Why Are We More Concerned About Other Countries Than Our Own People?
Throughout the past few months, the American people have been steadfast in demonstrating their solidarity with those persecuted around the world, from Ukraine to Mexico.
However, the loudest voices here at home do very little to highlight the devastation happening within our own borders, which begs the question – why do we remain silent about American atrocities while rushing to support people abroad?
The 2020s have been some of the toughest years in modern history affecting peace and stability around the globe. From economic crises to armed conflict, humanity has been displaced, uprooted, and distressed. Of course, as people, we have a responsibility to stand for the dignity of life and promote peace for all of us, no matter our nationality. Has it ever occurred to you, though, how little Americans actually identify and condemn such problems within our own borders?
We’re so quick to fly the flag of Ukraine during national sporting events or outside our businesses. We jump to support those protesting for freedom of speech in Hong Kong. We subvert legality to give refuge to those fleeing violent and crime-riddled nations in Central America. But we rarely highlight the same issues here at home.
While we proudly support democracy, freedom, and humanity abroad, Americans often fall silent on what’s causing instability in America. Be it crises of homelessness, rising violent crime in our cities, drug overdoses, or restrictions on our most basic liberties, it seems American atrocities aren’t “sexy” enough to warrant dedicated Instagram posts or flags flying outside our homes.
If we truly support upholding human dignity for all, why stay silent on what’s happening to our own?
Virtue Signaling Has Become Essential To Survive in Modern Culture
In the era of cancel culture and a consistent push over the edge of political correctness, embracing the latest outrage fad has become an essential part of remaining in American culture’s good graces.
Refusal to comply with the latest trend, be it flying the flag of Ukraine or posting “I Stand with Hong Kong” graphics on Instagram, is a recipe for cancellation in 2022. Long gone are the days that you may upset a few friends or receive a reprimand from a family member. Today, going against the sociopolitical grain could mean you lose your job, get banned from social media platforms, or even put your physical safety in jeopardy.
Our culture’s push toward progressivism has necessitated Americans jump on the bandwagon for every major problem abroad, but refuse to condemn policies and problems that affect our neighbors, friends, and family.
We’ve become so afraid of the cancel culture mob that we turn a blind eye to what’s destroying freedom in America.
We have become so afraid of the cancel culture mob and being labeled a slew of atrocious lies (i.e. racist, homophobic, misogynistic, insert insult here) that we turn a blind eye to what’s destroying freedom, liberty, and prosperity in America. On the other hand, we will yell from the rooftops to support and uphold the same basic concepts in other nations!
In the midst of constantly moving cultural goalposts, it has become impossible to decipher who is on the side of righteousness and who is on the side of destruction. One thing has become clear, though – the loudest voices alone determine which causes the American masses are allowed to support and those we must avoid at all costs.
Stand with Ukraine, but Kneel for America
With the rise of conflict in Eastern Europe this spring, Americans have become particularly outspoken about supporting democracy and freedom in Ukraine – to the point that we have begun flying the flag of Ukraine outside business establishments, at American sporting events, and on car bumper stickers nationwide.
To take a stand against Russian totalitarianism and a too-powerful government, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and many other American-based companies have suspended operations in Russia to take a stand for democracy. FIFA has even halted sporting events in Russia, demonstrating a remarkable shift in the direction of sports serving as political events.
It doesn’t end with companies refusing to do business, however. Apple and Google worked together to shut down the functionality of their map functions in Ukraine to harm Russia’s forces and aid the Ukrainian opposition. Microsoft even went so far as to engage in cyber warfare to aid European forces against Russia.
The flag of Ukraine has become a political and corporate symbol for democracy, liberty, and perseverance against government totalitarianism – yet, while we support national pride and take a stand against socialism for Europe, we refuse to do the same in America.
The Ukrainian flag has become a symbol for democracy, while the American flag is labelled a symbol of racism.
The American flag has been labeled a symbol of racism and hatred. Professional athletes kneel for the American flag for that very reason, and major companies like Nike cancel products displaying the historic Betsy Ross flag flown during the American Revolution. (But of course, they announced they’d halt sales to Russia to support Ukraine’s independence. Can’t make this stuff up.)
When American government powers become too powerful or totalitarian, these actions are rarely condemned by the loudest voices. Rather, they’re celebrated as necessary steps to protect our society in times of uncertainty – which has perhaps never been more apparent than during the time of Covid-19 lockdowns and medical mandates.
The major double standard on liberty in Ukraine exhibited by the most powerful voices and companies on American soil is baffling – yet rarely seems to raise an eyebrow for the majority of Americans during our day-to-day life.
Mass Migration Hits Our Borders
The same double standard exists on the issue of illegal immigration in America too. The loudest voices in our country consistently push for open borders, mass migration, and total upheaval of the legal immigration system under the guise of support for foreign nationals experiencing tragedy – human trafficking, crime-ridden hometowns, drug cartels, and more. We claim to uphold the dignity of human life by allowing hundreds of thousands of “migrants” into America’s borders, but when the same issues affect Americans here at home, we close our eyes and ears and remain silent.
Our government offers guaranteed housing to illegal immigrants, but ignores homeless American veterans.
In the midst of the largest push for illegal immigration our nation has ever seen, the United States is experiencing unprecedented surges in violent crime, the highest drug overdose rates ever observed, and a tragic rise in human trafficking for our own population. (Never mind the fact that these exacerbated problems are directly tied to illegal immigration.)
Our government offers guaranteed housing, commercial plane tickets, and even cell phones to those who enter our country illegally, but ignores American veterans who live in destitute poverty and homelessness. It seems those from other nations are entitled to our empathy, endless financial support, and policies promoting prosperity, but our own citizens are left to suffer the consequences in silence.
Closing Thoughts
All human beings, regardless of our nationality, have inherent dignity and worth simply because of our humanity. In the 2020s, it seems Americans have invested far more empathy in the suffering and barriers impacting those around the world than here at home, making it hard to believe how authentic our empathy truly is.
It’s far past time for us to put aside political correctness and rise above the cancel culture mob to stand for human dignity for all – not just those outside our borders.
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