I’m proud to be an American…most of the time, Part II.
by admin on February 24, 2010
On a serious note at the start of a frivolous post, I hope everyone, regardless of where they’re born, is proud of their country. There are a million tiny reasons I’m grateful to be an American. Here are some of them:
“America the Beautiful.” This song, even more than “The Star-Spangled Banner,” encapsulates what I love about being an American. “Oh beautiful for spacious skies…for purple mountain’s majesties…America, America, God shed His grace on thee/And crown thy good with brotherhood/From sea to shining sea.” I’ll take that over bombs any day.
Converse All-Stars. Isn’t there something indefinably American about Converse sneakers? It’s possible that I feel this way because I’ve seen so many movies in which squeaky-clean young American boys run around in their chucks. In fact the first time I put on a pair of All-Stars I said, “Well, now I feel good and American.”
Cultural Diversity. The United States has a very complex racial and cultural history, but I’m an optimist in this regard. I believe in the “melting pot” ideal. I think that one of the reasons my country is culturally rich is because Americans draw from cultures all over the world as well as Native cultures. I also believe that examining the painful aspects of our past, and most importantly talking about them without fear, can make us stronger.
Food Network. I know this one is nothing in comparison to the one above, but I’m going in alphabetical order. I love Food Network. I only wish Julia Child was still around and could be on Food Network. Every once in a while if I can’t sleep I’ll put it on and relax to the dulcet tones of “Iron Chef.” I’ve learned so much about food and cooking from the myriad of shows on that channel, and what I love even more is that most of the recipes are available online for free. You can even go onto the website and type “pears” into the search function and voilà! A hundred pear-featuring recipes.
Public libraries. When I was a little girl, my parents bought me a lot of books. Very soon my appetite for stories outgrew my parents’ book budget. It was at this point that I was introduced to the library. I have it on very good authority that I walked in, took one look around, and was smitten. (I do know that other countries have public libraries, too. But then other countries also have cultural diversity and Converse sneakers. Let’s not split hairs, because that leads to split ends.)
The Smithsonian. I love the Smithsonian for providing cultural and historical richness free to the public. I love that entry into so many museums in the United States is free. (Especially after having traveled in Europe, where trips to museums are bloody expensive.)
There it is, friends. These are just the first things that came to mind—a short, lopsided, biased list of reasons why I love my country. And why I will not be pestering my French buddy to introduce me to all his single friends in the random hope of marrying a French guy.
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I think public libraries are one of the best inventions EVER!