[MD] The American Dream

[Christoffer Ivarsson]

I thought about some stuff, and I wrote some of those thoughts down. In all 
haste, but still:


For the US citizens of this forum - a forum that I hold in the highest 
regard, and that I really care about how things are going in, the tone, 
level of discussion etc - I would like to say this:

I was two years old when the Berlin wall fell. I have never experienced the 
a-bomb fear, the red fear, or anything like that. But when I was quite 
young, I like many Europeans started to form some idea of what the US was. I 
remember reading a book when I was about 15 about The American Dream  - as I 
recall, the book stated that this was from the beginning never really 
defined and could thus be used in numerous different ways.  But the word 
freedom was always present somehow, and I quite liked that word.

Now, a year ago, I read a doctoral thesis called "Americanitis - america as 
a sicness or a cure, Swedish tales [something]" (can't remember the whole 
title) It's basically about the view on America that Swedish emigrants had 
in the 1800ds (what made them go there and so on) and the views that emerged 
among those who stayed home etc.

The book showed something that I can confirm thought my own experience, 
namely that the idea of America is quite important to us. It is in no way 
that we have an idea of the US as a perfect country that we would like to be 
(though I guess some do)  or anything like that - I think the idea is quite 
separate from the actual US as such. But the idea, that can vary, weather it 
be one of a place of freedom, progressiveness, innovation, or whatever - the 
idea is important to us. The thing about that idea being very loosely 
defined (like the American dream) has made it a Dynamic inspiration.

And for the last 8 years George W Bush has been the face of that idea.

During the majority of my true intellectual  development (one phase of it 
anyway) I have looked at the US and seen, not possibilities, not 
progressiveness, not freedom, but stupidity, arrogance and injustice. 
Freedom especially became hollow. Freedom from what? Freedom to what? To me 
it seemed that the answer would have to be "freedom from reason, freedom to 
live in ignorance".

I didn't fully realize how deeply depressed the tainting of that original 
idea had at times made me until November 5 2008.

The taint will never fully go away, and in truth I am glad that I can 
properly see how hollow word like freedom and justice can be. I know better 
what they mean to me now anyway, and The Good fight that I would want to 
fight in the name of these things would be one to restore Sweden to what it 
was and could have been as a true "peoples-home" and the best country in the 
world; my nationalism (not patriotism, apparently it doesn't apply for 
monarchies) is based on what we the people do for each other here, what we 
make our country into, and if that is something to be pound of, THEN I will 
sing the national anthem with joy in my heart. I hope for that.

And about that idea, that inspiration, I am glad to tell you - some of it is 
back now. Thanks' to people like Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Bill Hicks, 
Senator Bernie Sanders, The MOQ Americans on this forum, Barak Obama and all 
those who voted for him for all the right reasons.

"And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in 
America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the 
times we were told that we can't; and the people who pressed on with that 
American creed: 'Yes, we can.'

However corny that could sound, those words brought tears to this young 
cynics eyes. Perhaps you can understand why now.


Regards
Christoffer

PS: a special thanks to Marsha for introducing me to Bernie Sanders chenck 
out this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gahEd7TzkTM&feature=channel_page
DS