They hate us because we're free. They hate us because we're conceited. They hate us because we're the super-popular kid in school who doesn't have a social conscience but treats everyone like a supporting player in their movie. They hate us because we seem to elect self-serving idiots to office to make horrible policy that few of us truly agree with. They hate us because we get things done, irrespective of the level of difficulty, once we set our minds to the task. They hate us because we inexplicably reinvent our culture every ten years or so, thus to their minds, we have no stable culture. They hate us because we're self-centered.
What can we do? Without a critical mass, virtually nothing. There will always be more of the ugly Americans than the ones that the rest of the world can like.
As UFies, we could form a geek coalition that would embrace other UFies in other countries. We should be able to point to a map and say, "That's where SaleGamine lives in Switzerland", or "Here's Dragonlady's pad in Australia." The fact that most Americans are so woefully ignorant of the rest of the world is the main problem. We're hideously insular, even amongst ourselves. How many of the 50 states have you visited? Believe it or not, there are people living right here in New Orleans who have never been across the river. It's unreal how much we cut ourselves off from so many people, places and things.
EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS NOW! There's a whole wide world out there to visit and understand. Eat their foods, drink their beers and play their games. They're some kick-a$$ cool folks and it's a shame we're so xenophobic that we don't want to become their friends. |
