TSGlider

We Americans tend to be very nationalistic and quite sensitive to insults.

We're a young country, and unlike so many of our European allies, haven't yet suffered through the genocides, the state-sanctioned horrors, or been betrayed by the leaders and administrations who were, ostensibly, in place to protect us.

Sure, we've had our share of shitty, corrupt inept heads of state, but they don't compare to Mussolini, Hitler or Stalin (putting aside all the dead Indians and slavery, of course), at least where preying physically on the electorate is concerned.

Americans often believe the government has our best interest at heart. Cynicism does not come naturally to our experience because we (collectively) haven't experienced that kind of hell first hand.

That isn't to say there isn't plenty of injustice here, or that there aren't a ton of cynics in the U.S. You know there are. We're not all hayseeds drinking the kool aid.

But the fact is, much of our cynicism is skewed. It comes from studying the broader, historical view, understanding the cyclical nature of empire-building, reading about other nations' dark histories, their struggles to overcome fascism, etc., as opposed to our own.

But stay tuned ladies and gentleman! It's only been 200+ years! This is still ACT I!

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