I have often wondered why Americans seem so fearful. So easily “fear-mongered.”.
I read and speak to folks in America and I watch the media sensationalize everything into an unhealthy fear of the unknown. I say unknown because it is obvious that these folks have no experience outside of America. I’m not counting that two week vacay to Aruba.
I travel quite frequently to places like Cambodia, Egypt, Turkey. I work in places like Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, etc. Any time I discuss these places with my mother, I’m assailed with information and emails about how “dangerous” each place is. Many (most?) Americans seem to be of the same mind. To them, every place outside of America is fraught with danger. They seem to believe that one should just stay home…where it’s “safe.”
Having traveled widely in the world, I can say that none of these places are as dangerous as, it seems, the average American believes. I want to say grow a pair but having thought about the issue, I realize that it’s more ignorance of the world and inexperience than courage or lackthereof. Americans seem to be in their own little world. They also seem to be uninterested in the world about them. Only when something violent occurs in a country or upon news of some crisis do Americans learn of the wider world. Usually, the knowledge comes to them from the American Media.
This seems to produce in Americans some fear of the world and a hatred and distrust of the peoples therein. I can tell you from experience. The world is not as bad as Fox, CNN and MSNBC make it seem. The only way to learn this is to do one’s own research and to travel the world and meet its inhabitants first hand.
However, Americans historically have no interest in travel outside of America. I suppose this means that Americans will always be easily led by special interest parties who can lie to them and fearmonger Americans into hating, distrusting and cursing the peoples outside of America’s borders.
This is a shame for the world is a better place when America has courage.
