Why Do Some of Us Bad Talk America's Power and Wealth?

I don’t get it.

As an American, I can really appreciate the power we hold. There hasn’t been another society in history that has allowed more people to reach the heights of power. It is my belief that: Power is being distributed throughout our country. In our society, power is no longer centralized in one place like it has been in the past; Power has been spread throughout by the leveling power of capitalism.

Power equals wealth and no other nation in the history of the world have enjoyed the opulence and privilege that we all have. We can get anything at our beckon call; at the click of a button, every consumer good imaginable can be at our door. Everything from: Pizza, televisions, sex toys and Viagra can be delivered to your door in one day.

We have created a society in which some Americans could actually never leave their house for the rest of their lives, and survive. It could happen.

Some shy away from taking pleasure in this, but I don’t. I think overall, our way of life is improving the lot of the world. Yes - some are at a disadvantage, but on a whole, more people are doing better than they’ve ever done throughout history.

I don’t have a quote to back that up; challenge it if you’d like.

We should all take pleasure and pride in our way of life. Embrace it; you’ve earned those privileges. We work hard; we play hard. Like Shuck and Wilson say in Understanding America: The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation: We “may be self-absorbed, but who isn’t?”

We are the envy of the world; we shouldn’t feel bad about it. Americans shouldn’t feel bad about our power and wealth because I don’t think we use it in a way that puts people at a disadvantage. Because our country doesn’t put people at a disadvantage, we don’t have to feel bad about our way of life.

Do you think our power and wealth puts people at a disadvantage?