Are we really a Nation of Whiners as Senator Phil Gramm pronounced? About 10 months previously a friend of mine made exactly the same statement. And that was before the big spike in gas prices, the tainted tomato scare, the threat of inflation, and the catastrophic subprime debacle.
I was rather taken aback when my friend made this statement. He went on to say that he knew many whiners who were blaming others while feeling sorry for themselves. I see people as feeling boxed in by their life situations and not knowing how to find solutions to their physical stressors and emotional pain.
There was a real outcry about Phil Gramm’s use of the Nation of Whiners comment. Rightfully so, if one looked at it solely from the perspective of his being out of step with the real pain people are feeling due to the real stressors out there. I also disagreed with my friend since his Nation of Whiners was equally distorted by not understanding that lack of knowing what to do is not the same as whining.
