jones101
9 Mar 2008
News / Polish Immigrants Leave America for Europe [210]
Sure...
To give you the back story I was the guy that always argued with my and "conservative" friends and colleagues (and in my line of work then and now there were a majority of 'conservative' minded people) about how all people are basically the same inside and we should respect all religions, cultures etc etc. While I was all for protecting the free world etc I really had no idea how much truly needed protecting. They all called me a 'hippy' :)
Fast forward 15-20 years and a few wars and aid trips later and my perspective has changed in many ways. People are NOT the same all over. Some people and religions do not want peace and coexistence they want domination and control. I am not just talking the extremists I am talking about normal, everyday citizens. And don't think I am just talking about Taliban etc...Africa...South America...Asia...there are cultures in all of these places that would make you ill if you knew what things were really like.
All cultures have bad people...but some just cannot grasp respect, peace and caring. Criticize the US as much as you like...argue about members of the military that did bad things (minority) or rednecks that beat their wives (minority) but the reality is American culture as a whole is a caring culture that wants to make the world better for everyone (even if we do fall short at times).
Most of the things people complain about the US is just flat wrong...Americans are not less intelligent or world-wise than anyone else. There are plenty of Poles or Germans or French that cannot speak another language or show you Chile on a map...there is just as many drunks, adulterers and drug addicts in China or Peru or Spain as the US...the media spews nonsense all the time and people buy it because they WANT to hate America and blame us for their problems. It took me being away from home and being immersed in other cultures to get that.
I am still not religious...I will never tattoo an American flag on my arm with some patriotic slogan. But now I am much more appreciative of how kind and respectful MOST Americans really are and I understand more why we do the things we do in the world.
I think most people that scream and yell about how imperialist or violent the US is would not last a day in the cultures they are 'championing'. They truly cannot see that they are free to be such mouthy gits because they ARE Americans or Poles or any other number of free people. 99% of the time they really don't have the first clue as to what they are talking about.
Despite what so many people try and say the US does not want to impose it's culture on anyone...it simply wants everyone to have the FREEDOM to choose their lifestyle and culture and not have control, violence and suffering visited upon them.
I am to the point where I don't enjoy meeting new people here in Poland because the conversation inevitably turns to them interrogating me about why the US is so this and why Americans are so that...even if they listen to my explanations they generally seem to not be willing to accept them as it is much easier to imagine us as a bunch of uneducated, spoiled children. It makes them feel superior. I have a standing bet with my fiancee that if it takes less than 10 minutes for someone new to start in on me about how bad the US education system is she has to cook dinner. People I have just met always criticize the US as if I am responsible for all it's faults...and they normally seem to get upset if I don't reinforce their stereotype.
Somebody is bound to pick out quotes and argue but I truly don't care...this is how I see it and how my experience (which is vast...not being arrogant just truthful) has changed my vision.
If people want to make the world a better place they need to get out there and repair and redirect it rather than do self serving pointless work like selling Ferraris, giving boob jobs or writing opinion articles. OR if they want to complain and tell everyone else how smart they are I guess they are FREE to do that....whether that makes them a good person or not.
Sure...
To give you the back story I was the guy that always argued with my and "conservative" friends and colleagues (and in my line of work then and now there were a majority of 'conservative' minded people) about how all people are basically the same inside and we should respect all religions, cultures etc etc. While I was all for protecting the free world etc I really had no idea how much truly needed protecting. They all called me a 'hippy' :)
Fast forward 15-20 years and a few wars and aid trips later and my perspective has changed in many ways. People are NOT the same all over. Some people and religions do not want peace and coexistence they want domination and control. I am not just talking the extremists I am talking about normal, everyday citizens. And don't think I am just talking about Taliban etc...Africa...South America...Asia...there are cultures in all of these places that would make you ill if you knew what things were really like.
All cultures have bad people...but some just cannot grasp respect, peace and caring. Criticize the US as much as you like...argue about members of the military that did bad things (minority) or rednecks that beat their wives (minority) but the reality is American culture as a whole is a caring culture that wants to make the world better for everyone (even if we do fall short at times).
Most of the things people complain about the US is just flat wrong...Americans are not less intelligent or world-wise than anyone else. There are plenty of Poles or Germans or French that cannot speak another language or show you Chile on a map...there is just as many drunks, adulterers and drug addicts in China or Peru or Spain as the US...the media spews nonsense all the time and people buy it because they WANT to hate America and blame us for their problems. It took me being away from home and being immersed in other cultures to get that.
I am still not religious...I will never tattoo an American flag on my arm with some patriotic slogan. But now I am much more appreciative of how kind and respectful MOST Americans really are and I understand more why we do the things we do in the world.
I think most people that scream and yell about how imperialist or violent the US is would not last a day in the cultures they are 'championing'. They truly cannot see that they are free to be such mouthy gits because they ARE Americans or Poles or any other number of free people. 99% of the time they really don't have the first clue as to what they are talking about.
Despite what so many people try and say the US does not want to impose it's culture on anyone...it simply wants everyone to have the FREEDOM to choose their lifestyle and culture and not have control, violence and suffering visited upon them.
I am to the point where I don't enjoy meeting new people here in Poland because the conversation inevitably turns to them interrogating me about why the US is so this and why Americans are so that...even if they listen to my explanations they generally seem to not be willing to accept them as it is much easier to imagine us as a bunch of uneducated, spoiled children. It makes them feel superior. I have a standing bet with my fiancee that if it takes less than 10 minutes for someone new to start in on me about how bad the US education system is she has to cook dinner. People I have just met always criticize the US as if I am responsible for all it's faults...and they normally seem to get upset if I don't reinforce their stereotype.
Somebody is bound to pick out quotes and argue but I truly don't care...this is how I see it and how my experience (which is vast...not being arrogant just truthful) has changed my vision.
If people want to make the world a better place they need to get out there and repair and redirect it rather than do self serving pointless work like selling Ferraris, giving boob jobs or writing opinion articles. OR if they want to complain and tell everyone else how smart they are I guess they are FREE to do that....whether that makes them a good person or not.