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The press coverage of the presidential inauguration offered another demonstration in unwarranted national pride. From the tone of many journalists and politicians, there was more pride than shame that less than 50 years ago, American Blacks and Latinos in the southern states, including Texas, could not attend the same schools, restaurants, and other public places, marry whites, or experience full participation within American Society. A sense of sadness and humility that such unjust and dehumanizing conditions were allowed to exist well into the 20th Century would not have been inappropriate.
Another example of excessive pride occurred during the discussion of the peaceful transition of power in America. America hardly has a monopoly on democratic institutions. Dozens of democracies around the world, from Britain to Japan, experience such orderly transitions in political power; there is nothing special about the routine transition of power within the United States that sets it apart from other democracies.
As for the recurring theme of Americans’ belief in freedom, there is such a strong disconnection between the reality of the United States and the image held by its people. Surveys reveal that the roughly 50 percent of Americans naïvely believe that the United States attempts to “do good” in the world, rather than simply promoting its national interests. Few nations on earth have supported repression and dictatorship during the last 60 years more than the United States, having supported Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, Somoza in Nicaragua, Pinochet in Chile, the Shah of Iran and numerous other tyrants. Few Americans know that the United States exported repression through teaching torture techniques to the police of various dictators who studied at the infamous School of the Americas in Georgia.
According to the United Nations 2008 Human Development Report, the United States is ranked 15th in overall human development, and 31st in life expectancy, slightly ahead of Cuba; these statistics are hardly a basis for pride. The nation currently has more than 45 million people without healthcare coverage and more than one million persons homeless. Under these circumstances, there is strong reason for Americans to feel humble about their nation. Unfortunately, American arrogance and pride still resonates with the majority of the American people, the media, and its political leaders. It would be gratifying to witness the arrival of a day when Americans consider themselves as equals to other democracies, with a more humble worldview. Viewing the United States in a more critical light might hasten a needed elevation of the quality of life in American society.
Bill Honer is co-author of “Adult Education for the Homeless”, and is the former producer and host of the California cable television program “Social Issues.” He can be contacted at billhoner9@gmail.com or at his website “Liberal Ideas in American Politics” http://billhoner.blogspot.com
After securing a B.A. in sociology, Mr. Honer pursued his graduate studies at the City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he specialized in organizational theory and design. He has served as an instructor at Windward Community College in Hawaii, where he taught grant writing.
Editor and co-author: “Adult Education for the Homeless: from the Streets to Self-Sufficiency”, Miller Freeman Inc. (San Francisco) 1999. This work presents innovative strategies for helping homeless persons develop basic skills.
Co-author: ” California State Plan for Adult Education and Family Literacy-July 1, 1999-June 30th, 2004″, November. 1998. Provided a social framework for addressing the status of adults with basic skills needs as a paid consultant to the California State Department of Education.
During the period from 1994 to 2001, Mr. Honer was host and producer of Social Issues, a public affairs cable television program that was cablecast monthly in Sacramento and San Francisco. In the course of implementing many- employment, education, social service and health education programs, Mr. Honer worked with a wide range of minority populations. In 1990, he founded and co-chaired The Coalition for Equity for Minorities, a public policy group committed to social justice. His articles on social conditions have been published both in the United States and in Spain.
He also conducted research on judicial corruption by New York City’s five Mafia families for the New York State Joint Legislative Committee on Crime. The research resulted in the removal/resignation of two Supreme Court justices. Bill brings a cross-cultural perspective to his writing as a result of his travels to 60 countries around the world. He currently lives with his wife in costa rica.
Executive Retreat on Papagayo Golf Course Costa Rica