Letters to the editor: As Americans, we’ve really been living in a fool’s paradise

As Americans, we’ve really been living in a fool’s paradise
Neal Gabler, a writer for the Boston Globe, recently wrote an article entitled, “One Nation, Under Illusion” eloquently describing how we Americans “cut our nose off in spite of our face” with our arrogance, self-centeredness, self-righteousness and boasting. It is good to have pride in people and country, but as Gabler says, “the incessant trumpeting of our national superiority to every other country in the world is more than just off-putting and insulting ... It is infantile.”

Our standard of living, affordability of education, national health care, uncontrolled illegal immigrations, global empire building and entangled foreign alliances rate us far from “the best in the world” in the eyes of the world.

Our politicians and mainstream media feed us with unsupported facts, untruths and misinformation that is accepted with open arms by a majority of the people.

It all enhances our “comfort zone” of indifference, thin skin and arrogance. We have now had more than a century of this national mantra of alleged greatness.

As Gabler says, “a nation that has to be endlessly flattered and won’t face the truth, a nation whose people think they possess some special moral exemption and wisdom, a nation without humility is a nation spoiling for calamity.” Gabler goes as far as to say, “we’ve been living in a fool’s paradise.” I can’t disagree.

Joseph P. Griffey
Auburn

Misfit side of humanity refuses to learn art of cooperation

All too many humans are misfits who are aggressive and crave power. The good side of history and evolution is that which tells of the transition of zoological species to civil, reasoning humans and the coming of civilization.
Along with social and cultural development came government and its improvement to include social and political equality.

The U.S. seems unique in its professed admiration of democracy, even while ridiculing elected citizens and knowing no limits of rewarding the rich and powerful. But that is the misfit side of humanity that cannot learn the art of cooperation: they are the “no” people.

William Blakney
Auburn