awkward.
I've never encountered one of those truly awkward moments here at all in regards to being an American.
There's always the gibes, comments, and jokes, but they come in turn and are passed around to all of our different nationalities.
I haven't experienced it ever that I've felt uncomfortable in the moment of being American, not until last week.
Our professor has had us do presentations throughout the semester, and recently we've had to do them on scientific papers relating to class. My classmate chose one on Biodiversity in warzones.
It was an interesting paper, and my moment of discomfort came when he was talking about examples from the paper, and the example was...Vietnam. In it, he talked about our spraying of agent orange and the massive effect it had on the people, and the biodiversity. I mean, I've heard it before, obviously, but watching it there in class was just weird. It's not like I had a hate of being American in the moment or wanted to dissociate myself, but looking around the classroom, I just watched the heads shaking and the disgust on people's faces - none directed at me, obviously, I had nothing to do with it. But just with the whole thing.
It was the one moment in which I just had this weird discomfort in being American.
I was talking about this to my friend Fenna, and she said, "Yea, I know the feeling exactly, it's how I feel with the whole mention of Nazis and Germany."
She's German, after all. We've all fucked up at one point, but it really opens your eyes just how much that can really stick.
And for a moment, be a silent awkward feeling for yourself to contemplate.
There's always the gibes, comments, and jokes, but they come in turn and are passed around to all of our different nationalities.
I haven't experienced it ever that I've felt uncomfortable in the moment of being American, not until last week.
Our professor has had us do presentations throughout the semester, and recently we've had to do them on scientific papers relating to class. My classmate chose one on Biodiversity in warzones.
It was an interesting paper, and my moment of discomfort came when he was talking about examples from the paper, and the example was...Vietnam. In it, he talked about our spraying of agent orange and the massive effect it had on the people, and the biodiversity. I mean, I've heard it before, obviously, but watching it there in class was just weird. It's not like I had a hate of being American in the moment or wanted to dissociate myself, but looking around the classroom, I just watched the heads shaking and the disgust on people's faces - none directed at me, obviously, I had nothing to do with it. But just with the whole thing.
It was the one moment in which I just had this weird discomfort in being American.
I was talking about this to my friend Fenna, and she said, "Yea, I know the feeling exactly, it's how I feel with the whole mention of Nazis and Germany."
She's German, after all. We've all fucked up at one point, but it really opens your eyes just how much that can really stick.
And for a moment, be a silent awkward feeling for yourself to contemplate.