Nuestro Orgullo

Just so this post doesn't sound terribly apathetic, I want to say that the hurricane that just passes through New Orleans is truly a tradgedy. I pray that things are able to be straightened out from it eventually, even though it will take years.

That being said... Why do UnitedStatesicans continue to act invincible, and/or like our country has everything all figured out and that we should play God to all other nations? We've participated in wars in other countries, and assisted after terrorist attack around the world, but never thought that any of that would ever come here. Well, four years ago, that was proved false, although we've since forgotten that we aren't invincible. We see the Tsunami in south east asia, earthquakes in Japan, huricanes in Central America, and brag about how well we've built all our structures so that natural disasters don't affect us much. Ok, so look at New Orleans, now what do you say? Don't worry, in about a year, most of the country will revert to being prideful about our superoir structures and superior way of living, etc.

I'm not saying that we should immediately go help every needy country and use all our resources for that. Actually, I'm thinking we'd get a lot more international relief accomplished if we'd actually pay attention to what the needs of hurting countries REALLY are, instead of "helping" in the ways that WE THINK they should be helped.

But we continue to be incredibly prideful about our way of life and the way things opperate in the U.S. We won't admit that we don't have everything together, that there are things that the United States doesn't know how to deal with. If we have a problem, we'll get it fixed STAT. I almost wish that something would happen that would take the pride away.

Last night (I can't believe I'm admitting this) I was watching the crassly disgusting cartoon "South Park." As crass as it was, that particular episode hit a chord with me. It was about the kids going on a rain forest tour in Costa Rica. One of the little boys (the super fat one) kept saying stuff like, "It smells like butt out here!" "Ooh, look, there's people's underware hanging outside, hahaha!!" "Sick, the bathroom is a hole in the ground!" But that is sooo what people from here say or at least think. We're so rude. We're so selfish and greedy. I HATE that when I'm in another country, people know where I'm from without having to ask, because I'm tall, large, and light colored. I'm embarassed to be UnitedStatesican. That's sad, but true. But do YOU want to be associated with the gringo mission team in Pizza Hut in Tegus that started a food fight and left it for the Pizza Hut employees to clean up? Do YOU want your good friends' non-Christian dad to not like you anymore because other Christian gringos disrespected him and his culture?? And that now he associates gringo Christians with being mean, rude, and self-centered? These are only two experiences of mine from Honduras and El Salvador respectively, that I have had.

So, I think that it's good that we experience tragedies, maybe we will be more humbled. Or maybe it will just serve to give people more bragging rights because we can recover from disasters quickly. WE don't have earthquake damaged streets and buildings 4 and a half years after the earthquake. WE don't have people living in now-permenant evacuee camps 7 years after a huricane. WE make a big bajillion dollar monument where terrorists hit OUR country. Wow, there are some things to be proud of (insert sarcasm here).

Call me unpatriotic, or whatever you want, but I am glad to have been born in the U.S. But I will never cease to be totally embarassed by the image we portray to other countries.