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The United States of Lies and Deceit
Nations crumble when the people distrust the government
I wasn’t interested in politics, economics, or geography in my early twenties, but when I moved to Barcelona in 2004, Bush W. waged war on Iraq. Anti-American sentiments raged throughout Spain, and the enormity of US intervention prompted protests in nearly every major European city. I was an American idiot, and I could not hide my ignorance or my accent.
A lie can travel around the world and back again while the truth is lacing up its boots — Mark Twain
Young Americans pledged allegiance and learned patriotic fairytales. We breezed over slavery and made feathers out of construction paper to acknowledge First Nation heritage. In the computer lab, we discovered westward expansion through an Oregon Trail simulation, and when our wagon wheels needed fixing, Native Americans kindly assisted. We are the kids of America.
Indoctrination began before we could question the narrative, and today, many adult Americans don’t want to admit the bad guy is us. Sugar-coated history is more pleasant than the truth, and we like to believe we’re heroes. Unraveling a lifetime of utter bullshit would necessitate realizing everything taught to us was a lie, and that’s a…
