All of this hit me in a flash within the first few hours I was aboard the Disney Magic last week as I enjoyed a Caribbean cruise vacation. It seemed strangely odd to me that a country that could produce a multi-billion dollar industry out of thin air, one that also has produced zillions of cross-generational, and inter-continental memories, could be so self-loathed by a huge portion of its population.
America is the only country in the world that could produce and export Disneyland…and it works. The wonder of allowing children to be children in a fantastical environment and exporting that goodwill across the world is an unofficial diplomatic coup that no other country could pull off. The wonder of America is that we are beginning to reap the benefits of financial and physical security…increased leisure time, travel opportunities, and indeed, entire new industries to help us fill the time.
Yet we continue to loathe the country that provides that opportunity, a country singularly capable of executing such a feat. We are a country apart from others in this regard, but a country pulling all others along nonetheless.
Yet we overly criticize our country, our past, our government, and our policies. We burn our flag. We desecrate monuments to our history. We self-loathe.
In the short fifty years that we have stabilized as a rich and prosperous country we have accelerated growth and opportunity across the globe. We have been a force for stability and security, and hundreds of millions of people live free because of our sacrifices and generosity. And yet we pick at our imperfections and diminish our accomplishments through hyper-critical analyses of policies executed with the best of intentions and overwhelming governmental approval.
We have been an overwhelming force of good throughout the entirely of our existence. We have saved Europe from utter devastation twice in the last century. We went to the moon. We have produced an overwhelming majority of the most meaningful inventions, and developed an overwhelming majority of the most prolific companies. We send more volunteers to the rest of the world than any other nation, and send aid endlessly across the globe. We donate our wealth in record amounts. We import thousands of students to our first rate universities every year. We share our good fortune across the globe through trade, tourism, charity, and aid.
We share Disneyland, and its message of hope and goodwill, with the rest of the world.
What's not to loathe?