Us against the world??
Okay, I realize I haven't written much about law, studying, classes, etc. But it seems like I've barely ever been in class since I've been here since they have so many holidays. It is my understanding that yesterday's Catholic Corpus Christi thing was the ABSOLUTE LAST ONE. Considering I'm paying American tuition to go to school here, I figure each class is costing me around $500. What I haven't figured out yet is if it's worth it....
Anyway, on to more serious matters -- WORLD CUP SOCCER. Yes, apparently the American team has eschewed the FIFA-designated hotels in Mannheim for their upcoming game in Kaiserslautern, and have chosen instead to stay at the massive U.S. airforce base nearby. The U.S. players themselves are thrilled about this, because they can eat American food and hear American being spoken all the time, so it's just like being at home. The coach, apparently, chalked up their decision to stay at the base as a matter of security.
OK, this is what I hate the most about the travelling American. I'm sure the Mannheim hotels are not only perfectly secure, but also have good food, cold drinks, and comfy beds...all you need, really, to go and play a soccer match. But these whiny American players come over here and stay at an American military post instead. None of the other teams are doing that. Of course I could go into the whole thing about how weird it is that we still have such a large military base in Germany but it's probably better not to go there. The point is, these guys are in Europe to play in the World Cup -- the biggest competition in their whole sport. Not only were they timid, hopeless, and, frankly, totally sucky in their first game, but all they keep talking about is how unsafe they feel here and how much they want it to be like home.
To me, this is evidence of a larger American problem. Anyone who knows me knows where my political sympathies lie, so this won't be a surprise to them. But honestly, I totally and completely chalk up the current sensitivity of Americans directly to the current political climate in the United States, which has been orchestrated by Bush and his band of unmerry men. The U.S. soccer team, which BARELY REPRESENTED on the field (sorry, I mean pitch) and then scurried back to whatever fortress they're calling home after, is running scared, just like so many Americans these days. The obvious mentality: Europe is dangerous, Europeans and other foreigners are dangerous and just want to hurt you because they hate everything America represents ("freedom and democracy"), so it has to just be us against the rest of them.
Over the last 5 years, Americans have been fed a steady diet of "you need to be afriad, very afraid..." and "America is the best and all the other countries suck." That's how the current batch of yahoos have managed to stay in power for so long -- playing on people's fears and xenophobic tendencies. It is actually quite genius of them for the purpose of meeting their goal of staying in charge, but I think it has had some disastrous results for America and Americans in general. It has made us a laughingstock everywhere else. If they thought about it for two seconds, they'd realize why people everywhere else hate us -- it's because we have become a ridiculous shadow of our former selves.
Think about it this way -- if I had watched a soccer game in a German bar between the U.S. and the Czech Republic 5 or even 10 years ago, I can guarantee I would not have been the only one rooting for the Americans. There would have been plenty of German voices cheering together with mine. Last week, AB and I were THE ONLY ONES. All the goodwill in the world has been pissed away. Americans, wake up! Foreigners are not stupid, and they don't like being patronized or having their intelligence insulted, and they (quite justifiably in my mind) don't have the patience to deal with all of our fears and sensitivities. In fact, our act has grown stale just about everywhere, and I can't say I blame them.
Frankly, I don't see this situation changing until the current crop of guys are finally out of office and there's a real mentality change among the American population in general. Of course we wil probably have a long wait for all of that to happen. We also have a lot of damage to rectify in terms of our reputation abroad. I don't see that being an easy task.
The Americans I know here (the ones who are studying here and are actually trying to speak German, not the people who come over here and don't even try to say two words in German because "everyone speaks English here") are trying to do some work toward this end. I have had to be very conciliatory since I've been here whenever the subject of politics comes up ("Yes, I know our government is lame...at least I didn't vote for them..."). There is not enough of that kind of humility going on right now, not enough acceptance of how things are elsewhere, not enough graciousness, and not enough attempts at mutual understanding. It's not easy, but it has to be done.
Anyway, on to more serious matters -- WORLD CUP SOCCER. Yes, apparently the American team has eschewed the FIFA-designated hotels in Mannheim for their upcoming game in Kaiserslautern, and have chosen instead to stay at the massive U.S. airforce base nearby. The U.S. players themselves are thrilled about this, because they can eat American food and hear American being spoken all the time, so it's just like being at home. The coach, apparently, chalked up their decision to stay at the base as a matter of security.
OK, this is what I hate the most about the travelling American. I'm sure the Mannheim hotels are not only perfectly secure, but also have good food, cold drinks, and comfy beds...all you need, really, to go and play a soccer match. But these whiny American players come over here and stay at an American military post instead. None of the other teams are doing that. Of course I could go into the whole thing about how weird it is that we still have such a large military base in Germany but it's probably better not to go there. The point is, these guys are in Europe to play in the World Cup -- the biggest competition in their whole sport. Not only were they timid, hopeless, and, frankly, totally sucky in their first game, but all they keep talking about is how unsafe they feel here and how much they want it to be like home.
To me, this is evidence of a larger American problem. Anyone who knows me knows where my political sympathies lie, so this won't be a surprise to them. But honestly, I totally and completely chalk up the current sensitivity of Americans directly to the current political climate in the United States, which has been orchestrated by Bush and his band of unmerry men. The U.S. soccer team, which BARELY REPRESENTED on the field (sorry, I mean pitch) and then scurried back to whatever fortress they're calling home after, is running scared, just like so many Americans these days. The obvious mentality: Europe is dangerous, Europeans and other foreigners are dangerous and just want to hurt you because they hate everything America represents ("freedom and democracy"), so it has to just be us against the rest of them.
Over the last 5 years, Americans have been fed a steady diet of "you need to be afriad, very afraid..." and "America is the best and all the other countries suck." That's how the current batch of yahoos have managed to stay in power for so long -- playing on people's fears and xenophobic tendencies. It is actually quite genius of them for the purpose of meeting their goal of staying in charge, but I think it has had some disastrous results for America and Americans in general. It has made us a laughingstock everywhere else. If they thought about it for two seconds, they'd realize why people everywhere else hate us -- it's because we have become a ridiculous shadow of our former selves.
Think about it this way -- if I had watched a soccer game in a German bar between the U.S. and the Czech Republic 5 or even 10 years ago, I can guarantee I would not have been the only one rooting for the Americans. There would have been plenty of German voices cheering together with mine. Last week, AB and I were THE ONLY ONES. All the goodwill in the world has been pissed away. Americans, wake up! Foreigners are not stupid, and they don't like being patronized or having their intelligence insulted, and they (quite justifiably in my mind) don't have the patience to deal with all of our fears and sensitivities. In fact, our act has grown stale just about everywhere, and I can't say I blame them.
Frankly, I don't see this situation changing until the current crop of guys are finally out of office and there's a real mentality change among the American population in general. Of course we wil probably have a long wait for all of that to happen. We also have a lot of damage to rectify in terms of our reputation abroad. I don't see that being an easy task.
The Americans I know here (the ones who are studying here and are actually trying to speak German, not the people who come over here and don't even try to say two words in German because "everyone speaks English here") are trying to do some work toward this end. I have had to be very conciliatory since I've been here whenever the subject of politics comes up ("Yes, I know our government is lame...at least I didn't vote for them..."). There is not enough of that kind of humility going on right now, not enough acceptance of how things are elsewhere, not enough graciousness, and not enough attempts at mutual understanding. It's not easy, but it has to be done.
posted by Jennifer at 00:59
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