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Yep, that's pretty much how I feel. I love my life, I love where I live, I enjoy living in Texas and in the US - why would anyone begrudge my happiness or assume it's because I just don't know any better? It's not for everyone - no place is. I hope other people are as happy where they live as I am where I live.
I love my own life too. It is not perfect, but it is good - even in one of the poorer countries of Europe. And if all goes well, soon it will be yet better. And I don't begrudge anybody else his/her happiness. However I do resent it when people say or imply I cannot possibly be happy - or anyone else for that matter - because I do not live in the "best country on Earth". Or that I only think I am happy because I don't know what true happiness or true freedom is like. Or that I - or other people - would give everything, and possibly even use sex, as a female, as the means of obtaining a Green Card. I get it, you, and a lot of other Americans, have a lot of love and pride for your homeland. But it does not mean other people cannot have their love and pride too.
Yes, that was the post I was talking about. As for why I was "ruminating" as Kathryn puts it... sometimes old threads are more interesting than new ones, and besides, my whole point of being on CD is to find out what people think about various topics.
Then you should be able to read the very clear words in that post, which include:
Quote:
I know full well that the United States isn't perfect. I've also traveled enough across this wide world to say with certainty that no perfect utopias or countries exist. We could throw stones back and forth at each other into infinity and every insult might be true - but it would also be a very incomplete picture.
Quote:
It's great to travel, and I often see things that other countries or cultures do better - and I use that information to try to make improvements in my own life, and in my country's culture and politics.
But I also know that in spite of it's flaws, the United States is a unique and fascinating country with much to offer it's citizens.
In between those two statements is a list of the various things that I'm grateful for. Nowhere in that post do I state or imply that these benefits are not available elsewhere.
I love my own life too. It is not perfect, but it is good - even in one of the poorer countries of Europe. And if all goes well, soon it will be yet better. And I don't begrudge anybody else his/her happiness. However I do resent it when people say or imply I cannot possibly be happy - or anyone else for that matter - because I do not live in the "best country on Earth". Or that I only think I am happy because I don't know what true happiness or true freedom is like. Or that I - or other people - would give everything, and possibly even use sex, as a female, as the means of obtaining a Green Card. I get it, you, and a lot of other Americans, have a lot of love and pride for your homeland. But it does not mean other people cannot have their love and pride too.
OK and if I ever say or imply any of that to you, then you can give me this lecture, but till then - it's unnecessary.
And I'm sure you can understand why an American might be offended by your generalizations about the US and Americans, too, right? I mean, you're chock full of them.
I don't know if this was a joke or not, but people, you haven't LIVED until you've had reindeermeat! In any form! Even just as a sausage/sandwich meat, it's the best! You'll forget all about burgers, or beef in general.
I am not going to eat reindeers I need my christmas gifts...
3.) You can’t leave the hotel with your room key
4.) Things close down at lunch time
5.) It’s hard to find to go cups for coffee- You’ll have a hard time ordering a cup of coffee to go.
6.) Dinner takes two to three hours to eat- Ready for a quick bite to eat? Think again.
7.) Sometimes you have to pay before you order
8.) Public toilettes aren’t free
9.) Wifi isn’t free and isn’t always available
10.) You don’t need to tip
11.) Almost all museums are free (or at least cheap)
12.) Ordering a latte means ordering a milk
13.) Breakfast is cold cuts, cheese, and bread- Eggs don’t seem to be common for breakfast.
14.) Salads aren’t a big thing
15.) Limited selection of foods
16.) Burgers must be well done
I've only experienced a few of these items and on a very limited basis. None of this has been my experience to a broad extent except for tipping. Even then, I found that a one euro tip goes a long way to never having to wait for a drink in a crowded bar.
This reads like one person's personal experience on their one and only trip to Europe where they only visited one place.
OK and if I ever say or imply any of that to you, then you can give me this lecture, but till then - it's unnecessary.
And I'm sure you can understand why an American might be offended by your generalizations about the US and Americans, too, right? I mean, you're chock full of them.
"Oh, the humanity!!!!"
This is not about you, Kathryn. You are not the only American who is reading this. You are also not the only American I ever knew. As I said before, I used to hang out around Americans for 12 years - before that one year in the US and after. Heck, I even used to know the US ambassador to my country because we went to the same church. I received her in my small apartment, and she received me in her home in Washington DC. It was a good time too, and all those people were nice and friendly, however some facet of a feeling of superiority was there about them all. Religious, political - there was always something.
As for logs and splitters - I think it is the other way around. I might have a splitter - but it is others that have a log.
This is not about you, Kathryn. You are not the only American who is reading this. You are also not the only American I ever knew. As I said before, I used to hang out around Americans for 12 years - before that one year in the US and after. Heck, I even used to know the US ambassador to my country because we went to the same church. I received her in my small apartment, and she received me in her home in Washington DC. It was a good time too, and all those people were nice and friendly, however some facet of a feeling of superiority was there about them all. Religious, political - there was always something.
As for logs and splitters - I think it is the other way around. I might have a splitter - but it is others that have a log.
OK whatever you say. Your personal experiences are just that - personal experiences. And limited by your social circles, your age, maturity level, education level, mental blocks or preconceptions, emotional baggage, insecurities, etc. just as everyone else's are.
I am not a native Texan. When I first got here, you know what really really stuck out to me as we were driving down the road? Believe it or not - cows. I had never seen so many cows. Of course now that I've lived here a long time, I realize there's so much more to Texas than just cows - but if you'd asked me after my first week here, I would have said, "Wow, it seems like there are cows everywhere, and TRUCKS everywhere, and all the food is so spicy." Well of course those are exaggerations but they have some basis in truth. But I'd sure miss out on a lot of great things about this state if I didn't like spicy food or cows or trucks and discredited the whole rest of the state because I figured that was all there was around here.
I think, based on my own personal experiences, that a lot of Europeans feel superior to Americans. But that doesn't mean that I think all or even most of them do. I know the attitude when I see it or experience it but so what? Most Europeans are very pleasant toward me when I'm traveling there, and that's cool. I know the attitude exists, but I also know that those who feel that way are just as small minded as Americans who feel that way about the US. The superiority complex exists on both sides of the pond, and actually in cultures worldwide since the beginning of time.
That's why I know I can't change it in anyone but myself, so I focus on keeping my own mind as free of prejudices as possible.
By the way, you made it about me when you accused me personally of implying that the US does everything better in a specific post.
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 01-18-2016 at 01:02 PM..
Yes, Lidl in the UK sold it some years ago and the British were shocked. HOW CAN YOU EAT POOR RUDOLPH???????
I feel that way when I see 100 percent buffalo meat in our stores here - "OMG, you're killing the American West!"
I realize the flaw to both mindsets but I guess since I'm not much of a meat eater anyway, it doesn't take much to put me "off my cud" when it comes to the origins of meat.
My grandmother used to say, "My meat hurts" when her muscles hurt. That was, errr, food for thought.
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I need my christmas gifts...
