What I See with Peter Fiorenza: Non-Americans have every right to be concerned about looming US election

What is this world coming to? I don’t know about you, but I’m a little worried about the United States of America. I’m normally not the biggest fan of the USA, but recent events have me worried. Over the years, I’ve come to the realisation that despite being the biggest economy and the biggest flagship for democracy, America has a cultural outlook that doesn’t really sit well with me. I know that’s somewhat of a broad generalisation, but these days I’m almost cynical when it comes to anything American. And this is more than apparent with the current race for the White House. Who will be the next President of the USA? I think the world was stunned by the performance in the first presidential debate. It was nothing short of a disaster, and painted a picture, for some observers, of a nation whose political structure was on the brink of collapse. We’re talking about a face-to-face confrontation to determine the future of the free world. It involved a 76-year-old convicted businessman who, arguably, incited a riot on the US Capitol building and an octogenarian, who is, obviously, physically feeling the effects of age. Now, I’m not for one minute picking on the elderly. But cannot a nation of 300 million-plus people come up with something a little better? This is a nation that has a cultural imprint that spans the globe. It was the first to put people on the moon, it is a beacon for human rights and, according to www.wilsoncenter.org, provides 50 per cent of the world’s research and development. So, what the hell has gone wrong? Well, I reckon it’s the American people themselves. To me, it seems that American culture itself doesn’t give a damn about politics, both in and outside of the US. The Americans, simply, don’t care. But we, in the rest of the world, have to care, because despite the lack of political interest in the USA, its political leaders are, ironically, the biggest political forces outside the USA. If the champion of democracy decays, we are all going to be affected. Or, perhaps, I’m just being a bit too serious. Peter Fiorenza hosts Sport Shed Saturday (9am to noon) and Fiorenza on Sunday (10am to noon) on Radio MAMA