Babel

Some times I feel kind of sick to be an American. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that I am one, but our behavior often falls short of appropriate. By this I am referring to how we interact with people from another country or while we are in other countries.

It’s just been on my mind since last week when I saw the film Babel. The events that unfold stem from the female half of an American couple being shot while on a bus in Morocco. Because the woman shot is an American, it becomes a global news story. Because she is American, tracking down the shooter becomes top priority. Saving her life becomes top priority. Everyone (at least those that were not American or English) went out of their way for this woman based solely on her nationality. In the same movie, the Mexican immigrant that has helped raise the Americans’ children is treated w/ extreme disrespect and eventually deported.

Maybe it isn’t fair for me to be citing a film to make my point, but it’s what has made me really think about it. In reality, I know Americans who visit a foreign country and don’t bother learning any of the language. They honestly believe that the people in the country they are visiting need to cater to them; however, if that person were visiting the US, they would be expected to speak English.

Where do we Americans get off thinking in this manner? We may live in the “most powerful” country in the world, but that doesn’t mean we are superior. I’m far too often disgusted by the way we treat foreigners here simply for not being from here.

I probably didn’t express myself well enough, but I needed to get that off my chest. :)