When our ancestors were fighting it was will of freedom that had led them – basic things as right to live, eat, make a family, having children. Nowadays, we do have it, the freedom and we are trying to extend it in some way. But do we know how to preserve it?
They call America Land of free. Not only for the historical events, but because of the right to have rights. Freedom of speech , of assembling, of landowning, of almost everything. But rights sewed by rules and conditions. Аmericans found own tool to preserve the freedom – by rules ‘s restrictive power for almost everything, they invented even rule for itself. This was my first clash with the american democracy. And americans actually think that definition of freedom includes their own, otherwise it simply doesn’t exist. But all these impressions and insights pose The question – does America still have the right to point itself as land of free? How many sides does the coin have?
Freedom is something subjective as much as truth is. And here it comes The first amendment. Everyone in USA speaks about it like it ‘s something extraordinary sacred because it’s the origin if the american free will. Maybe it should be. But there’s no other country who is managed so deeply by the rule of law. And isn’t the main goal of law to restrain malicious practices such as violence, abuse, rape, robbery…and in some point freedom. But without no boundаries how can we say where it is, this thing that we all scratch and strive for. Controversy. Right?
A week ago when I arrived in Minneapolis, MN, I realised how well and easy all these people are living. Not because they are free to do whatever they want to, just the opposite. They just follow the rules and even put themselves in stereotypes. So, for instance, if you want to take a smoke, you must do it in some pointed place. No matter how deeply cigarettes are making impact on me or you, and ignoring that probably you express yourself in this way, which is a protected act in terms of the first amendment, you don’t have the right to do it. Another controversy.
All these things don’t mean that you have to confuse the concepts like we do in Bulgaria very often. I mean democracy is not a lack of rules. This would be relative to anarchy. But do we need so many limits? And do we have to emphasise them in terms of freedom? And can we put а sign of equality between democracy and rules?
So many questions, and even more are coming up when you see that behind all small things there are standing the bigger ones. In the Land of free some policemen can arrest journalists for no reason just as it has happened in Missouri, while two reporters were covering the story of a black unarmed teenage boy who were killed by unnamed police officer.
May be after 11/09 or due to some cultural issues that I still don’t know, civil liberties decreased. Last year president Obama approved killing of U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaqi. This came after he claimed the right to order the killing of any citizen considered a terrorist or an abettor of terrorism. Administration officials state that the president can order the assassination of any citizen whom he considers allied with terrorists. But do we have any proof who with whom is allied? Or in terms of his power president have the free right to do it.
But as I’ve mentioned it earlier, coin do have other side. And when you flip it this is where rules start helping you obtain a successful life. Minneapolis has a huge immigrant community about 80 thousand people from countries as Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia and Sudan. The most important thing first you have to learn in this land of endless opportunities is the rules, Emma Kasiga from the African American development center in Minneapolis said. You have a lot of challenges even if you start with the basic of basics and have to figure out what dime is and how the whole american system works. Nobody knows how much it will take to get trough all this bureaucratic system. But оnce you take hold on it, it gives you the potencial for gaining.
So, at the end, if you look back you’ll see that the basic challenges you’ve been facing over the years were rules who give you as much freedom as exactly they take back. So, next time when you hear some american speaking and proclaiming his country for land of f*ee…at least I’ll smile: )