I couldn’t hope to put it as eloquently as reverend Wright put it when he gave his “God damn America” sermon, but I am beginning to think that he may have been right. With our economy on the ropes and majority of Americans losing their homes and life’s savings everyday, it would be unthinkable that it could get worse. What if it did? Would it be the beginning of the apocalypse? Not quite. I would like to argue that it would actually do America some good. While a total collapse of our country and our economy is highly unlikely a partial collapse might be exactly what is needed to knock some sense into Americans. A countrywide unemployment rate hovering at around 25% would actually do some good to this country. Add a steady foreclosure rate of about 20% to the mix and you would have the perfect recipe to rebuild a stronger America in the long run. Before you begin to label me ‘un-American’ or a socialist, allow me to explain.

During my stint in the corporate world I have observed and learned a few things about American’s work ethics. Any manager will tell you that managing their workloads is probably the hardest part of their job. More and more Americans are finding more and more frivolous reasons to skip work everyday. A sunny day in Florida and a desire hit the beach would be all it takes for hundreds of employees to not show up for work. Those same employees will be the first to tell you to your face that they would not have a problem getting a job from your competitor should they by chance be let go. I have witnessed some employees taking long naps under their desks during working hours. Chatting for hours on end with their coworkers on company’s time seems to be a favorite pastime in corporate America. Some employees take as far as to carry on all kinds of illicit activities on company’s time while using the company’s resources. Countless affairs are started and nurtured through the corporate email system. What is there to fear? Getting fired is a rite of passage to most Americans. I can’t help to think that American’s attitude towards work would dramatically change with soaring unemployment rate. Maybe that 25% unemployment rate is the fix we have been looking for.   

Another welcome outcome of an economic collapse would be a new appreciation of education. It is no secret that our education system has failed our kids. We simply cannot compete with the rest of the world when it comes to a quality education. There is simply no motivation to excel in education in the United States. Who wants to waste time going to school while they could be out there making money? Our teachers are frustrated beyond imagination mostly due to our unruly and undisciplined kids abetted by their parents who are simply to busy to care. Why would any underpaid and often unappreciated teacher be motivated to go the extra mile? Compared to other countries that we now have to compete with in the global sphere, the contrasts are glaring. Competition for education excellence in countries like China and India is fierce. Only the smartest and the brightest are guaranteed the best college placements which translates to best jobs in those countries. The underperformers and underachievers often face a bleak future. In contrast, our system of ‘no child left behind’ rumps the good and the bad together and hopes that they make it to the finish line. It is akin to watering down the punch at a party to have enough for all the guests.      

Maybe the Iraq war would never have happened had we been facing the economic crisis we have right now back then. Maybe our government would put restrictions on companies shipping jobs overseas if the unemployment rate got to the 25% rate. Maybe we would then encourage our kids to act right and be the best they can be in school because that would be their only hope of survival in the future. Maybe we would all learn that we are not entitled to our humongous SUVs or our huge mansions simply because we are Americans. Maybe we would all learn the value of sacrifice. If an economic collapse is what it takes to teach us these lessons, then maybe that is what we need now more than anything.