Reality Bites: Are we ready to End our American Arrogance and Eat Humble Pie?

OUT RAGE OF THE WEAK!

We just insulted the Canadian Veterans of the War in Afghanistan and got beat by Japan, the World Champions of Baseball

Is Humble American Pie Cooking in our Oven yet?

by John P. Allen

Ouch, we suck!  Yesterday, Japan defeated South Korea in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) to win the title of "World Champion"  The crowd was packed with screaming fans, soldout at Dodger Stadium.

The U.S. Team lost the day before to Japan 9 – 4 in the semi-final to a less than capacity crowd who seemed asleep at times.  This in the wake of the once dominant USA Softball losing the gold medal to Japan in the Olympics this past summer. 

Yesterday, I heard a commentator on one of our blubby radio talk shows say that the rules of the WBC need to be changed to accomodate Team USA because it’s not fair that we lost.  We should be the champions.  Really?  We need that kind of help to compete?  Hum?  A Bailout!  Could be a good idea!

Do we really need to have the rules of the WBC changed so that we don’t have to suffer defeat at the hands of what we think is a lessor competitor or are we simply stuck in the mud when it comes to accepting a challenge and embracing competition.

What is going on folks?  Are we scared to compete?

Consider the point that we prop up our Major League Baseball Championship as the "World Series".  Okay, okay, I know it’s a tradition.  I get it.  But shouldn’t that name be changed to something else?  I mean, it’s not really a World Series is it?  It’s an American series and in only 2 cases in the last hundred years, it included a team from Canada. This hardly makes it the "world". 

Can you imagine if Mexico called it’s baseball league championship, and yes, they have a pro league, "The World Series", wouldn’t we just laugh at them?  Well then, is the world laughing at us?

Or do we still think that Japan cheated or won because the rules are not fair to us or because…..well, you get the point!

There are so many examples of our contempt and failed arrogance in the face of poor performance that it’s starting to look like we have a serious cultural malaise or some sort of myopic view of ourselves.

And no bashing please from the blind cheering section.  I love America just like the next guy.  That’s why I wrote this article! 

But I cannot in good conscience keep pretending that "USA is #1" on everything and saying stuff like "We are the greatest country in the world" when we do stuff like torture and attack countries preemptively without provocaton while making up stories that they have weapons of mass destruction. 

In addition, pretending that we are the best baseball team in the world when we lose to Japan in the real World Series and pretend and call our MLB Championship "The World Series". 

In many cases from sports to economy to good governance to life expectancy to quality of life to freedom and liberty, we are simply not #1.

Check the scoreboard! 

Or do you still think that we won the World Baseball Classic yesterday because Japan got lucky or they are not playing by rules that benefit us or the scoreboard guy got mixed up and transposed the numbers?  And maybe you still think our economy is "kicking ass" and that our Auto Industry is #1 or that we don’t torture?

Oh, and lets’ not get into debating our economic mess because I will meltdown and throw my shoes at…oh, darn, what’s that?  Somebody beat me to it already!  Ouch, I suck!

Anyway, check this out! 

This week the Fox News Show "Red Eye" insulted the Canadian people in the wake of their loss of 4 soliders fighting in the Afghanistan War by making jokes and poking fun at a very unfunny subject.  Just another brick in the arrogance wall?  You be the judge.  See the sad video here.

This kind of insulting contempt has to stop if we are going to become a world leader again.  We got to find the humble America again or the joke is going to continue to be on us and our children will pay the price.

In the end, they say respect is always earned.  It’s never a given.  If we are to gain respect, we need to give it first. 

So let me be the first to extend our hand to Canadian people and acknowledge that yes, you were first into World Wars I and II and yes, those soldiers that died this week fighing in Afghanistan to work to further the goals of the free world side by side with us are respected, honored, and appreciated. 

Furthermore, Congratulations Japan, again you’re the 2009 Baseball World Champions.  We, the USA, extend our hand of respect for your effort and committment to excellence.  You’ve earned it.  As for us, well, let us finally eat a big slice of Humble American Pie, keep our mouths shut, and get back to work.