Sometimes I wish I came from a country that wasn't so, well, well-known.
Not that I don't love my country -- you bet I do. But because America is everywhere in the news, because American films & music are broadcast so widely, everyone here seems to think they know something about the place. Everyone has an opinion. And you can't really blame them; for several decades, we've been a leading force in world economy and politics, and it's probably a good idea to have your eye on the biggest kid on the playground. But in the minority are those who have experienced the U.S. first-hand; the rest derive their (sometimes bafflingly) strident beliefs through the second- and third-hand cultural artifacts of media and news reports. And it's especially those who seem to take America's apparent imperviousness as license for mean potshots.
I sometimes imagine how nice it'd be to respond to that "so where are you from?" question with, I dunno, "Tobago." Not that nobody knows Tobago; it's just that they're bound to have limited knowledge of the place and wouldn't dream, upon hearing its name, of commencing to lecture you about it.
Or as my stepmom, Sarah, once mused, wouldn't it be fun to say you're from Australia? Most people like Australia -- they think of sun and beer and surfers and friendly people.
Of course every country has its dark side, Australia included. I just sometimes fantasize about claiming affiliation with one that isn't so overexposed.
2 comments:
"Throw another prawn on the barbie, mate!" You can perfect that with and Australian accent, can't you? It might be all you need to become a stealth American!
:-)
That's kinda how I feel being from Hawaii, and why after getting to Seattle I took to saying "Tucson." The "Oooo, Hawaii!" thing gets old fast - especially when I was more disenchanted with it, and felt a need to counter, "No, it sucks - it's discriminatory, the economy sucks, and nobody has any motivation." Maybe it's a good thing some of the Hawaii charm has worn off - I guess enough people have been there now (maybe just among people I tend to be around) that it's not such a big deal.
Post a Comment