Moreover, I tend to think most of the problems in America are internal. One could argue that the US is 10 trillion or 52 trillion in debt but to me that’s not the main problem. I tend to think the main problem is…..
Within white non-Jewish America, the phrase is “she/he can carry it off” (I).
In short, America’s success was due to the spirit of the Reformation, which naturally included enlightenment, and a belief that free individuals could collectively form an ideal egalitarian society. From its inception, free individuals were defined as WASP men but designed to include all men with similar values over time. The combination of hard work, intellectual development, free thinking, fraternity, freedom, responsibility and “American class” defined these individuals. Over time, non-WASP Europeans joined the American experiment and were initially viewed as second class citizens, but they were NOT SYSTEMATICALLY ELIMINATED from the American fraternity. So up until the early 1900s, this defined America, which included many non-WASPs who became successful (Many Jews and specifically the Kennedy family as Catholics) by adopting American values. I’ll come back to this later.
The African American “they’re giving it away”.
The Northeastern US has always been closely tied to the United Kingdom. Following the UK and Europe’s lead (the late 1700s), starting in the mid-1800s, the Northern US started a movement to end slavery throughout the US. Having done so but still being uncomfortable with Africans, the US struggled with how to manage a society with the inclusion of the African ex-slaves. Due to the brilliance of SOME African Americans, starting in the mid-1950s, Thurgood Marshall and others led to the changing of laws to NOT RESTRICT black Americans from the same opportunities that were available to white Americans. Blacks took notice and word spread very quickly via black churches. This started a new movement, a “we all want what white Americans have and we all want it now because we are the descendants of slaves and have been uniquely treated unfairly in America” movement (better know as the Civil Rights Movement). With this movement, a “treat all blacks as special because they deserve it” mentally started which, in effect, has done what slavery, Jim Crow laws and segregation could not do, destroy black America’s soul as communism destroys all souls it touches
Within white non-Jewish America, the phrase is “she/he can carry it off” (II).
With this guiding philosophy and the reality that the energy it takes to be the ideal American and keep American going is unsustainable over time, a catch phrase started in white America. This phrase, “she/he can carry it off” meant that anyone can simply act as though they’re the ideal American and not worry about the underlying values. With this, all that was the American meritocracy quickly turned into “pretend and get all that you can get from the system”. This is where America is today!!!