“The Fine Print”, by Michael Schrader

If The Revolution Were Fought Today, We’d Still Be Singing “God Bless The Queen!”

(Written and posted 21 August 2006)

My daughter and I have been fascinated by the series on the American Revolution on the History Channel. Sounds boring, you say. I already know about it, you say. Who cares about what a bunch of dead white guys did 200 some odd years ago, you say. Everybody who lives in our country should care. It should be required that all schools show the series, and that all voters view it before voting. The America of that era has ceased to exist; we are just a feeble shell of what we once were, just like the Roman Empire just before its fall resembled “classical” Rome in name only.

The Revolution was a time of great personal sacrifice for every man, woman, and child. Those who sided with the rebels risked death at the hands of the British Army, as they were considered traitors to the crown. Delegates to the Continental Congress knew that if they were ever caught, they would be hanged as traitors, yet they trekked to Philadelphia (and when Philly was occupied, Baltimore). Soldiers in the Continental Army knew that if they were ever captured, they would be subjugated to horrible abuses, and yet they fought on. The greater good was worth personal sacrifices.

Of course, there were the selfish and narcissistic, of which Benedict Arnold was the epitome. Here was a trusted lieutenant, who, when given a modicum of power as the military governor of Philadelphia, let it go to his head and abused the trust placed in him by engaging in unsavory activities. When he was reprimanded for his debauchery, instead of owning up to it and taking his lumps, decided that he was more important than his countryman, and in order to stroke his own ego, sold out those who trusted him. (Ironically, he got his wish to be well-known, but instead of being hailed as a great patriot, is reviled as a traitor.)

In contrast in Arnold is Ben Franklin. When Franklin was caught releasing the personal correspondence of the royal governor of Massachusetts to the rebel legislature, he was chastised by the crown for his skullduggery. For an hour he took the verbal shellacking, standing up straight and never saying a word. He accepted the consequences for his actions.

Sadly, our once great country is filled with Arnolds and not Franklins. We are selfish and narcissistic and refuse to accept the consequences of our own actions. It is a malady that crosses all economic, ethnic, religious, and political boundaries. We refuse to accept responsibility for our actions, and with it the resulting consequences. Granted, some things really are not our fault; the system is messed up, and will mess you up and spit you out through no fault of your own. If the CEO decides to steal the company blind, and the company goes out of business because of it, the resulting unemployment is not your fault. If you are asked to do something illegal or unethical, and you say no, and you lose your job because of it, it is not your fault. These are not the situations I am talking about.

I am talking about the situations where you knowingly make a decision, and when things that should have been really obvious would happen happen, instead of sucking it up and admitting you made a bad decision, you ask everyone else to fix it for you; in other words, you want someone else to save you from your own stupidity. I spend about $25 a day commuting; I drive a van and I live way out in the country. Whose fault is it that I am spending $25 a day? Is it the oil companies’? No. Is it my employer’s? No! It is mine and only mine. I willingly choose to live way out in the country, and I willingly choose to drive a full-size van; thus, I willingly choose to spend $25 a day to commute. I have neighbors who are in the same situation. I have yet to hear anyone complain. The quality-of-life of where we live is worth the expense.

If only more people were like my neighbors, and willing to accept the consequences for their decisions; unfortunately for us, they are not. People buy houses on busy streets and then complain about the traffic. Hey, no one put a gun to their heads and told them to live there; that was their choice. However, that doesn’t matter; what matters is that the rest of us must do something about the traffic, we must spend our tax dollars to solve a problem that was created by making a poor choice.

I see a similar mentality when I go to the grocery store. It hacks me off when I see people on food stamps smoking. No, it’s not about the food stamps; I was there once upon a time. It’s about taking advantage of the government to buy stuff that is completely nonessential, and in fact, is bad for you, like cigarettes. If the money wasn’t being spent on cigarettes, and was instead being spent on food, then, perhaps, the food stamps might not be necessary, and could be given to someone who really needs them. But hey, why bother about consequences when we have the government to come bolster us up, no matter have boneheaded our decisions, right?

I see it with both the left and the right. I am sorry, Cindy, but you get no sympathy from me. Your son volunteered to join the military knowing that it was very possible that he could be killed! (I am confident that your were proud that your son was serving in the military; did you make any effort to dissuade him? I doubt it!) It is not Bush’s fault! Yes, it is very tragic that your son died, but you dishonor him with your shrill shenanigans! Time to move on! And you, George! You screwed up—big time! Bad idea this war thing! Suck it up, admit your mistakes, and get on with it. You and your cronies need to stop blaming Clinton and Carter and the French and the Germans and everybody else; it is not their fault. I would have much more respect if you just admitted you made a mistake, accepted the consequences, and got on with it.

Then you have those who have the “I’ll take my ball and go home!” mentality. You know the ones; those who, when things aren’t to their liking, throw a big hissy fit. I interact with people like this all of the time, and believe you me, it is very stressful. I expect adults to act like adults, not like little children. However, that is no longer the American way. No, the American way is that if I don’t get my way, if I don’t like something, even if it my own fault, then instead of taking the consequences like a civil adult should, I engage in subversive activities to harm those that I think prevented me from getting what I want. Of course, in the attempt to harm, they also harm innocents. But hey, it is collateral damage, a necessary evil, right? Take good old Benedict. He gets mad at Washington for reprimanding him, so he takes his ball and gives it to the British, even though by doing so he has put thousands of lives, men, women, and children, in jeopardy. That’s what you call one heck of a nice guy! If everybody was like Benedict, the Revolution would have ended before it had even begun.

Today we have a society of Benedicts. When things aren’t to our liking, we throw a two-year-old fit. Never mind that they may not be to our liking because of our own actions; that doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are so selfish that we don’t care who we hurt, just so long as we get what we want. Neighbors no longer are, well, neighborly; instead, they tear at each other like wild animals fighting over the same scrap of meat.

I pray that it is not to late to save ourselves. It begins with you; it begins with me. It begins with accepting personal responsibility, and the sacrifices that come along with it. 

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