Structures, #36, Seattle, USA, 2019
Yes, back in the States again for a convention and a brief family visit… and I’m finding some of my personal thoughts are getting stewed and mixed in with the current unbelievable-yet-predictable news about Trump’s blatantly “racist tweets”.
First, the personal thoughts.
I think we had forgotten, but we were immediately reminded within the first few days in-country of the following:
–America is not a Hollywood film and most Americans don’t generally resemble those thin, beautiful Hollywood actors. The typical American is pretty plain, often dresses poorly, and is overweight if not outright ultra-obese. And all those homeless folks you’ll see in about any American city, camped under the bridges and in the forest? They, too, are usually absent from your average slick Hollywood production.
–It’s almost impossible to eat well in America, unless you are really, really, really careful where you eat and are willing to pay the higher prices for decent, simple, unadulterated food (whether supermarket or restaurant). As a general rule, the food everywhere is highly processed, often highly sauced or spiced, very high in calories, and the portions are sized to make your average 300-pound NFL lineman quite burp-happy.
[Classic example of the American food quality v. profits attitude: We stopped in at the Pancake Chef for breakfast and noticed one of those cool machines with oranges piled on top that squeeze out fresh orange juice. “Yay!” says my wife in delight. Come to find out, though, they squeeze juice with the machine sometime during prep in the morning, then–judging from our taste buds–they mix it with cheaper juice, then store large quantities in the frig for customer orders throughout the day. So, you don’t really get fresh-squeezed, room-temperature, orange juice at all–and a glass of this mix will set you back $4. At our local supermarket in Barcelona, you can bottle your own fresh-squeezed orange juice right at the machine for something like 3-4 Euros for 3/4 liter.]
–You have to drive everywhere. Freedom of the road, yes, but you are also a slave to parking, gas prices, toll roads, rental car prices, rush hour, traffic congestion, navigation errors, and so on.
–The use of air conditioning in many American stores and supermarkets is greatly exaggerated. Plan on carrying a jacket with you even if the outside air temperature is perfect short-sleeved shirt, summer weather. Google around, there is some evidence that this is done to make shops seem more “luxurious” and/or to get people to spend more money. You’d think these businesses would want to save on their monthly electric bill and ease their impact on climate change, but I guess the almighty buck wins this one.
–The evidence of inequality between the have-a-lots and the rest of the population is gradually becoming more noticeable each time we visit. As a visitor, you will likely have experiences at times, or see things (hobo tent camps, our SeaTac Motel 6), that will make you wonder if you are in a third world country. I’ll be plain: If you are voting Republican, this is exactly what you are voting for–increased inequality and injustice which, in the long run, is bad for the rich as well as the poor. (And I say this as one who at one time voted Republican. The Democrats of today are the Republicans of 30 years ago, such has been our slide to the right.)
Lots of negativity? Yes, I suppose. So here are four positives I’ll offer up about the US of A:
1. It’s a great place to shop.
2. It has wonderful national parks and wilderness areas.
3. Many (true, not all) injustices are eventually corrected…even if the process is slow.
4. I was born here, grew up here, and my family lives here.
And how does my rant above tie in to Trump’s latest racist tweets about the four female U.S. Representatives of color?
Well, I guess you could say that I am complaining just like they were, so therefore I hate America, and that I should “go back to where I came from”. (In our case, we should go back to Spain, our country of residence, maybe?) Such would be the Trumpian point o’ view.
First, we will indeed go back to Spain. For the time being, anyway. Better quality of life–food, health care, transportation, culture.
Second, America is still my country even if we do reside abroad for now. I complain because I believe it to be my patriotic duty to want America to be a better place… a more fair and just nation.
Or, to paraphrase those famous words… I simply want America to live up to the true meaning of it’s creed. Let’s make America a respected nation again!
2 Comments
You seem to have become very European. They are lucky to have you. I wonder how you feel about the military these days? No one would accuse you of being pro American right now but are you still supportive of our military?
All you have said is correct. It is also very harsh. It must be a culture shock to arrive here after living across the pond and be assaulted by all of the problems that have become a part of our national portrait. It must be wonderful to be free of the taint of being part of this disaster that is unfolding, to not have to pay taxes or be dependent on government income. It is particularly vexing to live here and not be able to afford to travel to cleaner, safer, more enlightened places like Spain because the airline tickets alone can set you back thousands of dollars. I remember the bountiful fresh markets in Italy. How beautiful they were. We have those, too, but you’d better take $50 to $100 just to pick up the fresh produce and bread you want for a week. Most Americans are priced out of those markets. They are trying to figure out how to pay for the medications they depend on because just feeding themselves from what is available at their price point has brought along a host of diseases including a preponderance of diabetes. Those medications are priced beyond a low-income person’s ability to pay. Do you have to pay for healthcare in Spain? How does that work? Our healthcare alone has cost up to $14000 a year when we are between jobs to around $7000 a year with me on Medicare and John with reasonable employer-provided care. I totally agree with you on the air-conditioning issue. I understand Europe is very progressive in using solar energy and new technologies for energy conservation. I believe corporate greed and the policies of this administration has crippled the solar industry since 45 has taken office. And this just when the price was becoming attainable for homeowners like myself. Before, a system for my home would have cost $35,000. We are waiting for electric charging stations to be built before we purchase our next vehicle. There is no mass transportation into Nashville where John works so he must drive his hybrid car and practically everyone is priced out of that housing market, so moving closer isn’t an option. There are so many problems and so many real barriers to acting on our best instincts. It is a shame our best and brightest are not here to help solve the problems. It seems they have left for greener pastures.
Yes, I may indeed have become quite a bit more European. I noticed it especially on this latest trip to the States. Seattle is an expensive area, the food (I had forgotten this, apparently) is not particularly good anywhere unless you actually buy quality ingredients (expensive) then make the meal yourself. Like you do with your garden, for example. The portions in restaurants are huge and usually covered with a lot of heavy sauces and/or spices. Here in Barcelona, I have gotten used to more natural ingredients that actually retain their original flavors–we have a market about 100 yards away with fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs, bread, meats, chicken, etc., and much (most?) is locally or regionally produced. Public transpo is awesome here and we still don’t own a car after two years in Barcelona–although we do rent one every now and then for out-of-town trips to places the train doesn’t reach (we may actually buy a small Honda Jazz here shortly). As to health care, there is a public system (which is very good) and you can supplement it with a private policy. Our private policy costs about $170.00 a month for the both of us and includes most of what you would find in any typical health insurance policy in the States–and with smaller deductibles. For anything big, most use the public system–major surgeries, hip replacement, etc. (the same doctors often work in both systems) while the private policy we have is typically used for smaller things that need quicker action–an MRI, a doctor to come to your house if you are sick (yes, they do that!), prescriptions, and so on. It’s not a perfect system but I MUCH, MUCH prefer it to the mess we have in the USA. Your costs you cited for health care would shock most Europeans and they would simply not be able to wrap their head around the size of those expenses. It would seem completely unjust and crazy to most on the Continent. In the US, it’s high time (IMHO, of course) that we call bullshit when people try to use the S-word (socialism) whenever we start a discussion about universal health care. If it’s socialism a la Spain, Denmark, Norway–count me in! I pretty much consider myself a democratic socialist these days. On the military…having been one, I obviously have a lot of sympathy and support for military members and their families. What I don’t appreciate are those political leaders who would use the military for unjust or ridiculous purposes–respective examples being the second Iraq War and the sending of the US military to the southern border. If you are one who always likes to shout, “Support the Military!” I would say that the first step in such support is not to send them into harm’s way without a great deal of serious reflection (see the Powell Doctrine for a template). Overall, it has been interesting being an expat. My current calculation is that I have lived outside of the US for going on a grand total of ten years now and I think it gives me quite a different perspective from your average Iowa farmer…looking from afar back at my distant home country changes you. These days, many folks (far right and neo-Nazis excepted) wonder what the hell is going on with the US as we seem to be falling into black hole of chaos, racism, lies, anti-science, and irrelevance (irrelevant, yes, except that we still have Hollywood, nuclear bombs, and a huge military, so we still need to be reckoned with–like that crazy-angry uncle with the baseball bat). Inequality in the US keeps getting worse–rich getting WAY richer while the two or even three or four-job household is becoming normalized in the middle class on down. If 2020 doesn’t correct the course of the country I fear the best days of the USA are probably behind us. Oh, and a final caveat: I could be wrong about everything. 😉 Thanks for your comments, Teresa.