I saw a bumper sticker today that just absolutely infuriated me. It read:

When you're the FINEST it's hard to be humble.

United States Marine Corps

I was incensed by the arrogance of this bumper sticker. Being "the finest" implies humility - that is one of the traits of fine-ness. And if your "fineness" is made up of discipline, kick-ass-ability, a leave-no-man behind mentality and the strength that comes from knowing you are part of an elite fighting Corp, you don't need to be arrogant - you can wear your confidence and superiority quietly, without a bumper sticker, because if you truly are the "finest" others will know it; you needn't announce it.

The finest among us are not arrogant; they don't swagger about or try to impress others with slogans and catchwords. They prove their fineness through action, through nobility, through humility as a well.

I hate the arrogance that has become America. I detest the attitude that we are the best - the sentiment of "we aren't perfect, but we're the best there is" and "no other country is as free as we are." Canada, Norway, Switzerland, England, just to name a few others, are "as free as we are" and those countries aren't arrogant about it. Most of the people I know who claim we are better than other countries know nothing about other countries. And if they happen to have traveled to a foreign country, they did no research about that country before they traveled there, didn't bother to even pick up a few basic phrases (please, thank you, excuse me - I'm so sorry, I don't speak your language, etc.) because after all, everyone abroad learns English and then they come home and complain because the food in Portugal, or Spain, or Thailand, or where ever isn't like our food, and the customs aren't like ours. And why can't the world be like the US?

Of course, that has nothing to do really with that Marine bumper sticker. But it does, doesn't it? It's arrogance. American arrogance. I have no use for it.