Mark Twain was incisive when chronicling the contradictions in our public behaviors. For example:
‘Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.’ – Mark Twain
That irony reminded me of this fictional scene from The Newsroom, an American TV series, with actor Jeff Daniels as lead anchor Will McAvoy. The show chronicles the behind-the-scenes events at the fictional Atlantis Cable News (ACN) channel. In this exchange he is asked by a student about America’s greatness.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTjMqda19wk)
Twain also observed: ‘We have the best government that money can buy.’