OK, whilst the political bumblings and stumbling of candidates who mean this/ don't mean that, earn this, don't earn that, trying to dazzle us with their humility and likeness to the common man are ongoing, the Fat Kid has noticed something disturbing in the undercurrent. It's something that nobody's talking about, and frankly, I find it more than a little frightening.
America is angry.
This was not the plan. We were never supposed to have hard times. This is America - the land of opportunity! We are supposed to be the leaders of freedom and democracy in the world! We're supposed to be the top dog! We're supposed to have everything, and there isn't supposed to be anything left wanting! Everything is supposed to be fair!
Well, I've got some news for you, USA: You have been lied to. Because, you see, life really ISN'T fair. It's not fair that someone makes more than me, and that I make more than someone else. It's not fair that some people are smarter than others. It's not fair that some people are gifted more athletically than others. It's not fair at all. This nation, this grand experiment in freedom and justice, isn't built on the principle that life is fair. In fact, it's built on the principle that life is difficult.
The Promise of America is only that we have the opportunity to TRY. The harder we work and the more devoted we are to trying, the better our chance of success. This nation was founded an the principle that everyone has the right to try ONLY. There is no "right to succeed." Our past is full of people who tried. Who committed everything they had to a cause, and risked it all, knowing the penalty for failure was nothing short of death.
And we're angry. We're angry over a lot of things. This nation is divided between those who don't want to change anything, and those who want to change a lot of things. It's divided between those who are afraid to risk everything and those who have nothing to risk but their hopes and dreams. It's divided between the ideals of a future that hasn't been written and the practicality of a past that has been. It's divided on so many levels: economic, social, religious, educational, racist, and sexist levels - and divided so vehemently - that I am not sure it can be put back together again. We are not United States - we are Divided People.
Each side of the political arena, in this election season, is trying to convince all of us that they are the correct side, that their ideals are best for the nation, that we should choose them, because the other side is wrong. We debate about it amongst ourselves, trying to "win" arguments and convince one another of just how correct our opinions are. The rhetoric is always the same: "We want, we deserve..."
And I just want to take one big wind-up bitch-slap at us all and say, 'Really, America? What makes you think you "deserve" anything?" We didn't commit all our cash and resources to fight for a nation free from tyranny. We didn't survive in a strange land far from what we knew. We didn't fight our brothers to become a nation free from slavery. None of us alive did any of those things. There are some - a dwindling number now - who fought against the Japanese and the Third Reich, who went to Korea and Vietnam. And of course, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan have created the latest generation of people who actually HAVE put their very lives on the line for the principles of freedom. And these days, most of them volunteer to do it. They entrust their lives to our politicians - to our votes - to not only protect freedom here at home, but to spread the priciples of fredom throughout the world, and all we have to do about it is whine and complain because our cushy little insignificant lives aren't just how we dreamed? Because things aren't fair and perfect?
We don't understand just how good we've got it, and all we can do is complain about what we don't have. And most of those complaining are not willing to risk it all, to go up against death itself to defend the "human rights" issues they claim are so important. We are a bunch of children, whose parents have left us alone to fend for ourselves, and we have neither the courage nor the ability to do so. We simply want others to provide it for us, to coddle us and tell us it's going to be OK.
It's not going to be OK
There are no guarantees. There is no "right to succeed." There is only the right to TRY. When the masses of people who are ranting and raving over perceived "injustices" are ready to lose everything, when they are desperate to the point of exhaustion and then they still keep fighting....then they can talk about what they deserve.
We're not supposed to be a nation where everything is provided for you, and we were never supposed to be that nation. We're supposed to be a nation that's not afraid to work as hard as we can.
Our politicians have forgotten this - because we have forgotten this.
We need people who are not afraid to invest themselves and all they can into this country. The candidates who get my vote will be the ones I feel will invest to the hilt, indeed, shed their very blood if necessary. I urge anyone reading this to do the same. Don't vote party lines. Vote for the person who will give their all for this country, not for a political party.
I don't care if you agree with my opinions or not. I don't care if you are liberal or conservative. I'm going to send a copy of this to the White House, to the Romney Camp, and to anyone else I can think of who might need to hear it. If you feel so inclined, I invite you to do the same.
Thanks for reading,
The Fat Kid
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