Tribal

“So why not Venezuela, Russia, or Iran?”

“You name all of these other countries….”

The two employees of an apparel and other goods store bickered.

“They represent the places you could live since America is so terrible,” Kerri Posner replied. A pillow fell and Mala picked it up.

“You said that the Europeans shouldn’t have explored this continent and ‘exploited’ the people? They were tribal savages who had no conception of property rights and therefore individual rights.”

“They didn’t have to slaughter them and enslave us.”

“Who is ‘us’? I’m a woman of color who happens to live in America,” Kerri proclaimed.

“You’re black, right?”

“No.”

“You wouldn’t understand how the white man has treated his own kind much less everyone else.”

“And all the advancements…the innovations…where would they come from?”

“They would be here. Somehow.”

“The people who were on this continent were here for centuries and all they produced were moccasins, tipis, and some peace pipes. Europeans brought civilization here and look at the magnificent nature of America today.”

Mala was not impressed. “Still, they ruined lives and America is still messed up.”

“What about the Declaration of Independence?” Kerri asked.

“What about it?”

“It set forth the greatest statement in human history. That a country can be founded based on an idea. It’s like Thomas Jefferson said, this should be a more perfect union. There is space for improvement but America has been the leading nation for centuries now.”

“Genocide, enslavement, and slaughter is what this country is about. The history is that disastrous.”

“Yet you benefit from all of that and continue to breathe on land that you claim is so horrific.”

“I do know that I’ve been able to live here and know that I can reap benefits from the people who were killed and built this country.”

“If you had been born anywhere, what country would you live in?” Kerri asked.

Mala looked at Kerri. She looked even more concerned than ever. Her face read that she couldn’t get the ideas of her life.

“If you can’t think of any, consider this: millions of people are trying to come into this country from deplorable nations. There are millions of people who yearn to know freedom and wish to build lives in the noblest country ever.”

Mala looked at the clock. “It’s almost time to clock out.”

“You still didn’t pick a country. But that’s okay. It was a hypothetical question. You’ll never be able to unbirth yourself. But what you can do is move away to another country. What’s it going to be?”

Mala looked even more confused. Her brow furrowed and she wanted to speak but couldn’t.

“Canada,” she finally blurted out.

“Again, millions of people are headed towards the border from Canada. America is the world’s home for those who wish to shrug off their old worlds and discover the New One. It is a beacon amidst a wasteland.”

“Those people just want to be excused from their drudgery,” Mala admitted.

“I think you’re starting to get it.”

“I’m not agreeing with you. You’re saying that we’ve got it so good over here. Like everything is love, luck, and lollipops. There are cops who will shoot you dead in the street. Corporations don’t care about people over profits. This country is a cesspool of serial killers, drug dealers, and domestic terrorists. What do you have to say about that?”

“Bullshit.”

“How?”

“Everything you mentioned is an outlier. The rule of the land is prosperity, safety, and pride. Crime has plummeted and all of the things you mentioned are miniscule compared to the enrichment of lives that continue to grow from America’s founding principles.”