Ranting

Twelve in12

Reading
Queen’s Play ~ Dorothy Dunnett
The Other Boleyn Girl ~ Philippa Gregory
Myst: The Book of Ti’ana ~ Rand Miller

Finished
Mirror, Mirror ~ Gregory Macguire
Witchling ~ Yasmine Galenorn
Changeling ~ Yasmine Galenorn
Something Wicked ~ Catherine Mulvany
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ~ J.K. Rowling
Myst: Book of Atrus ~ Rand Miller, Robyn Miller and David Wingrove
The Game of Kings ~ Dorothy Dunnett

This is not going to be pretty.  This is not going to be nice.  If you’re looking for a nice, sweet entry about flowers and kitty cats, look somewhere else.  This is not it.

I know there are Americans who think we are the biggest, the best, the most important.  I know there are Americans who believe we should nuke anyone who stands up to us, even if innocent people are also hurt.  I know there are Americans who think anyone with a foreign accent or different name should be locked up and never let out.  I know there are Americans who blame the rest of the world for our problems.  I know there are people who believe every system is corrupt, that every politician, every cop, every person with power is corrupt and filled with those who only wish pain and suffering on the world.  I do not agree with these Americans.

But what angers me more than those stupid, small-minded ideas held by people in my country, is being lumped together with them.  I am not like them.  And I am not the only one.  Not every American believes that we are gods of this earth.  Not every American believes that we have the right to pillage and rape the rest of the world to its destruction, not caring who we step on in the process.  Not every American proudly supports every action made by the US Congress or the President.  Not every American agrees with the war that has been raged in the name of vengence, in the name of freedom, in the name of democracy.  Do not assume what one of us believes is the doctrine of the whole.

As for those who bitch and moan about Americans only knowing their own history and caring nothing for the rest of the world – again – don’t stereotype so small-mindedly.  I’ve studied world history.  But did you stop to realize there is a lot of world history out there?  The US, strictly speaking, has only been around since 1776.  Europe and Asia, have written histories that go back millennia.  There’s a lot more to study, to learn, to understand.  Even historians have their areas of expertise.  No one person can know every piece of world history.  There are plenty of Americans who don’t know all of our holidays or why they exist.  Just as there are plenty of Brits who can’t name all their monarchs, even just for the House of Stuart. 

I’m just really tired of people accusing me of being just like that one American they saw on TV or that one American they met.  We are different, and we don’t all believe the same things.  America is a huge country and I do not hold the same world view as someone who lives over 1,000 miles away from me, let alone sometimes my next door neighbor.  I do agree that people can be ignorant, small-minded and egotistical.  But that’s not an American trait.  That’s a human trait.  There are things in America I am proud of, and there are things in America I am not proud of.  But like a family, you can’t choose.  You get what you are born with.  Every country has skeletons in its closet.  Just like every country has blue ribbons on its wall.  Just like every family.  I don’t pretend to know everything about other countries, so stop thinking you know everything about me and mine.

I think all this anger really comes down to is my hate of stereotyping.  Not every cop is a jackass, not every musician is a geek, not every lawyer is a scumbag and not every teacher is out to get you.  Not every Muslim is a terrorist, and not every American is a moron.  Not every Southerner is a backwards hick and not every Brit loves football.  I hate when people assuming things about me when they only know one piece of information.  I don’t do it to others, so don’t do it to me!

End Rant