Charles P Pierce- The Embarrassment of Being American Today

[n2doc]

As critical as I often am about The New York Times's op-ed page, and the denizens thereof, I often say that there's one thing that The New York Times is better at than any other newspaper -- it can be The New York Times. Case in point: this morning's front page, which pairs up two stories about the Ebola outbreak, one from Liberia, where the disease is killing hundreds of people a week, and one from the United States of America, where it has killed one person. Can I just say that the World's Greatest Democracy doesn't profit from the comparison?

Here's Liberia, as brought to us by Helene Cooper, herself a Liberian emigre.

The new demon, of course, is Ebola, which has killed more than 2,000 Liberians and has struck double that number, crippled the country's health system, ground the economy to a standstill and made international pariahs of anyone with a Liberian passport. Those facing it close up are fearful of what could happen and often angry that they are largely left on their own. But many Liberians are treating the disease with much the same resignation as the killers of the past - accepting that the threat is there, and doing their best to navigate around it. They wash their hands with chlorine, they walk up to the laser thermometers at the entrances of public buildings to check their temperature. They still take care of family members who fall ill because there is no other alternative. I have been trying to be as unruffled as my Liberian compatriots, but I've been living in the United States for too long now. My tolerance for risk has gone way down.

And here's the USA, brought to us by Jennifer Steinhauer.

Also last week, a teacher at an elementary school in Strong, Me., was placed on a 21-day paid leave when parents told the school board that they were worried he had been exposed to Ebola during a trip to Dallas for an educational conference. On its website, the Maine district explained that though it had no evidence to support a leave, "the district and the staff member understand the parents' concerns. Therefore, after several discussions with the staff member, out of an abundance of caution, this staff member has been placed on a paid leave."

The hotel in Dallas where this teacher stayed is 10 miles from the hospital where Thomas Duncan died. There is no form of projectile vomiting that carries 10 miles, even downwind. I know. I googled it. Jesus H. Christ on a ventilator, can we all at least agree to pretend that we're an evolved nation?

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/Embarrasment_Of_The_Day

[KingCharlemagne]

1. Thanks for posting. I shudder to think what I would say to my French and

German ESL students today (having tried previously to explain the absurdities of Reagan and Bush Jr. to them). I really don't think I could do it and keep a straight face.

[Jenoch]

5. Why are you introducing politics into an Englsh class?

[KingCharlemagne]

6. Ah, it was ESL Conversation classes. (English as Second Language). Taught

in France, Germany and here in Los Angeles.

BTW: It's 'English' (not "Englsh'). Old habits die hard, you could say

[Jenoch]

8. When using a phone to post on DU,

extra, missing, and incorrect letters often show up.

When you mentioned ESL, I was thinking of children in a U.S. public school.

[KingCharlemagne]

9. AKA: "The dog ate my homework" :) - nt

[maddiemom]

16. Even a regular English class is the major place to learn critical thinking and debating skills.

It's nearly impossible not to sometimes get into politics and left/right attitudes. The best teachers are careful not to project their own politics. Unfortunately many parents consider critical thinking to be a liberal conspiracy.

[Marr]

2. This sort of thing is why that line "home of the brave" always makes me laugh.

Maybe it was true once, but it certainly isn't today. This is the most chickenshit country on the planet. We cower at everything. It's the reason guns and big trucks are so prevalent as well. Seriously, listen to one of our self-professed macho men talk for two minutes and you'll realize he's the biggest coward of the lot. The massive vehicle armor is to protect him in a collision (at the expense of everyone else) and the gun is to protect him from imaginary Mad Max villains who want to take his lunch money.

[mountain grammy]

11. Yep, not too many brave Americans. Guess we need to drop that line from the anthem.

[deutsey]

12. "Land of the free" is rapidly becoming laughable as well. n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. Land of the paranoid and home of the gullible.

[dixiegrrrrl]

26. Excellent illustration of the concept.

I can hear the words clear as day.

[maddiemom]

24. Consider the major paradox: The U.S is the most "Christian," true believer nationr nation

in the western, "civilized" world. Yet, they are the most fearful about "meeting their maker." I don't believe that is really due to a fear of hell, when those same "Christians" are so vocal about their moral superiority and critical of others. What Bill Maher (and sometimes he Can be an asshole) was trying to say after 9/11, was that dying for your religious beliefs is not cowardly. ( Misguided and ingenuous, sure), but not cowardly. If U.S. "Christians" were walking the walk, they would never harm innocents or turn to destructive violence, but they would not be so afraid of every possible threat that comes along. They would be out there reassuring others with their own faith in the hereafter.

[maddiemom]

25. PLEASE pardon the typos in the first line.

[hfojvt]

3. so resignation = evolution?

Amazing though, life expectancy in Liberia was only 40 years as recently as 1970 and it is now about 60 years.

[immoderate]

4. Not all Americans are stupid. Just the ones in charge.

--imm

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. 'in charge' being, in this case, some parents at a school

who are allowed to hurt the education of children, most not their own, by coming up with dumbfuck demands that anyone who visits Dallas gets quarantined.

[IDemo]

10. Don't forget the flat-liners who put them there

[deutsey]

13. When it was reported that one of the infected nurses in Dallas was being brought to NIH

people where I live posted on the local TV news station website their anger and disbelief at "bringing Ebola here" and saying "they should keep it in Dallas."

Now, mind you, although I'm in Maryland (where NIH is), I'm located about two hours away from the hospital with the Chesapeake Bay separating where I live from where Bethesda is.

So these morons actually believe that bringing the nurse to Maryland means we'll all be dying from it in a matter of days.

[kairos12]

15. Actually, when I hear Ted Cruz speaking my projectile spewing is interstellar in distance.

[maddiemom]

18. His voice alone. I shudder to think of having to hear it in State of the Union speeches.

[kairos12]

27. Forget ebola, if Cruz was President I would be bleeding from eyes and ears.

[northoftheborder]

19. .

Reactions to Cruzmissiles:::::

[Scarsdale]

17. Alert

Maybe the networks should send out an alert that no young woman should become an intern to a politician. One person has died from Ebola, one woman died in Joe Scarborough;'s office while interning for him!! Same amount of casualties.

[sinkingfeeling]

20. Pierce is so right!

[jtuck004]

21. Please use and "e-word" warning system if you are going to discuss it in your posts. I need time

to gown up before opening one.

But thank you, and yes, I do think people are taking this way too far. They just need to take appropriate precautions.

On a more serious note - laser thermometers at the entrances to public buildings. Reminds me of our metal detectors. Probably soon be seeing laser scans of one's body temp built into those, or sold stand alone to stores. And bars.

..kinda the digital equivalent of a village full of torches. Scary.

[mahannah]

22. Pretending is what many Americans do well.

[n2doc]

23. illustrated American Public Reaction

[malletgirl02]

28. I refused to be embarrass by other people's actions

Why is is it bad to generalized about other countries but it is to generalized about Americans. If Charles Pierce and the people on this thread can be judgmental jerks so can I. at least I'm honest.