Why are we (Americans) so self-centered?
by Alisia | October 8, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Posted in Uncategorized
We know the deep dark secrets of Jamie Lynn Spears and the baby names of every mega-celebrity but we don’t know (or even care to know) what’s going on in the world around us. It’s sad.
I was in St. Lucia a couple weeks ago and the people there knew so much about the U.S. election and were interested to know more. They wondered who I thought would win the election and they talked about how they thought the next U.S. president would impact countries around the world. And they wanted more details, not just a broad understanding. Even tourists, many of them from England, were anticipating our election.
I’m no expert in world travel, but I have done my fair share of spending time in other countries and getting to know people who live there. From my experiences there is more of an emphasis on learning about other countries in other countries. They learn more in school, they keep up on news and they don’t do these things because they are forced to but because they want to.
I have a German friend, who now lives in the U.S., and many times she knows more about an issue going on in our country than most young Americans I know.
And I get that we’re a powerhouse, but it is sad that we don’t compelled to know what’s going on in their countries. And I also get that we love to be entertained. We can have a balance of dirt on celebs and fun news and still know what’s going on in the world around us.
We stay in our bubble and forget anyone else exists until someone tries to disturb us. This just isn’t the way life should be. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a perfect example by far, but I try — and I guess my recent experiences in St. Lucia just had me wondering again about if there will ever be a time when we stop being so self-centered and start learning and caring about the rest of the world?
Here’s a link where you can find newspapers from all over the world if you’re interested in checking some out:
onlinenewspapers.com
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October 9th, 2008 at 12:03 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Over the past 80 years, we have dominated world pop culture. People want to be us. We're the most popular clique in school(until the Bush administration, but that's a different story). USA, USA!!..we're the greatest country in the world!!! unless you don't feed into that.
America's ideological tenets are utopic but in the real world, power is power, money is money and a douchebag is a douchebag. the self-centeredness you talk about isn't born but bred and has been for years of fist-pumping USA,USAs!
October 9th, 2008 at 12:04 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
They care because they still think elections make a difference. Most Americans have realize that voting is a gigantic waste of time and not worth the bother.
Seriously, if your vote matters and is so important here in MD, why is John McCain and Obama avoiding this state like we all have oozing herpes sores?
October 9th, 2008 at 12:10 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
ps- i love being an american, we made jazz and hip-hop here, we, as a country, dominated for a reason. to get a little big-headed is to be expected. as a Black man, sometimes I feel I'm still treated second-class here (and we won't go into that), but for real, i'm pretty sure i can go ANYWHERE in the world and i'm straight because i'm a Black american and we get in where we fit in.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:12 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
wise- cuz MD is democratic all day long, how long have you been here. by the way, bot obama and mccain have been in the area in the past months.
October 9th, 2008 at 2:08 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Exactly, a vote for McCain is a wasted vote. As for congress, I have the option for voting for Sarbanes or some goober who will never win. Wow, with options like that, who can resist the lure of the polls.
If city residents would learn to vote responsibly, the state would probably be competitive enough for our votes to really matter. But given the limited education of those who live there, that will never happen.
October 9th, 2008 at 8:56 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
ummm... McCain was here something like 3 times in less than a month. Yeah, one was his Naval Acadamy reunion in Annapolis but he still used it for appearances.
If you want a real reason why they aren't here, perhaps it's because there's 49 other states in the nation that they need to court as well. That and there's something like 18 'battleground' states that are toss-ups and they need to get those votes to tip the scales. If MD is a 'lock' for one guy, sure, still run ads, make an appearance but both guys are concentrating on the toss-up states.
Sorry if that offends you, but I guarantee McCain's 3 appearances in one month here are more than some other states have seen.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:34 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
But other countries aren't just concerned about America. They care about what's going on around the world. It makes you smarter by learning about more than what's in front of you.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:36 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
Another point, other people in other countries routinely fail (or refuse) to vote as a protest against the status quo and often are admired for it. However, in America, is believed that if you fail to vote for one of the two candidates you never liked and never will, you're a bad person.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:49 am | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
That does tend to happen. I remember a sports reporter getting verbally beat down for refusing to vote. I believe people should vote. I will always vote. But it is your choice to not do so — and you shouldn't be ridiculed for not doing so.
October 9th, 2008 at 5:22 pm | Please log in to reply. | Log in to rate this comment | report this comment
did wise just say we who live in the city have limited education? you need to sober up before your late night rants.