I’ve been asked my more than one person to respond to the Open Letter to America, which is currently burning up the internet so fast, you’d think it was written by rtm.
I am reminded of a time in my own life when I got a letter from someone I really cared about, telling me what I refused to tell myself: I was an asshole.
Set the wayback machine circa 1988 or 1989. I am on top of the world. I travel in limos and fly first class to events where hundreds and sometimes thousands of people scream for me. Everywhere I look, I see my face staring back at me from Teen Cheese and Non-Threatening Boys magazines. I am getting more fan mail than anyone else at Paramount.
I am also desperately unhappy.
===
In the summer of 1988 or 89, I had this huge crush on a girl from school. She was really beautiful, sexy, and fun to be with.
We dated a few times, hung out a lot, and I was really falling for her. Then one day she stopped returning my calls, and coming over.
I was crushed. I didn’t understand what had happened.
Then one morning I got a letter from her. In it, she told me, as delicately as possible, that she just couldn’t be around me any more. I was arrogant, rude, ungrateful for what I had, and I treated her like property. I was demanding, overbearing, unwilling to listen to or respect other people’s opinions. I was a dick, an ass, a jerk. She described to me a person I wouldn’t ever want to sit next to on a bench, much less be.
I was stunned. I took the letter to my best friend Darin, and showed it to him, looking for comfort. He’d help me feel better about this frigid bitch, I thought.
When he was done reading it, he asked me what I thought. I declared, with righteous indignation, that she “didn’t know what the fuck she was talking about”, and that she could “fuck off, because it was bullshit.”
Darin looked at me, and he said, gently, “Wil, you should read it again, because she’s right.”
I looked at him, he looked back at me. This was not the reaction I was expecting.
“What?” I asked, wondering if maybe I’d brought the wrong letter.
“[Her name] wrote you this letter because she cares about you, and she doesn’t like what you’ve become. Frankly, none of your friends do. So you can read it again, and take it to heart, or you can blow it off, and continue to alienate yourself from everyone who cares about you, including me.”
I really respected Darin. He was (is) the most tolerant, patient, loyal, honest person I knew (know). His words, added to those I held in my now-quaking hands were a Rosetta stone. Everything I didn’t like about myself but was unwilling to address was all on those 3 sheets of hand-written 8×10 spiral-bound notebook paper, translated by my best friend into language I could understand.
A door was opened in that moment, and I had a choice to make: walk through and face myself, or ignore it and walk past.
I walked through, and on that day I began the process of re-evaluating my life, my priorities, and most importantly my attitude. It was scary, it was uncertain, it was vital. It was a long process, taking nearly 6 years, but it started that day.
People ask me all the time why I haven’t ended up dead or drug-addicted, or in trouble in the law. The answer is still written on those sheets of paper, long-lost but not forgotten.
To this day I carry more than a little bit of guilt for the way I treated her. I’ve been able to apologize to everyone else who I’ve wronged in my life, but never to her. Maybe she’ll read this and hear me say “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”
So, back to the Open Letter. Do I agree with all of it? No. I think some of it is wildly off-base, and I think the message would be listened to by more people who need to hear it if it wasn’t so inflammatory.
On the other hand, I think that America has an opportunity to walk through an open door, and take a long hard look at ourselves. The simple fact is, America, most of the world really doesn’t like us. We’re arrogant, irresponsible, and unaccountable. We loudly an constantly remind the world that we are a Superpower…well, with great power comes great responsibility, right?
The great thing about America is that We The People have a voice, and the louder that voice, the more insistent that voice, the harder it is to silence.
Let’s raise our voice, and walk through this open door. It’s scary. It is uncertain, but it is vital that we do. It will be a long process, but we can do it.
I’ll take the first step, with this Thought for Today:
“If you succeed through violence at the expense of other’s rights and welfare, you have not solved the problem, but only created the seeds for another.”
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Gawl dang, Wil Wheaton. I can’t believe how intelligent (and eloquent) you really are. Your Open Letter is really right on – and the way you draw the parallel to your own received-in-the-nick-of-time letter is really insightful.
Keep fighting the good fight.
-=M=-
Its become ever important to me to realise that sometimes your best friends are the people who tell you what you don’t want to hear. Thats happened to me a lot over the last few months and I hope that I too will be able to listen to it and learn. Thanks
as ever,
shaun
England
And as they say “d’oh”, I read your parallel assuming that you had been asked to comment on a previous post of yours from earlier this year. Sorry for the confusion, but the fact remains you seem to be more in touch with this world than most of the rest of its inhabitants. Many thanks.
-=M=-
Simply,
I don’t agree with the open letter. I do agree with Wil. I think the letter is wildly offbase, and ridiculous.
James
Yeah man, totally agree more than I care to extrapolate here. You know, its really weird that you might actually read this. You are a celebrity among celebrities, and I don’t wonder why you didn’t end up dead or a junkie. Though if I were cruel I might just say possibly because you aren’t that good an actor 😉
Some insightful thoughts on the Open Letter, Wil.
My whole spin on the general reaction to this little manifesto is that there are people who were genuinely dismayed, and a bit resentful to have been lumped into a general category. Howeer, I also know that there are a lot of really obnoxious, pompous, ethnocentric people out there, and that the media is not helping.
Perhaps if Mr. McDougall had rephrased his accusations at “those people in America who…” instead of every single person who happens to have been born here, his letter may not have had the same effect… especially because “those people” to whom he was referring would probably react with indifference, anyway.
Still, it gives one reason to pause and assess one’s demeanor and behavior. I certainly hope that no one sees me as the author of that letter apparently thinks he has, and I will do my best to never give them a reason to.
You know what I find most interesting here?
The fact that I posted about it and sort of remained as ambivalent as possible and watched people take sides and attack this and/or that as right and/or wrong, but no one really sat back on their laurels and said, “Hey, maybe someone’s on to something here.”
I’m not really surprised; it’s almost equal to saying that Springsteen’s new album is driven by a disaster to help revitalize his career.
You might as well think that you’d crucified Christ as to even suggest such a dastardly thing–when the end result is that is something that could have happened–regardless as to the type of character the man has…it just could happen.
Anywho, when people start to understand that someone else’s reality is actual their perception of things, maybe then they’re work to change perceptions instead of being so damned defensive.
Kudos, Wil, as always.
I have perhaps a unique viewpoint on the open letter to America.
I’ve lived in Canada most of my life, however, I am a US citizen. This last fact I have kept to myself recently, as those around me have growing animosity towards our southern neighbor.
The letter’s core thesis is bang on, however the ideas are presented in a very inflammatory way encouraging some to not take it seriously.
Canadians (in general) and probably most of the world, view Americans (collectively, not each American) as bullies. You are the big bullies on the playground – you take what you want, you push who you want, and if someone questions you, then all of a sudden you are all innocent?
Don’t take this personally. I know most Americans are decent people – remember I am one. But the foreign policy of the US is so aggressive and self serving that no other country can stand you. Most countries play ball because they fear the US more than they hate it.
I read recently in the news – we must remove Saddam Hussein before he threatens us. Remember when we tried to appease Hitler? Well is Saddam Hitler, or maybe Bush is. How can you justify war because there might be some future threat? This is a license for world wide genocide and as a Canadian I am scared to death of Bush’s policy. Am I next on Bush’s list?
Having read the letter I have to say that I must discount the style of rhetoric as showboating, while affirming, that as a Canadian, I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment.
John McGregor
Thank you for adding your voice to those americans who also realize that its time the US stops and asks itself why do some people hate them so much. The entire world owes a lot to the USA, and to see such a nation let itself be dismissed as a bunch of loud-mouthed, dollar-toting morons wouldn’t be right either.
Wil,
I can hardly express my feelings about that entry.
At first, I
I think what you said is very true.
Well said.
Hmmmmmm. It is strange to for me to say this, but I guess in recent years, I’ve developed a different point of view.
Years ago I would have stepped up to the plate and said, “You said it boy. America sucks!” However, in recent years, I’ve changed. I found the “open letter” distasteful. Reeking of terrible bigotry, it seemed to place blame for all the problems of the world on one group. That group just happens to be Americans.
I am an American, and most of the people I know are not that arrogant, loud, or obnoxious, as the letter suggests. I do not consider America a sick or evil nation. In fact, now that I think of it, I don’t even know a single murderer personally, certainly conflicting with the notion that we are a nation of mostly murders. I am not fat. I do not eat hamburgers very often. I do not agree with everything the president says or does, but I do respect that he has some very tough decisions to make — decisions concerning life and death, and ones that I’m glad that I don’t have to make. Quite frankly, I live in a nation where I can disagree with what our leaders say, and I’m quite happy about that. I am quite thankful to be born American and to have the opportunities I’ve had.
Stepping off the soapbox.
– HunahpuMonkey
Though there are lots of specific things I dont agree with in that Open Letter, and understand that it lumps all Americans in together a bit unfairly, I have to agree with the ‘vibe’. Friends of America, who aren’t ungrateful for it’s past sacrifices and commitments, dont like what it’s doing now or turning into. The culture (particularly the litigious one, and the jingoistic nationalism) is beginning to stink. As a (flawed) democracy, your leaders reflect and represent you all. But this message wont ever get through to the top, so what are you going to do about it? Vote Nader?
Wil, your linking to your personal history is beautiful and wonderfully honest.
You wrote a Damn Good article Wil.
Well put dude.
It is the inflamatory nature of the letter that makes it so repugnant. It is so full of gerneralizations with no support. Wil, your argument is cogent and not stated to inflame passion but open dialogue. Your attitude is very, very much appriciated. Thank you.
Very well done.
I’m often ashamed to be an American, but I lack the cojones to leave. It’s cushy here.
But that open letter… man. It’d be nice to have a change come from it.
But it’s an affront on pride, and many people don’t take those kindly. Like Wil’s pal pointed out, there are several ways to take a letter like that, and one of them is with outrage, ignoring the points made within and continuing along the present course.
Change is scary. Pity we’re such a bloated country. If there’s any luck out there, younger generations will pick up the ball and run with it.
Like other have said the letter is a bit over the top. but it has a lot of true points. things do need to change. but sadly most of the country are ignorant morons who aspire to drive giant SUVs or gas guzzling sports cars. food industries have gotten so large and mechanized that food be it meat or vegtable is highly processed and filled with altered genes or hormones. the list of things go on. If peopel cared american could be a better place with elected officals who aren’t in some corporations back pocket. many things coud be changed but they won’t how small is the community in that nation that CARES. not many. if every person did even a small thing be it adopt a child instead of add naother to the already over populated planet, drive a fuel efficent car.(everyone shouldo this) but any how a very small portion of the US population give a care and not many more are able to over come thier coimplete ignorance of anything outside thier little world.
As a Canadian, I also completely agree with the sentiment of the open letter. The statement “an affliction of mass denial that brings shivers up the spines of millions outside your borders” sums up my own feelings well.
But I also realize the letter uses unfair stereotypes and inflammatory language that lump all Americans into a single negative image. That kind of portrayal is only designed to raise your hackles. You very rightly would feel defensive.
I know many Americans, and individually you are great. Truly. Your country has so much to offer, and so much is wonderful about it and the people in it.
But the problem is entirely that as a nation (collectively, not individually), your policies, actions and attitudes all too often frighten me and many others in the world. So please do not take our fear and anger personally. We can only hope that statements like these, and intelligent rational debate, will eventually lead you to change your nation for the better.
Trolls must not be fed
But from thoughful rejoinder
The US can learn
I spend alot of time on the internet and speak to people from all over the world. The other day I spoke to a chinese person who informed me that China blames the US for it’s political climate (or something to that effect). I know the US is no angel but it seems to me alot of people like to blame “us” for far more than what we actually perpetrate. People may fear “us” more but there’s also a bigger target on our ass.
Wil, you really should investigate the buddhist religions. You seem to be making personal discoveries that fall right in line with some of those philosophies.
Peace, Fetus.
Wow, that open letter is one big troll. Not that I think the US is perfect, far from it, but the intent of the letter is clearly more about provoking a response than actually expressing a deeply felt point of view.
One of the main things that can be criticized about it is that most Western countries are vulnerable to the same criticisms of the US, although not always to the same degree. Does Canada not also consume oil? Does the UK not also send its troops overseas (and is the UK not often even more aggressive and jingoistic than the US)?
This letter will only serve to polarize its readers into either the “right on, the US is totally evil” or the “screw you Canada you ungrateful bastards” camps.
Excellent post, Wil.
HunahpuMonkey, the second half of your last graf is certainly true — we are not a group of thugs personally. However, our leaders certainly are thugs, as are all world leaders, or at least the ones who can act like thugs.
Because America has the most power, it can act like the biggest thug. It isn’t us; it is the nature of the system. Our leaders ally themselves with someone like Ariel Sharon (or Saddam Hussein twenty years ago, see today’s MSNBC) not because they want to see the Palestinians and Israelis suffer, but because they benefit. Our problem is we do not call them on this.
When our country — our country, I’m an American and I would not have it any other way, except warmer in the Midwest in the winter — has 50% of the world’s resources and 4% of the world’s population, it is, well, whiny to say we are the victims of bigotry. It is like Bill Gates complaining that everyone picks on Microsoft. We suffer all the way to the bank.
We are fortunate. We need to make sure everyone in the world shares in our good fortune, because it is a good life here. It should be this good everywhere.
Wil, I read your story first before reading the Open Letter. At first I thought the Open Letter was wildly melodramatic and I therefore almost stopped reading it. I kept going back to it though and frankly, the author is right. You’re quote at the end is dead on.
This nonsense America is engaged in needs to stop and it’s the citizens of this country that need to put a stop to it. While no country on the planet can please everyone is it really necessary for us to actively displease the entire planet? There is a bill that will come due at some point and I can gaurantee that if we stay on our current path we won’t much like it.
Kman
This is indeed a door that can be either opened and walked through or closed and pissed on. The US is seen so much as a bully/monopolizing/trying to take over the world with our culture and economy — the government needs to reevaluate how the message and the actions we do are being sent our and perceived…. we cannot afford to lose the next generation to hatred and fear nor can we afford to alienate our allies.
As always Wil, an insightful look… thank you SIR!
i get mad at the things our government does sometimes…i get mad at the reasons our government does what it does sometimes…sometimes it seems the only voices that are heard are the loudest, whiniest and richest…when the quiet voices of reason and wisdom are going unheard by the powers that be…but i can’t give up on the USA…because i know most of the time the truth does come through…like it always has…it may take longer than i like…but sometimes the waiting for justice makes it all the more precious when it comes…am i proud to be an american…YES…do i believe we still have a long way to go before we can really be the society we have the potential to be…YES…we still have alot to learn…about ourselves…and about the other people who share this planet with us…and like everything else we humans learn…too often this wisdom is born from pain.
Wil,
I can’t say that the open letter does not have it’s points. A lot of America no longer cares about anything. We are a nation to consumed with are daily grind of going to work, going to school, paying bills, and grabbing a bite of fast food in between that we hardly take time to notice anything political, or even outside our own family circle until it smacks us right in the face, and when it does we get angry, why? If we are to lazy to care before why care now? That is why I agree with you. We should take a step foreward through that now open door and take a long look at ourselves, and reavaluate our
priorities.
Well said Wil.
Well until your next post……
Matt……
The “Open Letter To America” is merely a badly written parody of Gordon Sinclair’s famous 1973 commentary.
“The rest of the world hates us.” Thing is, and I’m saying this from the perspective of a world traveller, the rest of the world are idiots.
This guy seems to have his problems, but for some reason he wasn’t killed for speaking his mind. What a horrible country we are.
Wil,
Thank you for perspective, and asking the right questions. I have found that the people who are the greatest teachers, aren’t the ones telling you how it is… Great teachers ask the right questions to help you reach your conclusion.
We are all children of the Great Spirit, we all belong to Mother Earth. Our planet is in great trouble and if we keep carrying old grudges and do not work together, we will all die.
– Chief Seattle
I know it is difficult to accept but at least 99.9% of Mr McDougall’s letter is true. For example, Bin Laden is labelled a terrorist and monster, yet former Israeli Defence Minister and now Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, is not. (When you say a prayer for the victims of 9/11, also say a prayer for the victims of Sabra & Shatila — September 2002 is the 20th anniversary of that horrific massacre and Sharon is as much responsible for the deaths of those 3,000+ men, women and children, as Bin Laden is for the deaths last year.) This is all documented fact and if this is documented fact, maybe all his other accusations are documented fact. Use the power of the Internet and research first, before dismissing anything, or everything, out of hand.
Further more, McDougall *had* to make it inflammatory because it is the only way Americans would bother noticing it. If he had been polite, he would have been ignored. In much the same way a polite Palestinian protestor is ignored but a suicide bomber is noticed. You may abhor the latter’s method but at least you noticed the message. The same goes here: abhor the method but *notice* the message. How you react to it, then act on it, will determine if he’s got a point, or not.
As usual, well said Wil.
I am a Canadian and I do not agree with this letter. Not because the points made are not true (many are) but because they imply a malicious intent which I do not believe is there.
As a nation, Americans are arrogant … but then again, as a nation, you’ve earned that right. Your biggest mistake is that you assume that the rest of the world wishes they were American. Trust me, the majority of people in every first world country are proud of their nations and would not become American for anything.
But back to the open letter (more accurately described as a rant). It is just infamatory ramblings that are not based on any facts. It presents no evidence … nothing to argue against. It is not worth the effort.
Well, I can’t say I like american policy, or even most of the mentality down there (being Canadian and all) but I do find the letter over the top. Something so very rigid and paranoid like this does not help anything, although it is interesting to see that americans tend to take it seriously for good or bad. High drama always has an impact. Just look at Jerry Springers ratings.
When the American government looks out for what is in the best interest of it’s people, the other countries hate us for it.
When the American government takes care of other countries, the other countries hate us for it.
Could it be jealousy? I think so.
However, I do appreciate the personal story that you wrote, Will. That took guts. 🙂
Wil:
If more people would phrase their arguments the way you did, the world would be a better place. America isn’t perfect, but I would rather live here than anywhere else. The writer of that hate-filled manifesto forgets one thing: the world is an anarchical society, and sometimes nations have to do the unpopular thing to protect others. Does anyone here argue that Afghanistan is worse off now than it was on September 10, 2001? If someone can say yes to that, I would like to hear it.
Like it or not, George Bush IS the president of the United States, and given the exhaustive recount done by both the Washington Post and the Miami Herald, he won Florida. But I digress.
Yes, Bush is too pro-business for my taste, and the political system in this country needs massive campaign finance reform, but for the most part, the right things get done for the right reasons.
But I am not responding to you, I am responding to that letter. Like I said above, you phrased your arguments cogently. However, isn’t it possible that in this anarchical world system, some people hate us because we have a mostly open, tolerant society? And isn’t it possible that some nations are inherently anti-status quo? Who should stop those people?
And when it comes to Israel and Sharon: remember, Israel is a Democracy, the Palestinian authority (leb by the Billionaire Arafat-what is his job again and how did he make is money? By robing his people?) is not. Palestine never was a country, it was a region of the British Empire. And, by the way, most Palestinians live peacefully and successfully in their native country, Jordan.
Just calling it like I see it.
Thanks, Wil
Wil,
A very honest and interesting story from your limousine days. It seems your girlfriend or critic opened your eyes and you agreed with the criticism, then set about making changes. I don’t think McDougal is such a worthy and objective critic. According to him, the FBI and intel. agencies arranged JFK’s assassination, likely arranged 9/11 to justify totalitarian laws, and might arrange for a nuke in one of our cities if 9/11 doesn’t enable our “shadow gov’t” to achieve all it’s totalitarian, freedom ending objectives. I can think of a few conspiracy theories he didn’t mention, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t agree with them.
We all have things we think should change in our country. Often, they’re the opposite of each other. But, McDougal hardly seems like an eye-opener, or door opener we need. You seem to agree with that. He told us a lot more about himself than about America, IMO. Don’t you think we should take a good look at the motives of our critics? Should European, or other nations, have a veto over our policy decisions? They seem to want one. Just because someone or a nation disagrees with us, or doesn’t like us, doesn’t mean their opinions are better than ours.
If we succeed through violence and bring greater freedom to people who had few rights, and whose welfare was generally poor, we’ve sown the seeds for a better future. Freedoms and rights are normally suppressed through violence, and change seldom comes in those cases except through those who can bring greater power and remove those who suppress freedoms. That will never happen without the loss of some innocent lives. The alternative is for the suppressed to live that way indefinitely, with little hope of better days during their lives.
There were few specifics in your fine post, or in the replies so far. But, it always comes down to specifics, things to do or refrain from doing. What if only 20% – 30% of Americans agree with doing nothing in some of the current situations our country must contend with? They other 70% or so might not be the fat fools McDougal seems to consider them (us). Who are the fools?
Interesting post, Wil. Maybe more specific issues later.
Roughy wrote:
“…when people start to understand that someone else’s reality is actual their perception of things, maybe then they’re work to change perceptions instead of being so damned defensive.”
-Very well said.
Rhett wrote:
“The letter’s core thesis is bang on, however the ideas are presented in a very inflammatory way encouraging some to not take it seriously.”
-I think that’s the idea I was trying to get across in my original reponse to Roughy’s McDougall post at Unrealistic Expectations. I haven’t written like that in a long time, and it felt good.
Wow, Wil, you’re good. That post deserves applause and a standing ovation. Your writing once again amazes and impresses me. Kudos for walking through that door and for having the intelligence recognize similar doors.
You seem to be at a really good place in your life right now. Remember that, especially when you have bad days. You’re living the “American Dream” with intelligence, eloquence and courage.
As a Canadian, I do agree with the core meaning of the infamous Open Letter, but I cannot stand how it was written.
We’re supposed to be polite, dammit. This guy’s giving us a bad name. 😉
Seriously, Wil, I admire what you’ve said in this post. I don’t dislike Americans, I don’t even dislike the United States on the whole, but if more people thought the way you do in this post, I might actually *like* the US instead of seeing it the way I do now… A neighbour that I’m (sometimes) embarassed by.
What’s wrong with you people? Why is it at all important that the rest of the world likes us? We are NOT the cause of all the hatred and stupidity that goes on in the world. That letter has only one grain of truth in it:
“Does this bother you? Not in the least.”
Should it bother us what idiots and morons say? It shouldn’t. Yes America is a super power, the only one left. And we support half of the rest of the world with our money. The Canadians and EUnicks, don’t.
I don’t like the way the letter said some of the things. It was kinda harsh I think. However, many of the base points in the letter I have thought myself. The real reason I have not said those opinions aloud to too many people is because I’m chicken. The cover reason is because I made a choice to live in society and in order to do that I have to keep my mouth shut on a couple issues. If I didn’t want to live in society, if I didn’t want to go to school or ever have a job, if i wanted to live in a padded room or get “dissapeared”, then I could let loose everything I suspect about our collective (US and Canada) governments.
As a New Yorker I’m certainly well aware that there are no shortage of people out there who hate America. Some people can lay it out in rational rhetoric, others spew out hate filled purple prose like this manifesto.
There’s nothing particularly original about it. Give the average bigot 5 pages to spew about the people he hates and he will produce something very much like it, whether it’s against Blacks, Jews, Gays, Latinos or whoever.
What is mildly interesting is the acceptance it’s enjoying from self-hating Americans. It’s as if a black man picked up a newsletter from the KKK, nodded his head and said, “Well it’s a bit extreme, but they have some good points.” And of course self-hating people like that who will agree with their enemies’s views of them, in part because they’ve internalized those prejudices, do exist in every community. Unfortunately it also seems that they’ve become a vocal minority in the United States.
That’s why I laughed when I read the letter. After all it’s so obviously a man working out his prejudices, seething with hatred and spewing out incoherent and rambling attacks combined with every America-bashing cliche imaginable. I stopped laughing when I read the responses from some Americans praising it. The letter itself is meaningless, the fact that there are some people out there who hate their country enough to respond to this rambling bigotry with anything but derision and contempt suggests some rather sad things about them.
I laugh at you all. At the person who wrote the Open Letter, those who support it, and those against. Most of you don’t know what you are talking about. I’m one of them, but hear me out.
The problem with government and politcs these days is two-fold.
First, the world is huge. There are billions of people. Everyone has their own agenda. This results in politics that are almost undecipherably complicated. Millions of decisions are made, policies created, bent, and broken, for who knows how many different corporate, public, or personal reasons, and somehow we think slapping words like ‘evil’ or ‘good’ on the actions sum them up accurately. What a joke. Governments trying to save human life will associate with murderers. Governments will help you now so they can take your money later. Governments will support free speech, and then the next day not support free speech. Believing a government has ‘wants’, or that it ‘likes’ something is as useful as personifying a rock. It is INCREDIBLY hard to understand. It’s like trying to predict the weather or stocks – you can do it sometimes, but there is no perfect model.
The second problem is that no government I know of is open enough. How many of you can honestly say you have made political choices based on first-hand information, or even second-hand? Where is the massive Internet depository of all political decisions and their history, and the tools to effectively parse that information? If you are looking for a way to solve the world’s problems, the creation of a massive political information dissemination organization is a MUST. Until that happens most of your opinions mean jack.
I refuse to comment on our current situation because I KNOW I am not receiving decent information.
Let’s start a relevant discussion: where do you go for your information? How would you rate it? What could be better? If people actually deign to respond to this maybe we can compile a useful set of links.
Mr. McDougall
Bravo Wil!!!
I just wanted to say it is so interesting to read your posts everyday. You really put alot of time, effort and thought into your messages. I find that whether you are an actor or not, you are a very interesting person and I will continue to check in with you!
Take Care,
Arrina
I read the open letter and I have to agree with most of what is written in it. Not being an American gives you a different view and as Wil said, when you are outside looking in you can see things wrong with America that people living there can’t or won’t accept are true. So I have to ask myself, why is America the only country objecting to its soldiers being held accountable to the World Court for war crimes? Why when I travel in Europe and Asia do I see American tourists displaying Canadian flags or pins so nobody will think they are Americans? Why did the U.S. attack Afghanistan? I think I can answer that one myself. Oil. I believe the real target should have been Saudi Arabia but the U.S. knows that it would be impossible to attack them without losing their oil supply. So they have picked Iraq as their next target and once they have invaded and secured the oil fields who knows, maybe then the American government’s view on Saudi Arabia will change. But I digress, maybe more Americans should take that letter and show it to some non American friends and get their honest opinion, no matter how much the truth will hurt.