Another Memorial Day weekend, another act of disrespect by foreigners in my country.
I'm sick of it. If I come off as an ugly American, so be it. This is my country. When I go abroad, I bend over backwards to behave appropriately and show respect. Apparently, this idea of being a good visitor is only applied to Americans, such that when we step out of line, we're roundly condemned by people whose conduct in our country is no better and oftentimes worse.
Last year, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, there was an Asian woman who wouldn't get off her hind quarters during the changing of the guard despite the fact that it was loudly announced before the ceremony and then reiterated, again loudly, three times. Even if there was a language barrier, it would be fairly obvious once everyone -- and there were roughly three hundred people in attendance -- stood and removed their headgear that solemnity did not include sitting through the ceremony. Yet it took three very loud reminders for her or the people around her to get her arse off the ground and standing in respect for men who gave their lives in defense of our country and its freedoms.
In 2007, there was a fight in Las Vegas between Floyd Mayweather and the Brit Ricky Hatton. After playing the British national anthem, which the Brits sang lustily in full lung, the American national anthem was played, during which the Brits booed just as lustily. When called on it, Brits excused the behavior saying that this happens all the time. Even assuming this is true elsewhere, there are two inescapable facts that put the lie to that reasoning: The Brits and the Americans were then fighting together Islamofascists in the Middle East and had Americans done the same thing in, say, Liverpool, this would be front-page news the world over. Yet this ugly British behavior merited barely a blip on world news.
Then there was this weekend. Karen and I took the boys on a trip to a popular northern tourist destination. We were leaving that morning but Karen wanted to buy one more thing for the road, only to find out that the store didn't open for another half hour. So we decided to walk around to kill time. We came to the local American Legion house where preparations were underway for the annual Memorial Day ceremony honoring America's fallen heroes. We decided to sit and observe the ceremony.
After it began with a heartfelt speech by the commander of the Legion hall and an invocation by the local Legion chaplain, a young Indian father pushing a baby carriage walked in front of us and loudly asked, "Where is the Starbucks?" I'm quite sure that the people attending the ceremony across the street heard him. As angry as I've ever been, I hissed -- I'm quite sure I hissed -- "It's that way" and raised my arm in the direction of the coffee house. The man walked off slightly miffed at my demeanor but apparently unaware of its cause.
Were this the only foreign transgression during the ceremony I might have given it a pass. Yet not ten minutes later, just as the Star and Stripes were being raised during the playing of the national anthem, a debate among a group of young Indians ironically in the direction of the Starbucks was being conducted none-too-quietly in Hindi. Karen and I, alerted to their presence by the din of their discussion, instantly shushed them, which caused the first male of the group to stop and come to attention. The woman behind him, unaware that anything more important than her discussion was going on, continued to prattle on in Hindi, which prompted an even louder shushing from Karen and me. Finally, she stopped, chastened if unaware. When the ceremony ended a minute later, Karen and I walked by them on the way to the shop for Karen to make her belated purchase. Neither of the loud Hindi speakers looked our way.
People come to this country for the wonderfully expansive freedoms we enjoy. Among those freedoms, however, is not the liberty to denigrate our traditions. How would these Indians like it if I walked up to a cow roaming the street in Mumbai and drew a smiley face on its flank? Or if I stripped at the Taj Mahal? I'm sure the Brits would attack me if I changed the lyrics to their national anthem to more accurately reflect my feelings for their regent. And the Asians would find an inscrutable way to teach me a lesson were I to piss off the top of their Great Wall.
I'm tired of being lectured by foreigners about how badly Americans behave and then having to witness their dismissive indifference to our traditions. Enough is enough. There's a reason this is the best country in the world, whether they like to admit it or not.
From now on, if there's a misbehaving foreigner, I'm going to chide them publicly. They've been warned, whether they read this blog or not.
I'm pissed.
(c) 2016 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
No comments:
Post a Comment