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When I was in the Military (Navy) I had the chance to travel abroad. I visited Singapore, Thailand, Dubai, Hong Kong and a few other smaller places. I have also had the benefit of friends on the internet and at work.
While I do not claim to be educated, I do try to keep up on news. and truthfully, there isnt much that reaches me unless i go digging for it.
The most common argument i have heard agains teh US and its people is that we blindly allow our government and its leaders to do all these stupid things , and on a regular basis.
I am nto sure how to react, as I, as an individual, have just about as much of an impact on the government as you do from over seas. If i vote, and the leaderships does somethig dumb, I'm to blame... If i Don't vote, then i'm blamed for apathy.. sounds like a no win sutuation.
I do sometimes wish that I could look at myself from forieng eyes and see what the problems really are, because as I see it, There is not a whole lot I could do personally to resolve ANY of the issues we are facing on an international front.
It's not that I don't care, it's that I can't do anything. Am i suppoed to starve my family to sendmoney to antoher one outside the US? would that solve all the problems? I dont know. I agree that I am selfish, in the respect that I want money, food, shelter, and happiness, which are common needs/wants no matter whta culture you live in.
Most non-US people i've met are awesome, and hae always treated me with respect, as I have treated them. The only time this breaks down is when one of us proves that they are not worth of that respect.
I refuse to let a small sampling of people affect my outlook on any group of people, and hope that Any foriegn people would not see Bush, or any other public figure and make bad assumptions about me and my family.
Again, I wish that i had a different point of view, but I can't imagine how to change it.
Silver Tiger.
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