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[This is a guest post from a 3L who decided sending us fan mail was a better use of time than doing work for law review. Excellent observation. It also means we can dick off and get back to nursing our hangovers and playing Skyrim.]America is a legacy.
No, I don’t mean America has a legacy. I mean America is a legacy. As in, that fraternity brother who only got initiated because his dad was a member (as was every other male in his family). The “legacy†brother is the one who gets in, not on his own merit, but because of who he’s related to; what his family’s done in the past.
That’s America in 2011. If the world were one big fraternity, modern America would be that kid who got in because someone before him did something really cool, and he just so happens to be related to that guy. Essentially, we’re the loud kid at the party who gets drunk and passes out way before anyone else, but not before making complete and utter asses of ourselves in front of all the sorostitutes.
Just look on the internet. The U.S. is the butt of every joke contained in these interwebs that connect the world’s nations together. In a world where many of the emerging players are growing rapidly based on recent development, we’ve been skating on the top for quite a while. And yet we, as the younger generations, feel like America’s better than everyone else because of what our forefathers did; forever failing to recognize that what our people accomplished decades ago does not in any way validate us now, nor does it make any statement about our own self-worth on the international stage of the 21st century.
In a fraternity, the legacy feels like he’s entitled to special treatment because his dad was hot !@#$%^&* back in the 70’s. And in all fairness, his dad was pretty cool. And the legacy does get special treatment, because if it weren’t for his dad, he would’ve been kicked out the door long before the first rush keg was ever tapped. In the international sphere, America is that same kid. We act like we run the place, just because generations of Americans before us were worth a !@#$%^&* and changed the world (like won wars and !@#$%^&*). Now we rest on our laurels, contributing relatively nothing that couldn’t be found elsewhere, and other countries are forced to smile, nod and pat us on the back because “his dad won wars and !@#$%^&*.â€
But the world is catching on. All of our “brothers†are starting to realize that we’re not as indispensable as we’d have them believe. Our system of government isn’t the savior of humanity, and doesn’t work for everyone. Our beliefs and values are not the gospel, and thus don’t have to be accepted. Our economic savvy isn’t unparalleled, and other countries Â_canÂ_ succeed doing it their way. Our currency is strong, but other countries can band together and be just as effective and competitive in global markets. Like the moment when all the brothers realize the hot girls don’t wanna hang out because “that legacy kid sucksâ€, the world has caught on to the fact that it is perfectly capable of carrying on without us in their business all the time.
We’ve been exposed. As great as our forefathers were, as revolutionary as this nation has been, and as effective and instrumental as the U.S. used to be in global modernization, none of that was us! That was the Americans before us who worked their asses off to make things better. Those were individuals who saw the future and worked toward it relentlessly. Those were Americans who fought for what they believed in, worked for changes they insisted upon, and envisioned and built a better world. Let’s face it, that generation is almost gone. We’re their sons, and if we’re gonna be worthy of their name…American…we have to stop riding their coattails, or calling in the “legacy benefits.†We have to man up and do for ourselves. Make our own progress. Innovate, renovate, and reclaim this nation and our spot in the world as global players who are relevant in our own time. It’s time to grow up and earn our stripes as world leaders, rather than just falling back on what other people did before us.
Yeah, the “Legacy†is a brother, he’s a member of the fraternity, and he does have the potential to prove his own self-worth. But no one respects him. Why not? Because the only reason he’s on top is because his predecessors did something cool. He’s never done any of that for himself, and until he finally steps up, NO ONE believes he can.
We are perfectly capable. We are the greatest nation on earth. But not because of who we used to be, or what our grandfathers did, but because of who we are! The more time we spend resting on our laurels, the more time we waste not reaching our potential.
Step it up, America, or the only chick you’ll be hooking up with is that purse-holder legacy from the community service sorority.
Killer article. Commented on it that it was just what the self entitlement crowd needs to read.