Utopia Achieved

Oh man, where to begin with this one, it really wasn't fair making us read this one, because it made me feel outraged, ashamed, proud (in a strangely abstract way), and slightly sickened. i was forced into many mental tangents which forced me to take much longer to read this normally.
i noticed every compliment he gave to America managed to be an unapologetic back handed compliment, juxtaposed with a put down on Europe that made it out to be a tragic hero, led down a dark path in a desperate imitation of America, because of what America has that Europe will just never quite attain. It's funny how biased a person can be but at the same time speak alot of truth (although right here i'm simply speaking on my own behalf).
i have often lamented the non culture that makes up American identity (or non-identity). this is what causes me to hold our founding fathers in such high esteem and completely reject christianity. christianity to me is a transference of values that are alien to me, and should seem alien to anyone who can think for themselves and has a culture that pre dates it's suppressive take over (again i'm talking for myself).
this essay also reminds me of one i began to write in 101 about why we shouldn't strive to be perfect, because utopia is a false ideal that makes you inhuman by definition. Baudrillard seems to be making the same point in a way, but his attack (or critique) is on the American way of life and how it compares with the European way (or what he considers the European way). i did agree with him on certain points though and at one point i was seriously called into question about my case for freedom. i agreed that we have too much space for our own good. we can't appreciate what we take for granted. suburban sprawl is about the most disgusting thing i've ever seen. an example of this is when i lived in las vegas, it took me ten minutes to get to my nearest friend's house. the speed limit was 45 mph the whole way there and i usually went 55 but it still took about ten minutes. sometimes more and never less. why? we both lived in the suburbs, and there was endless expanses of unused desert land in between our houses and gigantic, black, ugly parking lots that were precursors for ugly utilitarian buildings with subway and vons labels on them. convenient? maybe, my values don't particularly fall in the convenient category. i'd rather pay extra for something nicer. this is fucking America, the richest country in the world (or was) and yet we have a wal mart and mcdonalds on every corner. i'm not attacking these businesses, this is a free market society and WE determine what exists and what doesn't based on what WE want, and WE want dirt cheap products any way that WE can get them.
i'm a big supporter of freedom though and the right to choose, letting the invisible hand guide our lives, but while reading this i definitely began to question my libertarian values, since that's what America was founded on but it doesn't seem that we can hold on to them. when we're free, we're bored. we don't just follow the program, we want to write everyones program and get into everyone's business. unfortunately, when you're free and rich, you lack meaning, and therefore must "save the world" to make yourself feel valid. maybe suffering is a good thing. maybe it's what teaches us appreciation. maybe we shouldn't be so free? now i'm not arguing for hobbes or bentham but maybe social injustice actually does us good? maybe meaning is really only gained through struggle? but struggle for what? freedom? equality? if it's good to have these things (if only to struggle to free ourselves of them) then what happens when we actualize our goals? America? where we claim to actualize but have really have only supressed the knowledge of these things? hmmm. good read.