One early morning while finishing up an animated discussion about the controversies from last night’s presidential debate with my AP Government and Politics class, Ms. Healy asked us the question: “How many of you believe America is the greatest country in the world?” We warily looked around at each other as half of our class raised their hands. My eyes widened in surprise as I did not agree with this statement. In my opinion, John Winthrop’s vision that America is the shining “City-on-a-Hill” is overrated. I believe that the notion that America is the “greatest” and “superior” over other countries is a result of our culture’s tendencies to disregard our faults.

A few of us shared our opinions with the class- defending America due to its diversity and jobs, or making the argument that other countries have more money and less war. Ms. Healy showed us a clip on YouTube from the HBO TV show, Newsroom, where the character Will McAvoy introduces the idea that America is not the greatest country in the world, through an impressive rant which exposes the facts. “We’re 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories. Number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending…” Personally, I was stunned by McAvoy’s support to his claim and was surprised that we aren’t highly ranked in education or a leading nation in several categories.

As you read this, you may be thinking that I lack American pride or that my views are pessimistic- but don’t get me wrong, I believe America is also a “Mecca” for those seeking independence, liberty and opportunity. For example, this country has personally affected my family because my dad immigrated to Seattle, Washington from a small town in Belgium to find a job at Microsoft in the “Land of Opportunity”. My grandparents also immigrated to the United States to escape war and poverty in the Philippines to live in a country with a thriving economy and live out their “American Dream”. These personal connections in my life are all examples of American success stories. I hope that by sharing my opinion, we can acknowledge as American citizens that it is also our duty to view our country through a critical lens.