Rete

I think you and another poster is missing the point. My mother was German, born and raised, and only emigrated to the US when my father a USC was discharged from the service. My grandparents on dad's side were born and raised in Poland. As my father's generation and mine (at least my contemporaries) view European travel as visits to the old country because that is where our grandparents and/or parents were from. It was also used as a bit of humor.

Now you differ from me, I don't travel for cultural comparisons. I'm not really interested in exploring other cultures. I like to explore geography and cities and towns and to see nature. I didn't visit Germany to have a cultural experience. I went to visit the "old country" where my aunt still lived and spend time with her.

We spend our funds in different ways and for different reasons when we vacation. I am happy with my vacations and travels just as you are with yours.

Rete

It has always gone to the big corporations. That has not changed since the country was industrialized. It is just that our world has changed with the advent of computers and information technology. The higher paying fields require a specialized college education and with those higher positions comes perks.

Yet the American Dream does still, at this moment, live on as I pointed out when I detailed some of the lives of the Albanians and Irish in my community. Here in NY is it far easier for an immigrant to open a business than a USC. An immigrant is given a lower interest rate and financial aid to open a business. Not so for a US Citizen. So I still believe that the dream is alive and fulfilled for many people who come to the US for betterment of their lives and for financial success.

RoadWarriorFromLP

On a certain level, you're right -- we are all free to make the choices that we wish.

But as Americans, we make choices like this at our peril, for the status of the United States and the perpetuation of its role as the purveyor of a Pax Americana are jeopardized by our general unwillingness as a society to understand the world around us on its own terms.

I have had the dubious pleasure of meeting enough village idiots from around the world to build a city or two, the US has no monopoly on these. But like it or not, Americans carry an additional responsibility to serve as de facto ambassadors for their country and for western values in general, because of what the US represents to the rest of the world and because of how US eminence benefits us. That's the legacy that you inherit when you carry the blue book with the eagle on it, like it or not.

So at the very least, we need to make sure that our idiots are smarter and more sensitive than the other guys' idiots, if only because their idiots don't have the same impact on the world that ours do.

When we don't, we end up with George Bush-types in the White House, because monocultural unworldly bullies are quite content with this my-way-or-highway belligerence common to the current regime. We can't lead the world properly if we don't know a damn thing about it, and our recent ham-fisted performances on the world stage are clear examples of what can go wrong when we pretend that this sort of ignorance for a country in the driver's seat is blissful.

As citizens in a democracy, we won't have leaders who get it if we don't make cultural literacy an electoral imperative, and we certainly won't see the need if we limit our view abroad to what can be seen on postcards. There's a lot at stake here that goes well beyond a photo album or a bus tour.

Xebedee

Just because you are an American, this attitude should not stand out as unusual but unfortunately, it tends to.
You wouldn't be surprised to know that there are certainly locals in pubs every evening who haven't strayed far from home their whole life and who have absolutely no wish to meet or talk to an American let alone get on a plane to discover the culture here.

Some would say that they are "out of date" what with our "ever shrinking world". Then again, they may well be perfectly content contained within those boundaries.

Rete

I won't go there with my views.

As have I in my very own backyard. When I have traveled outside of the US I have never portrayed myself as the "Ugly" American which is how many see us. The same values and morality that I use here in the States is used in my travels. And I have been fortunate that in my travels (while limited) I have not met with ugliness because of my nationality.


But that again is another point that might not be wise to go into. Why should the US lead the world? I know what is happening in the world today and through the wonders of books and documentaries and face to face conversations with new immigrants I believe I have a fairly good handle on various world cultures.

The issue of politicans and president we are currently dealing with is not primarily because of village idiots but because the political machine spewed out the name when considering candidates for offices and we were forced to choose one of two idiots for the office. Anyone with 1/2 a brain knew from the start that Jr was going to follow in daddy's footsteps but he deviated a bit and refuses to pull out like daddy did.

This should be directed to today's youth and young adults. The older generation, of which I am a member, does not need to be told that world events have and should have a direct bearing on our country and its policies.

Rete

Is it unusual? Perhaps so. But I'm not interested the culture of Asia or Africa or South America. That does not mean I am not interested in their plight, just not in their culture. But then you might not define culture in the same way I do.

Redlippie

Rete, I wouldn't say you're your average uninformed American. Unfortunately, the vast majority of this country's people tend to not look outside the borders - sometimes of their state never mind their country. It is extremely worrying I think that so many are uninformed about the outside world. And the worst, IMO, is that they just don't care.

We're living in a global economy now. The fact that jobs are being outsourced for example, could have been avoided if people were just more aware of what is going on out there. If they did, they might have started protesting vehemently when the jobs started walking out the door. Just one example.

RoadWarriorFromLP

"Should" or "shouldn't" isn't the issue. The reality is that this is the reality of our world today, and you benefit from it. However, that comes with a price -- you inherit the burdens that come with it.

Actually, there are plenty of reasonably intelligent people who voted for Bush. They prioritized other things, such as lower taxes.

My point here is that they didn't and continue not to prioritize the management of US global relations in their electoral choices largely because they don't think it matters. The belief that it doesn't matter is a byproduct of their failure to understand the obligations that are associated with the US role in the world today. They want the benefits of dominance without accepting the responsibility that comes with it, which I suppose is consistent with the instant gratification, get-mine-before-you-get-yours mentality that is pervasive within our culture.

Rete

Road --- I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, wonder if anyone bothered to read this week the article on how the stress of working in the call centers in India is detrimentally affecting the mental and physical well-being of the workers. And yes, I realize I benefit from globalization on a material basis but not always to the best end. I hate that attitude that is so prevalent in today's society. I feel like a dinosaur most times when I look at today's young adults and realize we are polar points apart in so many important issues.

Red - Thanks for the vote of confidence in my awareness of world events and issues. I'm pissed about the outsourcing and while it assists other nations economically, there are hundreds of thousands of workers who can do the same job here in the US for the US corporations and they are the ones going hungry because of the outsourcing. Thankfully I have little reason to call a customer service line. The few times that I have, the call center was in Canada.

snowbunny

Interesting....

"The outsourcing industry has come under fire because the sedentary lifestyle of its employees combined with often stressful working conditions make employees more vulnerable to heart disease, digestive problems and weight gain than others. Some complain of psychological distress.

Most call center jobs involve responding to phone calls through the night from customers in the United States and Europe - some of whom can be angry and rude. It is monotonous and there is little meaningful personal interaction among co-workers. That can also be true of other jobs like software writing and back-office work."

A lot of this is true where I work as well. The loneliness is the hardest part.

Xebedee

"Just because you are an American, this attitude should not stand out as unusual but unfortunately, it tends to."

You misunderstood, or perhaps I was unclear. Americans seem to have a reputation for not being curious beyond a mild interest in other cultures. The point I was making is that it is easy to slap that label on an American as you tend to anticipate it. Whereas the fact of the matter is, that provincial attitude exists everywhere to a degree. Certainly in the UK, off the beaten track.

As an aside, I also have absolutely zero interest in visiting places like Mexico, Africa or Mars. They are all equally foreign to me. Backwards, uncivilised places - may as well just visit Mississippi.

Rete

Gotcha !!! Thanks for the explanation X

As for Mississippi, I have a daughter, grandson and son-in-law that live in Mississippi. Lots of transient Americans living there because of the military bases. Her area has Camp Shelby and they have just been sent to Iraq. My daughter has been to Africa, Thailand, Brazil, the Amazon, Hong Kong and Singapore. Her neighbors are from Connecticut and her husband and his siblings lived all over the world due to their father being a career military man. If you look hard enough (wear your glasses) you just might find a few intellectuals there

AngloDreamer

Why don't you fill me in
Give you a good hiding.

He means to duff you up.
Give you a good beating. LoL.

YankeemovingAbroad

I hate to ever side against my lovely America but on the point of safety net I must agree with you.America sadly can be a place that only the strongest do well.

snowbunny

If the Eskimos have 50 words for the different kinds of snow
How many different expressions do the Mancunians have for getting the shit kicked out of you?