1: New Videos! Some videos from Uzbekistan have been posted in the photo gallery! They are in the section, “Videos,” in the category, “Peace Corps Uzbekistan.” Enjoy and please contact me if you have any difficulty viewing them.
2: I have just returned from the movie “Flightplan,” staring Jodie Foster. Although most of the movies that come through town here are the standard Hollywood crap, this one was in fact quite brilliant. However, my friend with whom I saw the movie thought that the bit with the Arab passengers was un-necessary. Basically, Foster’s character accused, without any evidence, two Arab passengers on the plane of having kidnapped her daughter. Why, she asked, do films have to constantly touch upon this subject. Surely, she thought, such representations would only inflame existing tensions. But with this I disagreed entirely. The fact that this happened in the film made it all the more believable. Like it or not, these prejudices exist (and are not totally without basis,) and to deny their existence would be disingenuous. Now this is not an accusation of my friend here, but I honestly think her reaction signifies something larger.
The fact is that the whole world is facing this tremendous problem and we, Americans, the people who have historically been problem solvers, are at a loss. Whether we have no plan or the wrong plan is of little consequence if in the end, we remain no closer to our goal than when we started. I have been reading up on Uzbekistan now that I have internet in my apartment, and it is truly terrifying the extent to which global politics and the battle over terrorism reach. So we can not just put our heads in the sand, and we can’t be complacent with the lame belief that the journalists are re-growing their spine; once it’s gone it won’t come back – (oh but maybe it could but Jesus says no you foolish whitecoats!) The fact that in the movie “Flightplan,” an American citizen reacted with undue negativity to an Arab on an airplane is completely believable. Now in the case of the film, all ended well, and apologies, perhaps in not so many words, were exchanged. And although this was but a small element of a truly interesting plot, it acknowledged the tension with which we currently live.
Here in Romania, people are blatantly racist, and engage in about any “-ism” you can imagine. As “the American,” I am supposed to act as a counterexample to such behavior. It is something I try to do, but one which I find more and more difficult by the day. There is no doubt in my mind that as a Nation, we have been committing some unbearable atrocities in these past weeks, months and years. And no, although when I hear JFK’s words I sometimes want to cry, I’m not so naive to believe that our past has been all cupcakes and apple pie. This world is not a kind place and sometimes one must be tough. I believe that good leaders make decisions in times of need and must have the courage to be bold amidst the opposition of those to scared to make any decision at all. However, such decisions must be for concrete, achievable and noble ends. If I were to proclaim that I would kill every Romanian who talks to me and I don’t understand, I would certainly be without a single friend here, likely without any support in my crusade, and probably dead myself. If my policy is so brash that it will lead to my own annihilation before I can even hope to see my desired result, then surely it is just suicide along with taking others down with me – or – err – terrorism.
So how can I say, with any credibility, that America is good, and terrorism and terrorists are evil? Must terrorism involve bombs and airplanes, or does it manifest itself in more sinister, easily forgiven ways? How can I say that Americans are justly global leaders when the news is of ordinary people beaning each other at Wal*Marts over toys imported from China? We have, sadly, become a nation of fools, led by a man who is no less criminal than those who ought, indeed, to be brought to justice. Unfortunately, unlike in “Flightplan,” its not always the case that the plane lands safely, the good guys escape, and the bad guys are blown to pieces. The way we have it now, everybody dies. It is a odd zero sum game whereby everyone looses – a synnecrosis of the most tragic sort.
How tragic, then, my American History class will soon become! The voices for right, laden with an unmistakable urgency, must be heard. But sometimes I wonder, deeply, how it is that the majority of us, well at least 50.7% supposedly, chose not to hear them. We must now, or soon, perhaps, we won’t even have the choice.
I have little faith in our current administration, and even less respect for those who elected them there, but I would hesitate to say that the US and the terrorist groups are on equally irrational grounds.
Motive, while hardly an excuse for violence against civilians, is crucial here. We are working against the terrorist groups mainly because they’ve made it their goal to kill as many innocent people as possible. Obviously, a conflict this complex can’t be summed up in a sentence, but I think it is safe to say that our motive is (or was, before Iraq) largely one of self defense, and theirs is one of revenge – revenge for our lifestyle, beliefs, standard of living, and political allies (read: Israel).
Which is not to say we’re justified in everything we’ve done. One of the reasons why I’m so against the Iraq war is that it utterly destroyed any credibility we might have had in saying that we were victims defending ourselves. While I’m not going near the much-abused terms of good and evil, though, I think our reasons for fighting go far beyond a simplistic, brutal desire to eliminate anything that doesn’t speak American and wear a baseball cap.
And I think we are, in spite of our inept leadership, still global leaders. Whose music were you finding everywhere when you were teaching in Uzbekistan? Who created the Internet and launched the personal computer? Whose borders are crammed with people trying to find a better life for themselves? I’d say one quality of a global leader is the ability to make one’s ideas and culture desirable to people from radically different backgrounds, and we’ve done this in spades. Ample shortcomings aside, ours is a culture that has always encouraged and inspired the pursuit of innovation and freedom. I’m not trying to present a starry-eyed vision of America or downplay our current atrocities, just giving credit where credit is due.
Criticize our idiots and their decisions, but don’t get led into thinking that Bush and the Bible Belties are America, any more than those Arab passengers were terrorist child snatchers. We have two hundred years of admirable accomplishments and works behind us that no John Wayne wannabe can erase.
i also saw flightplan, and thought it was a great movie. however, what i seized upon was jodie foster’s character. i was pleased to see a female character who wasn’t supersexy, or in any way over stereotyped. she was smart without having to be a “nerd”, she was a mother without being a “soccer mom”, good looking without being a “desperate housewife,” etc etc etc. i’m always pleased to see well represented over 20 women in movies.
now if only american tv would start such a trend. if i see another paris hilton or courtney cox, i think i might scream, or force feed them bacon.
CRBS, thanks for that eloquent response. I would like to reply that I agree with the fact that we have been, for the most part, a good country. What worries me so, I think, is more of a confluence of separate but inter-related events that have led to our current position.
As I see it, many of the ideas which make our society now pose a distinctly non-zero sum logic upon others. But before I outline a few factors of concern, let’s look at the idea of “rate of change.” Development happens in an exponential manner – that is, once the ball gets rolling, it continues to pick up speed. If we look at technological progress made from within the United States, one could argue that the pace or rate of change has never been greater in human history. Not only does this apply to technology, but it also applies to other, less empirically measured things. Take for instance the idea of a multicultural society. Again, the rate at which things get mixed up is today far greater than at any time in history. If we can extrapolate from these two factors the idea of identity, then perhaps identity, both personal and social, is also under a flux greater than ever before. I think this is a very real undercurrent to our specific problems.
Now, with that background, we can look at what are some of the more concrete things. First, and this kind of relates to what I previously said, is a major worldwide technology gap. There is a certain truth to the assertion that technology helps people learn. The un-equal distribution of IT and internet technologies put many communities at a strategic disadvantage – be it in the realm of personal political empowerment or simply the pursuit of knowledge.
Another great problem is the idea of consumerism as key to all ills. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, it seems to be regarded as truth that in order for societies to succeed, they must be based on consumerism and a desire to acquire capital. Now, although I certainly fall into this system, that doesn’t stop me from wondering whether there isn’t an alternative.
Being here in Romania where there was, until recently, a brutal Communist regime, I wonder about that which it has been replaced by, and in what form that old brutality remains. The endless commercialism, present in all walks of life here, lays the foundation for un-obtainable dreams, and ultimately class warfare. Look no further than our professional sports stadiums to see how far we have come. Now, the question is, really, does the American system work globally? Can a society, such as this one here, emulate our model successfully – or, absent the less tangible ideals possessed in the American psyche, is it a foredawn conclusion that the state will consist solely of haves and have nots?
Yet another major issue confronting us is the idea of space. America is unlike any other nation, because nobody really has a claim to it. It developed and today is what it is because of those who came here to make it. In my American geography class, I mentioned during the first class that Americans were highly mobile and would often change their location of residence many times throughout their lives. We are less tied to the land in a historical sense than perhaps any other peoples. Therefore it becomes difficult for us to empathize with those who have no such luxury. As a resident in Transylvania, the conflict between Romanians and Hungarians is timeless, and one which seems as if it will never be resolved. Perhaps that is the American weakness in foreign policy. And although our system could, perhaps, present a viable and positive alternative, we need to first acknowledge reality. This could apply to Israel and many other cases of disputed land.
We talk so much about globalization, but the fact remains that what we mean is a one way street. America is so unique, and especially until recently, removed from the ancient problems of the wider world, that our model can not be applied regardless of place. The development of any social movement is a confluence of unique factors. The same can be said for our nation, which is, in a way, a social movement unto itself. The Bush strategy of change by gunpoint or heavy handed maneuvers is certainly not going to get us anywhere. Our greatest asset is that we are an open society. Although we know in our hearts that an open society is a better society, we must be more through in our examinations of why doors remain closed elsewhere. If we refuse to take on such an analytical approach to foreign policy, I see no end in sight to the ill-will that continues to be heaped upon us daily.