I’m American and I Don’t Mind
Being American is a Blessing, Not a Curse
It’s natural to feel shame and self-loathing for being American. It’s a feeling most liberal Americans have grown accustomed to. I don’t blame you for feeling this way. But here’s the thing.
People like Americans and they like America.
This may seem hard to believe. For a while, I struggled to believe it myself. We don’t even like ourselves! Why should anyone else?
There’s a stereotype of loud, obnoxious hordes of Americans invading other countries. It’s not entirely inaccurate. But apart from some privileged study abroad wankers, I’ve actually encountered very few of these characters.
The truth is nearly every American I’ve met abroad has been an impressive human. Really top blokes. Someone you’d be glad is representing our country.
Still, for most of my travels, I didn’t like being American. I felt relatively uncultured. I dreaded the inevitable conversations about our current political situation. I thought people hated us. I was wrong. Well, mostly wrong.
The Day I Changed My Mind
The rebirth of my national pride was a slow, prolonged process, which wasn’t fully realized until one fateful day in the northern Philippines.
