When you think of America, what comes to mind? If you were to ask my grandmother, she would probably say opportunity, safety, apple pie and maybe “The American Dream." If you asked my parents, they might say education, happiness, freedom and solidarity. Now, ask me what I think of when I hear the word “America." For me, the words that come to mind are hypersensitive, polarized, unstable and, above all, hostile. America is not the same country that our parents remember, and it is far gone from the world that our grandparents were raised in. So, what happened? How has a great nation suddenly descended into such chaos that even an awards show (a low-tier awards show at that) can cause its citizens to erupt into harsh discord? That, my friends, is what I would like to call “The ESPY Effect," and it may be a way to save our country.
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you have probably heard about Caitlyn Jenner winning the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at this year’s ESPN ESPYs. The award was presented to Jenner for her decision to publicly announce her transition to a woman after 60-plus years of living as a man. While many agree with the committee on their decision to present Jenner this award, others were outraged.
A vocal group of citizens say that Jenner has done nothing courageous and has also not contributed anything to the world of sports, one of the qualifications for the Arthur Ashe award. They feel that if Jenner wants to truly be viewed as a woman, then she should not receive credit for accomplishments achieved while living as Bruce Jenner. Those who opposed Jenner winning the award cited that others nominated were far worthier candidates. One such nominee was Lauren Hill. Hill was a Mount Saint Joseph basketball player who battled a rare form of brain cancer for over two years and recently passed away in May. Hill started a movement in the Cincinnati area and around the world that encouraged many to persevere even in the face of great adversity. While ESPN did posthumously present Hill her own award, many felt that this was just a way to placate the onslaught of negative publicity that was created after it was announced Jenner would be receiving the award. While these two sides continue to bicker over the significance of this award, what truly constitutes courage, and whether or not Jenner looks good in a dress, all I have to say is, “Who cares?”
I do not say that to attack Jenner or to say that Hill was not worthy of this year’s award. I say “who cares” because there are so many other things that need to be talked about that are vastly more important. With all of the media coverage about the controversy behind this year’s Arthur Ashe Award, there have been many important stories that have been overlooked, especially by my fellow 20-somethings. If you can pull yourself out of composing another tweet about this week’s episode of "Keeping up with the Kardashians," here are some things you might be interested to know:
- Several world powers just reached a historic milestone by creating a deal with Iran about the future of their nuclear program.
- The number of mass shootings in our country just soared into the 20s after the tragic attack on two military compounds in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- There are some who still think that Donald Trump would make a viable candidate for president in 2016.
I am not here to criticize, but I feel that my generation needs a wake-up call. Our country needs a wake-up call. We cannot continue to put all of our energy into debating which TV star was justified in their side of some feud and expect our country to get any better. You may not be aware of this, but America has been on the fritz lately. I still love my country and everything that it stands for. Equality, freedom, and the ever-present pursuit of happiness still fuel the desires of thousands of citizens of this great nation, but we have become complacent. We view the world through the screen of our phones and do very little to actually contribute to it and make it better. In Showtime’s "The Newsroom," one reporter gave a very stirring speech on why America isn’t the greatest country in the world anymore. If you look at the numbers compared to the rest of the world, we are:
- seventh in literacy
- 27th in math
- 49th in life expectancy
We only rank the highest in TWO things:
- world debt
- number of citizens imprisoned per capita
We aren’t the same country that used to fight for truth and justice and the way of American life and freedom. Instead of fighting a war on poverty, we blame the people whom we refuse to help get jobs to support themselves. We don’t have the world’s greatest economy or the world’s most brilliant artists. We aren’t proud of ourselves. We no longer make the best technological advances and build those big, powerful machines that made other countries envious. The time of the Harlem Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution has passed. We are people who beat our chest and wait for the rest of the world to applaud us for accomplishments when we have made no real progress at all. And more than anything, we have belittled the value of intelligence, the desire to know more. But there is hope.
In the style of the “glory days” news reporters, the anchorman from "The Newsroom" says, "We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered." After a pause, he concludes, "First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore." We aren’t like our parents. We don’t read the papers or watch the news. Hell, in a few years there probably aren’t going to be any papers left to read. We rely on social media to get all of our news, and there is a cost. We are no longer informed. The reason it seems like our generation does not care about the world around us is because we do not know about the world around us. There needs to be a cultural revolution, a new renaissance that brings about a desire to grow, to create, and to learn.
As a member of a generation of people who are often devalued for their lack of motivation and intelligence, there are times when I do not have the power to disagree. We 20-somethings need a good old-fashioned kick in the ass. If we ever want to make America as great as it was 20 years ago, we are going to have to roll up our sleeves, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, and get to work. We can no longer wallow in the mud of opinion and expect to be people others take seriously. I challenge everyone who reads this to put down your phone, grab a newspaper, and educate yourself. It may not be easy to read — and I hope it scares you as much as it scares me — but this is the world we are inheriting, and it is going to be our job to fix it.
