American Heritage???

It occurs to me that while I am American, I simply don't always agree with some of the fundamental thoughts of my fellow Americans. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm basically pretty liberal. As a "left-winged, pinko-commie liberal", I have a tendency to listen to NPR (National Public Radio to my conservative friends - not Fox anyway.)
So, I was listening to a conversation today (don't really know what the topic was), that got me thinking that perhaps there is a flaw in the way that we Americans think about our culture.
The discussion took a turn for what I can only refer to as, "self-righteous pity."
The guest was describing how "we" as Americans, came to this land through struggle. Our ancestors, whether white, black, Hispanic, what have you - all had to overcome such deep adversity to colonize the country we see today and have made us who we are as a society.
Now this is where I see the problem. I am sick to death of self-righteous sociologists pinning who "we" are on our ancestors! I think it is absolutely safe to say that our ancestors did in fact face many trials and tribulations - certainly some more than others. But to equate the struggle of colonizing the new world with the modern, American society is ludicrous and irresponsible!
The guest was basically implying that unlike our European counterparts, who often point to their "elitist, aristocratic" past, we come from far more humble beginnings and are better for it because we have overcome!
Now, on the surface, I can see how people may buy that. We have, over time stamped-out slavery, given (relative) equal rights to women, and come a long way with regard to race relations. We are by no means perfect - or even near perfect, but better. Still the timeline it took this "revolutionary, democratic, human rights-filled" country to do some of these things is pathetic! All of the western, free-world abolished slavery before we did and schools were still segregated within my lifetime in certain places.
But I digress.
The point I'm making here is that yes, our ANCESTORS did overcome great obstacles to form this nation, but to compare their struggle to today is unfathomable! We are NOT a damned-thing like our ancestors! We have know idea what it was like to come to a country with nothing, build a house in the wilderness, confront horrific and frequent diseases, battle with a domestic enemy who resented the robbing of their lands, being a slave - owned by another human being - made to work so that the owner can become wealthy. We don't know these things! We live a posh and spoiled life in general. We live in the lap of luxury - poor people today are goddamned kings and queens compared to the way most people lived in the 17th or 18th centuries.
So to say that our ancestors shaped who we are is more than slightly skewed.
This is not to say that we shouldn't be thankful for their courage. The men who established our constitution and laid a general fabric for our country are to be commended. However, as much as I personally honor them, they themselves were NOT omnipotent, omniscient beings that had the answers to everything. No human being can be that.
The lifestyle of people in the modern world compared to the lifestyle of people even 50 years ago is like a massive leap through time.
History is about learning from it - to avoid making similar mistakes. It is not an excuse for modern society.
For example, one of my favorite documentary film makers, Michael Moore (enough with the groans neo-cons), once suggested that perhaps we live in such a violent society because of our violent history. In essence, blaming the sins of today on the sins of the past. He later determined through further examination however that the past didn't have to do with it. Canada had and has gun ownership and they have a fraction of the violence we do. Australia was like the old west in the 1800's - and again a fraction of the violence today.
It's the culture of the here and now that makes the difference.
We as a society, must stop blaming the past for our modern condition. We cannot keep recycling the crutches of our ancestors on which to stand tall. We read history - we learn from it and we move on to make our own history. Our world is far, far different than it was in 1776.
Our founding fathers pointed us in the right direction, but ultimately it is our world now and whether we pass or fail is up to us and us alone.