Sometimes, though, your host community will simply reject you. Dave, "South Korean society does not really allow foreigners to become assimilated." Dave's social isolation became so agonizing, he turned alcoholic and finally had a psychological breakdown. Recovered, Dave stayed on in South Korea, for he appreciated "how easy and simple life can be," and his being there "at least partially compensate for wasted years and decades spent in the United States." It's quite remarkable, this testimony about one's native land, the self-trumpeted greatest nation on earth.
Dave, "It was refreshing, and a little intimidating, to be in a place where what might pass for average or even below average intellectual capabilities might generally be regarded as brilliant in the U.S. That is also true for West Africa, where it is no big deal to speak three, four, or even five (mostly unrelated) foreign languages -- and that is for regular people, not academics who specialize in linguistics. The sort of nationalistic chauvinism sometimes found in the U.S. -- 'We're #1!' is not warranted."
We're too self-absorbed and self-infatuated to know that we're ignorant. Living on a near continent-sized country, and the sick, dark heart of a bombastic empire at that, we see the rest of the world as ridiculous parodies of ourselves, at best. As we're flung, one by one, from this mirthless roller coaster, however, each of us will come to a new understanding. Our skills and industry are not needed here. Like me, you've become a superfluous beggar.
As the criminal state expands, the little people are reduced to squashable ants. Brent, "In the US it's hard to get any respect, even self-respect, unless you are economically successful. People tend to blame themselves for their failures more so than in many places, and often lose self respect as a consequence. When people lose self respect it causes all sorts of problems, and the media makes it worse with their constant idolatry of the rich, famous, and powerful, who are often just mediocre people with a flair for self publicity or making money. Just because somebody can make a lot of money doesn't make them a good person or even intelligent, but that's how the media portrays them. The Protestant Ethic always equated success with closeness to God, but until fairly recently there were a lot of nooks and crannies in the economy and the country where you could live quietly apart from the hustling and just have some tiny little business and live a quiet life. Those places are getting harder to find. Corporatism is out to monetize everything and everybody."
Exasperated, Joe raves, "america, turn off your f*cking tv's, you are manipulated in ways you can't imagine. give the indians their land back, fight the evil anglo-american government, take your kids out of school, re-start the sexual revolution, keep looking to the future (america's greatest strength and uniqueness, this looking forward to a better world), but create the radical, beautiful society that you can and must create! ["] i have no hope for america or the world (well, i do, but it's not the place for that long conversation here). america is too big, for one. It's now a police/military state. etcetera."
With some of the world's highest rates of divorce, teen pregnancy and children born out of wedlock, I'd say the sexual revolution is still (hard) on here, so though the concept of free love arouses me as much as the next guy, I've learnt to keep my loins in perspective, as has Joe, by the way, since he's an upright husband and father. As for the United States being some kind of Utopian project, our opulence and license are a direct result of our unmatched belligerence and rapaciousness. Our open roads are paved over corpses.
As for our egalitarianism, it's as superficial as this Andy Warhol observation, "What's great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too." In spite of our jivey bonhomie among classes, this society is as stratified as any.
This country was built with slave, indentured servant, coolie and sweat shop labor, and after Africans were freed, new, much more powerful black slaves were found in the form of oil. Much of what passes for progress is no more than this petroleum bonanza, but sure, why not, the state will take all the credit for improving your life!
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