About America

The President of the US and I have one thing in common: We both walk upright. In all other respects we are different.
For instance, he is a President. I am not.
But more importantly, he is American. And I am not.

What is it about America and the Americans that makes them so different ?

They’ve got the biggest Gross Domestic Product, military budget, and energy consumption per head. According to top intelligence from the CIA there are currently some 296 million Americans with an annual GDP of $40,100 per head. Amazingly, the CIA also found that "the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide". But back to economics: According to the CIA some 12 % of the American population live below the poverty line, which is approx $10,000 per annum (this varies depending on who you ask). So, in the richest economy of the world there are some 35 million people living on less than $193 per week. Oh, you may say, there are many people in the world who are even poorer. And you are right. Those others live in what’s called extreme poverty, on less than $1 per day. But hey man, we are talking America here, a country where company executives have pay packets of $10 million per year plus share options, bonusses, and retirement hand shakes of many times more. Take the 10m$ annual pay alone: Thats $192,307 per week (of course you've noticed thats 1,000 times more than the poor guy has and 27,000 times more than the very poor guy). Sure makes for a pleasant living. In case you thought things will come right over time (the famous trickle effect that economists always go on about), here is another quote directly from the horse’s mouth: "Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households."

Americans started out in life with a wonderful Declaration Of Independence ("... all men are created equal, ... have unalienable rights ...life, liberty ... the pursuit of happiness ...") This was in stark contrast to the tired countries of the old world where oppression and injustice reigned. No wonder they thought of themselves as the greatest nation on earth and, therefore, deserving the world’s highest standard of living.

America consists, of course, of different layers: There is the President, the Administration (election fundraisers, cronies, lobbyists), and then there is the average American, the proverbial ‘decent, hard-working, law-abiding citizen’. I’ve met many of those and they are friendly, interested and helpful. It is just that they often don’t know where I come from (both geographically and historically) and how I and most other foreigners perceive America. That - I believe - is due to an education system that teaches Americana only and due to the US media rarely reporting about the outside world.

Does Joe Average know how his government is presenting America and what it is doing to the rest of the world "in the name of the American people". He doesn’t and, therefore, he is shocked and goes into denial when told. If he could only see what I see:-

• The glaring contradictions and the extremes, for instance the huge gap between rich and poor; the criminals in high office (not just Mafioso), the incredible waste;
• the obscene fixation on money, sex, and violence, and – at the same time – the religious bigotry;
• this flag-waving, fiercely nationalistic, jingoistic bully-boy behaviour; and the un-cooperative "I walk out, if it doesn’t suit me."
• the many ‘little’ wars America has inflicted on smaller
  nations on behalf of the US industry – we won’t mention the bigger ones.

After more than 200 years Americans still havent learned that "my rights end where others’ start." Happiness being pursued at all cost ? A simpler term would be Greed.

After the September 11 attacks an American asked: "Why do they hate us so much ?" This was the single most important question at that time. It was never answered. They didn’t even try to find out. Nothing was learned. Instead the President was mouthing ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ 49 times in the one speech – most insincerely, unconvincingly. But thirsting for revenge. Does anyone really believe that bombing people will win ‘hearts and minds’ (not to mention Guantanamo Bay, Abu Graibh, Halliburton, and the like). A far cry from an earlier President’s simple statement ("Ich bin ein Berliner") that instantly won the hearts and minds of millions.

What a glorious beginning the New World has had. When the end comes, what will it be like ? Many people hate the US, but most are just turning away in disgust. Even its friends.