DISCLAIMERS:
1) I am a pacifist. I wish for all people in the world, including everyone in the United States, nothing but peace and joy forever.
2) There are tens of millions of amazing, brilliant, socially aware humans who live in the United States, including my children.
This month’s reflection is not about parenting. It is about my accent. I felt a sense of personal responsibility to write this. It’s the first of a two-part series.
I was born in the United States and when people comment on my accent I have mixed feelings. I am proud of the fact that I took the initiative to change nationalities to become an Australian resident and citizen (and I am forever grateful to Australia!).
But I am reminded of why the U.S. always felt kind of disgusting to me, even as a child.
The United States is a country founded on the slaughter of an indigenous population, grown largely on the subjugation of people of colour and of women, and sustained by violence and intolerance. It is the epitome of capitalism; a society where one person might have 20 mansions and 100 race cars while all around them children are homeless and hungry.
Of course, most of these things exist in some measure in other countries. But the U.S. adds the especially distasteful aspect of self-aggrandisement. They are constantly tooting their own horn about “the land of the free” and “the greatest country on earth”. It is very much like a serial killer bragging about being a humanitarian.
The dogma that fuels and perpetuates the U.S. society is religion. It’s a religion of intolerance and paternalism that promotes homophobia, transphobia and justifies/glorifies violence.
The National Anthem of the U.S. actually contains this verse:
“Then conquer we must
When our cause it is just
And this be our motto
In God is our trust…”
Scary, scary stuff. Next month, a look at gun violence in the United States.
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