But you're doing a BANG up job of upholding the myth of American shallowness
Cannoli Send a noteboard - 28/08/2013 01:21:06 AM
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I just came back from an awesome, epic 2 week vacation in Asia. And yes, for us poor Americans, taken 12 days off work is a BIG deal. The last two days were in Bangkok, a city that I desperately wanted to avoid in my trip planning based on some stereotypes and that unfortunate movie.
I just came back from an awesome, epic 2 week vacation in Asia. And yes, for us poor Americans, taken 12 days off work is a BIG deal. The last two days were in Bangkok, a city that I desperately wanted to avoid in my trip planning based on some stereotypes and that unfortunate movie.
I have no words.
On the last night, I was, as it tends to happen on vacations abroad, depressed. Depressed to be returning to the US. And also ashamed. Because apparently, it's possible to have modern, quiet trains that run every 3 minutes on the weekend,
Mussolini did it! Maybe we should look into that. You know the flip side is that trains kind of suck, which is why cars were invented. A lot of Americans have the personal freedom of their own private vehicle, so their interest in government-sponsored kick-ass trains for a bunch of urban ne'er do wells and starving artists is a bit less of a priority. And when you only have one city that matters, it's a lot easier to make it all shiny.
spotless mall food courts, really clean bathrooms, courteous security guards, streets without piles of trash and cat-sized rats. Even for a country with only 1/5 of our GDP per capita.
Too bad there isn't some sort of statistic to measure the relative freedom we have. I know, let's count the number of military coups in the last decade of the countries in question! You also forgot to mention the homeless people and residents of cities who cause these kinds of problems. Maybe if we had some sort of camps to put such undesirables in, the city could be a lot cleaner... How do you stand on the issue of empowering the police to use the dirty and the litterbugs for baton practice? I bet the Thai government is way, way ahead of you on that one. Meanwhile the farmers who feed our cities trundle around on the back of John Deere machines, while Bangkok is fed by guys plodding behind a water buffalo. But I'm sure your sterile mall tour was a pretty good example of what the country is like, right?
I get it, I see only the clean, polished side of Bangkok because of the privilege bought with my American dollars, but still, goddamn it, how come my vaunted American dollars can't buy me a clean sidewalk at home? Why can't we have nice things?
Look for the union label. As for your residential difficulties, which US city do you live in? A study found a correlation between rent control laws and housing shortages in various cities, so there is that.
Every time I go abroad, I become less and less patriotic. Something is seriously wrong with American values, with our interaction and understanding of the public sphere. It's like we only value things which can be measured with money, and that is just... shameful.
You're the one who values projects created with big government power that can be photographed and make great exhibitions, rather than intangible things like freedom. Have dystopian science fiction films taught you nothing? The bright shiny cities are always hiding a rotten core!
Cannoli
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
The myth of American exceptionalism
- 27/08/2013 06:26:39 PM
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I would like to comment on this...
- 27/08/2013 06:41:57 PM
661 Views
In fairness, there is such a thing as the "handicap of the head start".
- 27/08/2013 06:56:29 PM
698 Views
But you're doing a BANG up job of upholding the myth of American shallowness
- 28/08/2013 01:21:06 AM
792 Views
In the last 15 years or so it didn't take a clean sidewalk or train to make the US look bad 
- 28/08/2013 08:45:07 AM
555 Views
- 28/08/2013 08:45:07 AM
555 Views