measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- International relations I honestly don't have much to write about this morning, but thought I'd ramble for a while. As much as the blog format can work, I really don't like it as much as the journal. Those blog entries will probably disappear at some point, woven back into this journal. I opened a saddening penpal letter last night that I'd picked up at my post office on Saturday, and am figuring out how to go about responding to it. It's from someone I've only been writing to for a short time-- a Palistinian living near Haifa in Israel. Her usually extremely short letter was absent this time, replaced by a five full pages, mostly condemning the US for their action in Afghanistan, saying how while loss of life is always saddening, she doesn't feel sorry nor sad for America, and how could we be so hypocritical when we have no proof that the Taliban is involved. I try to put in perspective where she's coming from as an Arab in Israel, but at the same time, her vitrol towards America sinks personal for me. I also try to take into perspective when her letter was written (mid-October by the date). And even moreso, I try to take into account that English is not her first language, and like many of my penpals in Europe, the words she chooses may be unintentionally harsh. However I still can't shrug the feeling of being personally insulted. I know that I will be very careful when I word the letter back to her, and will be asking to make sure those attacks were not directed toward me personally. But at the same time, it makes me wonder-- how disillusioned am I to think that I could make friends from any area of the world through simple politeness and kindness? Regardless of what I talk about in my letters and how honest I am about how I feel, including my continuing dread of having George Bush, Jr. as President, will I only be another "stupid, lazy American" to those people overseas? Sometimes I wonder how other countries really view Americans, or if it's just the stereotype they see through the god-awful programs like Baywatch that seem to catch on everywhere. Yes, Americans make more per capita than just about every other nation on Earth. But at the same time, we work longer hours than any other developed nation to do so. We have less days off allotted to us per year, more financial responsibility to survive on our own, and have more people in poverty than the entire populations of many nations. I don't argue that there is a lot wrong with my country. However, dammit, it's still where I am from, and I take pride in being an American. A non-Christian American, despite the attempts by our dear President to deny me that right lately. My penpal in Haifa is complaining about how America is supplying Israel with the weaponry to destroy her country. How all America wants to do is control the world. However if I tell her that it would be my greatest joy if we pulled all of our support from other countries and fixed our own first, she, like I've heard from foreign students over the years, would probably complain about Americans being greedy that they won't help others. It's a Catch-22, and I've been wondering if generosity is doing nothing but perpetuating our stereotypes. --Mel. 10:05 a.m. - 4 December 2001 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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