I was reading The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury a few days ago and noticed his satire of the American sense of entitlement. The book is a collection of short stories about the human colonization of Mars. In the chapter August 2030: The Earth Men, a rocketship landed on Mars. The American astronaut Captain Williams goes to the first martian house he sees. Mrs. Ttt, the (martian) woman of the house, tells off Captain Williams and his crew for interrupting her baking. They're then sent on a wild goose chase through the Martian town in an attempt to find someone who will care that they came from Earth. They're finally directed to Mr. Iii's house, who opens the door and asks them what they desire.
"'A little attention,' said the captain, red-eyed and tired. 'We're from Earth, we have a rocket, there are four of us, crew and captain, we're exhausted, we're hungry, we'd like a place to sleep. We'd like someone to give us the key to the city or something like that, and we'd like somebody to shake our hands and say 'Hooray' and say 'Congratulations, old man!' That about sums it up,'" (30).
After my initial chuckling, I was struck by how accurate this portayal of America is. We have a long history of "discovering" new lands, demanding accommodations from the natives, then exterminating them. Columbus killed the Taíno people after he saw their gold earrings. The Pilgrims shoved the Native Americans out of their territory, forcing them to move furthur west. President Jackson signed an act legalizing "enthic-cleansing"(according to Wikipedia).
Americans have always been "astronauts", exploring "uncharted" territory and expanding our control. But we're not content with exploration alone. We want the key to the city and eventually the city itself.
But aren't we heroes for risking our lives for expansion and progress? Bradbury certainly doesn't think so. By the end of the chapter, Captain Williams and his crew think that they are finally being honored, only to discover that they have been placed in an insane asylum on Mars.
Do you think that Americans have a sense of entitlement? Does it do more harm than good, or is it all worth it in the end?
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