A recent Time magazine article contrasts statistical use of marijuana and cocaine in our country as compared to other nations. The results are not shocking: 42% of Americans have toked or snorted, some starting as early as junior high school. Me? Well, I was a late bloomer by today's standards. I got baked for the first time in 11th grade, for justifiable reasons: I'd been stood up for the prom, so I met up with an ex-boyfriend and medicated myself until the damned event passed. I figured, "what the hell, next month I'm graduating a year early, so it's not like I'm gonna need these overachieving brain cells." Fast-forward to college, where I eventually shared an off-campus 3-BR apartment with 3 fraternity guys who'd lost their house; one of the roomies had a 4-foot water bong. Miraculously, I had a very good GPA that semester. Granted, I was taking a crip courses like Philosophy and Intro to Theater (aaah, Kirkegaard and Ibsen were so enjoyable) but I am certain that herbal intake was not the cause of my scholastic downfall.
Here's the interesting twist: The aforementioned article states experimental drug use is practically non-existent in China and Japan. So where's the connection? Are we as a nation better off because we release stress by lighting up or snorting a few lines? Or have we contributed to our collective demise while our Asian peers kick our once-great industrial asses to the curb? America has lost its competitive edge. We have become the laughing stock of the global market and our formerly stellar reputation as a world leader worthy of respect and admiration is sullied beyond measure. Is my generation to blame? Perhaps the Baby Boomers who burned their bras and draft cards contributed. Fingerpointing is futile. One thing is certain: this country - the land of the free - is full of self-centered, undisciplined, whiny, fat, lazy degenerates who couldn't care less if other countries usurp our throne of excellence. Why should we care? We're too stoned to muster any concern. We are free to make our own choices, and the majority of Americans have chosen to sit on their lazy asses and waste away their lives, their hopes, and their dreams. Who am I to complain? This is the beauty of freedom. We can do whatever the fuck we want, laws and consequences be damned.
This is not to imply every American is worthless. But we have allowed ourselves to become lax and now we are paying the price. When parents complain about the quality of their children's education, we should focus the searchlight inward: why did we allow our schools to deteriorate? Why have we stopped treating teachers with the dignity and pay they so justly deserve? Why have we turned a blind eye to the deplorable conditions in our healthcare system? Where is the respect for our fellow men and for our country we once had? We continue to turn a blind eye to our nation's myriad problems in the unrealistic hopes that the next generation will clean up the messes made by our generation and the generations before us. Wake up, America. Do you need Windex for those rose-colored glasses?
Maybe we should just start passing the peace pipe with our worldwide competitors. Eventually, if we're all too stoned to give a damn, we'll all achieve mediocrity together. This just might be the elusive recipe for peace...
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