Summary: In this essay, Dowd was arguing that America is not in any way going down hill. Also, that the French President Nicholas Sarkozy couldn't have said it better than" The United States is the worlds leading economic, military, and monetary power... [the] economy is flourishing, [and the] intellectual life is rich." He emphasizes on the GDP and per capita income of the United States. Dowd also adds economic statistics to support his argument about the strength of America by listing the growth of Walmart, McDonald's, Computers, and Coke products proving that we are in no way in a "steep decline."
Citation: Dowd, W. Alan, "The Decline and Fall of Declinism," They Say I Say with Readings. Ed. Russel Durst New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. 404-409. Print.
Quote: "Some people don't want to admit it, but America is in great shape."
Reflection: The reason I picked this quote was because it caught my attention before I even continued reading the essay. It made stop and think about America and what it really meant to be an "American." We hear about all these horrible things going on around the world like bombing, genocide, and sick and injured people who do not have any help and we complain about the TV going out or the shower not getting hot enough. However, at the end of the day we should be happy and lucky that we even have a TV to watch or a nice shower to bathe in. Everyone forgets about what we are blessed with as Americans and the opportunities we are given.
Once I continued reading I agreed with Dowd that America is in very good shape compared to places such as North Korea. The U.S. economy represents 20% of global output. America has its problems that will be fixed but, at the end of the day we are still thriving and importing and exporting goods all over the world.
When Dowd explained the growth of the fast food market, stores, and computers he mentioned that,"Google was created by a pair of Stanford graduate students without any government help at all." That just proves the power in America. It is not just government that is in power but, the people and the nation make a difference and that is why we are still so strong. We are giving so many more opportunities and privileges and anyone can make a difference if you want your voice to be heard like the Stanford students. They did something they believed in and are now very successful. Everyday you should wake up and go to sleep with a smile on your face knowing that you have it much easier than many people around the world today who would give anything to live here in America.
Once I continued reading I agreed with Dowd that America is in very good shape compared to places such as North Korea. The U.S. economy represents 20% of global output. America has its problems that will be fixed but, at the end of the day we are still thriving and importing and exporting goods all over the world.
When Dowd explained the growth of the fast food market, stores, and computers he mentioned that,"Google was created by a pair of Stanford graduate students without any government help at all." That just proves the power in America. It is not just government that is in power but, the people and the nation make a difference and that is why we are still so strong. We are giving so many more opportunities and privileges and anyone can make a difference if you want your voice to be heard like the Stanford students. They did something they believed in and are now very successful. Everyday you should wake up and go to sleep with a smile on your face knowing that you have it much easier than many people around the world today who would give anything to live here in America.
