What We Can’t See about Ourselves

By David R. Young, author of THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM: Freedom vs. Enslavement

Have you ever had the opportunity to talk with an immigrant from a communist or socialist country?  It’s like listening to a dinner guest pointing out the ketchup on your chin. You express your thanks as you wipe your chin, perhaps slightly embarrassed.  “Your zipper is down.” “Oh, thanks.” you say as you turn away from the crowd to pull it up. Though such helpful observations tend to carry some embarrassment, you’re still thankful because you can correct the problem.

Americans grow up in the freest country in the world. We have our families, our jobs our routines. We go to school and learn about our country and government. We have a sense that government is taking care of things and America will be around forever. Any possibility of a blind spot occurring in this scenario?

Have you had the opportunity to speak to an immigrant from Cuba, Russia or an Eastern European country? Perhaps you may take offense if a foreigner points out the ketchup on our countries face, but if you manage to get past the initial indignity and embarrassment, if you listen to their stories and their reasons for coming to America, you’ll gain an understanding you never obtained in school. You’ll hear first hand accounts of life under oppression. But they will also point out warning signs of oppression in America which perhaps you have noticed but considered unimportant in the scheme of things.

How do blind spots occur? The simplest blind spot is caused by an object being located outside your line of site. By just repositioning yourself or with some assistance from another the object can be located and action can occur if needed.

Another type of blind spot develops where someone intentionally withholds, lies or passes unknowingly false information about an occurrence or regarding some piece of information. For example, it is often presented that Thomas Jefferson is the Father of Democracy. If you were given this piece of information as a student in school, you would believe Jefferson founded and supported democracy in our country. If you were then told America is a democracy, you would see no reason to question that.  However, if you were first presented with the following quote from Jefferson: “Democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” you would have a hard time accepting a statement like Thomas Jefferson is the father of democracy and you would certainly question a statement like; America is a Democracy, which it is not. Ever heard of a Republic? Know what it is? That’s another blind spot most American’s have.

Those who state America is a Democracy either have a blind spot themselves or are being intentionally deceptive. Why would someone do that? What might their motives be?

What numerous blind spots might American’s have about their country?  The subject of the Political Spectrum is in fact a dangerous blind spot in America. Failing to understand it, American’s become divided over apparently unsolvable issues because they have lost site of the larger picture.

Understanding the full political spectrum is the first step to set America back on the road toward freedom for all men under the law. This is not an overstatement.

The Political Spectrum: Freedom vs. Enslavement politely but effectively points out the fallacies and truths behind many American blind spots and presents this data in an easy to understand manner.

It’s uncomfortable to point out ketchup on someone’s chin. It’s usually embarrassing to have someone point out the red smudge on yours. Don’t take it personally, look at is as a favor from one American to another.