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Americans Speak
America is on the verge of a mid-life crisis. We, as a nation, currently bear mute witness to a farce of an election and a faltering justice system, the pollution of our arts and culture by violence and prejudice, an uncertain economy, and the steady advance of technology on our everyday lives. Increasingly uncertain of their future and their voice, Americans have fallen eerily silent; more than ever the populace of the world’s most powerful nation needs a forum for venting their frustrations and fears, their ideas and suggestions for survival and success in these uncertain times. American Book Publishing is here to make sure none of these stories and struggles, these valuable emotions and experiences, these voices of America, are lost. As I write this, the next President of the United States is still undetermined, nearly three weeks after Election Day, yet there is no panic. The citizenry, it would seem, have quickly accepted this election aberration as nothing more than another pothole in the unpaved autobahn of 21st century American life. Even though the popular vote was basically a tie (reason enough for civil war in most countries), we bury our head in the sand of our daily lives and pretend there is nothing wrong, blithely ignoring the one thing the election told us loud and clear: America knows not what it wants. In popular culture and the arts, vulgarity, violence, and controversy dominate. We love the adolescent gross-out humor in smash-hit films like There’s Something About Mary and Meet the Parents and in television on shows like South Park. The popularity of misogyny, murder, and obscenity in the world of popular music is unmistakable, notably in the work of the enormously successful rapper Eminem. Then there is so-called reality TV, ala the phenomenon that is "Survivor." All of these examples have one thing in common: they insult our intellect and freeze our creative development. They cannot be considered art, but formulaic entertainment. For what are we if not silly, childlike (Mary, Parents, and "South Park") voyeurs ("Survivor") who love a good controversy (Eminem, et al.)? While it may be enjoyable, this pollution of American culture ultimately numbs our minds and leaves those that wish to express themselves creatively without a clue. We want to scream, but what about or how we’ve no idea. The gigantic boom of the tech and dot-com explosion is no more, and we are left with a limbo in the financial world as pronounced and difficult to predict as that of the presidential election. Soaring one day, crashing the next, the vagaries of today’s stock market are wearying and foster an anxiety not easy to bear. Finally, we have the four horsemen of technology: genetic engineering, robotics, the Internet, and remote communications and computing. To begin with, the thought of cloning humans is both wildly exciting and horrifying. Robots, which may soon be performing many of our everyday tasks such as doing the laundry, dishes, picking up the paper, etc., also have the potential to take jobs away from millions of skilled and unskilled workers. The Internet, clearly the greatest communications and research tool invented in the last century, frightens us with its pervasiveness and the sheer sum of its knowledge. But it is the last rider of this potential apocalypse, the mobile technology of cell phones, pagers, PDA’s and those yet to come, that both excites and frightens to no end. The ability to contact help in any emergency anywhere, or make last minute plans, or email a co-worker, or get directions on the fly, is certainly very exciting and useful, but that same technology also puts us constantly in touch and in sight. It is more akin to Orwell’s Big Brother than we could have planned, and its development and proliferation proceed unchecked. Americans see the changes in their daily lives, and, for the most part, enjoy them and sing technology’s praises, but we also wonder silently if a day will come when technology will be singing ours. As American society slides slowly toward a nervous breakdown, we must remember the pleasure and utility of self-expression. It offers the writer the opportunity for release and representation, and the reader to impartially observe another’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Through these voices, shared, we will begin to see the common bonds of our lives and understand what makes us all Americans. American Book offers a medium and a podium to every American who has something to say; from the lonely Vietnam vet to the dot-com guy holed up in his apartment, from the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to the homeless on the streets of our nation’s capitol, we all want to be heard, and should feel comfortable enough to speak. For we make up a nation, more diverse and dynamic than any in the world. And though the din of these individuals speaking simultaneously may sound at first like children at recess, upon closer inspection it will solidify into a rich harmony: the voice of millions speaking as one, the voice of America. David Lepeska is a senior editor for American Book Publishing. © 2005 American Book Publishing™ *All other trademarks used by permission. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy and Trademark Use Policy.
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