poopyheadz

Is America irresistable?

Imagine you were the only son of an only son. You were raised Amish in suburban Nashville, TN. Today is your 16th birthday. Though you go to public school, your parents have up to this point successfully protected you from the evil of 21st century, real-world, Christendom. Tonight you will do the first thing of substance that truly rebels against your parents wishes. Friends from school, have secured you lower-level seats to the Nashville Cats Arena Footbal League game tonight versus the Arizona Rattlers. Also they have secured one their parents' automobiles to drive to the game.
How is your perception of society different after this night? Based on just an arena game are you, Amish person, more or less likely to engage mass culture further? What would your impression of modern American young people be after this societal encounter?

What if you had lived in the Central African Republic for all fo your life, and now at age 32 you have a chance to come to America. Wee, you were hungry when you got on the train to go to Lagos, Nigeria to catch a flight. You have saved your whole life for this moment. You have spurned women and avoided a family for this one shot at freedoom. You may go to Tokyo, London, or New York.
Which do you choose?

You are an Afghani woman is enamoured with a young private in the US Army. He is impressionable and she makes an impression on him. He brings you back to his home town of Muskogee, OK. You may have more possessions and freedoms (as in ability to do things you desire) but is the life you lead in Oklahoma truly superior to that of the repressed women of Afghanistan? Do neon lights and slick ad campaigns numb you to the underlying reification of your culture, value-system and concept of God? Even if your husband was perfect could you and he happiliy assimilate into American life? Would you want to?

You are 57 and live in the rural plains of Western China. Does the potential to become a middle-class, car-driven, gadget-using, media-savy, image concious, intellectually liberated, person of modernity appeal to you? Is it even capable?

Do you ever have a choice?

Friday the 3rd

I went out for a jog/walk. Just a block away from returning to my home I stumbled upon 2 youngish looking gentlemen. I should have kept walking but they caught me. Played on my guilt for the holidays and my white man's burdan guilt as well. I ended up driving them all over Columbia on a chase that was ultimately fruitful and took them home. In a free society I would not have felt the need to right hundreds of years of racial injustice by taking to drunken broke-down gangstas to places I have no desire to go. The low point was without question Monte (killer) urinating on a tree in the obligatory lawn median which decorates the entrance for a aging middle class neighbor hood just south of Columbia. They found the 5 Hip-Hop songs I had between the 6 discs in my changer and refused to play anything else. Repeatedly they called me "Clark Kent" becuase apparently I ended up being a more interesting and pleasing fellow than they expected. Monte also confided in me that he was Special Ed. when in the public shcools of Queens, New York. Unfortunately, after hearing his lexicon come full circle in less than an hour this did not surprise me.