I remember a time when I could've laughed at this video. No longer. It's very sad to me. If you've never been to another country and talked to PEOPLE from there, it may be difficult to follow me. Please do. I want to discuss the perception of Americans and how we feel about it. This is the true stereotype we need to be concerning ourselves with. It has nothing to do with your skin color, race, creed, religion, etc. It's about BEING American, as opposed to ACTING American. We have some flaws, ya'll. And we have to take responsibility for these flaws and more importantly acknowledge them. It's impossible to fix the problem if you don't know what it is.
Many people are stuck in the era when MADE IN USA meant something good. There was a pride that went along with it. This is no longer true. The majority of our exports are PIECES, which get put together in another country, then imported back in for us to consume. Usually child labor with little to no safety standards. Where we now excel is EXPORTING ARMS.
When I was in the Air Force, I always said it was like living in a bubble. I was stationed in 3 countries for 6 years, and the bases overseas are all-inclusive. You can live a pretty full life without ever leaving the base. Movies, bowling, shopping, sports, clubs, shooting range, you name it--it's on there. It makes for a powerful community. It may sound crazy, but the proudest and most AMERICAN I've ever felt was when I was outside of the country. So much so that when I finally got stationed in the US, it completely turned me off to the military. Here it was treated like just another job. There was nothing special about it. I got out shortly thereafter.
Two experiences that I will NEVER forget and that completely awoke me to the true perception/stereotype of Americans. First one was during the 2000 election. I was living in England and worked with a British lady in her mid-50's. She was very "cheeky." She matched my sarcastic wittiness, and that's the relationship we had. I would always get on her about the Queen, and paying 17% on EVERYTHING to her. So for those few days during the recount/theft, she left me have it. As a result, I took an interest and made it a point to keep current on politics. At first it was foreign policy because I was living outside of the US.
The second experience I've mentioned before, but it's just as relevant now. It was in July-August 2001, Mozambique Africa. While there, to skip the operational details, it was me, my Contracting officer (military), and a local civilian off the streets. He was the one that spoke the best English. Our trio was together when we weren't sleeping. The man's name was Hanifo. A few things I learned about Mozambique that surprised me was that it was a Muslim country and they drive on the left side of the road. Looking back now though, I remember having a conversation sprouted by his question of "where were our jewels, chains, diamonds; we're American, right?" He got this American stereotype from MTV. I say American because I'm not Black. He mentioned P. Diddy during the discussion, but he didn't mention him being Black. He mentioned him being American.
This bothers me. This is firsthand experience; not a damn video game! This is what REAL PEOPLE think about us. The stories of the feelings of the people of Panama are a whole other chapter. We Americans identify everything as a THING. No matter what. Whether it's a price, a figure, statistic or anything else that can sparkle in a PowerPoint presentation. That's the issue we face in this Internet Age of marketing campaigns, mind control consumerism, email, chat rooms, and everything else that keeps you inside your home and avoid SPEAKING WITH PEOPLE.
Since the Civil Rights Movement, Americans have been getting more and more apathetic. I don't believe it's the people's fault entirely because we've been bred as a people to not settle for less. Everything to the extreme. Corporations tapping into our emotions to recoup the wages they pay. That's valid only if you're unaware though. Now we know. Expand your awareness, go outside, talk to people, travel, experience.
I truly believe we are what we do. If you don't do shit, you ain't shit. And you shouldn't go through life with pre-packaged ideas that aren't even yours and think you got a leg to stand on. It's easy to say he's Muslim = TERRORIST; she's speaking Spanish = ILLEGAL; he's wearing a $3000-suit = CROOK. It makes it easier to DEAL with your own life to throw similar things into the same box, but look what it's doing to the world.
PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL THEM!
DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, ANYTHING...
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