Are Americans spoiled brats?

ST reader Sev sends along this story, written by Craig Smith. Smith took a look at some poll numbers that said nearly 70% of people in this country were unhappy with the direction this nation was headed and concluded that we are indeed spoiled brats:

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ”What we are so unhappy about?”

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

I think Smith has a point. I think Americans sometimes take their freedoms and how good we do have it here for granted. On the other hand, we can be content with what we have and still be concerned with the direction the country is headed. What do you think?

In the meantime, check out these semi-related dueling polls:

AP Poll: Americans Optimistic for 2007

Poll: Americans See Gloom, Doom in 2007

In fact, they’re not dueling polls at all – they’re the same poll, posted at two different news sites, with two different interpretations of the results.

Oops …

Comments are closed.