A phrase is thrown around quite a bit in reference to the President of the United States. He or she is often referred to, interchangeably with his or her official title, as The Leader of the Free World.

I have my suspicions that this began as a hyperbole. The role comes with an incredible amount of responsibility, no doubt, and makes waves in the happenings of not only the western world, but of the entire globe.

It is my firm belief, though, that even as a hyperbole (which it is no longer), this title is beyond a misnomer. To use The Free World as an equivalent to the United States of America is simply rude. Do the borders of the continental United States really mark the end of freedom’s homeland? Does opression abound just off-shore? Or I suppose where international waters begin, if one is being technical?

Let us then assume that I’m misinterpreting this title, and that freedom is not synonymous exclusively with life in the USA. That would then denote that the title Leader of the Free World is not saying that freedom is exlcusive to the USA. What it is saying, then, is that the reach of authority of the President is far beyond that of the executive branch of the United States.

It reads a bit like a superhero introduction, doesn’t it? “Wherever there is freedom. Wherever there is peace. Wherever justice abounds and the voice of the people is heard. There you will find… Super-President!”

To be frank, it’s preposterous. This mentality is part of why the United States is criticised globally for world-policing. Not only do many of the inhabitants actually believe that the rest of the world is subject to US law and policy, but one gets the impression that the Office-holder himself/herself has taken to this belief.

To illustrate the fallacy, I hereby dub myself the Leader of Central London. Why? Well, I am actually in charge of a small portion of central London. (Namely, my own personal space.) But the ramifications of my decisions are widespread. If I, for example, were to strip to nude and cover myself in maple syrup before sprinting down Shaftesbury Avenue, I could stop traffic, cause congestion in crowds, and leave a very sticky trail for the space of a mile or two. (I’m that fast, even sticky. Don’t ask me how I know.) But does that really make me the Leader of Central London, just because my actions are capable of affecting the area? No. And so it is with the United States. The US policy will no doubt affect the rest of the world. And financial ties and military strength certainly carry quite a bit of weight. But I sincerely believe and hope that if Mr. or Mrs. President ever tells Britain to close all of her pubs under the antiquated Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, Gordon Brown or whomever is in charge would tell the Leader of the Free World to stuff it.

In short, with all respect, I wish that the leader and citizens of the United States thought of themselves as members of a global community instead of 1st class passengers on spaceship earth, the rest of the world hanging back in coach.