You're going where?
posted August 17, 2006 - 3:43pmWhen I first uttered the words "I'm moving to Prague" to several family members I received a list of responses that truly showed their ignorance.
One aunt stated, "That's in Russia right?"
"No the Czech Republic," I said.
"Oh...Czechloslovakia." Notice, she did not even get the name of that country right.
"Not for about ten years now."
Then another said, 'you know, they're communist over there."
"Well, they were communist and I'm sure there are still some lurking about. You know we have communists here right?"
"There aren't any communists in America!" A reality check is sorely needed here.
Yet another relative simply said, "Where?"
"Prague, it's the capitol of the Czech Republic."
"Where's that?"
"Europe. It's between Poland and Austria."
"Is that near Spain?"
"Closer than we are."
How can it be that citizens of the country who has appointed itself Protector of Democracy and World Police know so little about the rest of the world? Is it simply apathy or is it a deeper problem stemming from the educational system.
Perhaps Americans simply don't care about the rest of the world. Many of my students here chalk it up to the fact that America is so large people don't ever really need to leave the country.
But I don't think that's enough. I think everyone there needs to understand that Americans are not the only people on the planet. As a matter of fact they're not even a majority of the people on the planet. When my students ask me what Americans think of the world I do the following.
I draw my terrible map of North America. Then I draw an arrow east and an arrow west. Above the west arrow I write "Ninjas, Samurai, Godzilla" and above the east arrow I write "Castles, knights, dragons," and I simply leave it at that.
Of course it's a broad generalization and it's not meant to represent everyone. Because no one image can represent everyone of a given group.
It's just a joke... or is it?
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Comments
Well, hello Mr.
Well, hello Mr. Contradiction. What was your reasoning for bigger countries splitting into smaller ones? Oh yeah, cultural differences, that was it. Apparently Europeans are allowed to live comfortably within their own culture in your world view, but I, American, cannot. I don't hate the Mexican culture, or any other culture for that matter, but there's a reason I'm not living in it, because I prefer the American culture. The old school American culture, where freedom was a privilidge worth fighting and dying for and no one ever yelled "no fair" when fate dealt them a bad hand, they just sucked it up and fought the good fight to survive.
If you represent all of the
If you represent all of the American people now, I fear for the future of *OUR* country because your hate and fear of change and things that are different than you is plainly visible in your writing.
I'm happy to see at least
I'm happy to see at least one person enjoyed my post. Now allow me to explain it for the rest of you. Yes, the points were blurry, I know the Czech republic has nothing to do with the -stans. Did you even realize I said some-stupid-stan and your-mothers-stan? My tongue was (at least I thought) obviously in cheek. But the point is clear, regardless of any one technological novelty. Heck, to echo my previous metaphor, I'm sure some of those African tribes harvest killer fruit that we'd like to buy and consume. The Czech republic doesn't matter to me, as an American.
Two peripheral points:
1) No, you're not an American. You may be an American citizen, but you're not an American, I am. You're a Canadian or European, or wherever people who obsess about the minutia of small nations congregate.
2)A word on immigration and the flood of other cultures coming into America. No one needed an invite when it was Native Americans here because there were no laws. Europeans, after America was established, immigrated legally. I have nothing against legal immigration, I think it is healthy so long as it is kept in check(i.e., we only take as many as we can hold). However, illegal immigrants are criminals and should be treated as such. They need to be stopped and removed at all costs. The day they went on strike was the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. I went around to stores and restaurants and was able to communicate fully with the people working there and life was, for a day, far more simple.
The difference there is we
The difference there is we did not colonize Mexico. The British Empire crumbled under its own weight and now the sins of the fathers have come home to roost. France suffers from similar problems and recently was witness to their power in the form of rioting for weeks...
With the ever-shrinking world people will move from one country to another. I was not invited to this country, I simply wanted to live here for several years and then move on. Actually that's a topic under discussion in the European Parliament these days. But they're looking at ways to integrate and embrace as opposed to eradicate and revile.
Yeah, it's not the only
Yeah, it's not the only place.
Just look at that whole Katrina mess.
Talk about flooding.
Oh, wait...that was America.
Antonia Dwells
I would leave because of the
I would leave because of the smog.
And the Evian.
Antonia Dwells
Brits and Arabs
Just like the Brits don't like the Arabs moving in on their country and culture. I know many brits haved moved away from London to the outskirts of England in order to get away from the culture flood. Seems America is not the only place flooding has taken place...
That was a good move. Yeah,
That was a good move.
Yeah, people can be morons, and for no good reason.
Antonia Dwells
Who was
Who is invited? Who has waited for the invite from the Native Americans. I know that's easy to say. Really these cultures are so engrained (?) in the US it is not even funny. A good majority of our language has latin roots yet we are opposed to people speaking spanish. Why? Because we don't understand it nor have we been taught it. Why? Somewhere along the line we decided that English(American English) is the only acceptable form of communication for us. Why? I don't know. While there may be this somewhere - i don't think the Founding Fathers said we will only speak and write in English. Some of our laws are Latin i.e. habeas corpus. Sorry I'm ranting. Truth is American culture is all cultures. Mexicans will adapt to many American ways of life as they bring more of theirs. Shifts are natural. Ride the wave, enjoy it, embrace it.
Too snobby?
Smog and other reasons
Smog oddly enough, was not among the reasons. Ridiculous rent charges of $900/month and the stress to come up with it each month was wearing on my health. I am a single parent with no child support and I was tense often. Here in the midwest my rent is only $230/month and I am happy to report my nerves are much calmer.
Also, the area I lived in continually got worse, and soon someone across the street starting shooting bee-bees at my son more often than not. One day I was almost hit with one myself as we stood on our own driveway just talking. It was sad. There are more reasons I moved but the one that broke the camel's back was when my son was threatened by 2 hoodlums to give up his brand new 3 day-old bike or they would harm him. That night I said "That's it!" and three weeks later we were gone and out of the state.