I hate my country
I know a lot of people who live in the United States have been saying this for a while (including myself). But this time, I am really and truly serious, not just aggravated.
I am currently engaged (using the sn "whatsanenigma", if you couldn't tell) in what you might call a flame war, located here.
http://www.purdueonline.com/showthread.php?t=3937
What it is about is that guy who was shot by the air marshall because he claimed to have a bomb.
I am almost in tears at the ignorance of "my fellow americans".
Almost everyone in the thread is saying that oh well, it was a tragedy, but he shouldn't have claimed to have a bomb.
Jesus Christ, people! This man, who may or may not have been mentally ill, and turned out to *not* actually have a bomb was shot down like a rabid dog! I am skeptical that this was really necessary. But I am willing to believe that it might have been, in the particular case, the only way to make sure everybody else stayed safe. I wasn't there, so I'll grant that.
But what does this tell us? To me, it's pretty clear. That way of handling the situation sucks! It's just plain sick! We should all be sick over it! So what if it was the only way to handle that situation? Does that mean it's okay and we shouldn't be working to find better solutions?
Fuck you all, I understand that air marshalls have to keep a low profile and that non-lethal weapons are too bulky and not reliable. Fuck you all, I understand that everybody else in the airport has the right to not get blown up by a bomb. Fuck you all, I understand that there was no way of knowing if he was really mentally ill or not and he could have had a bomb anyway and he or his wife should have made sure he took his meds.
But fuck you all and the horses you are obviously still riding (because of course, new technology is evil!), it's time to get better non-lethal weapons! This is America, damn it, supposedly the richest country in the world with the biggest pool of talent to draw from. Let's make it a priority to fix this problem so whipping out the gun isn't the only solution in these cases! Why is it so hard to understand that this is what I'm saying and that it should be a priority?
Oh wait, I forgot, this *is* America and if we can solve the problem by shooting to kill, we don't give a fuck. No need to bother with finding more humane methods of solving problems when we can just slam two bullets into central mass. The problem is already solved!
I suppport the second amendment. I really do. My father is a member of the NRA. But damn. Why is it considered okay to just shoot people? What the FUCK is wrong with my country???
And also, on a somewhat related note, why do so many Americans think torture is okay??? Guess what, kids? Torture. Is. Not. Okay. EVER.
Want to know why? Because not only is it inhumane, it makes people lie. They. Make. Shit. Up. So. You. Will. Stop. Torturing. Them. Haven't we learned anything from the history of our own goddamn country? I do have a copy of "The Crucible" (unfortunatly in paperback) that I will be thrilled to beat you upside the head with if you still can't understand. Maybe I should use my copy of GoF instead.
"I saw Goody Good with the devil [/the communists/the terrorists/the death eaters]" doesn't really do you much good if she was delivering a baby in front of witnesses at the time, does it? Oh, but wait, if you are the United States government, you can just insist she invented a goddamn *time machine*, which you will, because it was said by somebody under torture, therefore it must be true.
All torture gets you is shit. Shit about innocent people who in turn, give you more shit. Pretty soon, all you have is shit and a bunch of dead people and a society that must struggle to put itself back together because you *fucked it up*. Congratulations, you have just recreated the Spanish Inquisition/the Salem witch trials/the Red Scare/the Cultural Revolution/the current state of war in the Harry Potter books. Good for you! Do you want a blood-stained medal?
Torture is not okay! Ever! This is supposed to be a civilized country! How are we better than they are if we use such barbaric methods?
And while we're on the "what the hell is wrong with my country" subject, let's talk about what I saw on my return from Norway, in the Chicago airport.
When I entered the Munich airport for my return flight, I was almost running (not literally, but going as fast as I could) because fog delayed the flight I was coming in on. So I saw the signs that said, "If you are traveling to the United States, read this," but I didn't take time to look at them. I figured they didn't apply to me anyway, since I wasn't really "traveling" there-I was just going home.
Fuck, was I wrong! About two hours before the plane landed, we were treated to a lovely video presentation on how to enter the United States, and what to expect. The flight attendents came around with trays full of forms, and I asked if I had to fill anything out, since I was just going home. She gave me one form (everybody else got two) that turned out to be a really nosy customs thing. It wanted to know all my personal information, including where I was going to in the United States and my flight and passport numbers, in all caps, no less, and also every single thing I'd bought while abroad and the approximate value.
Well, first I have a problem with this, because who the fuck cares what I bought abroad, outside of reasonable limits? It is *not* my government's business. And if the wrong people found out about at least one particular thing I bought abroad, I might wind up beaten up and/or raped and/or dead.
It's cheap and tacky and plastic, but I just fell in love with it and had to buy it. It's a wedding cake topper that has two brides on it. They had them with two grooms, too, but I thought the brides were cuter. It really was a symbol of the European way of thought to me, that they not only allowed gay marriage, but were so used to it (and accepting of it) that a gay couple wanting to get married could just go buy a cheap tacky plastic cake topper in a random bookstore out of the usual cheap tacky plastic wedding crap section, instead of paying scads of money for something in a specialty shop.
Do you think no one in my lovely country would have objected to the fact that I bought that? If you do, I've got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Anyway, on with the story.
The non-citizens (that we euphamistically call "visitors") had to fill out not only the customs form, but another form that wanted even *more* information. And the thing that just blew my mind was that not only did they have to fill out these forms in all caps, they weren't even allowed to use the correct spellings of their own names, if god forbid the name contained a diacritical mark. They had to spell out the letters with the umlauts "phonetically" in the way that the video instructed. Yes, we value all people in the world *so damn much* that we don't let them come here under their given legal names. Can we say "dehumanizing"?
Just before we got off the plane, then, (and I mean literally, everybody was getting their stuff out of the overhead things and putting on their coats) we were told that we had to stay on the plane for an indeterminate amount of time because the computers at immigration weren't working. It only turned out to be a few extra minutes, but god forbid we wander around in the lobby for a few minutes after a 10-hour flight while they get their shit together. Geez.
So, anyway, it turns out the non-citizens have to have their fingerprints and photos taken, and even if they have just stopped in the United States to catch a connecting flight to another country, they have to claim their luggage and go through customs. Do we not trust that the previous airport has screened the baggage well enough? Do we have to do it again, ourselves? Arrogant beyond belief!
I swear, the Chicago airport felt like a prison, even though I was a returning citizen. When the workers in the foreign airports ask you if you need help, they really mean it and sound like they care. In the United States, you'll get asked, using the same words, but it's with a tone like they're afraid you'll get into some secret area and blow something up.
Which brings me to the point that people in Europe (not just the airports) are so damn nice to Americans! At least, that was my experience. The native language is not English, but they will happily speak it to you if you give the slightest hint that you speak English. I felt guilty about it at first, like I was being an "ugly american," just talking in english and expecting everyone else to follow. But I soon got more comfortable, because they were so nice about it, and plainly so fluent in several languages that they could easily switch back and forth.
In the Chicago airport, the workers looked like they were barely literate in English. I was so tempted to go up to one and say, "Entshultigung, mein Armbanduhr ist kaputt. Wie spat ist es, bitte?" and watch the person's head explode, but I probably would have gotten arrested. I swear to god, you could be in the security line talking with your friend about how you're going to take the plane hostage with a ballpoint pen, and as long as you weren't talking in English, nobody would understand or care. Not that I'm going to put it to the test, of course.
Now, I know these people are overrworked and underpaid. But shit. If it is so damn important that we are so paranoid in the United States, let's pay our workers better and give them at least basic instruction in French, German, and/or Spanish. I know most people speak English. But that's not the point. The point is that the German airports have signs in both English and German, and the Norweigen airports have signs in both English and Norweigen. Can't we have some basic courtesy? I know it would make plane tickets cost more, to not only hire and train good workers but to put money into a better airport protection system. But what's a life worth? Are we so callous in America that we would rather save a few dollars on each airplane ticket than have more humane and respectful ways of doing things? Shit, I hope not.
I knew, before I went to Europe, that Europeans don't like the United States. Well, I can't really say I blame them. We are paranoid and barbaric and brutal and condescending-and not to mention cheap. I would like to conclude this rant by thanking you Europeans for welcoming me so warmly into your countries, and to apologize for my fellow citizens who don't seem to know any better.
I am currently engaged (using the sn "whatsanenigma", if you couldn't tell) in what you might call a flame war, located here.
http://www.purdueonline.com/showthread.php?t=3937
What it is about is that guy who was shot by the air marshall because he claimed to have a bomb.
I am almost in tears at the ignorance of "my fellow americans".
Almost everyone in the thread is saying that oh well, it was a tragedy, but he shouldn't have claimed to have a bomb.
Jesus Christ, people! This man, who may or may not have been mentally ill, and turned out to *not* actually have a bomb was shot down like a rabid dog! I am skeptical that this was really necessary. But I am willing to believe that it might have been, in the particular case, the only way to make sure everybody else stayed safe. I wasn't there, so I'll grant that.
But what does this tell us? To me, it's pretty clear. That way of handling the situation sucks! It's just plain sick! We should all be sick over it! So what if it was the only way to handle that situation? Does that mean it's okay and we shouldn't be working to find better solutions?
Fuck you all, I understand that air marshalls have to keep a low profile and that non-lethal weapons are too bulky and not reliable. Fuck you all, I understand that everybody else in the airport has the right to not get blown up by a bomb. Fuck you all, I understand that there was no way of knowing if he was really mentally ill or not and he could have had a bomb anyway and he or his wife should have made sure he took his meds.
But fuck you all and the horses you are obviously still riding (because of course, new technology is evil!), it's time to get better non-lethal weapons! This is America, damn it, supposedly the richest country in the world with the biggest pool of talent to draw from. Let's make it a priority to fix this problem so whipping out the gun isn't the only solution in these cases! Why is it so hard to understand that this is what I'm saying and that it should be a priority?
Oh wait, I forgot, this *is* America and if we can solve the problem by shooting to kill, we don't give a fuck. No need to bother with finding more humane methods of solving problems when we can just slam two bullets into central mass. The problem is already solved!
I suppport the second amendment. I really do. My father is a member of the NRA. But damn. Why is it considered okay to just shoot people? What the FUCK is wrong with my country???
And also, on a somewhat related note, why do so many Americans think torture is okay??? Guess what, kids? Torture. Is. Not. Okay. EVER.
Want to know why? Because not only is it inhumane, it makes people lie. They. Make. Shit. Up. So. You. Will. Stop. Torturing. Them. Haven't we learned anything from the history of our own goddamn country? I do have a copy of "The Crucible" (unfortunatly in paperback) that I will be thrilled to beat you upside the head with if you still can't understand. Maybe I should use my copy of GoF instead.
"I saw Goody Good with the devil [/the communists/the terrorists/the death eaters]" doesn't really do you much good if she was delivering a baby in front of witnesses at the time, does it? Oh, but wait, if you are the United States government, you can just insist she invented a goddamn *time machine*, which you will, because it was said by somebody under torture, therefore it must be true.
All torture gets you is shit. Shit about innocent people who in turn, give you more shit. Pretty soon, all you have is shit and a bunch of dead people and a society that must struggle to put itself back together because you *fucked it up*. Congratulations, you have just recreated the Spanish Inquisition/the Salem witch trials/the Red Scare/the Cultural Revolution/the current state of war in the Harry Potter books. Good for you! Do you want a blood-stained medal?
Torture is not okay! Ever! This is supposed to be a civilized country! How are we better than they are if we use such barbaric methods?
And while we're on the "what the hell is wrong with my country" subject, let's talk about what I saw on my return from Norway, in the Chicago airport.
When I entered the Munich airport for my return flight, I was almost running (not literally, but going as fast as I could) because fog delayed the flight I was coming in on. So I saw the signs that said, "If you are traveling to the United States, read this," but I didn't take time to look at them. I figured they didn't apply to me anyway, since I wasn't really "traveling" there-I was just going home.
Fuck, was I wrong! About two hours before the plane landed, we were treated to a lovely video presentation on how to enter the United States, and what to expect. The flight attendents came around with trays full of forms, and I asked if I had to fill anything out, since I was just going home. She gave me one form (everybody else got two) that turned out to be a really nosy customs thing. It wanted to know all my personal information, including where I was going to in the United States and my flight and passport numbers, in all caps, no less, and also every single thing I'd bought while abroad and the approximate value.
Well, first I have a problem with this, because who the fuck cares what I bought abroad, outside of reasonable limits? It is *not* my government's business. And if the wrong people found out about at least one particular thing I bought abroad, I might wind up beaten up and/or raped and/or dead.
It's cheap and tacky and plastic, but I just fell in love with it and had to buy it. It's a wedding cake topper that has two brides on it. They had them with two grooms, too, but I thought the brides were cuter. It really was a symbol of the European way of thought to me, that they not only allowed gay marriage, but were so used to it (and accepting of it) that a gay couple wanting to get married could just go buy a cheap tacky plastic cake topper in a random bookstore out of the usual cheap tacky plastic wedding crap section, instead of paying scads of money for something in a specialty shop.
Do you think no one in my lovely country would have objected to the fact that I bought that? If you do, I've got a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Anyway, on with the story.
The non-citizens (that we euphamistically call "visitors") had to fill out not only the customs form, but another form that wanted even *more* information. And the thing that just blew my mind was that not only did they have to fill out these forms in all caps, they weren't even allowed to use the correct spellings of their own names, if god forbid the name contained a diacritical mark. They had to spell out the letters with the umlauts "phonetically" in the way that the video instructed. Yes, we value all people in the world *so damn much* that we don't let them come here under their given legal names. Can we say "dehumanizing"?
Just before we got off the plane, then, (and I mean literally, everybody was getting their stuff out of the overhead things and putting on their coats) we were told that we had to stay on the plane for an indeterminate amount of time because the computers at immigration weren't working. It only turned out to be a few extra minutes, but god forbid we wander around in the lobby for a few minutes after a 10-hour flight while they get their shit together. Geez.
So, anyway, it turns out the non-citizens have to have their fingerprints and photos taken, and even if they have just stopped in the United States to catch a connecting flight to another country, they have to claim their luggage and go through customs. Do we not trust that the previous airport has screened the baggage well enough? Do we have to do it again, ourselves? Arrogant beyond belief!
I swear, the Chicago airport felt like a prison, even though I was a returning citizen. When the workers in the foreign airports ask you if you need help, they really mean it and sound like they care. In the United States, you'll get asked, using the same words, but it's with a tone like they're afraid you'll get into some secret area and blow something up.
Which brings me to the point that people in Europe (not just the airports) are so damn nice to Americans! At least, that was my experience. The native language is not English, but they will happily speak it to you if you give the slightest hint that you speak English. I felt guilty about it at first, like I was being an "ugly american," just talking in english and expecting everyone else to follow. But I soon got more comfortable, because they were so nice about it, and plainly so fluent in several languages that they could easily switch back and forth.
In the Chicago airport, the workers looked like they were barely literate in English. I was so tempted to go up to one and say, "Entshultigung, mein Armbanduhr ist kaputt. Wie spat ist es, bitte?" and watch the person's head explode, but I probably would have gotten arrested. I swear to god, you could be in the security line talking with your friend about how you're going to take the plane hostage with a ballpoint pen, and as long as you weren't talking in English, nobody would understand or care. Not that I'm going to put it to the test, of course.
Now, I know these people are overrworked and underpaid. But shit. If it is so damn important that we are so paranoid in the United States, let's pay our workers better and give them at least basic instruction in French, German, and/or Spanish. I know most people speak English. But that's not the point. The point is that the German airports have signs in both English and German, and the Norweigen airports have signs in both English and Norweigen. Can't we have some basic courtesy? I know it would make plane tickets cost more, to not only hire and train good workers but to put money into a better airport protection system. But what's a life worth? Are we so callous in America that we would rather save a few dollars on each airplane ticket than have more humane and respectful ways of doing things? Shit, I hope not.
I knew, before I went to Europe, that Europeans don't like the United States. Well, I can't really say I blame them. We are paranoid and barbaric and brutal and condescending-and not to mention cheap. I would like to conclude this rant by thanking you Europeans for welcoming me so warmly into your countries, and to apologize for my fellow citizens who don't seem to know any better.