I was in Austria when U.S. forces invaded Iraq. I was in a study abroad program and one of my classes was entitled "Dialogue of Cultures: Conflict and Peace." About halfway through the semester it descended into a tirade against America's defiance of international law. Perhaps the supposed lack of international dialogue going on around us prevented the professors from fulfilling the purpose of the class: dialogue. But I have never loved my country so much as I did during those few months abroad, even if I wasn't sure about the war.
How could this have happened? Truth be told, I get antsy when foreigners criticize U.S. actions and policy to my face. I probably take too many things personally, and for a while I succeeded in reminding myself that the Austrians and others I met on my travels didn't actually hate me. But only for a while. At one point my sister and I convinced a man that we were Canadian, just so we could avoid the comments that would inevitably accompany his discovery of our American citizenship.
In the past few days I've been a part of a couple of intense political discussions in people's living rooms. One was a general discussion about U.S. foreign policy which touched on Iraq; the other was about how best to address the crisis in North Korea, mainly regarding refugees spilling into China. I could feel the hairs on my skin rise as one woman derided the U.S. push for sanctions and the supposed "politicizing" of the refugee situation by U.S. Congressmen, as if they were not acting from a principled framework. My heart pumped hard and my face turned red. If I had had this same conversation in the states, I most likely would not have felt this sudden anger. In fact, I may have even felt comfortable with some of the criticisms. Now, after a few years of dormancy, the patriot in me has reared its head. But I don't know if it is true patriotism, or if it's just a temporary, reactionary, "as-if-EU-politicans-don't-politicize-Guantanamo" feeling.
So I leave it up to you, blog-reader, to assess for yourself. I certainly don't want to be a blind patriot, or mindlessly brush off the opinions of my European peers. But I want to learn how to lovingly and gently defend my country in a cross-cultural setting, where it is right to do so, as these issues will not soon disappear.
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2 comments:
Hey Anna, I've been enjoying your blog thus far. And am SOOO jealous you're in Brussels. (I love the history of the court of Burgundy.)
But to your question. Perhaps you can make it a little story: like, I live in a big family (aka the USA), sometimes family members do things I personally agree with or disagree with, but no matter what, it's always my family, and I always will love it. And Please don't blame me for what you perceive are mistakes.
If they're so brazen as to personify mistakes in you, I think you are within your limits to politely and clearly ask them not to do so.
Yes, well, the point is that they're not blaming me in particular, but that they're making general statements which I tend to take personally, especially if they are not well thought out and seem to be ad hominem towards Bush, etc. If I feel they've gone too far in their insult then I think it's right to contradict them.
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