This is an essay I once wrote for a program. I thought you all might enjoy it.
Oz: A Study of American Ignorance.
Ignore my ignorance please.
Ignore me as I devastate the education of my youth,
Disregard any notion that I am not the best, and
Pay no attention to those who might fight to expose my flaws, there are none, I assure you.
I swear I’m not racist! I insist! I love Muslims! I love Blacks! They just got in the way of my gun.
Brutal? How dare you accuse me? That man was dangerous!
I’m a protector. Don’t you see? Don’t you remember? I saved you!
Ignore it all please.
Ignore it like I ignore global warming,
Don’t you know?
“The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”
Oh yes. Look away and ignore, ignore, ignore, like I ignore the poor,
or what terrible conflicts I’ve caused,
or the blood I’ve spilled.
Do as I with all the power, with all the wealth, with all the worldly influence I boast about.
Do nothing.
“BURN! BURN! BURN!”
And invest here where we could hardly kill the world at a faster rate.
Here! The land of the free!
Here, the land of the free with the largest incarcerated population in the world.
Stay stupid America. All of you, everywhere.
Stay ignorant, like me, and we can bask in our false glory.
Buy and keep buying! It will make you happy just so long as you buy more!
Buy like we’ve bought ourselves into over eighteen trillion dollars of debt.
Buy like we won’t buy into the idea that we might need reforms.
And with one thousand dollars contribute to consumerism.
Don’t invest in third world countries,
don’t invest in studies,
don’t advocate for women’s rights,
don’t lobby against me.
don’t change a thing! We should be happy
So stay ignorant America, keep your hands clean, and our borders sealed.
Stay ignorant America because their problems are not ours.
Stay ignorant America because I said so.
Stay ignorant America and and never let the rules apply to you.
Stay ignorant America and for those of you who refuse, stay quiet.
Stay ignorant America and forever live in bliss.
Stay ignorant America and together we’ll live like this
In the merry old land of Oz.
The most urgent social, environmental, and economic challenges that we face today can all be traced back to the social acceptance of cultural norms that are destructive in their nature. We, as a people, have become accustomed to political corruption, thoughtless media, and a world that seems endlessly hopeless. We have submitted to an easy way of living and have given up on issues that are important to the future of our country, the world, and humanity as a whole. This transition has already begun. With technology to decrease the impact we have on the environment, politicians advocating for monumental reforms, and smarter efforts in maintaining a worldly presence, the United States is improving. However, we need a much more rapid change if we are to succeed in overcoming the largest problems humanity has, and may ever, face. 