The introductory monologue in HBOs “The Newsroom” is patriotism at its best: critical, yet hopeful.
The Newsroom’s Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) is asked by a sophomore college student why he thinks America is the best country in the world. His response is a scathing critique of what America has become the best at:
We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending, where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies.
Though at the same time his speech is encouraging. He reminds us that, though not everything was perfect, we weren’t always at such political loggerheads, our economic institutions weren’t always run by greed, and our educational system was held at high regard. Watch the later part of the speech below.
