This Is Not Us

America the beautiful. It used to be about sex, drugs and rock and roll. Now it's about sexual assault, drugs, and gun control. Only in this country do we worry about our kids dying from a mass shooting or a laundry detergent pod.These are not our best colors. Something is rotting in the soul of our culture that is creating shooters, rapists, and prescription drug abusers. If you look around, seems like people are not so happy. (I am not saying by the way that the real reason for school shootings is mental illness or depression. I earnestly believe the real reason for the shootings is lack of gun control). But you have to admit, guns are not the only problem, there is something wrong with our society.We are so busy being worried that our kid is not going to get shot in school that we forget to worry about whether or not we are raising a potential shooter. However, a lot of kids and adults want to kill other people but the ones that do it have access military-style weapons, which we make legal. We teach our girls how not to get raped, and forget to teach our boys how not to become rapists. And finally, if our kids are willing to swallow Tide pods, what will stop them from swallowing opioids?And it doesn't help that our politicians are funded by the NRA, prescription drug companies, and most of them are men. This is a political problem, that has become a social problem, that has become my problem and yours. We are perpetuating this cultural madness by electing representatives that are bought by companies that are killing our society.We are better than this, I just know we are. Call me an optimist, call me crazy, I've been called worse.The problems that this country has faced in the past few years are not new. There has been a gun problem in the inner-city for decades, now that there is a gun problem in the white suburbs, it's a national problem. There has been a drug problem in the inner-city since there was an inner-city,  but now that opioids are affecting the suburbs, it's national crises. Women have been sexually harassed and assaulted since the beginning of time, now that some prominent white celebrities have spoken up, people are finally listening.Fine.If that is the way it is, that that is what we have to work with. Whatever brings attention to an issue is not the issue.But this is not what our country is about, is it? This is the country where my dad landed from India with ten dollars in his pocket and made a prosperous life for himself and his family.We the people, we are not this. The majority of us are good people just trying to get by. Most of us don't have the luxury of spending all day thinking about all of the national crises that exist. Most of us are living in the midst of these crises and praying that we can survive.Most of us send our kids to school, hoping that they don't get killed. Most of us women worry about being sexually assaulted and harassed, pretty much anywhere we go. And many of us are worried about a loved one who has become addicted to drugs praying they won't die.Let's face the facts: There will be another mass shooting in America. Another woman will be sexually assaulted. And someone will die of a drug overdose today. This is coming from an optimist.I'm sorry that these are the facts. I wish they weren't. I wish it wasn't true.Let's also face the fact that other countries around the world are probably referring to us as a shithole country.So what are we supposed to do, now that the crises are in everyone's lap? There has to be a revolution, much like the Civil Rights Movement, or when the Indians kicked the British out of India. We must kick the assholes out of America.If we have to march, then let us march. If we must boycott businesses, let's resist. If we decide to shut this country down until they listen to us, then let us do it.We the people must wield our power.Vote. Vote with education about your representatives. That is all you have to do.There are more of us than there are of them. And when I say 'them' I think you know who I'm talking about. There are more good hard working people then there are corrupt politicians. There are honestly if we did a real count of all the people who didn't vote, there are likely more liberals in this country than conservatives. There are more women than men.We outnumber them.Let's show them who's boss.nina