Sabrina LeMond

ENG 111

Writing Pretest

February 5, 2021

Americans

Americans are simply dumb and lazy. This is unfortunate, but the honest view of

most of the world about the citizens of the United States of America. Americans view

themselves with pride and most citizens would say that they are superior compared to

the citizens of other countries across the globe. However, many would argue that

Americans, from the point of view from other developed countries across the world, are

arrogant and intellectually inadequate.  

The American school system has shown failure throughout the years, yet it has

changed minimally. What third graders learn in math class in America is what first

graders learn in South Korea or Japan. The history curriculum is flawed and places only

an emphasis on the importance of American culture and not of the world or how the

countries have an inevitable effect on eachother. The system places the unintentional

focus on memorization over actually learning or understanding the topic. Because of the

lax schooling system, citizens are often underprepared for the “real world,” especially

when placed in an international setting. If random students from America were picked to

take an Asian or European academic assessment, most would fail.

The American society’s standards for interaction with each other are incredibly

low compared to those of other nations. When tourists or foreign visitors enter an

American establishment, they are often shocked at the poor or unprofessional

interaction with their customers. In other countries, many establishments work to

prepare their workers for, again, “the real world” by placing strict and high expectations.

Americans justify their manners by stating that they are real people who are friendly.

However, outsiders would process their actions as disrespectful. American society fails

to raise their standards for the way people treat each other and this often creates

tensions. 

When born on American soil, citizens are automatically gifted with, although

flawed, free education, constitutional rights, government aid if necessary, and protection

from governmental exploitation. This should be the standard, yes, but it is not the case

for many countries around the world. Citizens in countries such as North Korea, China,

and Venezuela, are forced to put their lives on the line to fight for their human rights.

Now, critics of Americans do not wish upon exploitation and manipulation upon them.

The problem with America in this context is its citizens taking this for granted and using

their free given rights as a pawn for their superiority complex. Instead of using their

advantages to help less developed countries or people, they boast their supremacy

upon them. Americans  are given a head start for success and most do not reach it due

to the lack of preparation and effortless lifestyle.

Despite what its enemies believe, America is not an evil country. However, the

citizens of the country do have it “too easy.” These lack of standards and expectations

create problems with foreign nations and lead to the popular belief of their arrogance.

Ultimately, Americans need stricter systems put in place and learn to not take the things

that they are given at birth for granted and use it to help those who have to risk their

lives fighting for the things Americans were given at birth.