retrospection while cleaning * impulse purchases * on the American ethnic identity

[derien]

I continue the attempts to unearth my desktop.  Made a little more headway today.  I stuck the unsent Christmas cards in the stationary drawer, and many of the photos which eor had discovered while scanning my old papers have now been shoved into my photo album/scrapbook, in no particular order.  I really need to sort that book out someday...  I think I may have mentioned there was a photo of me and Tree - him looking all lanky and tough in jeans and a vest (shirtless), his hair brown and long, standing out all around in curls.  Now his hair is quite black and short, his build is solid, he dresses respectably.  (In that photo I look... pretty much as I look now, but with a slightly rounder face.  I tell people I had a good run at 24, because people guessed me as being 24 from the time I was 14 until I was 34.)

* * *

I found a copy of Stephen Fry's autobiography, "Moab is my Washpot," on Amazon for under $4 and I bought it, solely because of this comment by peak_in_darien.  *pauses to consider whether her perversion has gone beyond help*  Okay, that's enough of that introspection stuff...

* * *

tootsiemuppet asked me why Americans don't just feel American.  Which doesn't make much sense out of context.  She was trying to understand Americans impulse to always identify themselves with their descent - French, Irish, etc.  I couldn't come up with a good answer for her on short notice.  I suspect the answer is that we DO, but part of being an American is wrapped up with also preserving your cultural heritage.  It was odd that she should ask me that when it had just come up on another thread, which is on a locked post on someone else's journal, so unfortunately I can't point to it, because much to the point was said.  And it is locked with good reason - almost certainly someone would take offense if it were available for the public.  Even funnier, tootsiemuppet said she would ask eor his opinion, because I said he always has an opinion, and then I went and looked at that thread again after we talked and saw that he had weighed in with his opinion.  So, tootsiemuppet, don't forget to ask him. ;)

I must mull on this question a little more. I'll probably make more entries about it.

Comments

[peak-in-darien.livejournal.com]

I hope you enjoy Moab! It's very beautiful and very sad in parts. Makes you want to just run off and HUG STEPHEN. <---I nearly wrote HUGH STEPHEN there, shows where my mind is.

Re: the American thing... I've always wondered why Americans are *so* patriotic. Are Americans educated to be patriotic, or is it just common sentiment?

Maybe it's the whole laid-back Australian thing and I just don't get how people can care *that* much. :D

[derien.livejournal.com]

The short answer re the whole patriotic thing is - we're definetly trained into it (even, one might say, brainwashed). Our history textbooks are written in a pretty one-sided manner. Then there's the fact that we have the biggest military in the world by far, so that between the people employed as soldiers and the people employed by the military/industrial complex to outfit the soldiers there's huge numbers of families who are fed by the government. And you WILL lose your job if you're loudly anti-establishment, I've seen that happen. Sooo... between one thing and another, lots of people just don't know any better and those who do are hesitant to say anything about it.

[derien.livejournal.com]

And now I fear Moab, because I don't like sad stories, especially if they attach to real people!

[tootsiemuppet.livejournal.com]

;) We'll read it together and then you can come cry to me when it gets too sad.

Yee, you're still too sweet for sending it to me.

I'm still processing the responses in this thread. Will come up with something vaguely resembling an intelligent reply eventually...