Americaland

"The American Dream offers a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." 1931, James Truslow Adams

What does it mean, to me, to be from the United States of America? What does it mean, to others, to meet a woman from America? How do people react to me, knowing my nationality? What do they assume about me? What do I wish they understood, and what do I wish we could heal? What parts of my "american-ness" are my points of pride, and for what do I feel ashamed?

The following is a disorganized list of thoughts about the US in the world. Possible future essay topics.

Freedom of thought and action: In the US we are privileged to be able to think what we want, AND to to express our thoughts through letters to our senators, employment unions, personal fashion sense, creative art... In my travels through Eastern Europe I learned that many people there have independent thoughts but it is too dangerous to express their political thoughts publicly. This problem directly affects public life, even years after the fall of communism: in the Czech Republic no one wants to join clubs or even share their thoughts with friends, for fear their 'friends' might be spies.

Independent Thought: In Japan, when I ask the students a simple question like "what is your favorite color?" they turn to one another to confer before answering. The students do not understand the concept of voting. Virtually all teachers belong to the same ineffective teacher`s union. When a child is singled out and bullied, s/he tends to believe his peers` assesment and never defends himself. In America, if one child is bullied or isolated s/he usually aligns himself with another social group and tries to ignore the pressures of the agressors. This characteristic of Japanese culture has a positive side: harmony and group cohesion.

Wealth and sharing: When I explain my nationality to students (in a self-introduction lesson I have given about 50 times), they become wide-eyed and wildly curious. The United States is exhorbatantly wealthy in finances and natural resources. Even modest suburban houses are extraordinary compared to homes in developed nations like Australia and Japan.

Violence and war: News-reading adults here, both gaijins and Japanese nationals, are deeply concerned about America's recent warmongering. The US is also famous for its tradition of gun-wielding, robbery and frequent murders. Now that I've been out of it for a year, living in a very safe country, I see the violence in America simply appalling. It really sucks to live in constant awareness/fear and I am not looking forward to it. Private gun ownership seems a completely asinine tradition that only feeds fear.

Charity: The word doesn't even translate into Japanese. When speaking about "volunteerism", Japanese use the English word because it is such a rare concept here. I am so grateful to from the US, where ordinary citizens meet violence and despair with generous acts of goodwill. Every church, civic group, and family has a charity or two that we support. Even our national budget includes a significant percentage for nation-building, global public health, and economic stimulation of foreign nations.

Privilege, strength, bullying

Diversity and acceptance: In January and February I did a number of lessons specifically about "diversity", a word which interestingly, does not have have a Japanese translation.

Continual revolutions toward justice and equality

Creativity, opportunity, production, efficiency, output