"We have this idea that there is just one America, that we're all one big happy family," says Ken Swanson, president of the Council to Recognize Two Americas. "But if you look at any standard atlas, you'll see that there are in fact two." Swanson pulls out a large map and points to a large yellowish-green mass below Mexico. "What's that?" he asks anxiously. "It's not the Atlantic Ocean, I'll tell you that much."
The idea that there are two Americas, it turns out, is not new. Geographers have long theorized about the existence of a continent called "South America." If this theory starts to gain acceptance in the global community, it may not be long before Americans have to start referring to themselves as "North Americans" to distinguish themselves from their alleged southern counterparts.
Still more surprising is the fact that John Edwards' characterizations of the "two Americas" are largely borne out by the research that has been done so far. North Americans, the research indicates, tend to be exceptionally wealthy, have access to good schools and first-rate medical care, and possess freedoms that are apparently unheard of in many parts of South America. South Americans tend to be much poorer, have less freedom and opportunity, and suffer many hardships that hardly exist in North America. Coincidentally, many South American countries also rely heavily on a discredited economic system called "socialism."
Some radical thinkers are even postulating the existence of a third America, tentatively being called "Central America." Central America is thought to be even more screwed up than South America. In fact, it's so bad that Mexico, generally thought to be a third world country, has apparently severed ties with Central America and launched a marketing campaign to convince people that it is actually part of North America.
"John Edwards is a visonary," adds Swanson. "He made an issue of this when nobody else dared to talk about it. All I can say is, thank God we live in the good America."
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Labels: Politics, Serious Stuff
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