Change of Heart

“Dumb American”

I never thought I’d be that person who is personally offended by the rest of the world thinking that Americans are dumb. Yes, I have always cared about what the rest of the world thinks of us as a nation and have expected our leaders to accurately and professionally portray the American people to the rest of the world. But in a disconnected, selfish way, I never thought I would actually care if someone called me a “dumb American.” I always thought I’d be able to confidently brush it off, and just laugh at the silliness of the statement.

Now that I live abroad, my feelings about this matter have changed. The other day when someone I was speaking with referred to Americans as dumb, I felt a pang in my stomach, a sort of uneasiness that left me with the realization that I was offended by the statement. I felt in shock. Me, confident and strong in opinion, was offended by someone’s words? Did I honestly care that this guy had said this about Americans? Yes. I truly cared. I felt like I had experienced an entire transformation of feeling, a significant change of heart.

I contemplated the exchange I had with this man and my reaction to it for days. Why had I suddenly been affected by a statement that is so casually and commonly said throughout other parts of the world? In that moment, I realized how much of a problem it is that this term “dumb” American is stated as fact throughout the world. I finally realized that I should be offended. I began to understand that my offense to this statement was stemming from my newfound appreciation and respect for America since I’ve been abroad. It’s not that I have a newly developed sense of patriotism or nationalism, but a greater love and appreciation for where I’m from. Now that I live in London, in my mind, my family, my friends, my town, and my school define America. And I know that my family members are not dumb. And my friends are not dumb. People at my school are not dumb. And people in my town are not dumb either. These people in my life at home are educated, talented, skilled, caring, aware, socially conscious, politically involved, emotionally invested, community oriented, brave, thoughtful, and valuable citizens. All of these people are Americans. And while this little bubble that I visualize around me in no way fully defines America, it is all a part of America. This bubble of mine is an important, valued, and respected part of America that is great enough for the rest of the world to see. They should be seen.

This does not go to say that I feel this way about all Americans — because I don’t. I am disgusted by some of the statements that Americans have said about the rest of the world, the ignorance and self-righteousness that most disconnected Americans feel. I know that a lot of Americans are uneducated about the happenings in the world around us, and would rather selfishly invest in their own lives. I also know how bad this looks to the rest of the world. And I entirely understand where the stereotype “dumb American” comes from.

The problem here lies in the fact that this term “dumb American” is a profoundly and mind-staggering generalization. I never realized how often and how commonly and casually this statement is thought and verbalized throughout the rest of the world until I lived abroad. I now think of it as my duty to change this thought. It is my duty to change this opinion of Americans not only for my own dignity, but for the people in my life at home who fully represent the America I know and love. These people are the true face of America. They are America. I am America. We are America.