The One Thing Americans Put First
Why America is Number One in the ratings
As I write these words, I’m watching the live feed from NASA. Two astronauts are preparing to leave America for outer space, and I say “Good on them!”
The NASA commentators are relentlessly optimistic and positive. This is a big day for America, they are saying, and they are pulling in every ounce of their space heritage. Former astronauts, politicians, clips of historic events, scientists, media stars, famous quotes, oh it’s all on display today.
Accuracy, as the above shot from the Pulitzer organisation shows, is not the first priority. Waving the flag is paramount, and if these guys lift off, you may be sure that Don Trump will be waving Old Glory for all he’s worth.
Today’s real stories are:
America is burning. Yet another innocent black man has died at the hands of white police. A death for no good reason. Again.
It’s been a century and a half since Lincoln freed the slaves, and yet people of colour remain firmly on the bottom of American society. They receive the lowest wages, the worst housing, healthcare and education, are imprisoned at rates far higher than white Americans, and their political power is eroded through gerrymandering, ID laws, and an avalanche of bureaucratic obstacles.
No wonder they are frustrated and upset. Protests are occurring across America, and they are descending into chaos, with scenes of arson, looting, violence and death.
White supremacists are reported to be involved, egged on by Don Trump, who has called in the military, and promised more violence.
America is sick. Here in Australia, we have had no deaths today, and 23 new cases of the Coronavirus. In contrast, America’s numbers are a thousand times higher for both. America leads the world in number of cases and number of deaths. It’s not even close.
In Florida, onlookers are standing shoulder to shoulder to see the rocket launch. Few are wearing masks.
The rioters in the burning cities are failing to take precautions. There are — and this is hard to believe — protests against the medical restrictions. People are going out to parties and protests and — imagine this! — getting sick with the virus.
America is supposedly the richest nation on the planet, with the most resources, the best doctors, the best scientists etc. etc.
And yet, in a massive leadership failure, there is no national plan to beat the virus. Messages from the government are not just contradictory, but wildly misleading. Don Trump said in March that the virus would soon fade away, the country would be over it by Easter, there was a miracle cure coming real soon now, he was a fabulous leader etc. etc.
America is bankrupt. No, not really. There’s plenty of money. Just in the wrong places. This space launch is funded by a billionaire. The president is a billionaire. Billionaires control every aspect of American life, from the television shows to the newspaper stories, the goods in the stores, the food Americans eat, the laws they must follow, the tools they use to navigate the internet.
And Americans — apart from the billionaires and the declining middle class — are being crushed by low wages, student loans, credit card debt, and the relentless push to consume.
Americans are out of work in record numbers, they are facing bankruptcy if they fall sick, they are living from payday to payday, they are imprisoned at rates greater than the worst years of the Soviet gulags. So much for the land of the free.
America is being hacked. From Russia interfering in American elections, to Don Trump gutting the government and stacking the courts, American institutions are being steadily eroded. The atmosphere of certainty, assurance, confidence, and optimism that has marked America for so long has vanished.
Nobody knows what is going on. America’s intelligence services, the world’s finest, are being ignored by the national leadership. Don Trump gives more credence to his gut feelings than his intelligence agencies. They tell him with utter certainty that he is only in his position because Russia helped put him there, but no, he rejects that. Russia and China are doubling and redoubling their efforts to interfere in the next election because the chaos caused by the last one advanced their interests so well, but no, this is fake news.
America is a global laughingstock. America was supreme only a few years ago. The global leader in every enterprise, the guarantor of world security, the leader in science, medicine, technology.
No more. Don Trump goes to international summits and is ignored and laughed at. Nobody — apart from Don Trump and his supporters — thinks that the American president is the leader of the free world.
American values are being trashed. The nation that defeated the Nazis and the cruel Empire of Japan is now led by a man who openly fawns over the most brutal dictators. He embraces the Korean dictator. He fawns over the murderous Saudi regime. He applauds the violent regimes of strongman leaders of tinpot countries and openly wishes that he had their power.
America is divided. America is polarised in almost every possible way. Black and white, rich and poor, Republican and Democrat, educated and ignorant, pro and anti gun control, pro-life and pro-choice.
The news stories are not of unity in the United States, but rather of people calling each other names and attacking each other. The predictable response of unhappiness and violence is front page headline news every day now.
But what Americans put first is:
Entertainment. The huge expense of the space launch is being watched by millions. Don Trump is pushing for American boobs on the moon. He’s there watching the launch while his country burns.
The riots are headline news for colour and excitement. The president, rather than working on the many severe problems affecting his nation, chooses to go golfing.
Instead of reading the intelligence reports and briefing books prepared on a daily basis, Don Trump lies in bed and watches television, before spending an hour in makeup to tweet his way through the day.
Social media influencers, ranting radio hosts, megachurch entrepreneurs: these are the heroes of today’s America.
No wonder America is sick. Hey, let’s distract ourselves with a billion dollar boondoggle to low earth orbit, wave the flag a lot, and feel real good about ourselves.
And tomorrow we go back to killing each other and dying from disease.
No wonder these two astronauts are happy to leave.
Britni
Another look at America:
* No, the lunar shot above isn’t Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11, as Pultizer claims. It’s John Young of Apollo 16, three years later.
