The Last Great Hope

Takaki has offered a broader concept of American history, and with that comes the shattering of the preconceived notions of what America was and is.

In public school we are taught all about the splendor that is the United States. I was pounded with the notion that this nation is the last great pinnacle of morals, the last outpost standing above the tyrannical and beastly outside world. That America, in all its infinite wisdom and god like benevolence, is the last great hope of man kind. Sure we had a few problems but wave those away with historical context. The way history was taught to me, the way Social Studies classes were worded and toned, America was painted infallible and wonderful. Well, maybe that’s not so much the case.

As my understanding of American history, as well as current politics and relations, grows, that shiny image of the United States isn’t so shiny, those “rough patches” are not just patches you can wave away. Racism, hate, blood shed, tyrannical hypocrisy, those seem to be much more prevalent themes than the “Liberty and Justice for all.”

I am not filled with cynicism, I’m not saying all Americans are monsters nor am I about to go all Che, the United States offers a lot of goodness, I have just been taken aback by the inaccurate image of America that has been painted in my head since elementary school. I have been taken aback by the falseness of the attitude Americans take towards America: that the U.S. is the world’s and history’s knight in shining armor. Maybe we shouldn’t be so shamelessly proud of the stars and stripes. Maybe we shouldn’t have arrogance as a national policy. Maybe Patriotism 101 should come with a shot of humility. Maybe I should work a little harder at being the change I want to see. I hope America will continue to learn from its mistakes and become what it pretends to be.

I think of Shane Claiborne’s lecture back in fall semester, and one line continues to stay in my mind, “We’ve found the last great hope; it’s not America, it’s not Barack, it’s not Romney, it’s Jesus.”