Comments on: Struggling with My America http://blog.steppenwolf.org/2007/07/09/struggling-with-my-america/ Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:28:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0 by: Rich Bryant http://blog.steppenwolf.org/2007/07/09/struggling-with-my-america/#comment-250 Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:07:54 +0000 http://blog.steppenwolf.org/2007/07/09/struggling-with-my-america/#comment-250 What does it mean to be an American? Being an American doesn't mean much of anything. If you choose to align yourself with certain ideals or a particular history, that is up to you. Whatever traditions or cultural trappings you wish to express again are up to the individual. The point is that the American ID is a made up one. Remember the whole melting pot image we learned in school? Yet as we've seen over the last few decades, more and more people are choosing to seperate themselves from someone's idea of being an American. Nowadays, many people want to be known as African Americans, Japanese Americans, Italian Americans, etc. Enough all already. While there is an important place for discussion and the need to challenge the current status quo, this current society would rather yell and scream at each other then discuss. Personally, I don't care for the Michael Moore's or Bill O'Reilly's of the world. Ann Coulter and Al Franken make me crazy with their finger waging and the constant reinforcing of the "us vs them" mentality. I think of the many questions possible, I believe we should address the questions of why do we suffer like we do for the ideas we believe to be true? Why do we hold on so dearly to a point of view? Why does prejudice bring comfort to us? Why are some ideas wrth fighting for? Try this next time you walk outside. Look at people as people and not as nationalities or as seperate from yourself. Try not to look at them as better or worse, richer or poorer. Look at them as you would look at yourself. You might begin to see that there is no seperation. R. Bryant What does it mean to be an American? Being an American doesn’t mean much of anything. If you choose to align yourself with certain ideals or a particular history, that is up to you. Whatever traditions or cultural trappings you wish to express again are up to the individual. The point is that the American ID is a made up one. Remember the whole melting pot image we learned in school?

Yet as we’ve seen over the last few decades, more and more people are choosing to seperate themselves from someone’s idea of being an American. Nowadays, many people want to be known as African Americans, Japanese Americans, Italian Americans, etc. Enough all already.

While there is an important place for discussion and the need to challenge the current status quo, this current society would rather yell and scream at each other then discuss. Personally, I don’t care for the Michael Moore’s or Bill O’Reilly’s of the world. Ann Coulter and Al Franken make me crazy with their finger waging and the constant reinforcing of the “us vs them” mentality.

I think of the many questions possible, I believe we should address the questions of why do we suffer like we do for the ideas we believe to be true? Why do we hold on so dearly to a point of view? Why does prejudice bring comfort to us? Why are some ideas wrth fighting for?

Try this next time you walk outside. Look at people as people and not as nationalities or as seperate from yourself. Try not to look at them as better or worse, richer or poorer. Look at them as you would look at yourself. You might begin to see that there is no seperation.

R. Bryant

]]> by: Larry Kucharik http://blog.steppenwolf.org/2007/07/09/struggling-with-my-america/#comment-241 Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:46:51 +0000 http://blog.steppenwolf.org/2007/07/09/struggling-with-my-america/#comment-241 Martha, I loved your question, what does it mean to be an American. I am a very proud American and I too am very confused about where we are and where we are going as a Nation. With over 3600 young men and women dead, thousands upon thousands wounded with life altering injuries, a cost of 10 billion dollars a month.....where are we? We are a privileged nation, and yet our standing in the world picture is questionalble at this time and yet for the most part we as a nation sit on our hands. The question that I ask is I think the same question that Michael Moore asks....Where is the Outrage? Why are we not all in the streets protesting our healthcare system, our position on global warming, this failed war and the very basis of our famous and proud democracy that is be played with in Washington these days. The influence of Corporate America has to be adjusted or maybe flat out changed. From the Justice Department to the Executive Offices we are becoming the root of folly and humor around the world. Read any foreign new releases to see how the US is being presented. I know that this season at Steppenwolf will explore many of the current themes that America is living right now.....and I can only imagine that in the short term there will many more great writings that look back at our current situation with many questions. How they are answered and resolved remains to be seen. Thank you for raising the question. Larry Kucharik Peace! Martha,

I loved your question, what does it mean to be an American. I am a very proud American and I too am very confused about where we are and where we are going as a Nation.

With over 3600 young men and women dead, thousands upon thousands wounded with life altering injuries, a cost of 10 billion dollars a month…..where are we? We are a privileged nation, and yet our standing in the world picture is questionalble at this time and yet for the most part we as a nation sit on our hands. The question that I ask is I think the same question that Michael Moore asks….Where is the Outrage?

Why are we not all in the streets protesting our healthcare system, our position on global warming, this failed war and the very basis of our famous and proud democracy that is be played with in Washington these days. The influence of Corporate America has to be adjusted or maybe flat out changed. From the Justice Department to the Executive Offices we are becoming the root of folly and humor around the world. Read any foreign new releases to see how the US is being presented.

I know that this season at Steppenwolf will explore many of the current themes that America is living right now…..and I can only imagine that in the short term there will
many more great writings that look back at our current situation with many questions.
How they are answered and resolved remains to be seen.

Thank you for raising the question.

Larry Kucharik

Peace!

]]> by: Justin Palmer http://blog.steppenwolf.org/2007/07/09/struggling-with-my-america/#comment-239 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:15:50 +0000 http://blog.steppenwolf.org/2007/07/09/struggling-with-my-america/#comment-239 I struggle too, Martha. Do you think it's possible that as a nation we've been given TOO MUCH freedom? Just enough to self-destroy ourselves as a nation? I read a blog post recently about what each of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence went through after singing our famous document. Most had their land seized by the British, five of them were captured as traitors by the British to be tortured and killed, many had their children killed in war, almost all died in poverty and despair. For instance, Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and he died completely poor. These 56 signers pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor for our future freedoms. And here we are some 230 years after that document was signed, with all of the freedoms those signers quite literally sacrificed themselves for, and we're self-destructing? How could we have let this happen? I struggle too, Martha. Do you think it’s possible that as a nation we’ve been given TOO MUCH freedom? Just enough to self-destroy ourselves as a nation?

I read a blog post recently about what each of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence went through after singing our famous document. Most had their land seized by the British, five of them were captured as traitors by the British to be tortured and killed, many had their children killed in war, almost all died in poverty and despair. For instance, Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and he died completely poor. These 56 signers pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor for our future freedoms.

And here we are some 230 years after that document was signed, with all of the freedoms those signers quite literally sacrificed themselves for, and we’re self-destructing?

How could we have let this happen?

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