Dear Peter,
To fight the virus more successfully you need unity. See if there is any unity in this forum in how to tackle the crisis. Do you realize that countries that are more in control of the situation have their people mostly go in one direction and comply with their government's measures to control the virus. They make it national agenda pulling everyone together like cheering for their country in olympic. Virus controlling strategies come from doctors and the country commander in chief whip the ministers to execute them accordingly. Doctors become superhero because they do things without politic and make sacrifice saving lives. Doctors only ask in return for us to please stay home enjoy Netflix listening to stereo drinking wine while they are risking their lives treating patients. Nationalism is raised so people feel they want to contribute and make sacrifice for the country like doctors to win this virus war. I dont hear much sacrifice in this forum. Most people seem to want to exercise their freedom and let someone take care of the problem. People ask and want so much from the country but when they are asked to make the tiniest sacrifice sitting their asses at home for just one month it becomes the unbearable thing to do. Is this cultural or something else Peter?
Kind regards,
Tang
Hello Tang. I completely agree with this. I am just sharing my observation that it is perhaps a bit more difficult to do that here, a country that is now based on the welcoming of foreigners from other countries and cultures. It was not founded on this principle, but as things changed, it has adopted this. Many if not most consider the resulting diversity to be our countries biggest strength.
I think there should be some unity and cohesion when called for and where appropriate. We see this in NYC now, and increasingly in other states as well. But it is not easy. Sacrifice is often necessary in such times, and I applaud those who make the efforts than seem successful in slowing this down. We are totally on the same page with this.
All I am saying is that it is one thing to get a county of one race and small population with the same cultural identity to behave in a way to achieve a common goal, it is another challenge all together to get a very large country, in both population and geography, with very different regions and cultural traditions to act as one whole and toward a common goal. And this country was founded on the principle of independent, self governing states, not unlike the EU.
People are demanding that the US act as one entity together, and yet, look at the way the different countries in the EU are acting. They remind me more of the individual states in the US, each responding slightly differently based on what their country leaders and people think is appropriate, rather than one cohesive European Union. This is the difference I am trying, inelegantly, to describe. I don't see the calls for Brussels to impose a universal set of rules for the entire EU the way that many are demanding from the POTUS and federal government. If this is what our critics think should happen here, why not there?
We have trouble agreeing on anything over here. Just look at the ridiculous bathroom issue for instance. I can go into one one day, and the other the next day. What woman and their daughters think be damned. No, the US is a culturally diverse country with many competing ideologies.
Tang, this is what I mean by culture. I am happily complying with my state's stay at home order, and have made many tiny sacrifices for myself and family, and for my tenants. We are in this together. I'm just saying that some places are having an easier time coping with this challenge than are other places. Some of the reasons are structural. I would like to think we are doing the best we can.
