The Strength in American Self-Improvement

Not doing so gives credibility to our enemies when they attempt to shame us.

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It’s only natural that America’s enemies rejoice in her trouble, whatever it is. Even our friends can’t help a little schadenfreude. After all, the United States is the most powerful nation in the world, and has been for a very long time. Americans themselves are increasingly embarrassed, not just by the antics of their political leaders left and right, but by the very idea of America as a leading light unto the world. Still, the sheer grotesquery of certain international commentary on the death of George Floyd and the protests that have shaken the nation are a signal reminder that there are very bad governments out there who seek to bring us down; and our failure to confront our failings persuasively is a gift to them. 

Both Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif were up in arms about minority rights in the United States. 

“Some don’t think #BlackLivesMatter. To those of us who do: it is long overdue for the entire world to wage war against racism. Time for a #WorldAgainstRacism,” agreed Zarif, a few days later, pausing to add some additional thoughts on June 1: “The ‘knee-on-neck’ technique is nothing new: Same cabal—who’ve admitted to habitually ‘lie, cheat, steal’—have been employing it on 80M Iranians for 2 yrs, calling it ‘maximum pressure’. It hasn’t brought us to our knees. Nor will it abase African-Americans.”

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  1. Avatar photo
    Dexember

    The Soviet Union used to show the "Grapes of Wrath" as a highlight of the failures of U.S. capitalism, but the message was lost among the wondrous fact, to the Russian peasants forced to watch Steinbeck on film, that even the poorest people in America had a car!

    These are not great images, but they are freely distributed across the world as opposed to smuggled out at great danger. Who knows what those living under oppression see that will show them the subtle differences between our free world compared to the authoritarian landscape they know? Maybe it'll be the many people on the streets of different hues or the fact that none of the people filming these terrible acts had to fear doing so. Let the truth of America ring out, blemishes and all. Let us be better, certainly, but I am proud of our country because of what we've overcome and our potential to continue to do better.

    They'll see the truth, even if some here can't, that a free republic is better (blemishes and all) than a failed authoritarian utopia of any flavor.

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  2. Avatar photo
    Victor Clairmont

    It’s always the evil people from all over the world that voice their concerns for others as they ostracize, push down, and murder their own people in mass.

    Not an Ethnic Han Chinese and are Muslim? Put those Uygurs in re-education camps, bulldoze their cultural sites and harvest their organs. Complain about Vladimir Putin to loud as a journalist? Suddenly you die of poisoning or are shot on the street as a van drives up to block the city cameras view. You are gay or the wrong religion Iran? Well, do we have a mob that will burst into your home, drag you out into the streets and beat you to death, and if your family takes it to court, will have the case throw out.

    Oh right, and Rocket Man, if you disagree with him, will kill you and your family, put the extended ones into concentration camps, and let your whole population starve because...well...you get the point.

    For all the problems we have (which are many), God bless the USA.

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  3. Ryan

    There is also something to be said about the response of American friends and allies to this moment. As a Canadian, I used to get very annoyed when my fellow countrymen would point to the problems of America either as a way to deflect attention away from our own issues, or as a way to draw attention to similar concerns here at home. My natural reaction was always along the lines of "can't we ever have a conversation without first comparing ourselves to the Americans?"

    I've gradually come to the realization that the reason the American story matters so much to us here is not (only) because of the very old Canadian sense of inferiority. Rather, as someone recently pointed out (I can't remember who exactly - perhaps it was some wise person here at The Dispatch?) the reason U.S. occupies such a large part of our national consciousness is because we have come to see ourselves as inextricably tied up in the larger destiny of America. And not just here - we see it on the streets of London, and cities across Europe - but everywhere across the Western world. Much as we may be loath to admit it, we look to America for not just economic, military, and scientific leadership, but MORAL leadership.

    To put a long story short, I no longer see that as a bad thing. Thank you to everyone at The Dispatch for what you do!

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  4. Avatar photo
    Logical

    Let's first fix our house for our own sake. Let's not worry right now what the neighbors are saying

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  5. Avatar photo
    Ms. SSM

    “But it is the job, almost the destiny of the United States to improve, always. Not just to be relatively better, but factually better.”

    Thank You! I have this argument a lot. Americans should never be saying at least we are better then (insert terrible country here). We should compare ourselves to what we ought to be. The best in in my humble opinion. Being better then horrible places is not an accomplishment.

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  6. Avatar photo
    Bill Nelson

    After 9/11 Thomas Friedman (disclaimer: I enjoy his work, rarely agree) did a piece called “Why they hate us”. Goes into the idea of how the US impacts others, but they don’t get to vote.
    And there is a natural human reaction to enjoy seeing the big man get punched in the nose.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Victor Clairmont

      Nooooooo not Thomas Friedman! Nooooooooooooooooo!

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