Here are two of the pro arguments I’ve gotten. I don’t have much of a response to these, but thought I’d throw them up anyway to thank you guys for engaging on this topic.
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Re: DWC I
Amen, my friend. The American Experiment of the past few hundred years has taken a lot of moxy on behalf of US citizens, and anyone who thinks that it would be easy and wonderfully utopian to attempt to bond across tribes and political, ethical, religious and motivational boundaries for the sake of the larger democratic movement the States has been working to represent is simply naive. Too soon we’re wiling to offer criticism without alternative solutions or – better yet – support for change. The human race as a whole is only an inch above the primordial soup from which we emerged, Americans included, but the messy work of evolution is engaged bravely by the US and I, for one, am proud to be their neighbour. Not proud of all of their actions (nor of all of ours as Canadians), but supportive of the kinds of changes their particular strange brew can stir up.
Alright then: let the onslaught of criticism for being a torture-loving, bomb-happy, capitalist asshole-lover ensue …
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Re: DWC II
And yet you seem to make an enormous amount of judgments about the type of person Rob is. It’s not like Rob isn’t well versed in the populist “America is bad” history you quoted. He’s far more educated on the subject than you give him credit.
“what have you done to know where they are coming from?…why don’t you start doing something to change people’s perspectives on your country and its people?”
I thought traveling the world to learn other cultures and share experiences with the world through JetSet was “doing something”.
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Yo Rob,
Just a tip of the hat for your original “Dear World” post. Not only are you totally fair in what you said about these people for being bigots that have closed their minds to new ideas, but the subsequent reaction of readers proves how many cool, and open minded Americans are out there. Everyone should keep in mind that only 49% of voters (35% of eligible voters) even voted for Bush and even thats disputable. As a Canadian I can sympathize, as I am often mistaken for being American, then treated like crap, and then subsequently redeemed when I tell everyone where I am from.
Basically my travels have taught me this: You are bound to meet good and shitty people wherever you go in the world. I have found people i have more in common with on the other side of the world than I do with my neighbours back home. Interestingly, the “haters” of the world who judge you based on your citizenship, would be amazed to realize that they have so much in common with the “haters/Republicans” of America too. Of course they would never travel to figure that out, so its up to open minded travellers like Jet Set Zeroto do that and prove them wrong. Good luck!
Jesse