NO MORE WHINING, PLEASE!
Fellow Americans, please indulge me in a short rant that may leave some with egg on their face, and some with the whole omelet. There are others however than can legitimately plead “not guilty. Soon you will know which you are.
I wish to hear no more complaining and whining, and see no more articles from the citizenry, press, or media, about the “emptiness” of the supermarket shelves. Enough!! You are acting like immature truculent children! I have just returned from my weekly trip to the supermarket, and the shelves are NOT “empty”. From what I can see, respectfully, no one is starving. So, let’s put a lid on this now.
Vastly fewer choices are the norm for most of the eight billion inhabitants of our planet, where many people actually ARE hungry and starving! Having journeyed to some of the poorest nations and most remote corners of the earth, I have seen starvation in wide perspective and can unequivocally assure you that it has no resemblance to our situation. Compared to the markets in many of the nations to which I have travelled, even in its currently “reduced” state, we are surrounded by an embarrassment of edible riches. The concept of a “supermarket” itself does not exist in most places other than first world nations. As long as we are “owning up”, enough complaining about the cost as well. We in America have had it too good for far too long. Food here is amongst the least expensive in the world. This is a fact. Most of the residents of our globe spend the bulk of their waking day performing physical labor in order to earn enough to put food on the table. Others are coaxing subsistence crops from the soil. You drive to the supermarket with its thousands of products and complain! Can’t find your favorite brand of beans? They are out of the 6-ounce jar of imported marinated artichokes? Your favorite designer brand of bottled water is nowhere to be found? No fresh baked onion rolls? My sincerest apologies for being so judgmental. I certainly had underestimated the enormity of the situation.
I politely and respectfully ask the press, the media, and each of my fellow citizens, to appreciate that you are living in the richest country on earth by every imaginable measure. If I see or hear the term “American Exceptionalism” one more time I will scream so loud that I will crack the walls! You have no more right to this good fortune than any child born onto the filthy streets of the poorest countries of the world. You are not entitled or special in any way. Forget your monogrammed license plate and designer clothing. They don’t count. Where you live or what you drive is also irrelevant. You are just another random member of the herd. You, however, were lucky enough to be born in, or living in, “these United States”. YES, LUCKY! LUCKY, LUCKY, LUCKY! Think about your good fortune and appreciate it!
Americans, please don’t shame us on the world stage any longer. Please. We are creating resentment from the less fortune across the globe at a time when America needs all the friends it can possibly acquire. Our country has bigger fish to fry, so let’s not perseverate on minutia any longer. Should you find yourself in a situation without enough to eat due to lack of items in the market, or not enough money to pay for this cornucopia of edible bounty, call me and I will help you.
Howard Axelrod is a travel photographer, writer, and former high technology executive. He has photographed in 85 countries on six continents. He is a resident of Ashland, Massachusetts and Delray Beach, FL. Howard can be reached at highwind@verizon.net.
