Are Americans Better Than Others?

To answer the question in the title above, I say no, we are not better.

I would guess that most people believe that they and their compatriots are better than people in other countries. I disagree with that sentiment.

What brought this question to mind is a lot of online complaints about how World Central Kitchen should be feeding Americans rather than Ukrainians or Haitians or Turks or Syrians. If you're not familiar with WCK, it is an organization founded by renown Spanish chef Jose Andres to provide meals to people affected by natural disasters, climate change and war.

WCK does respond to natural disasters in the US such as tornadoes, hurricanes and floods, but its purpose is not to feed America's poor indefinitely. WCK chefs and volunteers arrive in the aftermath of natural disasters to provide hot meals while the communities start to recover. WCK uses locally sourced ingredients and local chefs and volunteers as much as possible. They also strive to provide meals that will bring comfort to those impacted by the disasters. The organization is not there to provide a lifetime safety net for Americans. It is there to respond to disasters, wars and other crises.

And the last time I checked, American cities aren't being bombed into oblivion. as are many regions of Ukraine. Our apartment buildings, electrical grids, hospitals, schools and government buildings are not being destroyed as they are in Ukraine.

I'd love to ask what these critics are doing to help feed people in this country. My guess is, very little.

I happen to believe that people other than Americans deserve to be fed. I believe that Americans are not better than people in other countries. We may have a higher standard of living, better health care, greater freedoms, etc. But those things do not make the average American better than the average person in Italy, France, Japan, Kenya, Costa Rica, Brazil or any other country.

So I support the World Central Kitchen wherever it is operating. I also support Meals on Wheels in my local area, as well as my state's largest food bank. And I have done so for several years. I volunteered every week at a local food pantry for a couple of years. I served Thanksgiving dinner to anyone who showed up for a free meal. And when I lived in California, I supported the local food bank there every time I got paid. I also donated food during my California church's monthly 'food barrel Sunday.'

Just last Saturday I donated a large bag of food to the USPS food drive for our largest food bank, which supports food banks throughout the state.

On trips to Tanzania, our trip guides collected unwanted food from our box breakfasts and lunches and gave it to local people nearby. They were always grateful for the food.

Helping to feed the hungry is not an either/or situation. Americans, unlike people in most countries -- particularly those at war -- have many resources for food. We have food banks -- I know of several in my area -- and soup kitchens and other sources of food. And I do not believe that Americans are any more deserving of assistance than are people in other countries. Americans are not better than people in other countries. Most of us are better off, but we are not inherently better. We all are human.

I know this sentiment goes against the 'America first' attitude so prevalent among many right-wing Americans. But how and to which organizations I choose to donate money is entirely my business. Those who don't agree with WCK's choices of where to provide hot meals to those is need are free not to support the organization. They also are free to donate food and money to organizations serving Americans in need. But criticizing the organization really isn't necessary or helpful.

I would guess that most of the naysayers and complainers don't support any organization helping to feed the poor. It's a lot easier to complain than to actually do something to help.

For me, I will continue to support WCK, local food banks and Meals on Wheels.