I guess it's no secret that Americans have a bad habit of glorifying the past, especially when it comes to expansionism and Manifest Destiny. "To the West!" was the common mantra, and what's not to like about the West? It's a gorgeous stretch of land in all honesty and have you seen California? That alone was worth the trickery, destruction, and death we brought with us, right? Ah. . .well, maybe not. But California IS beautiful.
It's safe to say our country wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for all that expanding we did. Actually, it's more than safe. It's a fact. However, I believe our imperialistic, Manifest Destiny is craze is long gone. We're an established country now, complete with 50 states, creatively named streets connecting the continental United States (highways with numbers? How genius!) and a number of fast food chains sprinkled throughout for good measure. Any more expanding and the unhealthy to healthy eating ratio might go haywire.
While I was reading Alicia Ostriker's "The History of America" I couldn't but feel like she was a little bitter about all of the expanding we did and the negatives that happened because of it. I want to sympathize. I really do. And I believe we need to always keep in mind our country's mistakes as to not make them again, but come on. This is just whiny. And to reduce our countrymen to "its"? Woahkay, that's low Ostriker. Show a little respect.
It seems to me that one some of these people aim to make a statement they go too far. And Ostriker did. We must recognize the problems and she did for the most part, but in a respectful way. Human-kind is not the cankerous sore upon the Earth she thinks it is. Not for all the good I see coming out of us. I have faith, good faith, in what we are all capable of.
Let's go out and prove her wrong.
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