Why Americans don't get it

I was listening to a Marine officer in Iraqi in an interview on NPR about the insurgency. He was angry that they don't fight war fair, they won't come out from their "hiding" places to fight war like real men. Huh? Doesn't he get it? The interviewer asked him if he would fight the American Marines like he wants with all our weaponary and technology. The interview asked if that would be certain death to the "enemy." The Marine said "Sure, but that's how war is fought."

Well, while watching the World Soccer Match between France and Brazil, it dawned on me why we just don't get it. Football has two definitions, American football and World football, or soccer to us. And in that are hints why we just don't want to understand and don't get it. We want to world to do what we want and they simply decide we don't matter in issue where it's 5 billion-plus people to 290 million plus Americans. We're outnumbered nearly 20 to one and we expect to be the one they answer to?

The answer is in the game itself. We like American football with all it's Gladiator-like men of size and strength with strategy and tactics during the game where the two sides line up opposite each other and literally fight it out for territory and victory. And there is a winner and a loser. We count the score, the injuries, and the players for their brutality against the other side. We award their ability to directly inflict harm.

The world likes soccer (used here for clarification) which requires speed, agility, stamina, and teamwork. And they reward team and national spirit. The American soccer team had an early exit, and since I only watched one of their matches I can't speak for why they failed, but I will remind them the American Womens team won it, and maybe they should borrow some of their team spirit and ethic. Just a suggestion.

We just don't want to be a team player and want to make the world better as the world, not as we see it or want it to be. And when will we learn? Well, if you watch world events you'll notice the two Presidents who did understand and have the respect of the world, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Don't you think it's time we learned to reward humanism?

In the end, whether we like it or not, it's still French Fries!