Ungovernable Americans
From T.S. Khanna, Alamo, CA
To a great extent, man is the product of his environment, more so, of his younger years. A person becomes ungovernable when he/she is dissatisfied, frustrated, non-compromising, erratic, undisciplined, or cannot see his own benefits.
There seem to be four reasons for this instability: Too much freedom for children; Belief in the equality of all persons; Equality of diverse values; and Freedom of Speech without accountability.
Too much freedom for children. During the younger years, one learns the prevailing culture to share pain and pleasure with family members and school friends under the direction of parents and teachers. In the name of individual freedom for children, parents and teachers seem to have abdicated their responsibilities. The children have developed their own subculture of defiance of parent-teacher authority, with encouraging protection under the law. As these children become adults, they are misfits in an organized and disciplined society.
In any system, when there is something going wrong, the person in charge takes corrective action. But here there is no one in charge. In November 1990, the Issue of Whittle Communications, Knoxville, Tenn., carried a special issue: “Are We Raising Rotten Kids; Shaping Manners and Morals in a Scary World”. This reflected a great in-depth study for corrective action but got completely ignored. No one is charged with the responsibility of raising good children.
Belief in Equality of All Persons. “…. All men are created equal….” The Declaration of Independence meant equal opportunity and equal treatment under the law for all. But the misunderstood belief of equality of all in all respects has become a source of great dissatisfaction. People feel dissatisfied when they see their “equals” have better incomes and possessions. On the other hand, Union Wages have surpassed the wages of some well-educated people who feel dissatisfied that education has started having lesser value. It has become a discouragement to higher education.
Equality of Diverse Values. Equality enthusiasts have leveled diverse values in the name of democratic tolerance. When all values are equal, there are no values in a society. There is nothing right or wrong, good, or bad, and LGHBT is normal. Most people are frustrated in this situation.
Freedom of Speech without Accountability. America is still the land of greatest opportunity for an individual. People have been making positive contributions at various levels according to their skills. People tailored their expenses to their income. Higher levels served as a source of inspiration for lower levels. Thus, all people have been an asset to the nation. However, lately, campaigns have been wrongfully inciting many low-information voters by misinforming them: “Stop blaming yourself for lower income. Higher-income people have rigged the system to their advantage.” In the name of social justice, people have been misled to near violence for changing the “rigged system”. This has caused en masse rendering of Americans into Ungovernable Americans.
(This submission has not been edited)
