Make America Great Again! That’s the slogan Donald Trump used to rally people behind him, and perhaps was instrumental in helping him win the 2016 presidential election.
I can’t imagine why any American would be offended by this slogan, yet many are, so I’m asking some questions on this idea: Are we great? Were we ever great? How did we lose any greatness we ever had? Can we be great again? Can we be great without being arrogant? What would make America great to you?
Perhaps people are offended by it because they believe that America has always been “great” - or at least that it is “greater” now than it ever has been before.
I took offense to the line because this country has always been great. And what the hell did Trump mean?
When were we greater then now? Trump can’t even answer that question.
Problem is people don’t agree on what constitutes greatness
Probably not for everyone. Was it great for blacks during slavery ?
Because it’s asinine to act as if Trumpism was somehow the one thing preventing America from returning to some golden age of greatness. It’s also an amazingly simplistic way to look at America’s history and the reality of it’s actions.
We can always note times in history were we could have been better. Slavery, the civil war, the great depression, woman suffrage, minority voting rights, Viet Nam. But for the most part the proper corrections were made.
Corrections are fine and dandy but it’s factual that as far as perceptions go, America wasn’t perceived to be great by many of its population for much of it’s history. Still isn’t.
IMO, I’ve never been offended by the slogan, I just can’t stand the man 
With that said, I believe we are great, have been great, and will continue to be great… but I don’t believe we’re without fault. And that sentiment spans all offices, regardless of the party that currently or historically presided in the White House. Have we lost our footing a bit? Yeah, in my opinion, most certainly. We’ve always been held up as the de facto leader for western democracies, and others who seek freedom, personal liberties, etc. in their way of life. We’ve always been compassionate towards other in need, during times of crisis, whether they be friend or foe. There are certain times when assisting those in desperate need transcends politics, and we’ve always done so. Not so much anymore it seems. Recall the devastating earthquake Iran experienced in 2012? We weren’t exactly on good footing with them then, but we still sent aid and assisted them in their time of need. In 2017 Iran got hit again… don’t believe any aid was sent. Hell, we have to twist Trumps arm just to get aid to PR after being devastated by a hurricane. Those sort of actions, or rather inaction, are only one of a myriad of reasons of why I believe we’ve lost some respect form others in the world.
Can we be great without being arrogant? Sure, we certainly have in the past, but there’s no chance in hell of achieving that with Trump in office.
You’ve hit the nail here. That’s one of the things I’m asking- what does greatness mean to different people?
Great post! BUT, America is more than the person in the White House isn’t it? Don’t we the people contribute to, or diminish our country?
Could be… I still think we are the greatest nation on Earth, it’s just that the bar has been lowered worldwide.
The slogan was completely factual and there was nothing to be offended about. The United States had just suffered eight long years of the Obama Cartel being in power. Many people were saying that America was teetering on the brink of becoming a third world country. Only Donald Trump had the power to save America. I will vote for Donald Trump for President until the day I die because I know He is the only one that can save us.
If you agree with Trump’s slogan, it implies that there was some point in history when we were greater than we are now.
I fundamentally disagree with that sentiment. That’s the whole point.
We survived Obama and Trump haters will survive him. While a President and the policies he enacts have much to do in the short run, what about the long run? It’s a certainty that Democrats will come back into power, ad will Republicans again after that…
Hopefully we can get more supreme court justices to retire/whatever before a Dem gets a chance to pack the court.
Has our greatness stopped then or are there better days to come? If so, then our greatness isn’t fixed, it waxes and wanes. Where are we now in your opinion?
Because the people who use the slogan are too big of cowards to actually say why we are not great, and what would make us great.
I’m a Trump supporter so I agree a Supreme court with constitutional judges will help put and keep us on a good path, but there are too many laws and other things that are dragging us down.
I didn’t say that greatness was fixed. I’m saying we were never greater than we are now.
Trump stating that he wants to “Make America Great Again” means that according to him, there existed a point in the past when we were greater than we are now.
No one has been able to tell me when that magical time was - because they’d out themselves if they did.
