What does one think when hearing the word “America”? Well, for starters, it is quite difficult to think of only one statement for America to be because it is just so diverse. America is one of the most powerful countries in the entire world, and is linked to so many different cultures, racial groups, and religions. There are certain aspects of the American culture that are uniquely American, and can be found “only in America”. Quite notably, one might say, “Only in America would we have a business man as our president” or “Only in America do we accept weather predictions based on whether or not a groundhog sees his shadow.” No matter how funny or insane these statements may sound, they are all part of what makes “America” America. However, we not bounded by and limited to just these attributes. We are much more than that.
Stephen Fry once said that the phrase “Only in America” refers to something “astounding, new, novel, remarkable, brave, bold, zany, ridiculous, colorful.” Quite frankly, this description is nothing short of the absolute truth. Compared to many other countries in the world, we are absolutely the best. We are all either immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Though we all come from a myriad of different backgrounds, there is one ideal that unites us all: we want to succeed. Those who come to America come with the intention to do better than their ancestors. It is the idea that they leave behind the burdens of the past and start fresh in another country with opportunities for individual growth and advancement.
This is one of the only countries in the entire globe that a person is able to come from nothing and still be successful. It is the American spirit that drives people to become not only the best versions of themselves, but is able to become something that has true meaning. Americans are innovators and are able to overcome any obstacles that they may face. We come up with new, bold ideas and actually have the capabilities to make those ideas come to fruition. We are truly able to live out our own “American Dream”, which is ultimately funded by the free enterprise system that guides this great country.
This country allows for opportunities that people in other countries can only dream about. One can start up a business and be their own boss or get a job that funds their own passions and goals. America is one of the only countries in which we are ale to truly be ourselves and become whatever person we want to become. Not only are we are the most diverse and colorful country in the world, but we are determined and strong willed. There are those who claim that the American Dream is behind us. Yet, they are totally wrong. The American Dream is the future and we are in charge of it. It is our duty to seize the opportunities that we have in this country to make it a better place. And quite frankly, only in America is our dream as a nation so big and so bright.
When I first heard the phrase, “Only in America,” my first association with it was negative. In my personal opinion, it is what many people use nowadays to describe something quite ridiculous, and frankly unlikely to happen anywhere but in a country such as the United States. I had a similar understanding in high school where my school had a multitude of unfortunate events occur, which landed us on various news channels and headlining a variety of local newspapers. Such events sparked the phrase, “Only in Mahopac,” in my own high school, as we began to see ourselves as the “joke” of the county. This mostly came from the fact that the circumstances that surrounded my school’s TV debut each year, continued to be something completely unpredictable – a mercury spill that closed the school for 3 days, a car accident which damaged the entire science wing, or even toxic fumes from the school buses which relocated us for an entire week. Such things just simply didn’t happen, but of course, “Only in Mahopac.”
In contrast, after we discussed the topic in class on Wednesday, I began to see the phrase “Only in America,” in a different light. I feel that Brianna’s interpretation of the way in which America provides its residents with endless opportunities, is quite persuasive and provides a more worldly view of our values as a nation. As Brianna explained, we are a nation of innovators, constantly making new advancements in all aspects of our daily lives and breaking the boundaries previously established by the world’s greatest minds. We stop at nothing to achieve that “American Dream,” and bring some purpose to the work that our ancestors did in making the trip overseas to start a new life. In my opinion, many people today have forgotten about such efforts and the sacrifices that came with them, giving “Only in America,” a very different connotation. The phrase is one that should mean, as Brianna explained, that the world is ours to explore and make the most out of. In America, we have the freedom to be anyone and do anything we set our minds to. Not many countries have such a luxury, and had some of our greatest innovators, such as Steve Jobs, been born in a country other than our own, we likely would not have such great feats of technology as the smartphone. “Only in America” can we have such endless opportunities and I feel that Brianna was very effective in portraying the importance of taking advantage of all that America has to offer, both in the present and in the future.
I really have heard people say, like the guys in the video I showed, that they were only first able to be themselves or who they wanted to be when they came to America.
I really liked how you outlined all the great things that make this country great. As you did I think I always viewed the statement of “only in America” as something negative. I think this has to do with the political climate that we are in. Half the country wants to make the country great again believing America was only great in the past. While the other half of the country believes the country needs change to make it better in the future. Everyone views America as flawed in the present. This I think is why “only in America” turned into something so negative. Everyone believes the present is flawed in one way or another. No matter what side of the political spectrum your on I think we should all realize how great America is now. “Only in America” turns into a much more positive statement as you realize how great this country has been to all of us!