Feb 28, 2008

Something Jay Leno wrote recently

I received this in my e-mail today, and I liked it, so I'm posting it.

Hope you will all read to the end. Jay Leno puts it into perspective and makes us think about the pathetic negativity. That's right, Jay Leno!!

Jay Leno wrote this; it's the Jay Leno we don't often see....

"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true, given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed, and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence, 2/3's of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What are we so unhappy about?''
Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time, and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough.

Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and
Provide services to help all, and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings.

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes , an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have , and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the President who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The President who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same President who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The President that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?

The Commander-In Chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it...are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads; and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about "how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way"...Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth, and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Jay Leno
2008

8 comments:

Pondside said...

Thanks for that, Kat - we should all read this and think about our extreme good fortune!

Milla said...

I certainly do think that the media has a lot to answer for - over here we are encouraged to be terrified of teenagers. This despite every teenager one actually encounters being absolutely delightful. Or pretty much ok. One-offs are presented as indicative of a general actuality. On the other hand, discontent can breed a desire to improve, and that's no bad thing either. An interesting thing to read, Kat.

Kathleen said...

You know, I think we just get in the habit of criticizing and complaining because we can - we are free to voice our opinions no matter how disagreeable they may be...and then we forget to remember why we have the right to do so.

Besides that, it's much more fun to tear things and people down than it is to build them up. It's so easy to complain about someone or a situation when we don't feel the responsibility to take care of it. It's our right, you know!

Wooly Works said...

It's also interesting to me that the polls say that 69% of the country is dissatisfied and unhappy, but only around 35% of the population actually votes. I've always wondered who the polls are searching out in order to garner this information. Perhaps they should only poll the people who vote and participate in making things better!

Kathleen said...

I'm sitting here thinking about Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, all of which have basically allowed their presidents to become dictators. They have done this in effort to get the governments to provide everything for the majority. Because of this, the government has seized private properties and redistributed it to form common farms. I'm not sure I would be too happy if it were my property that was seized.

A downside to getting something for nothing is that most people don't take care of it if they were given it. They just assume that the government will provide. So they aren't any better off than they were before they got their free land and houses.

There is pressure for the rest of South America to follow in the footsteps of those dictatorial countries. Peru just got out from under a dictator 10 years ago. I doubt they are itching for a return to that.

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

I have read before than increasing affluence does not breed increasing happiness, rather the reverse: the more we have, the more dissatisfied we are. Good to be reminded. It is interesting here to find that young people from Eastern Europe are flooding in and filling jobs in the hospitality industry. And they are considerably more hardworking and charming than we are used to!

Fennie said...

I think what Jay says is very true - apart from blaming the Media. Are we so juvenile that we haven't learnt to make up our own minds? Most of us would be negative and whinging whether or not the media reports bad news more than good. Feeling sorry for yourself is part of the human condition, just as weeds grow in a garden. You have to take control and decide to be positive and thankful, just as you have to root up those weeds to create a garden. Happiness doesn't come on a plate; it takes hard mental work to be happy!

Westerwitch/Headmistress said...

You know what it is so much easier to be negative than positive . . . people seem to enjoy being miserable and much happier to moan than priase - I think it is a defence mechanism . . . after all if you aren't happy then no-one can make you unhappy . . .no-one can take away your happiness . . .