A Real-Life Spy And America’s Competitive Nightmare

Where did our heroes go?

There was a time when America’s heroes cared.

Heroes fought for things like “truth, justice, and the American Way.” All people mattered to them: the poor, the wealthy, the men, women, children, dogs, and cats. They mattered because they were decent people and because you never knew who might be mayor in thirty years.

“And one day I’m going to be somebody!” — Goldie, Back to the Future

America’s comic book heroes even lived among the people they cared for. Spider Man lived with Aunt May in his early hero years. Bruce Banner of Hulk fame wandered America as an itinerant worker. Even the privileged Batman, the wealthiest person in the city, denied the trappings of his family wealth and dwelt in the underbelly of Gotham City.

America’s heroes, then and now

America’s former heroes took a punch better than the average Joe or Janet. They were smarter, more confident, better looking, and more clever. They were entitled. Yet they also felt obligated to sacrifice for the greater good.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” — Spider Man’s Uncle Ben

Today’s American heroes don’t feel half as selfless as the greatest American politicians once seemed.

“…power must be linked with responsibility and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Modern American heroes are the tech bros and influencers who teach men (and women) to take control of their lives, throw back their shoulders, and dominate those around them. They tell us that only fools don’t take advantage of their super powers.

A New American Hero

Andrew Bustamante is a former CIA spy who founded the company EverydaySPY. He trains people to “control tomorrow, get what you want, and become unstoppable.” In person he sounds like a good guy, but I am cautious when an ex-CIA operative explains that his former employer searches out emotionally damaged people already good at lying and trains them into world-class prevaricators.

The YouTube video watched by 4 million is titled Leave America by 2030! Bustamante crisply describes his back story, his super powers, his business, and his plan to migrate his family out of America in 2027. He explains that he will leave to give his children the chance to compete and thrive in a deeply free country —an opportunity that Americans have lost.

Control tomorrow, get what you want, and become unstoppable

At the end of his discussion with Steven Bartlett on Diary of a CEO, Bustamante delivers a statement that lays out the challenge we face today.

“I used to believe that people could be equal. Fundamentally now I know that people will never be equal.” — Bustamante

You sense the straw man argument coming, right? But it’s hard to know exactly where it will go.

Pundits and politicians argue the question of equality vs. equity all the time. It’s a real problem, but it is usually delivered as a victory-is-surely-mine soundbite. Each pundit frames their opponent’s straw man position and dismantles it to the great joy of their listeners.

The truth is that NO ONE BELIEVES THAT EVERYONE IS EQUAL in all ways. By age six we well understand that some friends are better athletes in some sports, better students in some subjects, better artists, better musicians, that some people possess more social capital, and that some school authorities wield more respect and others more formal power. Studies suggest that humans perceive social status before age two.

“We are always after being better, having more, being in a better position than everyone else…we will constantly strive to take advantage of secrets, to take advantage of opportunities, to find an edge…” — Bustamante

Bustamante is partially correct on this point.

We tell our children to compete on the field and in the classroom. Tick Tock heroes explain how to get your video sifted into virality. Professional athletes can be heard saying “if you aren’t cheating you aren’t trying.” Even writers on Medium promise readers they can get to “$1,000 a month” in revenue. These admonitions all encourage us to find an edge over someone else. To win.

It is true. We live in a competitive world.

However, so, so much of the joy in our lives is found in things that have little to do with competition: conversations with friends, dinner with family, care for those in need around us, and a walk in the dimming light of a fading sun.

“I used to be one of those people who wanted everything to be equal. And now I am one of those people who is very happy to be in a world where things are not equal.” — Bustamante

This is the punchline to the straw-man argument.

“Man’s first duty is to himself.” — Ayn Rand

He explains to Steven Bartlett, the host of Diary of a CEO that he is educating people to understand the real world. Rather than being taken advantage of, he teaches people how to take advantage of others.

Bustamante is probably right about politicians trying to control the people of America, Amazon squeezing out every retailer, and Google grabbing every online advertising dollar.

But it is hard not to also doubt the motives of someone who breathlessly celebrates inequality, unfettered capitalism, and the triumph of the valiant over the vapid. It feels like they are trying too hard to justify bad behavior. Especially when years ago they chose to become a spy who is a master confidence man. A con man.

In the good old days

In the old old days people could pursue multiple ends at the same time. They could strive to achieve. To make themselves better, stronger, and faster.

While at the same time they could care for the people around them.

Steve Rogers was the 97-pound weakling that got sand kicked in his face by the beach bully. He was 4F, unfit for military duty, until he risked his life in 1940 to become Captain America. Since then — minus a few decades frozen in ice — he has served his country as a soldier and defender barely earning enough money to pay his rent except for the times when Tony Stark gave him keys to Anvenger’s mansion.

Advancing ourselves while sacrificing for the greater good

In 1938, Superman began saving school buses of kids at breakfast, rescuing the President from space aliens at lunch, and squeezing a rock into a $1 million dollar Hope Diamond around dinner…all while living in a one-bedroom apartment working as a cub reporter. A reporter!

Our comic book superheroes once represented what we thought was best for America: advancing ourselves while sacrificing for the greater good.

America’s heroes today are radically different. They declare that the greater good is served only when the individual serves themself. They teach that equity is for chumps and that equality is a dangerous fantasy.

We should ask ourselves…

What kind of hero do we want to be?

Comments are welcome. Claps are deeply appreciated.

Please subscribe to read J. Andrew Shelley’s stories and check out his book American Butterfly. It tells the story of America’s Culture War through the lens of a Southern family suffering great loss.