated until you’ve actually achieved something. "

22 trillion in debt. Great. Let’s give that D- kid an A+ to help his self-esteem! He’s GREAT!

America is great because we have religious freedom. Jehovah’s Witnesses have religious freedom. Jehovah’s Witnesses exercise their religious freedom by refusing to stand for the national anthem. Does that mean that religious freedom disrespects the military? Does that make us great?

America is great because it is free. But every country everywhere claims its people are free. How free are you? Try not paying your property taxes on your house for a few years. Try not paying back your debts. Come back and tell me how that works out for you. I bet it will be just great!

People say you hate America if you don’t think America is great. Politicians promise to “make America great.” Saying America needs to be made great is a denial of greatness. Do politicians who say “make America great” hate America?

Freedom is great, walking on the moon is great, hardworking Americans are certainly great. The real question is, do you feel that today’s contribution to the noble legacy of American history is worthy of the greatness that has come before? We aren’t entitled to greatness. We have to earn it. Are we earning it?

If you want America to be great, you have to ask hard questions. You can't just insist that something is great and become offended at any evidence to the contrary.

Declaring something is true without proof is entitlement. That's like claiming to be a billionaire and refusing to show your tax returns.

Our nation's legacy is a sacred trust. We can't just put our hands over our ears and scream at the slightest criticism. We have to listen to criticisms and constantly improve. That's how you maintain your greatness. Staying at the top is harder than getting there.

Is America great? Or is it starting to feel like our greatness is just another in a long list of false promises from fraudulent politicians engaged in failing campaigns?

I want our nation to be great. Let's get to work. Let's make changes. Let's embrace the truth like adults. The truth is always great, even when it makes you uncomfortable.