Shame on America?

The Boston Marathon: an athletic event that has lost all of its meaning because of terrible events that took place. And in the aftermath, the goons of America jumped online to Tweet and share how it was the "sand niggers" and "Gooks" fault. This is why nobody likes America. These people jumped to wild accusations backed by unsubstantiated evidence stemming from a culture of racism, intolerance, and ignorance. This is the only country that would tell you that one plus one equals two dead Arabs.

A viral tmblr post (click here) revealed a mass of Americans hiding, waiting to pounce on the enemy for whatever reason. Their knee-jerk reaction's re-iterate our views of America.

With every destructive event that takes place in America, the hordes of haters come out, but so do those that stand for civility and represent the good side of America. I hope we can all ignore the few Americans, the hypocritical, racist dogs that have destroyed the reputation of America and focus on what is good. Aside from minor differences, we are all brothers and sisters. And in a time of disaster, we must stand together as one to console our neighbours. We are after all, divided only by borders and oceans.

What if the culprit turns out to be a Caucasian male earning $55,000 a year working as a mechanic, driving his two children to school every morning in the suburbs, while his Christian wife prepares a home-cooked meal? What if? The public shaming should put these trolls on the map and hopefully get rid of them too.

The epitome of America is no longer defined so simply. I don't know what it is, but it was once a place where a man could dream and fulfill it. Where a man could try and save the lives of children without being accused of pedophilia. Where a mother showing strength on-camera all the while mourning quietly in the shadows off-camera is not called an actress. Where people had the strength and courage to stand for morality. Americans, you are letting a minority of hateful people re-define your country. America is still a proud nation, often too proud, fired by passion and a desire to succeed. But it is being ruined by the immoral, ill-valued citizens that call America home.

What I saw and focused on in the wake of the aftermath was a large majority of Americans clinging to the foundations of humanity. Strangers carrying strangers to the nearest ambulance. Restaurants opening their doors to the bewildered and exhausted offering comfort, coffee, and Wifi to contact family for free. Amputees from the west coast providing solace to the east. This is what I wish all of us non-Americans remember when we think of their nation. There is no need for us to vilify an entire nation in the same manner as the Tweeters calling for war.

Why am I standing up for America? Because I am Canadian and they are our biggest allies. Because an attack on its citizens by terrorist bombs or by slander is unfair to all that is good. They are like any other country with a diverse range of opinions, some moral and some hateful. 85 per cent of their firefighters are volunteers. There is still a lot of good that exists within America and if we want to stand tall as a global unit against anything, we can not knock anybody down, whether it be Arabs, Koreans, or Americans.