Is the United States the Greatest Country in the World?

What makes the United States the greatest country in the world? Is it the right wing conspiracists setting our policy? I don’t think so. Is it the fact that a monstrous billionaire has the President of the United States wrapped around his finger? You tell me. Is it because Immigration and Customs Enforcement sends innocent American citizens to maximum security prisons by accident? I’ll have to think on this one. Is it because multiple universities are facing funding cuts unless they end DEI programs? That’s up for debate. Is it because military plans were discussed over a groupchat with the editor of a major news source accidentally included? Possibly. Is it the individuals pretending to be ICE agents in hopes of scaring undocumented people in sanctuary cities? I’ll have to table that one.

Is it because the Head of Health and Human Services doesn’t believe in vaccines? Not too sure. Is it the fact that underqualified, unvetted novices are running DOGE? Let’s sit with this one. Is it because of the continuous threats to cut US foreign aid that helps millions of people across the world? Let me leave this one to God. Is America the greatest country in the world because our right to democracy is slipping away day by day? For so long we have considered the United States the greatest country in the world, but it’s not anymore, and maybe it never was.

My Experience

On November 6th, 2024, I woke up at 6:30 am, and with my shaking hands opened my email account. I was heartbroken at the news that the felon Donald Trump had been elected president of the United States. As I walked to work that morning, there was a silence on campus so sharp it could cut you like a knife. It wasn’t a peaceful silence, but a silence that acts as a precursor to the chaos. The “calm” before the storm. This storm finally reached the US on January 20th, and has no plans to dissipate anytime soon.

I’ve always been a very happy person. You can ask anyone I know. No matter what was going on in my life, I always had a smile on. Lately though, that smile has been feeling extremely fake. I’m angry all the time. I’m angry at many things, but I’m mostly angry because I feel helpless. I live in a country where there are government officials rooting for my downfall. There are so many people that don’t want me to succeed. I’ve known this for years. There are plenty of racists in the US, but now these racists have a platform that allows them to instill every heinous idea they can come up with into law.

Knowing that I’m seen as a pawn in this massive game of chess hurts the most. I’ve realized that for Donald Trump he never cared about being the leader of the Republican party or this nation. It was only about control and advancing his agenda. This man has exploited the uneducated and misinformed individuals in this country to believe his countless lies, and support him. It’s appalling watching so many of his supporters recite the lies and half-truths he dispels.

When I watch videos of MAGA supporters describing their ideas and perspectives, there’s an obvious absence of critical thinking. Their eyes look almost empty, and they begin speaking like dare I say it, cult followers. All of the MAGA supporters have had their brains so rewired that when they’re faced with opposition they typically will repeat what they just said word for word or freeze and look completely dumbfounded. In a nation with so many free public K-12 schools, how could so many people not know how to apply and evaluate what they’ve learned beyond memorizing it?

I know it’s unproductive, but I often wonder what would’ve happened if Kamala Harris had been elected president. I imagine that there would be backlash from Trump’s cult, but once they saw how Harris’s policies helped them, the animosity between the two parties would dissolve, and we’d finally see productive bipartisanship once again.

If you have been harboring these sorts of thoughts and feelings, know that you are not alone. Just as importantly, know that you are on the right side of history. You didn’t vote for a misogynistic and manipulative man who doesn’t care about the fate of the American people. Give yourself a little pat on the back. You at least have a conscience, and a soul.

What We Can Do

In face of the chaos happening in the White House and Capitol, we really need to come together as not the Democratic party, or as the Republican party, or as the liberals, or as the conservatives, but as the people of the United States.We’ve all tried so hard to deny that fact that party lines have contributed to the madness happening. So many lawmakers have forgotten that the point of being a lawmaker isn’t to advance the agenda of their political party, but to help the people in their county, state, and most importantly to help the people of the United States.

To refer back to my earlier statement, the US is not the greatest country in the world, but it could be because of people like you and me. Though we are filled with all of this anger and disillusionment, we must apply that pain somewhere else. We can’t afford to let it bottle up inside of us because that’s what they want. They want our anger to distract us, but we can’t let that happen. We have to advocate for ourselves in every way possible. Whether that be contacting our local lawmakers or organizing rallies that bring us together.

Even if you aren’t able to participate in these options, it’s also vital that we continue talking about these issues with each other. Keeping these issues in conversations ensures that they stay important and remain alive. Also, by discussing these issues in open spaces, people don’t feel as alone. When people feel lonely or isolated, it’s easy for them to be swayed. We’re seeing it now in the number of young men turning towards the red pill movement, and becoming increasingly more and more terrorizing towards women. 

It’s time I get off my soapbox and let you go about your day. I hope you all can find a way to keep fighting this fight for the next four years and beyond. You have the power in you, so use it to do some good. 

Thank you all for reading this week’s post. Make sure to subscribe to be notified of new ones. Stay sharp 😉