But if it were Thursday, I wouldn’t be here, because I’m off tomorrow for Thanksgiving, and worse, we wouldn’t get to have a Thursday Three (the Internets’s most popular time-wasting diversion!) It’s awfully difficult to have a Thursday Three today, since it is a Wednesday, but the week just wouldn’t feel right without our usual set of probing, insightful inquiries.
SO IN THAT CASE, let’s have us an Axis of Weevil Wednesday One!
Now, since it’s close to Thanksgiving, we might want to ask the usual question about what you’re most thankful for, but in order to make it slightly different, let’s do this--
What do you think other people aren’t thankful enough for?
Everyone is free to play along (even if in you never had any Pilgrims and Indians) by either leaving your answer in the comments section below or a link to your very own blog.
As for my answer…
I don’t think people in this country are sufficiently thankful for the simple fact that they live in such a bountiful and free country as we do. Now I know there are other people in other countries who think they have it better, and that’s fine--I’m all for having a competition to see who can have the best and most free country on the globe. Don’t even have to shoot each other! But still, even if we were second or third, we’ve still got a great big pile of people here who live richer, more expansive lives than anyone in the history of the world, and yet all they seem to do is want to complain. Or worse, to try to act like their OPPRESSED by being forced to live here.
It’s an odd psychopathy we have amongst some of our brethren. They see people across the world who truly are oppressed--subjected to daily humiliation and deprivation--and on some level recognize that’s not a good thing. But rather than try to uplift those people, help them break their shackles, these numbnuts pretend to be enslaved themselves. There’s got to be some name for it, but the idea that somehow these folks who can speak from anyplace and say anything about anybody are subject to brutal suppression is silly on the face of it, and demeans those who truly are powerless. Why would you want to deliberately be unhappy? What in your makeup makes you think the only way you have value is to cloak yourself in pretend sackcloth and ashes? Why not take the true freedom you have and help other people, instead of trying to gnaw off one more little entitlement for yourself?
It’s a mystery.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at November 22, 2006 08:14 AMOpportunity
Which is basically another word for freedom. We are free to choose our paths and work toward getting to our goals. This leads to great social mobility. To my knowledge the sons of steel company workers don’t get to become architects and college professors.
Continuing the theme, choice.
Nothing like a trip to the mall to show how much choice we enjoy.
Posted by: Janis Gore at November 22, 2006 10:46 AMIts just a simple thing really, in the grand scheme of things, but it speaks to the things we take for granted- we drink the water from our taps. Much of the world, even if they have running water into their homes, cannot drink the water. The recent advent of bottled water here in the US is nothing new for much of the world where all drinking water comes out of bottles.
So raise a glass in thanks to our public water treatment operators and plants!
Posted by: Nate at November 22, 2006 10:56 AMGood call, Nate.
Posted by: Janis Gore at November 22, 2006 11:01 AMI'm in.
Posted by: skinnydan at November 22, 2006 11:55 AMI think many Americans take usury for granted. They put themselves into heavy credit card debt to appease their materialistic tendencies.
Posted by: megabeth at November 22, 2006 02:29 PMHEY! We aren't supposed to talk about ME!!
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at November 22, 2006 03:01 PMBut isn't it all about you?
Posted by: skinnydan at November 22, 2006 03:21 PMWell, yes--unless it's unpleasant. And that's ALWAYS about someone else.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at November 22, 2006 03:26 PMClean air. Drinkable water. Butcher shops. Plentiful vegetables. Nice neighbours. Healthy children. Bicycle paths along clean waterways. Old Volvos. Chardonnay.
And live-to-air cricket.
Posted by: kitchen hand at November 22, 2006 11:12 PM