The Book That Shall Remain Nameless

So, I downloaded a new app for my phone today, NPR. I like to get my news through several different sources so this was not unusual for me. The unusual thing is, built into the app is also live streaming for NPR talk radio. I had never listened to NPR before so I decided to give it a go.

There was an author on there promoting her book I am assuming (even though the book was released over a year ago) and right off the bat I found the conversation disturbing.

They were discussing how alcoholism is on the rise in London and how people travel to Prague just to get drunk because alcohol is apparently pretty expensive in London. It wasn't the topic of conversation that disturbed me but the disapproval that the author had for the behavior. I'm thinking to myself based on her point of view, "Ok, they're just getting around to being drunks and we've been drunks here FOREVER." Although we realize that is not the case. (Excuse the following because I have not read the book and have no need to read it but based off the points of discussion from the author, the topic was obviously a promotional tool to sell her book and for that reason, I care not to read it).

This is a problem that I have with general America. For some reason, we tend to think that "our shit don't stink." When the fact of the matter is, we got some pretty bad funk going on over here which is evident in more ways than one.

I just found some of the things she said unbelievable! For instance, she said something along the lines that "these guys get so drunk that they forget their hotel room numbers, can't find their way home" (not an exact quote but pretty close). Do you realize that this is going on everyday in America? Do you realize that college campuses are riddled with these types of people everyday? There are just under 2000 alcohol related deaths on college campuses every year and that number continues to climb. Let's not leave out the average American drinker who pummels down way too many drinks and gets in the car and drives home. As recent as 2008, it was reported that there were 85,000 alcohol related deaths in America alone. Whose shit don't stink?

Whatever. My point is, when do we stop condemning others when we are to be condemned for the same behaviors? I must apologize because my jab is not necessarily directed at this author but at the sense of "superiority" that we Americans have come to adopt. Enough already, get off of your high horse and shut the hell up!