The Bully or the Hero?

In class this week we have been discussing America's domestic and foreign policy. We have discussed what our policy is, what we think it should be and how domestic and foreign policy should align.

This got me thinking about what we value as a country. Are we a just country that sets up its policy for the greater good, or are we a selfish, unjust country that sets up its policy for our greater good? I tend to lean towards believing that we are a selfish country that looks out for number one.

We claim, as a nation, that we want everyone in the world to be free and have equal rights. But domestically, homosexual people and transgender people still lack the same rights as everyone else, women are still making far less money than men, and minority groups are still being looked at as second class citizens. Abroad, we claim to stand for women’s rights, but when a country like Saudi Arabia treats women poorly, we turn a blind eye. Why is that? Because they have something we want— Oil. And as long as they hold that power over us, we will not step in and do anything.

We are a nation full on injustice and we call other nations terrorists while we spread the most terror. A fellow classmate of mine said, “There's collateral damage in any war. With the countries in the Middle East, it's true that you have only a small population of fanatics that pose danger to our country. And sometimes bystanders get killed when our forces go after them. Notice I did not say innocents though. I said bystanders. Remember when 9/11 happened and Al Jazeer showed the parties in the streets of Afghanastan and Pakistan? The majority of the population allows for terrorists to stand in their midst and do little to stop them....” I argue that we are just bystanders as well, and watch our leaders spread terror around the world for oil, power, and money screaming that it’s patriotic. I do not stand as that type of an American. I no longer want to tolerate the blood spilled in my name. I no longer want to listen to the propaganda spread throughout our country. I’m tired of being the bully. We must be better. We need to become the hero we claim to be.