Magpie,you and JewelSong and I reached the point where we had to express ourselves today, it seems. :) *HUGS*
I tell you, there is little more disturbing than the attitude you describe, and which I have also experienced, of intentional and prideful ignorance as regards the rest of the world.
As the single remaining Superpower, I have always felt, it is our responsibility to set the tone for the rest of the world --a tone of collaboration and respect. And here we are, swaggering around like a macho dipshit in gangland. Even worse, I have heard people gloat over the discomfort of the Europeans --proud that we just showed 'em who's boss! It's as though there is some mass fantasy that George Bush acting unilaterally is akin to John Wayne being a hero.
HEL-LOOO-OOOO!
After years of training in cross-cultural communication, international business, and political science, not to mention a 2 year stint working at the American Embassy in Moscow, I am embarrassed and ashamed by this attitude. I can see how people can be called "stupid" over it, because it DOES look like: "Shit, howdy, Joe-Bob! Lookee here! We sure done showed them for'ners, ain't we?"
We've had reason to be proud of who we are. And perhaps we can be excused some ignorance, just by virtue of our distance from much of the world --although that geographical distance means less and less as time goes on. But, people, we cannot bully our way through the 21st century and have any good come of it. Surely, that is obvious?
(Or am I just being stupid? Is the whole agenda to bring on Armageddon as soon as possible? In that case I guess runaway spending and insulting your friends doesn't matter much--we won't be here to live with the debt, eh? *shudder* Only, we will. And more than one kind of debt, I'm thinking.)
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I tell you, there is little more disturbing than the attitude you describe, and which I have also experienced, of intentional and prideful ignorance as regards the rest of the world.
As the single remaining Superpower, I have always felt, it is our responsibility to set the tone for the rest of the world --a tone of collaboration and respect. And here we are, swaggering around like a macho dipshit in gangland. Even worse, I have heard people gloat over the discomfort of the Europeans --proud that we just showed 'em who's boss! It's as though there is some mass fantasy that George Bush acting unilaterally is akin to John Wayne being a hero.
HEL-LOOO-OOOO!
After years of training in cross-cultural communication, international business, and political science, not to mention a 2 year stint working at the American Embassy in Moscow, I am embarrassed and ashamed by this attitude. I can see how people can be called "stupid" over it, because it DOES look like: "Shit, howdy, Joe-Bob! Lookee here! We sure done showed them for'ners, ain't we?"
We've had reason to be proud of who we are. And perhaps we can be excused some ignorance, just by virtue of our distance from much of the world --although that geographical distance means less and less as time goes on. But, people, we cannot bully our way through the 21st century and have any good come of it. Surely, that is obvious?
(Or am I just being stupid? Is the whole agenda to bring on Armageddon as soon as possible? In that case I guess runaway spending and insulting your friends doesn't matter much--we won't be here to live with the debt, eh? *shudder* Only, we will. And more than one kind of debt, I'm thinking.)