Is The United States Civilized?

World History

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World History

Is the United States Civilized?

“Every civilization depends on the quality of the individuals it produces.” Humankind is the axis of civilization and food is critical to the survival of humankind as Maslow keeps it in the base of the Human Needs Triangle (McLeod, 2018). Traditionally, civilization is defined as “a complex society that creates agricultural surpluses, allowing for specialized labor, social hierarchy, and the establishment of cities” (Early civilizations, 2019). The United States of America is a civilized country according to this traditional definition, but the contemporary US has many other flaws that undermine its status as a civilized country (Goodreads, 2019).

Civilization standards are determined and protected by the policy-makers of a country. Democracy is the core of American civilization. Moreover, it finds the roots of its civilization in the golden rules of the Declaration of Independence: the right to (i) life, (ii) liberty, and (iii) pursuit of happiness. The US is the sole super-power and its policies affect the whole modern world. Therefore, its ideals should be judged both in internal as well as external context.

Internally, the US is not in harmony with its democratic values that the authority is to be given or taken by the public and not anyone else. The current president of the US was a loser according to all the survey reports regarding the polls of 2016, but the results shocked both the surveyors as well as the voters. Even some foreign involvement in the polls was alleged. The other rules are also compromised in the way that a middle class American cannot expect his/her offspring to have a better life than his/hers: Sham American Dream(Veblen, 2017). This is the reason that the contemporary American skilled class is giving up before China.

Externally, the US does not have an impressive moral profile because of its strained relations with Iran, Turkey, and China. Europe considers that the US diplomatic policies are spineless rather senseless. They disregard the American departure from the Iran Peace Deal, and they consider that the American New Cold War with China can lead the world to chaos (A view from Europe, 2011).

References

A view from Europe. (2011). Is America a civilized country? Philosophersbeard.org. Retrieved 25 October 2019, from http://www.philosophersbeard.org/2011/02/is-america-civilised-country.html

Goodreads. (2019). A quote by Frank Herbert. Goodreads.com. Retrieved 25 October 2019, from https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/510588-every-civilization-depends-on-the-quality-of-the-individuals-it

Early civilizations. (2019). Khan Academy. Retrieved 25 October 2019, from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/birth-agriculture-neolithic-revolution/a/introduction-what-is-civilization

Veblen, T. (2017). Absentee Ownership: Business Enterprise in Recent Times-The Case of America. Routledge.

Mcleod, S. (2018). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved 25 October 2019, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html