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Sometimes I feel like a stranger in my own countryA stranger in a strange land.This is really a rant.Yes, I do realise this is a bigger issue on both sides.I don?t hold great pride for this country, but I do enjoy the benefits it provides-so call me a hypocriteif that would make you feel more comfortable.The land of the free (under surveillance). Who?s to say my complaints wouldn?t be exactly the same if I was in another country?!The other day, my first day off in seven days, I went to get a massage at an "authentic" Thai spa. I handed the lady my debit card, and she looked at me like I was an imbecile. The same thing happened after I handed her cash. I felt like the entire staff was looking at me as if I was supposed to know how their business was run, and what set of stairs I was supposed to take to my room, etc.I?m not writing this to elicit feelings of sorrow, or empathy, it?s just a rant.Who should feel more uncomfortable the native, or the foreigner who has made a successful career for themselves in a country where they may not have such opportunities? Should both? Should either? That?s why America was "born" right? It really pisses me off when foreigners hold a "holier than though" persona to an American citizen. I never treat foreigners with disrespect and I?m NEVER condescending as I?ve seen many people act. I treat them as my equal, and in fact I have many foreign friends and acquaintances. I?ve also had a few friends get deported, so this isn?t about hate.Sometimes you get the older woman who won?t say hello or can I help you when you enter her deli.Sometimes you get the man who addresses your fianc, (brother, cousin, or male friend), when you asked the question.Sometimes you get the man who expects you to step to the side so he can walk by. Sometimes you get that young girl who pretends she doesn?t understand you. Okay, enough with my fucking sometimes!I may not like everything about this country, but I have enough positive reasons to live here at this point in my life.And what about lack of assimilation? On the positive note, as I said I have many foreign friends and acquaintances (as well as fans). Most of them have worked very hard to fit into American culture, and they would never have it any other way. Many of them share the same complaints about Americans, as I?ve shared in my recent experience. So it does go both ways (sorry had to point out the obvious). Just so you know, I don?t have an answer-stank you very much JI?ll leave it here so everyone can share his or her thoughts/feelings.P.S. I don?t agree with right wing immigration reform, bs! Us fat Americans wouldn?t have fresh fruit, or rotting veggies on our hamburgers if it weren?t for immigrants willing to work from the bottom to the top. Most Americans (primarily youth) believe they have some right that everything should be handed to them; they don?t have to work for it.? |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 July 2008 )
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