I confess that, as a historian, one of my most difficult personal battles is against cynicism. I’ve studied history over 50 years, and the incredible inhumanity and downright wickedness of mankind makes it very difficult to be positive about the human species. I do realize that no human being is perfect; good exists in the worst of us and evil in the best. Even Adolf Hitler loved his dogs and, apparently, Eva Braun. Joseph Stalin was seen with tears in his eyes at the funeral of his second wife. But, still...how can one read history and NOT be a cynic when it comes to humanity? As I said, it’s the most challenging personal battle I face when observing our species.
I despise ingratitude perhaps more than any other sin. God has blessed humans with an abundance of instructions, resources, patience, and love, and we continue to spit in his face. Frankly, I don’t know why he puts up with it. But it isn’t just man’s ingratitude to God (which I have also been guilty of, too often) which irks me, but man’s ingratitude to his fellow man. The United States is celebrating its 247th birthday this year. Our country has been far from perfect—because of the imperfect human beings we all are. But it is still, by comparison with any other, the greatest country in human history, as far as blessing its people and helping the world. And yet, the Democratic Party is teaching millions of Americans to hate the country, solely because they see it as their road to totalitarian power. It's utterly despicable. Elton John recently left America and said he won’t return. My response? Goodbye and good riddance, you ingrate. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Don’t come back, we don’t want you. And stay out of Thailand, too.
Here are three examples—among an infinite number I could list—of supreme ingratitude I’ve seen around the world. Not all ingratitude, of course, is in America. Let’s see some.
1. Communist China. My father fought in World War II, in the Philippines, against the Japanese, who started that war in Asia by attacking and trying to conquer China. Much of America’s effort in the Pacific theater was to protect our own interests, of course; everybody and every nation has “self-interests” (which is not the same as “selfishness”) and has the right to protect them. But if it hadn’t been for the Japanese attack on China, there would have been no Asian war. So, part of America’s struggle was to liberate China (and southeast Asia) from Japanese tyranny. Do you think the Chinese today appreciate that? Don’t make me laugh.
Within five years of the end of World War II, communist North Korea attacked democratic South Korea, trying to make that whole peninsula the “paradise” North Korea is today. America, along with other countries, went to war to drive the communist thugs out of South Korea (I do believe the South Korean people today largely appreciate our assistance in that matter). Douglas MacArthur almost liberated and united the entire country, and would have done so if Mao Zedong hadn’t sent hordes of Chinese in to fight for North Korea. President Harry Truman ordered General Matthew Ridgeway (who had replaced a fired MacArthur) to hold the line at the 38th parallel, where North and South Korea are currently divided, to the sadness and brutal deaths of millions of North Koreans since that time (thank you, Chairman Mao). America liberated China from the Japanese and the thanks we got was, within five years, being attacked by China when we tried to help Koreans. We had even quit supporting Chiang Kai-Shek and let Mao have China. Another big “thank you” from Mao Zedung...
And China hasn’t shown much appreciation since. Stealing from and trying to destroy your benefactor is not the height of “gratitude.”
Incidentally, I’ve told more than one Chinese, “If it wasn’t for America, you’d be speaking Japanese now.” Most of them have no clue what I’m even talking about.
2. Muslims in France. I’ve read that there may be as many as 6 million Muslims in France. I’m sure that many, perhaps most, appreciate being there. But Muslim criminals, because a policeman shot one of their little thugs, are tearing that country apart now. Gratitude? France didn’t have to let them in, and might be currently regretting that they ever did. Immigration policy needs wisdom, and no Western country, especially the United States under Joe Biden, is demonstrating even an ounce of such wisdom today. We are witnessing Muslim “gratitude” for France allowing them into the country. It’s sickening.
3. Left-wing black Americans. America certainly has fault for the way it treated its black population in its history. But we’ve tried to correct it. In 1964, we gave them equality under the law—they cannot legally be discriminated against any more. We even went further. A few years later, we gave them “affirmative action,” special assistance to try to correct historical imbalances. And after 50 years, they still demand it—at least some of them do.
Whites (and others) were willing to sacrifice THEIR equality (and money) for over a generation to help blacks. The gratitude we get is BLM, Joy Reid, complaints and screeches when the country returns to equality for all—the very thing THEY wanted all along. They also got much more than that and it still isn’t enough. They want something without earning it. That’s not just “ingratitude,” it’s theft. It’s as revolting as the Muslims in France and the Communist Chinese.
Happy Birthday, America. I hope you have at least 247 more. But I doubt you will. You see, I’m a cynic.
Check for a lot more articles, as well as audio and video podcasts, on my substack: mklewis929.substack.com. Free signup. Read my western novels, Whitewater, River Bend, Return to River Bend, and Allie’s Dilemma all available on Amazon. You can follow me on Twitter: @thailandmkl. And rumble: lewandcou
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