I thought I would share what I wrote.
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As I mulled over our recent immigration
discussion, a specific thought kept coming to my mind...
Why are people so desperate to live in America?
America is infested with greed, selfishness, entitlement, and vanity. We live in a country where we spend more time watching Netflix than we do talking with our family. We read how-to books on every subject, yet seem to get little done. We are more concerned with instagramming a picture than living in the moment. We turn a blind eye to violence, addiction, poverty, and abuse. We give more money to celebrities than we do to our school systems. We say "land of the free," but really what we mean is "free...if you are an educated white individual with enough money to provide for yourself without asking for help." In America, we are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate that is most attractive or more likely to be our friend than for a candidate that supports our beliefs and goals. We watch reality television more than we read current events, and we settle for quick fixes over investing in tomorrow. Our welfare lines are longer than the resources available, our prisons are overflowing, and retirement is becoming a fantasy. Children have less responsibility, adults have less accountability, and family is no longer a value with much importance.
Why are people so desperate to live here? Why are people risking their lives, their families, and the futures to come to our country?
You may answer that it is because America is the greatest country in the world, right? Isn't that what we are raised to believe? America is the smartest, the strongest, and the most powerful; all other countries look to America for protection, guidance, and aid. Or do they?
I love our country and I am thankful to have been raised here, but now as an adult, my perception is a little different. I feel we have mistaken our love of America with thinking it is the greatest country in the world, and it is just not anymore.
American is not the greatest country in the world. (please watch this video before going on and sorry in advance for some choice language in the video)
Why are people so desperate to live in America?
America is infested with greed, selfishness, entitlement, and vanity. We live in a country where we spend more time watching Netflix than we do talking with our family. We read how-to books on every subject, yet seem to get little done. We are more concerned with instagramming a picture than living in the moment. We turn a blind eye to violence, addiction, poverty, and abuse. We give more money to celebrities than we do to our school systems. We say "land of the free," but really what we mean is "free...if you are an educated white individual with enough money to provide for yourself without asking for help." In America, we are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate that is most attractive or more likely to be our friend than for a candidate that supports our beliefs and goals. We watch reality television more than we read current events, and we settle for quick fixes over investing in tomorrow. Our welfare lines are longer than the resources available, our prisons are overflowing, and retirement is becoming a fantasy. Children have less responsibility, adults have less accountability, and family is no longer a value with much importance.
Why are people so desperate to live here? Why are people risking their lives, their families, and the futures to come to our country?
You may answer that it is because America is the greatest country in the world, right? Isn't that what we are raised to believe? America is the smartest, the strongest, and the most powerful; all other countries look to America for protection, guidance, and aid. Or do they?
I love our country and I am thankful to have been raised here, but now as an adult, my perception is a little different. I feel we have mistaken our love of America with thinking it is the greatest country in the world, and it is just not anymore.
American is not the greatest country in the world. (please watch this video before going on and sorry in advance for some choice language in the video)
America is not the greatest country in the world...but it can be. I do not say all these things about America and how terrible we are to end at that. I say them because I love our country and because I know we can be the greatest country once again.
"The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one." Look once more to a portion of the speech given in the video.
"When you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don't know what you're talking about. We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws--we struck down laws--for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed. We cared about our neighbors. We put our money where our mouths were. We never beat our chests. We built great big things. We made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and we cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars. We acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it. It didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election. We didn't scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we are informed by great men--men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore."
This is the reason for policy. Productive policy is informed citizens seeking to do what is right for the good of the people. This is the policy that we seek as social workers. We seek policy that is going to change our country. We seek policy that empowers, that gives hope, that gives opportunity, that gives chances, and that gives new life to our country and its people. Our profession is equipped with the tools to bring interdisciplinary collaboration across the board to come together for a purpose. Our profession is designed to help create the America we crave, and policy is a large piece of the puzzle. America was founded on family values, and I believe family policy must be at the core of our work. Family is the building block of society, so policies must be directed at strengthening and supporting our families in order to revive our country. America may not be the greatest country in the world, but if any country can grow back stronger than before... I'd bet on us.
