Today is Wednesday, June 9th, and I’m on one of my cherished neighborhood walks. My first walk is always with my wife, a special time for connection and meaningful conversations. Then there’s my “second walk,” a personal ritual for more steps, better health and a valuable time where I decompress and organize my thoughts with the help of AI. It’s like a therapy session, helping me find clarity and new perspectives. I’ve been wanting to share these unfiltered thoughts, and this morning, I’m focusing on toxic elements within our culture – a topic I believe warrants a deep cultural detox.
Our Punishing Culture
One striking observation is our punishing culture, rooted in Puritanical beliefs and a rigid interpretation of rules. Many laws, I believe, are designed to oppress, not to uplift. Our nation’s alarmingly high incarceration rates and recidivism speak volumes about a system focused on punishment rather than rehabilitation. The push to post the Ten Commandments in schools, while ostensibly promoting order, rings hollow when leaders themselves disregard these very principles. In Oklahoma, the high rate of female incarceration, coupled with efforts to criminalize women’s healthcare, suggests a troubling disdain for women. It makes me wonder: if men could carry babies, would the “pro-life” stance be so vehemently applied to others?
Our Love Affair with Guns
America’s profound love affair with guns is another toxic trait. The Second Amendment often shields the ownership of destructive weapons like machine guns, designed for rapid killing, not sport. These weapons are readily available, leading to devastating consequences like frequent school shootings. Despite the tragic loss of children, gun restrictions are consistently met with resistance. It seems that for many, the love of guns outweighs the love of their own flesh and blood.
The Myth of Self-Made Success and Our Disdain for the Unsuccessful
The American belief in individual, self-made success is largely a myth. We often ignore the systemic advantages that contribute to wealth, from public education to infrastructure. This myth fuels a disturbing hatred of the unsuccessful, leading to punitive laws against the homeless and impoverished. While some individuals and organizations genuinely help, a general resistance to aiding the poor persists. Moreover, we often twist religious teachings to justify harming others, rather than embracing compassion and mercy.
Celebrity Culture and the Devaluation of Essential Work
Our celebrity culture prioritizes wealth and certain types of achievement, like athletic prowess, over truly impactful contributions. This devalues essential workers, like sanitation employees or cashiers, who are often treated with disrespect, a stark contrast to how we treat the “highly successful.” It’s a culture that admires superficial success while overlooking the dignity of all labor.
Our Consumer Culture
America is profoundly a consumer culture, where more possessions equate to greater personal worth. This drives a cycle of rampant consumption and contributes to crime. Products are intentionally designed for obsolescence, forcing constant replacement. My mom’s refrigerator lasted 40 years; today, appliances barely make it five. This planned obsolescence keeps us buying, feeding a system that prioritizes consumption over durability and true value.
The Low Wages and Corporate Greed
Our economic system prioritizes maximizing profits for shareholders, often at the expense of workers. Low wages and minimal benefits are common, forcing many employees to rely on welfare, ironically creating the very “welfare state” some corporations decry. Walmart, for example, avoids full-time employment to deny healthcare, shifting the burden to taxpayers. While 1% of Americans amass vast wealth, the remaining 99% often vote for politicians who promise a better life but consistently prioritize the wealthy. This widespread belief that working for large corporations guarantees a good life is rarely true.
Blaming the Marginalized and the History of Racism
There’s a pervasive narrative that blames the poor for their own struggles, propagated by those seeking power and profit. This deflects from the stagnation of wages and corporate tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Instead of aiding the needy, vast sums of money flow to billionaires, as seen with corporate loan forgiveness during COVID-19.
America also has a deep, persistent history of racism. While some now claim discrimination against white people, historical and ongoing disparities disproportionately affect people of color. Even in education, scholarships often go to already privileged white students from wealthy families, who could afford tuition, while truly needy students are overlooked. Our system is fundamentally upside down.
The Anti-Education Movement and Selective Freedom of Speech
America’s growing anti-education sentiment is alarming. Funding for K-12 and higher education is being cut, while political interference in curricula is increasing. The demand to teach creationism over evolution, for instance, shows a desire for indoctrination, not genuine education. Science, however, remains indifferent to such beliefs, and the consequences, as seen with vaccine skepticism, will be dire. The tragic death of my friend Patty from COVID, preventable by vaccination, is a stark reminder.
Our cherished freedom of speech is also under attack. Everyone wants to censor what they dislike—mature themes, “anti-God” content, or unflattering historical truths. On social media, controlled by billionaire oligarchs, true public discourse is censored, often at the government’s behest. We live in a highly regulated environment where government and corporations collude, leaving genuine freedom of expression largely a mirage for most.
Historical Amnesia and Imperialism
Our nation actively avoids confronting the truth of its history. We refuse to acknowledge the genocide of indigenous peoples, the horrors of slavery, or the true nature of the Civil War. Instead, we glorify symbols like the Confederate flag, which represents unimaginable human suffering.
Globally, the U.S. acts as an imperial, colonizing force, overthrowing governments, inciting conflicts, and exploiting resources, all justified by a belief that “might makes right.” Americans are often told we are “God’s chosen people” and that our “democracy” (an oligarchy, in reality) is divinely sanctioned. Politicians exploit this religious fervor, gaining support despite lives riddled with corruption and immorality. This twisted blend of capitalism, oligarchy, and a distorted Christianity has created a monstrous “shadow side” to America, where churches often support political and financial elites, ignoring the very teachings of compassion and justice.
There you have it—America’s big sins, laid bare.
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