Divisiveness is the new norm. Why is Washington so grid locked? Why is the American nation so divided? The answer comes from fundamental question. How do we fix our trouble economic atmosphere? One side poses depression era policies of government policies. The other proposition is that we cut expenditures and move toward austerity. The latter carries with it inherit deficits. To cut means less jobs. A problem that we are trying to avoid. The former means increased national debt. This is also unacceptable. How can we bridge the gap? A compromise seems unlikely but with it comes the prospect of forward momentum. So what is the solution? First off we need to return those jobs lost in the public sector. Firemen, police, teachers, and infrastructure repair. This is not a stimulus but a repair of a quickly deteriorating system. So where do we make the cuts? The US government spends more on defense then the entire world combined. With a minimal cut in foreign intanglements and billion dollars secret projects we can begin to cut the deficit. However, the side that wants the cuts refuses to acknowledge this point. It sees such actions as limiting American hegemony worldwide. This is a shortsighted view. America's greatest strength is not our military. The military is largely hated around the world. What people love is our culture and products. Nike, McDonald's, apple, music, and movies. The key to success is brand awareness. An America has a great brand. One in which, if we support can will easily win our battles for us.
The super bowl is one of those things that brings Americans together. Like apple pie
and mom’s baked cookies it signifies what it is to be a wholesome American. Well
maybe not in the same vein but it does seem to represent us as a people. The
super bowl is only forty some odd years old and the sport dates back to 1869.
But it does demonstrate the things American’s as a whole are interested in. It’s
competitive. It’s rough. It's aggressive. It’s filled with rules and
regulations. The players of football are part of team and together they all win
or lose.
Football is a microcosm of our attitudes towards wars, economics, and
politics. We are aggressive but tactful. We are rough when we need to be but
gentle in the right instance. We are the ultimate example of a competitive
economy and there are clear winners and losers. Football is a sport of
fanaticism. People devote their lives to their regional home town team. They are
just as fanatical about it as many Americans are patriotic. The game itself is
even played with a leader (Quarterback) who can double as the president. The
players work with him but he leads the team. But without the other players the
leader (Quarterback or president, pick your metaphor) cannot win. The team
(government) is playing for the fans (citizens).
The day itself is one of camaraderie. No matter who’s team is playing,
family and friends come together to watch the game and participate in the event
even from the comfort of home. The airing of the event is also heavily
Americanized in that it is highly commercialized. Millions of dollars of
advertising money is dedicated to the 30 second spots during the commercial
breaks. Some viewers of the event
tune in solely for the ads and there typically creative nature.
No
one can underestimate the effects that this particular game has. It permeates
Americana. We see the effects of it every day. The competitive nature of our
country is not a result of the game but in fact vice versa. Football is so
popular because of its aggressive competiveness. It is like war in that it
upholds the values of honor and pride. The players wear suits of armor and
battle on what’s referred to as the gridiron. They play with a pigskin and they
have plays called blitzes. They have player positions like linemen and guard.
The teams have strong names like Lions, Steelers, and Bears. When a team wins a
lot it’s called a dynasty.
For
the most part football sums up the qualities that make America strong. Without
our competitive nature we would be weak. Without our aggressive stances we would
not be the leaders of the world we are. Without our ability to get rough we
would not have won wars like World War II. Without our rules and regulations we
would not be the country of law that we are today. The Super bowl is as much
about family and friends as it about patriotism and what works about America. It
is playing out our dreams and aspirations as a nation for five short months. If
only real wars were that short.
When I think of weddings I usually think of my own. It was a beach wedding and we did
the whole thing for under a thousand dollars. But then I start to think about
both my sisters’ weddings. They had rented a huge church and reception halls.
There were easily over a hundred people at both of their weddings. While I don’t
claim to know the exact figures I am certain it was over 10,000 dollars. The
book “One Perfect Day” says the average cost of a wedding nowadays is 28,000
dollars. To me that’s an absurd amount of money to invest in one day. I
understand that, that one day is supposed to be forever, but that’s more than a
down payment on a house.
My wife loves reality TV shows. She coerced me to watch Kim Kardassian’s
wedding. This wedding cost 17 million dollars. It was the most over the top
things I have ever seen. Her engagement ring cost 2 million alone. To me this is
outlandish. Not to mention the fact that her marriage only lasted 72 days.
Thousands spent on flower arrangements, multiple dresses that will never be worn
again and thousands on the cake. Even whole shows on TV are about the people who
make these cakes. The show is called “Cake Boss” and displays a cut throat
industry for extravagant cakes.
When we planned our wedding we decided to spend more on our wedding
party’s gifts then on own wedding. I bought my best man and my friend who was
marrying us iPod nanos. My wife bought her maid of honor a sardosvki crystal
figurine. Now these were indulgences, I can readily admit that. But to spend
millions alone on one object in a wedding is maddening to me. I could never
rationalize that. In “One Perfect Day” the author also examines Disney weddings.
This occurrence is also perplexing to me. People can spend upwards of 100,000
dollars just to have it at Disney’s parks.
The people who spend thousands of dollars on weddings are not all rich and famous. For the average wedding
to cost 28,000 dollars it is necessary for the majority of people to spend a
fortune on this one day. Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe in the
institution of marriage and the ideas it stands for. But the commercialization
and frankly industrialization of the modern American wedding scares me. To know
that the idea of a diamond wedding ring was invented by those in the diamond
industry is frightening. To know that the things most Americans believe is
required of them to enter into the most sacred of agreements, i.e. a diamond
engagement and diamond wedding ring, were artificially created to line
someone’s pockets is disturbing to say the least.
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