Who Hates America More?

The Reverand Wright controversy has brought back into conversation that that "liberals" or "the left" hate America. I would like to look at these accusations to see whether there is any truth to this argument.

First, let me state that I'm sure that there are some people who get labeled as left wing or liberal actually do hate America, but I think this is a very small minority of individuals. The majority of people with liberal views actually love America and want to see the country evolve beyond some of its less than stellar past mistakes. Everyone needs to acknowledge that the Unites States has erred many times in its history. Primary and secondary history courses often paint an idealized portrait of the U.S., without acknowledging that we have made terrible mistakes that have even cost innocent people their lives. I challenge anyone to make a credible argument that the U.S. government has not been responsible for the death of innocent people. Would conservatives have us celebrate this achievement, or dismiss it as an anomaly of our allegedly superior system? The purpose of dissent and criticism is to change and improve, not to destroy. If we do not admit our failures, how can we have any chance at improving ourselves?

Yes, the U.S. market approach may be the best system in the world currently. There is a certain degree of opportunity, though we are not as much of a meritocracy as many believe. We are relatively free from government interference in our daily lives. When you compare the U.S. to the chaos of say parts of the African continent or parts of Asian, then the U.S. does appear to be a beacon of freedom and justice. The U.S. has done a lot of great humanitarian work throughout the world, but does being the best house on a bad block mean that we should become complacent.