Living in the United States for a few years, one of the most frequent expressions which comes from people is "It was nice but it felt so fake." This could not be more true to the point. A large proportion of American people are indeed plastic. What you see and what you hear is certainly not what you get. And isn't that so sad to see because so many of them act friendly and polite and seem genuine, only to befuddle and confuse you later on with their fickle ways. Exceptions do exist, but for the most part, it's quite a consistent thing.
To begin with there's the core foundation of their friendships. A British lady spent three years living in California, before moving overseas again. For three years she kept in touch with these alleged friends who were constantly inviting her over to visit. The woman eventually made the journey, expecting great American hospitality and superb rekindling and discourse. What she got in return was quite the contrary. "I seemed like a pest to my friend. I couldn't believe it because she used to be the most generous person ever but suddenly money was a worry, my presence was unwelcome and my friend and her family would go through several mood swings with each conversation, sometimes in each sentence." A rare case? No. Many expatriates who have lived in "the land of the brave, home of the free" expressed their frustration at the erratic attitudes of everyone around them. This which Americans would vehemently deny and argue until the sun goes down but sub conscious cues in body language and tone of voice have convinced many international University students studying in the United States the domestic students are hiding something. Two students from Denmark expressed their frustration over being continually let down by class mates in relation to a study group. "There were three girls who consistently said 'Let's go study over coffee' and 'Let's go celebrate summer next month.' So often they just threw these phrases out to look good but after a while, we knew they didn't mean it 90% of the time." Other students said the tones the local students spoke in were hollow. Still think this is a mere coincidence?
Considering these two examples, the question comes up. Why do they act fake then? Although many Americans deny being racist, politically correct, and non-judgmental on the basis of class, truth be told they do. Hence, it seems that the main idea which has sprung forth from this foggy topic is it makes them feel better about themselves. They may not deliver on the promise- whatever it may be- but as long as they said something would be done, in their mind, nothing else matters. Petty and pathetic as it sounds, that is An Inconvenient Truth Al Gore should be addressing. South Africa is forever slammed for having their Apartheid regime which only began to disintegrate when Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990. Speaking with many adults who grew up during these years of segregation, not a single one held any animosity towards the black people. Hatred and intolerance towards non-whites still exists, almost universally, not only in towns and cities, but in major International Airports. These alleged random pat downs, X-Ray scanner machines and random drug tests are almost always carried out on Muslims (even if they're US citizens), Asians, Blacks, and Hispanics. A young New Zealand man travelling through America was umbrageous towards border security members who incessantly chose his Latin American girlfriend for pat downs. Five times she was chosen, while he barely warranted more than a raised eyebrow. Deny it as they may, there can be no doubt their supposed racial tolerance is also fake.
More often than not, living a postiche lifestyle is what Americans seem to desire. They make movies with people in relationships that simply don't exist in real life, revel in following the lives/struggles of the heavily scripted reality television programs and cannot stand. Store clerks are forever asking questions many people would rather not answer but still do anyway- knowing deep down these people aren't really interested in their answer- out of politeness. The perspective of the American Dream today has been proven to be a false allusion. Class most certainly isn't a measuring stick for success and money certainly can't buy you happiness. Exceptions to all of this most definitely exist and some Americans have proven themselves as outstandingly consistent again and again. Sadly, those people are rarely seen enough to be properly admired.
The United States has been a plastic country for a while. Rave reviews are often given to their northern and southern neighbours more than them. Maybe this will kick them into rethinking their attitude.
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