American Pride

Several months ago, US was a major customer of mine at work; an interesting country where i still wanted to visit some time for those marvelous attractions i missed to visit eg. great canyon, yosemite, miami beach, and disneyland; a place where my beloved one lived.

We didn't care much about US news except for George Bush vs. iraq war and hurricanes or snow storms- for travel concern. We used US dollars only as a "term" in doing business or calculating costs, and an index for the value of Taiwan dollars and overseas fund. We looked at American magazines or store catalogs only for getting to learn our customers' preference. We watched some good Hollywood movies and talked about sex & the city or desperate housewives. We drank Starbucks coffee and ate in McDonald's sometimes.

A lot of local people had once been educated or have been eager to study in the US, and obsessed everything from the US. A lot of American born Taiwanese came back to Taiwan for work in either education or entertainment industry, and behaved like they're superior than all the locals. A lot of young people talked "yo!yo!you know..." or dressed in hip hop style and thought they're "cool". A lot of young girls wore less and less, swung their butt and boobs in public, and slept with different white guys who they met in bars. Old generation would still tell you that US is a dream land and pray for children to be able to live in US one day.

A few months later, I came to live with my beloved one in the US and also got married here. US is no longer my customer and on the contrary, I became its consumer. I don't have choice but have to care about US news and suffer from high consumption rate. I can't refuse but only follow strict immigration laws and country regulations. I find weak statement or few proofs to persuade people that living in the US sucks. I failed in the argument with my husband that kids can also get good education and stay high competitiveness from other countries than in the US. I can't run away but only stay smile when people around you think and behave superior than anyone else in the world.

US might be the best or the strongest in whatever aspects you guys have learnt or taught, but i only wanna ask... SO WHAT? Those who are the wisest, the kindest, the richest, the mightiest, who have done the greatest achievement to human beings, are not always or even are not from the US, and it also doesn't mean that the "best" schools provide the best courses, the "best" enterperprises provide the best jobs or welfares, the "best" hospitals provide the best medical treatment, and the "best" country provide the best environment.

This world has taught me there's no socalled the "best" or the "worst". The island we used to live is smaller than a state, but we have all kinds of extreme landforms which you might have to gather all 50 states to get. The people in the island can learn all kinds of skills or interests which you might have to fly several hours from this state to another state to get. All kinds of resources can be gotten in one min and every corner of the world can be reached with no problem. Having come out from this small island, I don't see any impossibility or sealed opportunity in the rest of this world. I can't imagine if i wasn't living in this small island, would my life still be so splendid?

Are you able to watch good European or Asian movies in cinemas in the US regularly? Are you able to set up small business casually merely for personal interests without paying tax? Are you able to do surfing/ diving as well as rock climbing/ river tracing in your living area? Are you able to get offical license or document done within 3 days? Are you able to reach to the same skill level but in much lower cost when learning instruments/ dancing/ painting? Are you able to live like a king in current salary in the US?

If not, where does that american pride come from?