Why CAN'T we all just get along? No really, why can't we?

Oh that's right, I forgot--we're too busy killing each other.

The human race is nothing if not persistent in erasing its own existence. I watched a good movie the other day, Traitor. I was glad that its director approached it from a realistic point of view, and not just that of your typical American. They actually helped the film's audience see terrorism from the point of view of the terrorists. It sounds insane, I know, but hear me out. Muslims believe in peace until there are no other options left on the table. The terrorists we hear so much about are extremists of that culture, just as the crazy fundamentalist Christians are the extremists of American Christian culture, but somehow on this side of the fence, we see that as okay or somehow moderately acceptable. But is it really that different?

In terms of the Iraq war and terrorism, for so many Americans, it seems easier for them to justify this war if they think of the entire nation as terrorists, conveniently forgetting about the majority of the population which has been driven out of Iraq and into Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, etc. The majority of those hurt the most in this war are not extremists. Though cultural beliefs may differ, a lot of them are much like us: just trying to get by.

If you're an American and you voice dissent on your government's political and military actions, you're suddenly unpatriotic and decidedly un-American. Nevermind the fact that most of the people who are passionately outraged at the direction this country is taking are the people paying the most ATTENTION to it. Those hurling the insults like "if you don't like it you're free to get the hell out" are so often those who can't be bothered to read a book on political history or watch more than 5 minutes worth of political discourse on the evening news (which doesn't even count as political discourse). It's aggravating to those who can't focus on trivial bullshit like "Oh my god, did you see what Lauren did on The Hills?!" or "Did you see Dancing with the Stars last night?" Who cares? Really, do you care about this stuff? It's honestly no wonder that Americans are seen as fat, lazy, and uninvolved in the eyes of many Europeans. We're so much more than this.