OBSERVATIONS ON BEING "UN-AMERICAN"

I am recently getting over the death of a loved one. My computer hard drive bit the dust last month. It was a very emotional experience for me as I had saved a significant amount of data on my external drive and the cloud network, but I still had some important things saved on my desktop that will be missed. Namely, a few personal blog entries I was oh so close to finishing. I am old school in that I write all of my blog entries out in longhand first and then type it out. My cleaning lady, who I am convinced is sadistic, “accidently” threw out all of my notes for my blog posts. I could rewrite them again, but you know how it is, wouldn’t be the same! There is a silver lining though, one post was specifically about my observations on US culture when it comes to sports, a la the Super Bowl. As I held out hope that I would be able to save my hard drive, a few events have taken place that allowed me to broaden my perspective a bit on that blog entry. I am American of course, but living outside of the states for over 10 years has… altered my views on some quintessential American ideas and concepts that make me almost, dare I say un-American.

I am starting a business here in Berlin, FUNomenal GmbH, and recently saw a post in an entertainment industry forum titled “New minimum wage scare you?” The author of the thread wanted to rant about the big government liberals who had the audacity to raise minimum wage and how communist it was to not let the market determine what a fair hourly wage should be. Now, where my observations come in to play aren’t about if raising the minimum wage is right or not. What I observed is how individualist and self-centered the American responses tended to be. Really, I observed, how most Americans, and this is a very small segment because most of the participants in this forum are entrepreneurs so I get many of their fears, but most of the posts were all about their bottom line and how the government had no right to change their way of life. Now this forum is quite international so the Australians commented that the $10.10 the federal government was proposing paled in comparison to the $16.88 mandatory hourly wage that is in place there. The British contingent reminded the Americans that they only had to worry about an hourly wage and not an additional 15% tax on top of the wage for the social benefits they are required by law to pay. Someone from Belgium chimed in about the much lower taxes Americans pay than most Europeans. The Americans were hearing NONE of that. It was all about how they were going to have less profits, how they were going to have to cut back on personal spending, or how raising prices would drive away business. The Canadians, bless their hearts, commented that they already paid their workers above minimum wage because they extra wage they gave allowed them to expect more from their workers  which in turn provided a more fulfilling customer service experience for the guests who in turn spent more money at their locations. It was such an interesting dynamic taking place in the forum. It made me wonder when did the culture of the US change that even common people have lost the feeling that we are responsible for our fellow citizens?

The discussion wasn’t about welfare but paying workers a little more. As I said, I understand the apprehension of the American business owners, but international owners were trying to describe how they automated some attractions to decrease the amount of workers they needed, or how the extra pay attracted higher quality applicants, or explained how US business owners still had it easier than their counterparts in Europe or Australia. It was falling on deaf ears. It became a ‘bash the government in office’ thread. I made the mistake of calling out one person who said that, “This current administration has no right to dictate what I do in my household or my business. Liberals always fail to realize the danger of big government.” This is where the impish instigator in me came out. I asked the author of that comment if determining the level of pay for US citizens was the same level of government interference as deciding if homosexuals can marry, what a woman can or can’t do with her body, going to “war” on terror and monitoring our phone calls, emails and mail without a search warrant. Yeah.. kinda stirred up the hornets’ nest with that comment. But point still being, when did the land of the free become so.. German?

In Berlin I always express to people I love Germans as individuals. Very nice and honest people who are quite open minded and sincere. Put them in the context of their culture and it is very difficult at times. They tend to be very rigid and don’t allow for creativity or alternative ways of thinking. That is what the US has become? It was like a pack of hungry wild dogs were thrown a piece of steak the way the American participants ganged up on me. Honestly, I LOVED it! I’m logical to a point so countering every argument with irrefutable fact brings me an unnatural and perverse sense of joy. At the same time it made me feel extremely out of touch with my own “people”. When I actually can stomach watching CNN, NBC or FOX online here in Berlin it seems stories presenting just the facts are in short supply. I can form my own opinion thank you very much and so just do your job and give me the information I need to do that. Has the US as a nation lost the ability to feel empathy for our fellow citizens? I believe it’s sad when a story of a Hollywood couple separating tops the news instead a possible war in the Ukraine, or Miley Cyrus kissing Katy Perry on the lips lights up the blogosphere but nary a word on the riots going on in Venezuela. But I GET it because it’s not happening in the United States where people can actually see it or record it and post it to YouTube or Facebook.  But McDonald’s and Wal-Mart workers picketing for sustainable living wages is happening there! We’re talking about people you see on your way to work, who you pass in the streets; your kids probably even play together!

As I said, I understand the fears of a small business owner, and I said as much in my posts in the forum. I also included that an entrepreneur by the very definition of the word tends to be able to adapt to change and see it as an opportunity not a detriment. A single mother working trying to make ends meet on $7.25 doesn’t have too many options and just wants to be able to take care of her family. Is it now in the states that one is for or against with no hope of being in the center on an issue? And it seems a very vocal minority in the states has made it perfectly acceptable to label people as "un-American" which they use as a derogatory slur. That is extremely disheartening in my humble opinion.

So, my observations on the United States at the moment? We are lost as a nation. The principles that once use to guide our us, real or imagined, are no longer a factor in our decision making process. No matter if it is the government deciding on foreign or domestic policy or our interaction with fellow Americans we have forgotten that our nation is only as strong as the bond the people share in that country. When I first began to travel in 2001 there was a sense of power and majesty bestowed upon me when I said I was from the USA. Now, I am more likely to get hard stares or smirks. I cannot blame a particular administration for the change of heart I notice in my travels. But I can question my fellow Americans when did it change so drastically? When did we lose faith in our fellow Americans? And more importantly, what can we do to get it back? Or is all lost? And does it make me un-American to even ask these questions?