A day late
One of the things that occasionally whacks me in the ass about living overseas is dates. I have no idea when Labor Day is, the 4th of July slides by in the haze another frantic work week, and Thanksgiving ambushes me when I'm getting frustrated trying to call someone in the States. Most of the time, I have to look at a calendar, do some counting, and go 'Oh. Well. That would be why they're not picking up then.' It's slightly disconcerting, like if the sky was suddenly lavender, and everyone around you was saying that it was still blue. It's not much of a difference, but still. It's not the same.
So about yesterday. The day my brain went, 'Wait, I think there's something I'm supposed to mention here...um...well...penguins?' I never know what to say on September 11th. Or about it. I'm sure it's supposed to be this uber-patriotic day, with flag waving and sadness for the loss of life and all, but it's difficult to be patriotic when you're living in a different country (or this could just be me).
Living over here has given me a very different view of the States than I had before. I see the broken bits, the tarnished parts that America tries to cover up, the school-yard bully aspects of my native culture. Most of what you hear about America when you're living outside it is...not good. The rest world doesn't really like us, like how you didn't like your idiotic, brainless younger sister when all she could talk about was boys and GOD GET AN OPINION OF YOUR OWN ALREADY. I know there are good bits, shining examples of humanity and caring in there too, but you don't get to see them when you're not living there. You just hear about the screw-ups, the meanness, the stupidity of our nation's leaders, and the mistakes made.
No one deserved to die, on those planes or in New York in 2001. What those people did was wrong, and misguided. I will never be able to understand why they did it, or how anyone could consider doing sometime like that in any circumstances, at any point in time.
But the rest of the world can't dislike us just because. There's a reason there, whether we agree with it or not. So maybe we should start trying to find out about it.
So about yesterday. The day my brain went, 'Wait, I think there's something I'm supposed to mention here...um...well...penguins?' I never know what to say on September 11th. Or about it. I'm sure it's supposed to be this uber-patriotic day, with flag waving and sadness for the loss of life and all, but it's difficult to be patriotic when you're living in a different country (or this could just be me).
Living over here has given me a very different view of the States than I had before. I see the broken bits, the tarnished parts that America tries to cover up, the school-yard bully aspects of my native culture. Most of what you hear about America when you're living outside it is...not good. The rest world doesn't really like us, like how you didn't like your idiotic, brainless younger sister when all she could talk about was boys and GOD GET AN OPINION OF YOUR OWN ALREADY. I know there are good bits, shining examples of humanity and caring in there too, but you don't get to see them when you're not living there. You just hear about the screw-ups, the meanness, the stupidity of our nation's leaders, and the mistakes made.
No one deserved to die, on those planes or in New York in 2001. What those people did was wrong, and misguided. I will never be able to understand why they did it, or how anyone could consider doing sometime like that in any circumstances, at any point in time.
But the rest of the world can't dislike us just because. There's a reason there, whether we agree with it or not. So maybe we should start trying to find out about it.
posted by Auglaise at 4:21 PM
2 Comments:
I don't think the world doesn't like American's. It is much more complicated than that. It is the same as what the world probably thought about the British when we had and empire. It is a loathing respect for what America is but a annoyance at what America does.
What the world hates are the politicians especially the current gonvernment. We also cannot understand how people in America could vote for George W Bush. All the Americans (especially yourself) have been really nice and lovely.
"All the Americans (especially yourself) have been really nice and lovely."
----------------
Hey now, we're not all nice, and even fewer of us are "lovely". :)
We didn't all vote for bush.... From time to time, I believe we should split the country into four chunks, and let them govern themselves....
As for Sep 11th, it reminds me of how much I despise the media. All information we've been spoon-fed is "BS" for sensationalism and misinformation. Even this post is my opinion based on my interpretation of the misinformation I have been fed. I'm not a conspiracy theorist wacko or anything like that (at least I don't think I am, but crazy people are always the last to know). I just believe, you can always count on a liar to lie.
Also remember that your country’s media (as well as the media from your country’s allies to a lesser degree) will always paint your country in the “best light”.
Though I hate it’s administration at the moment, I love my country. What I detest is the media counting on and preying on the gullibility of half the country to believe everything they hear. What’s worse than that, is the pure lethargy of the general populous, and their tolerance for both the media’s and the administration’s garbage.
Wohhhhh….. SO sorry to rant on your blog -B.
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