As someone who consciously sought and secured U.S. citizenship, I consider myself highly (but not stupidly) patriotic. Here are the 5 reasons I love being American:
- Freedom from a class-conscious mentality. In the U.S., I assess people by the content of their characters rather than by their background and breeding.
- I call my leader “Mr.” (and soon, perhaps, “Ms.”) rather than “Your Majesty.” Hooray for equality.
- I get to be an optimistic American rather than a pessimistic Irishman.
- I can drive for days from Chicago before reaching an ocean. The physical and psychological spaciousness is breathtaking.
- Best of all, I no longer have to mush peas against the reversed tines of my fork but can scoop them up like the rest of you and pop them straight into my mouth. Uncouth? Perhaps. But I love it!
Happy Independence Day. Thank you for allowing me to join you. God bless America.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Eric 07.04.09 at 1:24 pm
I know that God calls us to be tolerant of cultural differences, but mushing peas against the back of your fork? Yuk! I think you have take a positive step in whatever the noun for couth is (couthness, couthity, couthism?).
Paul 07.06.09 at 7:36 am
Eric,
If I could tell you of the endless Sunday meals where my parents battled with me to make sure I ate my peas “correctly” there would not be enough time left in the world…
Sometimes the informality of the United States is a little unsettling (Eucharistic Ministers popping gum while distributing Holy Communion comes to mind), but, for the most part, it is a refreshing breeze.
Paul