Sinful Nation

To many, America might be seen as a wonderful land of freedom and opportunity. But perhaps the people of this country have been given a little too much freedom. Years ago, the United States was founded on the basis of strong morals and good ethics. Over time, however, these seem to have lost their sway, for the majority of America’s public no longer appears to stand for these good virtues. Instead, the U. S. of A. is now able to clearly exemplify all seven of the infamous Deadly Sins.

Without doubt, America’s greatest flaw is its pride. The people think they are better than others, whether that notion be based on appearance, wealth, occupation, et cetera. As a simple example of this, one local New Jersey high school’s motto was: “We’re not snobs; we’re just better than you.” Even as nation, the U.S. prides itself on being better than other countries. Some people feel that they can brag about the fact that they are from a ‘superpower’ country with such great benefits and advances, and then look down upon developing countries with disgust and ask “why can’t you be more like us?” It is amazing that there is even enough room left in this country with the size of all theses egos and self-inflated heads. America has a major superiority complex.

And to add fuel to that fire, there are the evils of greed and envy. If Mr. Jones has something, Mr. Smith has to have it, too, except his has to be bigger and better. Car dealerships, in particular, are known to play on this all of the time in their television commercials, promoting their cars to be faster, cheaper, and far more reliable than the competition. Corporations are built upon this. Advertisements are everywhere and for everything, building both the greed of the companies and the greed of the people. But besides the thousands of prominent, persuasive advertisements for products most people really do not need (but end up buying anyway), greed corrupts to do far worse things. Americans have developed an insatiable desire for more and more personal wealth, most of the time just for the ability to say “I’ve got more than you.” And the desire for this leads to the next great sin….

Wrath. America has one of the highest percentages of prisoners per capita in the world. Thousands of people are brutally murdered in this country each year, and for what? Many times, it is related to money. The drug culture thrives on the constantly flowing funds, and if you cannot pay your debt in cash, you are most likely going to have to pay it in blood. But with such a high crime rate, Americans have almost become desensitized to the violence constantly going on around them. That much can clearly be seen within the entertainment industry. The most popular movies and video games are almost always centered on violence and gore. Ancient Rome also had this blood lust and craving for violence, and it led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent men that were forced to fight for their lives as Gladiators before the packed crowd of the Coliseum.

But American entertainment is not simply concerned with violence, for it delivers another desire that Americans so desperately crave—Lust. So many musicals artists have made their career off of their explicit lyrics and video content. Promiscuous activities are steadily making their way into movies of lower and lower ratings. What would have once warranted a rating of NC-17 can now be viewed in most R-rated movies, and even some PG-13. Even primetime television shows are based on a sex-related plot, a clear example being “Desperate Housewives.” Good, clean, family entertainment is harder to come by because of the increase of sexual content. And one might wonder why the U.S. has one of the highest percentages of teenage pregnancies, or why topics such as abortion are such a prominent issue. It is sad to say that sex crimes are all-too-prevalent within this society, with a despairingly high number of rapes, assaults, and molestations reported on a daily basis. But even the presidents of this country have found themselves caught in the middle of sex scandals.

Yet while these five of the seven Deadly Sins are so clearly evident, there are two that cannot be disputed as affecting the United States more than any others. These are sloth and gluttony, and a perfect example of both is the success of every fast food franchise across the nation. No other country in the world has so many McDonalds’ or Burger Kings. Instead of cooking a home meal, many American’s opt for the easier choice of going through a drive-thru, where they can be handed their food without even getting out of their car. The documentary “Super Size Me” showed the detrimental effects of such fast food reliance. America is, on average, the largest nation; though this is not by population or land mass, but by belt size. Obesity has become a severe health concern, and the effects of it are proven to be fatal.

But the people of this country would rather sit on their couch with a Big Mac and the remote control, subjecting their children to the violence and explicit content of the shows while complaining about how they wish they had a wide-screen high-def T.V. like the neighbors, instead of packing homemade sandwiches and taking those kids for a walk in the park. The word ‘America’ is no longer envisioned with the image of a majestically waving striped and spangled flag, nor a farmer’s wheat field, nor a soaring eagle. ‘America’ now conjures thoughts of big-time corporations and their flashing logos, expensive cars, and immodest fashion trends. So many people strive to come and live in the United States, when it is actually a shock that no one is trying to get out.