I've never been a particularly patriotic person toward my country, the grand powerhouse of the world called The United States of America. By no means do I dislike my country, but I have always been one of the first to acknowledge its flaws, of which it has many. However, so far, while my year abroad has understandably made me much more worldly, interestingly enough, it has also caused me to form a deeper attachment to the country in which I was born, bred, and of which I hold coveted citizenship. Take yesterday for instance. I was with some friends, coming back from an outdoor market, and we were sitting on the minimetro (sort of like an above-ground subway system), and a random Italian lady started talking to us. Obviously she realized my two friends and I were speaking a different language, so she asked us where we were from. Both of the girls I was with are from Germany, and their response to her question gained nodding approval. When she asked me if I was also from Germany, I said no, I'm American. This answer resulted in a knowing glance from her as she said, "ah. americans. VERY patriotic, no?" Now. The tone of voice that she used to phrase this sentence sounded almost as if she were saying "ah. americans. TOO patriotic, no?" Like it was a bad thing to really love one's country. I said, well, I'm not super patriotic, but yes, I like my country, it really is "un bello paese." She just looked at me and arched her eyebrows... Sweet woman. My one friend then quickly told the woman in Italian that I was half Swiss, and the woman looked pacified. "Okay. So, you are a bit European then?" - Now. I didn't like this at all. Yeah I was half Swiss and half American, but what if I had just been 100% American? I mean, just because I was half Swiss, it didn't make me any more cultured than if I had been 100% American, and I have a feeling that that's what this lady was getting at.
I have to say, I really dislike when some Europeans almost look down on Americans. Take my winter break in Switzerland for instance. One night I met some guy from Wales, and was talking to him for a bit. I found out he studied for a year in New York, and I asked him how he found the States, since I was from there. He answered that it was "okay." Then after a brief hesitation he started to go off on the States, saying that I should be glad I'm half Swiss, because everyone in America is so ignorant, blah blah blah. After a while I was like, yeah, only I can diss my own country, buh-bye! I mean, hellooooooooo. If Europeans like him and this Italian lady on the train stereotype my ENTIRE country as being one specific thing (ignorant, uncultured, nationalistic, etc.), don't they realize they are being just as ignorant as they claim my countrymen to be? No one who is truly cultured would blackmark an entire country based on a few select individuals they've met or a few politicians they've heard of. There are good people, bad people, smart people, stupid people, kind people, mean people in every country.
And I for one, am proud to be half American. To quote from a novel that I'm reading at the moment called "We Need to Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver, "The United States [...] [is] on the the existential cutting edge. It [is] is a country whose prosperity [is] without precedence, where virtually everyone [has] enough to eat; a country that [strives] for justice and [offers] up nearly every entertainment and sport, every religion, ethnicity, occupation, and political affiliation to be had, with a wild wealth of landscapes, of flora and fauna, and weather (pg. 50). [It is a place] that [calls] the shots and [pulls] the strings, that [makes] movies and [sells] Coca-Cola and [ships] Star Trek all the way to Java; the center of the action, a country that you [need] a relationship with even if that relationship [is hostile]; a country that [demands] if not acceptance at least rejection - anything but neglect. (pg 48).
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