Why America Isn't the Greatest Country in the World Anymore - Essay Example

Many people have hailed America as the greatest country in the world. Some of the elements people quote to place America at the top position in the world include diversity, freedom, and opportunities. However, the protagonist anchor in the video clip indicates that America is no longer the greatest country in the world. The anchor delivers a soliloquy that underscores that American decline. The metrics of decline presented by the anchor explore issues such as literacy, infant mortality, life expectancy, and medium household income (Taube).

The anchor points out that America is “seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in maths, the twenty-second in science, hundred and seventy-eighth in infant mortality, forty-ninth in life expectancy, and third in median household income” (Taube). Similarly, the clip video refutes the assertion that America leads in terms of freedom. The anchor asserts, “Japan, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada, and Belgium have freedom (Taube)”. The level of literacy in America has been declining remarkably.

Statistics indicate that the education system in the United States is failing. Estimates indicate, “ninety-three million American adults or about forty-five percent have limited math and writing skills” (Literacy Texas.). The statistics are startling since low literacy skills can have negative effects on the global image of the United States. In 2003, an assessment pointed out that one adult in a group of three Americans is unable to display reading skills (Literacy Texas). Similarly, a section of the American population has low health literacy.

Low health literacy has been pointed as a top predictor and contributor to mortality. In Texas, literacy programs serve a small number of Americans in need of writing and reading skills. In effect, the declining levels of literacy displace America from the perceived top position on the globe. Thus, it is important to remedy the problem by boosting the literacy levels. The statistics of infant mortality and life expectancy in the US are startling. The video clip indicates that the US is forty-ninth in infant mortality and a hundred and seventy-eighth in infant mortality (Taube).

A health report pointed out that Americans have a low life expectancy as compared to other wealthy nations. The short life expectancy is attributable to violence, especially from the people who possess guns. According to the estimates, “approximately six violent deaths occur in every hundred thousand residents” (Castillo). The statistics make the United States rank top in terms of deaths from the violence that reduces life expectancy. Additionally, drugs and alcohol contribute to the startling deaths of Americans before they reach the ages of fifty years.

Terminal diseases such as heart diseases, various types of cancer, and diabetes have lowered the life expectancy among Americans. Likewise, the infant mortality rate in the US is arguably high. The Americans seem to be dying at tender ages (Castillo). America ranks the highest in terms of infant mortality rates among the wealthy nations. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated, “approximately 24, 000 infants succumbed to death in 2011”. The number of deaths is high and underpins the assertion that America has lost its top position in the world.