Posted by Bob - the Alien on June 06, 2002 at 09:51:29:
In Reply to: Anti american americans... posted by MIster Metal on June 05, 2002 at 23:13:43:
: this is what i will never understand..if you hate america so much..then get on the first boat on the way out...spend a few weeks elsewhere and we will see how much you will bitch then!!
: i juss dont get it..the world is in turmoil now..and here we have americans who dont vote..dont do a thing but complain....
: i am wonderin why....someone gimme some feedback on this
I like some of the other feedback here.
But, in my mind, its real simple:
Its America. We are free to hate it. We are free to speak against it. We are free to live here anyway. We are free to be hypocritical. We are free also to love it, chrish it, and speak well of it. We are free to vote or not.
And you are free to think less of people who you thank are being stupid about it.
And that's exactly the point. We're free to disagree. We're even free to be idiots about it.
And keep this in mind -- part of the point of democracy is that the people can change what they don't like. If they complain, maybe they or someone who hears them will act within the system towards a change. If enough people complain and act, change occurs. That is the heart of the system, and telling people to leave if they don't like it circumvents the system. What you should really say is that if they don't like it, they should act on it -- by voting, writing congressmen, going to town council meetings, starting petitions, or whatever else seem appropriate.