If you asked the average native-born American whether they would erase from the record of history the great wars of the United States — the Civil War, the War for Independence, our storming of the beaches at Normandy — if you could somehow play God and delete those events from history so that not a single life was lost— they would say no.
Well done, Omar! This is a much needed article. I’ve always wondered why so many Americans believe they live in “the greatest country in the world” when the US ranks so low on so many things that matter, like education, healthcare access, life expectancy, and more. I believe a lot of our conception of what makes us great is our warmaking ability. And this is also what makes us so predisposed to flex our “greatness” without flinching. People think, “they shouldn’t have messed with us,” and feel slightly proud, even as they are personally surrounded by unnecessary hardship (which is partly a result of the prioritization of the Pentagon at the expense of everything else).
Well done, Omar! This is a much needed article. I’ve always wondered why so many Americans believe they live in “the greatest country in the world” when the US ranks so low on so many things that matter, like education, healthcare access, life expectancy, and more. I believe a lot of our conception of what makes us great is our warmaking ability. And this is also what makes us so predisposed to flex our “greatness” without flinching. People think, “they shouldn’t have messed with us,” and feel slightly proud, even as they are personally surrounded by unnecessary hardship (which is partly a result of the prioritization of the Pentagon at the expense of everything else).