How Many Of You Hate America? | Teen Ink

How Many Of You Hate America?

August 21, 2009
By Eilina Sealtman SILVER, London, Other
Eilina Sealtman SILVER, London, Other
7 articles 0 photos 15 comments

The common view of things is often different from the reality. They can be twisted, beautiful images that shield us from the truth. Sometimes people should think of it not as a shield, but as a blindfold. Because a world superpower is taking steps too far. By consuming more fossil fuels than is necessary, by standing still and making no military progression when it was needed, and by waging war on a country and attacking soldier and civilians over a mere dispute for oil. This “great” country, is America.

Many people look to America and sigh with envy at “the American Dream” . However, that dream cannot last long, while America is guzzling up precious resources left on a rapidly crowding planet. These figures speak for themselves about the evident greed of America:



Coal > Production
531,822,000 ton


Coal consumption
1,060,000,000


Commercial energy use
8,148.38


Electric power consumption > kWh
3,920,613,000,000 kWh


Electricity > Consumption
3,892,000,000,000 kWh


Gasoline prices
0.77


Geothermal power use
5,640


Natural gas > Consumption
652,900,000,000 cu m


Natural Gasoline > Production
12,275,000 ton


Nuclear electricity generation
780.1 terawatt-hours


Nuclear energy consumption
821.1 terawatt-hours


Nuclear reactors operable
104


Oil > Consumption
20,680,000 bbl/day


Oil > Exports
1,165,000 bbl/day


Oil > Production
8,457,000 bbl/day


Oil imports > Net
10,400,000 barrels per day


Oil reserves
22,450,000,000 barrels


Usage per person
8.35 TOE per person


Wall plugs > Voltage
110 V


Wind energy installation
6,740 MW






These crimes are forgivable, as other nations are guilty of many similar crimes, such as Brazilians chopping down the Amazon. But global warming is not the most important aspect that we can hold against America. America has extorted countries beyond the point of recovery. Equador, for example, was reduced to a poor scrabbling wreck once America dealt out loans to them. Now Equador only has 5% of its national budget to spend on public services, whilst the rest of the money goes into paying off foreign aid, almost all of which goes to America. Is this right? Is it fair that Americans can bully nations? Furthermore. America threatens, assasinates, and then goes to war with the presidents of countries who refused to run their countries as they like. The war with Iraq is a simple example. America wanted oil. Iran refused to give for no good reason. Why should we just let them do this to us? Us as a world?
Oh yes, because they have guns!

The U.S.A government is a trigger-happy collection of murderous power figures, They do so much to the world, and yet they have nuclear arms and their military to point at other nations, and say “give me your money!” They succeeded for so long due to pure fear, but now other countries have the chance to strike back. America doesn't have all the power anymore. A single grain of rice can tip a scale. Somehow, America has set in a system which everybody likes. A system where people don't think. Where they impulsively buy items that will break very soon. In America, only 10% of items bought for a house are kept for more than a month, and only 5% of those remain for 6 months. America designs products to be made so they break as soon as possible, but will still leave the client with faith in the product, enough so to buy themselves more.

But who benefits from this system?

The aristocrats do. Right up in their trees, lording over us. There are bankers who awarded themselves millions of dollars in bonuses whilst creating a recession that would cripple thousands of struggling individuals around the world. This doesn't cause stress for people living on government benefits, but for the people who are just above the poverty line. America makes those people struggle and work every day. It does so by enforcing a system where the elite (namely money-posessing) people take hold. Can nothing be done to create a fair and happy world?

Well, there is something you can do. You can be fair. You can be smart, and you can think before reaching for your credit card while watching an auction channel. You can PAUSE and WAIT before buying that “wonderful new shave”. We have to know our limitations, and stretch them. Whoever is reading this, YOU are the workforce. You are the people economically enslaved. There is hope. You can work together towards goals such as Project Venus, Save The Forests, Oil Conservation, and Fairtrade. These small lifestyle changes will help you sleep at night. How can we sleep after reading this, knowing that we are only here through the turmoil and suffering of potentially hundreds of other men, women and children.

When a child reaches to the future, who will have the heart to say, “we've used it up, son.”


The author's comments:
Many of you will be enraged by this article. I mean no offence to any human being, merely a minority's actions. And if you can condemn a terrorist group, can you condemn a group of terrorist that don't use guns and use the American people to shield themselves?

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This article has 392 comments.


on Jan. 25 2010 at 11:04 am
MisplacedTexan14, Saratoga, California
0 articles 0 photos 106 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you can't stand behind our troops, feel free to stand in front of them."- a Bumper Sticker
"If Obama was the answer, it was a stupid question." - Another Bumper sticker

How is America unfair? We're giving TERRORISTS a criminal trial. If anything we're being too nice to our enemies.

on Jan. 21 2010 at 10:43 am
TxDragon BRONZE, Saratoga, California
1 article 0 photos 61 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Come and Take it!" -citizens of Gonzales, Texas, when the Mexicans tried to take away the cannon used to defend their town.

does the date September 11th, 2001 mean anything to you?

cooliopixxx said...
on Jan. 20 2010 at 4:46 pm
Uhm... can you say the real reason for the war in Afghanistan?

on Jan. 20 2010 at 1:12 pm
TxDragon BRONZE, Saratoga, California
1 article 0 photos 61 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Come and Take it!" -citizens of Gonzales, Texas, when the Mexicans tried to take away the cannon used to defend their town.

give me an example of things the American government hides from us.

on Jan. 19 2010 at 4:01 pm
boston418 SILVER, Weymouth, Massachusetts
5 articles 0 photos 48 comments

Favorite Quote:
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." -Jim Eliot

Say what you will, but you should at least thank God that this is a country with a right to free speech. In a nation like China or north Korea, you'd probably be killed for writing this. And who do you have to thank for this right? Oh! That's right! That "trigger-happy collection of murderous power figures" who risk their lives every day to protect you and the laws that you are so ungratefully taking advantage of. If you don't like the situation, quit complaining and do something about it, but until you get going on that, please don't waste my time with invectives like this.

on Jan. 19 2010 at 9:18 am
kindyxkandy BRONZE, Richmond, Virginia
3 articles 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You have to suck before you get to success. It's about the journey."

Alright, I'll give it to you, yes America does use a lot a resources that makes us a little wasteful, but in case you haven't been notified, so do you. Yeah, you waste a little less, but thats only because your country is SO much smaller. If your country was as large as America, it would be wasteful too. Your not American, don't judge our country just because of your clouded view. And also, an educated person would know that a lot of stastics are complete lies, so yeah those might be true, but I'm not going to agree with you until I see YOUR country's statistics.

on Jan. 14 2010 at 5:20 pm
MisplacedTexan14, Saratoga, California
0 articles 0 photos 106 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you can't stand behind our troops, feel free to stand in front of them."- a Bumper Sticker
"If Obama was the answer, it was a stupid question." - Another Bumper sticker

The author of this doesn't even live in america. I love America. Yes, we have some problems, who doesn't. The UK has health care problems.

And the author says the war is for oil, well her country wasn't attacked in 2001. Maybe the author should worry about her counrty's problems instead of critisizing America.

sprinkshine said...
on Jan. 13 2010 at 7:48 pm
Me too. There are so many things they hide from us.

400king BRONZE said...
on Dec. 28 2009 at 11:30 am
400king BRONZE, Hemet, California
1 article 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
a poem is never finished, just abandoned

america is what i call a shared monarchy. we elect a new king ever 4 to 8 years. think about it, the constitution tried to make a fair and equal three branches of gov't yet it's easily seen the president has far superior power. On the eve of the french revolution, where prices and taxes were extremely high, a mere 400 families of the entire contry owned 90% of the wealth and today in our country about 400 families own 90% of the wealth. Maybe our leaders should have paid more attention is history class. But yes i also agree with the thing about china, why isn't there an article about who hates china? china is completely absurd with the stuff they use and the population they are getting to. I just find it a sad day when a young kid would rather go to a city than go fishing. In utopia i read "how can you call yourself a prosperous nation when a minority owns a majority of the nations wealth and the rest are simply miserable and even the rich are miserable." That sums up america today. I've been telling myself that we are the future and how i want to write something that get the word out and this, in some way, does. It's a great article but i still believe it could be more emotional because emotions are what spark people to do things and so a spark of emotion for change can spread like wildfire in a world so ready to combust.

Beta Slicer said...
on Dec. 6 2009 at 9:37 pm
Only one comment; your claim of the article is in the last paragraph only. It would be more persuasive if the claim was woven into the entire article instead of just the last few sentences. That, and, avoid answering your own rethorical questions. Other than that, your article is very well written and overall very nice! Just my two cents.

SilentLust said...
on Nov. 14 2009 at 7:50 pm
It's better than getting acid thrown in your eyes for speaking to your husband out of turn in Pakistan. I know America isn't perfect, but there is so much worse. The grass isn't always going to be greener. Stick up for what you believe in, but know that there are (some..maybe not a lot, but some) rational decisions behind every choice made.

fandangopink said...
on Oct. 23 2009 at 11:37 pm
I don't hate America. I just hate the American Government.

floe239 said...
on Oct. 7 2009 at 9:18 pm
floe239, Cleveland, Ohio
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I completely agree and I'm American. Our country and constitution were built on democracy and capitalism, two things that are immensely different. We are taught to be greedy and live to spend. It is our purpose. Everything we do is for money and who gets it? The upper class. Who are a lot of the people in the upper class?

The people who in the government.

And who will they protect?

Themselves.

You have to be rich to have power. The rest of us are just peasents.

Sunshineyday said...
on Oct. 7 2009 at 2:06 pm
I can see where you are coming from, but one thing you must understand is that the government and the people are not the same. WE THE PEOPLE do not always agree with the government. We try to fight it, in many cases. It is the citizens' struggle, and it happens all over the world. I am willing to admit that America's government has done alot of bad things, as do all governemnts, The difference is America had lots of money and as the richest country in the world, the warlords have a certain confidence about their brazen crimes. Jusr remember that the bueracracy does NOT represent us.

on Oct. 6 2009 at 1:32 pm
Listen, I am so proud and surprised and happy that this article has made it at all into the top 25. Thank you so much EVERYONE who has voted it well, and keep reading everyone. I will post more stuff soon.

Love ya all!

x

on Oct. 4 2009 at 5:04 am
ElizNieves PLATINUM, Chicago, Illinois
36 articles 13 photos 49 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody." The Catcher in the Rye

I want to go to London

on Sep. 24 2009 at 11:37 pm
irighetti BRONZE, Sewickley, Pennsylvania
2 articles 0 photos 2 comments
Also, if we kept putting our guns up to other countries demanding money, how could we be in so much debt?

on Sep. 24 2009 at 10:58 pm
irighetti BRONZE, Sewickley, Pennsylvania
2 articles 0 photos 2 comments
Considering the fact that America and UK are allies, this isn't a very nice article. It's a well-written article, don't get me wrong! It just doesn't seem rational in my mind.

PK4evr ELITE said...
on Sep. 23 2009 at 8:10 am
PK4evr ELITE, Allen, Texas
105 articles 5 photos 107 comments

Favorite Quote:
When life gives you lemons, make grape juice, then watch everyone wonder how you did it!

Yeah, I'm an American... haha... and I think that we need to behave more... :P. You speak with really strong feelings against Americans, however. How do you know that all of them are like that? I know America controls a third of the world's wealth- something along those lines- but there are the poor and middle class people here in America that haven't really done anything... like me... then again I'm a teenager... oh well, I like being American and all, but we do mess up a lot of our world...

heyyy said...
on Sep. 22 2009 at 3:19 pm
I am PROUD to be an American!