America is not the greatest country in the world… but we sure used to be. We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons; we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons.
Global (04 November 2020) – Jeff Daniels might best be known for 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber” but his opening monologue on the first episode of “The Newsroom” is one of his greatest moments on screen, and one that he took home an Emmy for.
And that opening scene as to why America is not the greatest country in the world… is trending online again today.
In the very first episode of the series, McAvoy – disillusioned by America’s decline on intellectual, industrial and philosophical levels – stuns an assembly of Northwestern University students when he launches a tirade about the United States and how it has a long way to go before it can claim to be the greatest country in the world again.
“We Just Decided To” is the first episode of the first season of the American television series The Newsroom. It first aired on June 24, 2012, in the United States on HBO. “We Just Decided To” was written by creator Aaron Sorkin and directed by Greg Mottola.
Daniels goes off on a tirade as to why America is not the greatest country in the world, but he ends on a note that is as important today as it was when it was filmed, and as important to America… and every other country as well.
Let’s make the world a better place again!
“We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons; we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbours, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest.
We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn’t belittle it; it didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn’t scare so easy. And we were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered.
The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one—America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.”
Watch the video here:
Here is the full transcript:
Will
It’s not the greatest country in the world, professor, that’s my answer.
Moderator
[pause] You’re saying—
Will
Yes.
Moderator
Let’s talk about—
Will
Fine. [to the liberal panellist] Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paychecks, but he [gesturing to the conservative panellist] gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn’t cost money; it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don’t like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so fuckin’ smart, how come they lose so GODDAM ALWAYS!
And [to the conservative panellist] with a straight face, you’re going to tell students that America’s so star-spangled awesome that we’re the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom; Japan has freedom, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium has freedom. Two hundred seven sovereign states in the world, like 180 of them have freedom.
And you—sorority girl—yeah—just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know, and one of them is that there is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world. We’re seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labour force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defence spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies. None of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt, a member of the WORST-period-GENERATION-period-EVER-period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about?! Yosemite?!!!
We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons; we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbours, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn’t belittle it; it didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn’t scare so easy. And we were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one—America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.
Will
[to moderator] Enough?