2aguy
Diamond Member
- Jul 19, 2014
- 111,953
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Here is one of those stories which should help people on the left better understand the very country they live in....it comes from someone experiencing it without 12 years of government school controlled by the education wing of the democrat party.....
Guns sex and arrogance I hated everything about America 8212 until I moved here - The Washington Post
That was just the first of my many positive revelations about Americans. As it turned out, of the various people my job put me in touch with, Americans were the ones I got along with best. They were funny and genial. They spoke engagingly, embodying all the golden rules of public speaking that I had read in Toastmasters manuals: body language, vocal variety, persuasiveness. And their confidence was impressive; almost every American I came across – man or woman, subordinate or the top executive – had a certain confidence (sometimes bordering on cockiness) that came from being totally at ease with the world. I admired the freedom and congeniality. The sense of camaraderie made me feel welcome and comfortable in no time. Americans weren’t bad people at all.
But when my husband asked if I wanted to move to America, I still said no. Some of my stereotypes about the country lingered: What about the gun culture? Surely, we didn’t want our daughter gunned down at school. And what about the big environmental footprint of America? I shuddered at the prospect of living in a large temperature-controlled house instead of a compact apartment and owning two cars instead of using energy-efficient public transport. Besides, I had no intention of spending all day cooking and cleaning in a country where domestic help was so unaffordable. Why give up such a comfortable life? Reluctantly, my husband put his American Dream on hold, but never failed to hold me responsible.
It was like starting life all over again. I had to learn how to drive in right-hand traffic, how to cook and manage meals without domestic help, and how to do the do-it-yourself jobs around the house. At the same time, I had to unlearn the tendency to micromanage my daughter. In America, she had grown up overnight, choosing her own clothes and speaking her mind. But one by one, my concerns about America were overcome: the homesickness, the fear of driving, the overwhelming housework, playing the soccer mom (debate mom, actually). There was not the overwhelming gun violence that I feared and, though my daughter was independent, our family remained close. Yes, I was driving a car more often, but I also had learned to recycle regularly.
These days, I surprise myself by strongly defending America against trite negative characterizations I hear in other countries. When I was young, I believed that Americans unfairly stereotyped India, but in fact, I had unfairly stereotyped Americans. I had criticized them for not knowing my culture, when I was equally ignorant about theirs. The truth is, the United States is not a land of arrogant xenophobes. It’s also not a utopia of freedom and wealth. Like all nations, it harbors a complicated culture, with many layers of good and bad.
Guns sex and arrogance I hated everything about America 8212 until I moved here - The Washington Post
That was just the first of my many positive revelations about Americans. As it turned out, of the various people my job put me in touch with, Americans were the ones I got along with best. They were funny and genial. They spoke engagingly, embodying all the golden rules of public speaking that I had read in Toastmasters manuals: body language, vocal variety, persuasiveness. And their confidence was impressive; almost every American I came across – man or woman, subordinate or the top executive – had a certain confidence (sometimes bordering on cockiness) that came from being totally at ease with the world. I admired the freedom and congeniality. The sense of camaraderie made me feel welcome and comfortable in no time. Americans weren’t bad people at all.
But when my husband asked if I wanted to move to America, I still said no. Some of my stereotypes about the country lingered: What about the gun culture? Surely, we didn’t want our daughter gunned down at school. And what about the big environmental footprint of America? I shuddered at the prospect of living in a large temperature-controlled house instead of a compact apartment and owning two cars instead of using energy-efficient public transport. Besides, I had no intention of spending all day cooking and cleaning in a country where domestic help was so unaffordable. Why give up such a comfortable life? Reluctantly, my husband put his American Dream on hold, but never failed to hold me responsible.
It was like starting life all over again. I had to learn how to drive in right-hand traffic, how to cook and manage meals without domestic help, and how to do the do-it-yourself jobs around the house. At the same time, I had to unlearn the tendency to micromanage my daughter. In America, she had grown up overnight, choosing her own clothes and speaking her mind. But one by one, my concerns about America were overcome: the homesickness, the fear of driving, the overwhelming housework, playing the soccer mom (debate mom, actually). There was not the overwhelming gun violence that I feared and, though my daughter was independent, our family remained close. Yes, I was driving a car more often, but I also had learned to recycle regularly.
These days, I surprise myself by strongly defending America against trite negative characterizations I hear in other countries. When I was young, I believed that Americans unfairly stereotyped India, but in fact, I had unfairly stereotyped Americans. I had criticized them for not knowing my culture, when I was equally ignorant about theirs. The truth is, the United States is not a land of arrogant xenophobes. It’s also not a utopia of freedom and wealth. Like all nations, it harbors a complicated culture, with many layers of good and bad.
