Head in the Sand

This appeared in Facebook. It generated some 150 plus comments! No surprise. Nothing hits home like the inhumanity of tying healthcare to dollars, the cruelty of saying we’ll take care of you for lots of money and let you rot if you don’t have it.

One of the comments, from someone named Jeff.

I hate to say it, but I would rather be bankrupt and have the best medical care in the world than being in one of those countries and get mediocre socialist care and die four years later anyways.

That comment got 26 replies, one of which was:

You don’t own a passport, do you, Jeff?

And Jeff replied:

No, I don’t. Why?

 Let me pause here. Do you see what’s going on? Not only does Jeff make an assumption about the “mediocre socialist care” in other countries based on nothing whatsoever, but he doesn’t even get that it’s an issue that his world is so small that he doesn’t know what the hell he is talking about.

Of course, that “nothing whatsoever” is the insidious mythology that America is the greatest, has been the greatest and will always be the greatest— in everything. Despite the fact that the World Health Organization ranks it 32^nd in the world in terms of health care. And if you actually read factual statistics about our standing in terms of education, infant mortality, gun violence, people in prison, etc., etc. and yet again, etc., you would see there’s a disconnect between our perception of our omnipotence and the reality. Yet another facet of the “I’m normal, you’re a jerk” mentality that permeates our country. Making arrogant judgments and proclaiming overviews of situations with our head in the sand. Not much of a view down there. Pull it up and look around. Better yet, walk around. With a passport. 

Or at least see Michael Moore’s “Sicko” or “Where to Invade Next.” Check it out, Jeff, and then let’s continue the conversation.