For the first in a very long time
I have questioned my Americaness, yes I know I "act" hopelessly American and I don't think I am an better than any of my fellow citizens. However, it seems that I value a lot of things that most other Americans do not. A lot of "American Values" go against my own urges. The whole national pride thing doesn't do it for me, I consider myself a "world" citizen before I consider myself an "American" citizen. The whole "us versus the foreigners concept" is something I have a hard time relating too. When non-American people come to the United States they are often bombarded with questions about how their life is different from ours. What I always seem to notice is that they are very similar to people I know. That sounds a bit silly, but seriously, the ones that stay with the preps often are preppy and do the exact same preppy things that American preps do in one form or another. It just seems weird to me that a few thousand miles is supposed to determine the differences between people. Its an artificial boundary put between people so that individuals that have nothing in common can subscribe to a "common" feeling and be pitted against one another. Then the "national stereotype" becomes well known and you begin to act like it because it is what others expect of you. You will look abnormal to the people around you if you don't conform. I feel like that anyways, because Im not obsessed with buying expensive clothes and cars and all that other stuff I am kind of an outsider to the culture that surrounds me. How uncapitalistic of me!
Ugh, I don't know what to think about this kind of political stuff anymore!