Will Americans Ever Be Satisfied?

Satisfying an American is about as difficult as filling a black hole. For a collection of people who have just about anything they could want, including international supremacy, it never seems to be enough. Whether it be money, pride, or prestige, Americans are always asking for more and more. Americans, although already swimming in their heart's desires, are never satisfied because they are materialistic, nationalistic, and simplistic. All of these attributes are a recipe for chaos, and the name of that recipe is the United States of America.

For an American, a new car or house is as exciting as a trip to the moon. For the first month or so, that is. An American can be stuck in a room full of clutter and still is ravenous for more. This shows just how materialistic Americans can be. Americans only stand tall against the rest of the world because they are standing on their material possessions. The new car gets a scratch, the new house starts to age and it is off to the market for another. It is an instinct of Americans to go for quantity rather than quality. This can be seen clearest from the fact that ninety-three percent of teenage girls list shopping as their favorite pastime. Such characteristics do not discriminate against age, though. It is the mindset of Americans to want more, and because of it they can never be satisfied.

Furthermore, Americans want more not only for themselves, but for the United States as well. A sense of nationalism that goes as far back as 1776 has left Americans oblivious to the fact that they cannot have it all. Not every country can they rule and not every ocean can they venture. Despite the imminent disruption that stems from this, American choose to pursue it anyways. They rather have all the success and all the failure instead of moderate success alone. It is this idea that has led to turns for the worst such as the Great Depression. Americans constantly shoot themselves in the foot for their country, even if it means their country suffers.

Although they hold every material possession in the world, Americans are still a simple people. This is supported by the fact that their quality of life has decreased over time. Clearly, the more stuff a person owns, the less they need. This is not the case for Americans, however. In fact, certain stores sell products in bulk just because they know the simpleton citizens will buy them. Even in The Declaration of Independence Americans kept it simple, giving their people "certain unalienable rights". It is because of this simple quote and this simple giving that a Civil War was fought. By never being satisfied, Americans are just playing Russian roulette with their stability.

To complete the analysis, Americans are never satisfied with what they have, even if it is more than they can handle. Depressions and wars have gripped the United States because of this flaw, but its citizens continue to push forward. Americans, the materialistic, nationalistic, and simplistic people they are, never have and never will be satisfied.

**My single quote comes from the Declaration of Independence**