There are still parts of the U.S. living in abject poverty. I think these feelings of entitlement you wrote about are polarized in the American Southwest, where I live. There are people who live without running water and without electricity here, in America. The city I live in has the highest illiteracy rate in the nation and at the same time, there are zip codes in El Paso with the highest population of millionaires in West Texas. About 30 miles away there are children who wear shoes painted with their own versions of Nike swooshes with parents who couldn’t care less what kind of car they drive as long as it still works. I agree with most of the things you’ve posted in your entry, but there are many overlooked facets of American culture that are misunderstood by social critics. Generalizations about our citizens are based on big-city living, what appears in commercials, or popularized in the media and entertainment. These outlets by far do not encompass all of it, but I certainly believe that they form the bigger, most influential part of the picture.

My two cents, thanks.

anyway i really want to know where that wave is that is pictured above your blog and where is nembralla reef?
you can reply via email
cheers

TK – yours is a good point but for the fact that I actually still have student loans far in excess of the GDP of the 3d world countries where I’ve recently been, with a credit rating matching … again, the credit of those same countries.: So actually, those folks are at least at zero balance.

JM — yours also is a perfectly valid point, and I respect it; yet to the extent you are entitled to be angry at me for voicing my views of the unadulterated stupidity of the general population in the U.S., I think it also allowable – if not beneficial – for me to describe the contradictions and misnomers of that general population who continue to subject themselves to said system by blindly choosing to take on responsibilities beyond themselves.

pssh — although you too are obviously correct, if it were me, I’d probably take greater umbrage of my use of the word ‘cuz’ in place of ‘because.’ But again, that’s just me.

Oh yeah, fuck all y’all (altho yeah, I know “y’all” isn’t a real word).

Alright, not to slap this around too much… but there’s an inherent irony that I hope you’ve considered: that it is this same capitalist gluttony and American greed that has enabled you to go on the journey you’ve begun. That is to say, it was your corporate job, your fuel-inefficient car, your role in this giant machine, that garnered you the funds which makes your sojourn possible. So be wary about casting stones, because without some of these things you’ve grown to despise, you’d never be able to do what you are doing.

And while I concede that there is a certain disillusionment that is understandable, and that I share, you also have to remember that not everyone you see has the same options as you, nor the same interest. And that there are people with families and children for whom they have to provide, and simply packing up and heading East is not a viable option.

That said, I share your overall distaste for this American life. But I am as guilty of it as the next person – I love my house, my car, my stereo and my bottled water. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve embraced some aspects of this culture, but frankly? I’m OK with that. I try to avoid the darker aspects of what you’ve written about, but at the same time, it’s not necessarily fair to judge people because they were born in a place where a sandwich costs as much as someone’s rent in Bangladesh.

OK. That might have come out a little harsher than I intended, but there it is. Please don’t think that I’m rushing to the defense of Capitalism (I think you know me better than that)… I’m just saying perhaps a little patience is necessary for those who may not have the time nor the ability to think about the big picture.

Alright. Enough of that. When are we hanging out again?