I am a patriot, but not because I feel obligated to be because I was born in America. I am a patriot because I feel the same way about my home country I imagine anyone feels about their home country when they actually love their home country. That is to say, I love my home country because it is my home. There is no other way to say. I love America not because it's America but because it is both a good country and the country of my origin, my birth.* I also imagine I would not love America so much if it wasn't a good** country.
Beyond that, I love America because, well, it has given me and afforded me so much. Freedom. Freedom of speech and freedom to pretty much do what I want.
But I am not a patriot for no reason. I've seen a little bit of the rest of the world. I've seen countries much worse off with far worse conditions and political policies, domestic and foreign. I love America not blindly but because I am not blind. Because I have seen. Even just a little. I am grateful to our president, Congress, founding fathers, and all other Americans, no matter how stupid some of them may be. My love is not blind. I know a little bit about what else is out there.
But this post is not about why America is good or why I love America. It's about American variety. In the United States, we have a greater choice of our goods, in the things we buy, than I've seen ANYWHERE ELSE. I can go to the Kroger (a supermarket) 1 mile from my house in Atlanta, Georgia, and in it find a pharmacy, a grocery store, shampoo, paper towels, dog food, beer, etc. However, in this I don't mean the number of different types of things in the store. I mean the number of types of beer, bread, shampoo, medicines, etc. IT'S RIDICULOUS.
And wonderful. And incredible. And huggable. I want to hug it. That this exists. Whoever thought of it. The idea.
Think about it. Next time you go into a grocery store or pharmacy, take note of how many different brands for each type of thing exist. Actually, do it for about 3 things. For example, check how many different types of shampoo, Heinz ketchup (bottle size, for example) and types of potato chips. There are sides of entire aisles dedicated to just potato chips. It is a phenomenon in the US. YOU WILL NOT FIND THIS MUCH CHOICE anywhere else in the world.
And this is not just true in grocery stores but pharmacies and gas stations well. Retail outlets that live off of razor-thin margins. They have gotten very good at selling us nonsense, and it's great for the consumer.
It's also not just true in one town or in one city. It's EVERYWHERE. Everywhere consumers have this vast spread of options laid out in front in them. You can find this in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Atlanta, Georgia, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Boston, Massachusetts, Phoenix, Arizona, EVERYWHERE.
Seriously, stop for a minute, take a look around and think about it. You'll realize it very quickly, too.
We have SO MUCH VARIETY in the US. So much option. So much choice. In other countries you can go to different locations of the same store and find the same things. But the choice is limited. In the US we have EVERYTHING at our fingertips. It's wonderful.
It took my good friend Spencer Burness (tired of hearing about him yet? Me too. But he's smart...ish.) to verbalize what I'd been thinking subconsciously for a long time. When you go to plenty of other developed countries (let's just posit for the sake of argument that developing have choice that is less than or equal to developed countries outside of the US) just isn't as great, the selection isn't as large, as in the US.
In the US we have it all!*** No, seriously it's insane the amount of choice we have, the selection we have.
Now as to why.
Why? Why in the US do we have such choice? Is it cultural? Do Americans, i.e., American culture, just demand greater choice? Do we really do that? Maybe. Maybe it's just Americans expectations and market competition. Store A does it so Store B naturally has to do it to keep up and compete?
I'd actually say that's the answer, but I'd also say we can only do this because it's possible. It is possible. We have the supply chain and the demand to do it. We do it because the people selling us stuff know we'll buy the things we want, so they give those things to us rather than limiting us to things we like less and therefore buy less of it. This is probably fueled by a very fluid money supply and credit. I'll hit on this more in a blog post in the future on: is it better to restrict choice and credit and protect people from themselves so they don't overspend OR give them the option and credit to spend like crazy and let the economy boom? Protect people from themselves, like parents restrict their children only to protect them OR give the children freedom because they just might surprise you and not only take care of themselves but do good things they couldn't if they were otherwise restricted.****
Point being, in the US, we have unparalleled selection and options when it comes to goods we buy at retail compared to basically any other country (that I've visited) on the planet. The only exceptions might be China and Japan as I haven't visited those yet. Maybe I need to look at other places I've visited more closely. Or, you know, find some economic numbers and statistics.*****
*Note to self: I need an origin story, like Spiderman or Underdog.
**Yes, yes, the definition of good is subjective, but fuck off, you know I mean. You can't argue with me about this. It's a good country, end of story. Don't bring up drone strikes or the percentage of our own population we lock up. I get it. Shut your mouth, you cynical bastard, and go back to enjoying this country that has given you so much and not "disappeared" you for literally no reason.
***We don't have it all in the US. But we sure as hell have a lot of choice.
****Brennan, go back and link this post to the other post when you write it in the future.
*****Fuck that. You really think I'm gonna do that? It reeks of work and you know how I feel about work.
Beyond that, I love America because, well, it has given me and afforded me so much. Freedom. Freedom of speech and freedom to pretty much do what I want.
But I am not a patriot for no reason. I've seen a little bit of the rest of the world. I've seen countries much worse off with far worse conditions and political policies, domestic and foreign. I love America not blindly but because I am not blind. Because I have seen. Even just a little. I am grateful to our president, Congress, founding fathers, and all other Americans, no matter how stupid some of them may be. My love is not blind. I know a little bit about what else is out there.
But this post is not about why America is good or why I love America. It's about American variety. In the United States, we have a greater choice of our goods, in the things we buy, than I've seen ANYWHERE ELSE. I can go to the Kroger (a supermarket) 1 mile from my house in Atlanta, Georgia, and in it find a pharmacy, a grocery store, shampoo, paper towels, dog food, beer, etc. However, in this I don't mean the number of different types of things in the store. I mean the number of types of beer, bread, shampoo, medicines, etc. IT'S RIDICULOUS.
And wonderful. And incredible. And huggable. I want to hug it. That this exists. Whoever thought of it. The idea.
Think about it. Next time you go into a grocery store or pharmacy, take note of how many different brands for each type of thing exist. Actually, do it for about 3 things. For example, check how many different types of shampoo, Heinz ketchup (bottle size, for example) and types of potato chips. There are sides of entire aisles dedicated to just potato chips. It is a phenomenon in the US. YOU WILL NOT FIND THIS MUCH CHOICE anywhere else in the world.
And this is not just true in grocery stores but pharmacies and gas stations well. Retail outlets that live off of razor-thin margins. They have gotten very good at selling us nonsense, and it's great for the consumer.
It's also not just true in one town or in one city. It's EVERYWHERE. Everywhere consumers have this vast spread of options laid out in front in them. You can find this in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Atlanta, Georgia, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Boston, Massachusetts, Phoenix, Arizona, EVERYWHERE.
Seriously, stop for a minute, take a look around and think about it. You'll realize it very quickly, too.
We have SO MUCH VARIETY in the US. So much option. So much choice. In other countries you can go to different locations of the same store and find the same things. But the choice is limited. In the US we have EVERYTHING at our fingertips. It's wonderful.
It took my good friend Spencer Burness (tired of hearing about him yet? Me too. But he's smart...ish.) to verbalize what I'd been thinking subconsciously for a long time. When you go to plenty of other developed countries (let's just posit for the sake of argument that developing have choice that is less than or equal to developed countries outside of the US) just isn't as great, the selection isn't as large, as in the US.
In the US we have it all!*** No, seriously it's insane the amount of choice we have, the selection we have.
Now as to why.
Why? Why in the US do we have such choice? Is it cultural? Do Americans, i.e., American culture, just demand greater choice? Do we really do that? Maybe. Maybe it's just Americans expectations and market competition. Store A does it so Store B naturally has to do it to keep up and compete?
I'd actually say that's the answer, but I'd also say we can only do this because it's possible. It is possible. We have the supply chain and the demand to do it. We do it because the people selling us stuff know we'll buy the things we want, so they give those things to us rather than limiting us to things we like less and therefore buy less of it. This is probably fueled by a very fluid money supply and credit. I'll hit on this more in a blog post in the future on: is it better to restrict choice and credit and protect people from themselves so they don't overspend OR give them the option and credit to spend like crazy and let the economy boom? Protect people from themselves, like parents restrict their children only to protect them OR give the children freedom because they just might surprise you and not only take care of themselves but do good things they couldn't if they were otherwise restricted.****
Point being, in the US, we have unparalleled selection and options when it comes to goods we buy at retail compared to basically any other country (that I've visited) on the planet. The only exceptions might be China and Japan as I haven't visited those yet. Maybe I need to look at other places I've visited more closely. Or, you know, find some economic numbers and statistics.*****
*Note to self: I need an origin story, like Spiderman or Underdog.
**Yes, yes, the definition of good is subjective, but fuck off, you know I mean. You can't argue with me about this. It's a good country, end of story. Don't bring up drone strikes or the percentage of our own population we lock up. I get it. Shut your mouth, you cynical bastard, and go back to enjoying this country that has given you so much and not "disappeared" you for literally no reason.
***We don't have it all in the US. But we sure as hell have a lot of choice.
****Brennan, go back and link this post to the other post when you write it in the future.
*****Fuck that. You really think I'm gonna do that? It reeks of work and you know how I feel about work.
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