Bash your own country (was RE: Vive la France?)

[Jon Johanning]

While I could certainly compile quite a list of personal dislikes about 
this country (including many of the things others have mentioned, 
although I am surprised that no one seems to have mentioned its !@#$% 
capitalist economic system and associated political nonsense, which has 
culminated in the absurdity of that un-popularly-elected !@#$% cowboy in 
the White House--I suppose we are taking that for granted), one thing 
that makes it tolerable for me is that it is a country with tremendous 
variation among the population and a certain amount of toleration of 
nonconformity.

I do not share the cultural tastes, political views, etc., of most of 
its other citizens, but for the most part they leave me alone to enjoy 
my tastes and express my politics in company with the small minorities 
who do share them. There are quite a few other countries that one cannot 
say that about, for sure.

Whatever generalizations one can make about odious features of the U.S., 
it is usually not very hard to fashion one's life so that one can avoid 
most of them. If you don't like Big Macs, don't eat them! If you don't 
like the TV, don't watch it! (Unfortunately, paying your share for the 
Pentagon and the White House cowboy's salary isn't so easy to deal with.)

Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org
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Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not 
truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. - 
Frank Zappa