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The American Image
and How to Fix It
A I sat in a hostel in Guangzhou, China dis-
cussing American politics with two Poles,
JL two insanely wealthy Israeli-Aussies, a Brit
named Rad and a Frenchman whose name I did not take the
time to learn, it dawned on me just how far from grace the
American reputation abroad has fallen. It is no secret that
having Gomer Pyle as president for eight years, a war that few
nations feel we belong in, our strict limitations on interna
tional tourism, and our cock-sure conviction that we are the
nation of reason and influence, the American shine has lost its
luster in all but the poorest, most reliant countries.
However, as I overheard the Poles discussing a shopping
spree to buy cheap Abercrombie clothes here in China, I real
ized that we have yet to fall completely off the global radar.
American youth and pop culture continues to be an enormous
influence on the rest of the world. Half of China's hit songs are
remixes or adaptations of American chart toppers or decades-
old slow jams. The foreign female pop stars manipulate every
aspect of their appearance to look more like the Hillary Duff
j)T Mandy Moore good girls of America, and the guys
carefully mold their hair like The Jonas Brothers.
High school teens will wear any clothing with -
English print on it, even if the phrases are
nonsensical and broken. One student in my
class, Liu-Xa, has a shirt that reads "Fun
Time, Rock 'n' Roll, All Night, Big Girl." A
boy in my class came in one day wear- \
ing a shirt with a picture of three 40s
of Olde English that just said "friends"
on it.
The embarrassment of Bush's
ineffective government and
its substantial influence on a
world that sees America's past
foreign policy as little more
than belligerence cannot
quell the youth of the world's
adoration for and exposure
to our superficial culture. In
most truly meaningful ways,
many of the people I have
met from all around the world
look at America as an empire
slowly tumbling, but the reign
of American persuasion in their
day-to-day lives is unavoidable.
America has officially entered
its 1970s fat Elvis stage before
a global Vegas. We are swollen,
oversized, overexposed, shiny,
bright and immensely popular, but sad
to look at and well past our prime. People still love
us as America continues to dwindle into nothing
more than a place that was once "The King," but more
out of nostalgia than real worth.
The American voice, whether we like it or not, reaches
to every end of the earth. Barack Obama, our newly anointed
savior, will certainly offer Americans a voice lesson or two with
his calm and reassuring baritone as he works to rebuild our
burnt bridges and shattered facades. However, the fundamental
principles of our government make it impossible for one man
to fix everything. We live in a representative democracy, which-
means our leaders speak for us, but do not control us. Obama
will be a million-dollar PA system for our nation, but Americans
will have to pick up the mic. We have deeply scarred the world
over the recent past, and it will take a great effort to heal it.
Children who hardly know their ABCs in English somehow find
the words "financial crisis" and ask me about ours. The prob
lem is that everything the world hears and sees from our end
appears ominous at the moment as the world experiences the
shockwave of our economic unraveling. If you did not get the
news, many Chinese citizens demonstrated outside of a bank
because of the money they lost at the hands of Bank of China's
U.S. investments.
The greatest sign of strength is coping with adversity, so if
we wish to maintain our position internationally, we have to
prove ourselves deserving of it. The Chinese are modeling the
exponential growth of their nation after Industrial Revolution
America, and are carefully watching the cues of the nation
they still consider to be the prototype of excellence even as
we fade into mediocrity. While many of their methods are glob
ally irresponsible, the resolve that got them to where they
are cannot be overlooked. China has moved from a country of
oppression and destitution into arguably the strongest force in
the world, and they did it in one generation. They did this by
the strength of their own backs and a nationwide agreement
to fight for something better. They put their goals above their
comforts and exercised the necessary humility and
hard work to put the well being of those who
come next over an easy life for themselves.
Not only was failure not an option,
success was the only reason
to wake up in the
morning.
The Western idea
that China has devel
oped through the aggressive
force of an iron-fisted government is simply exag
gerated and ignorant. Certainly, these people's lives are more
monitored than ours, but you try managing a nation of 1.2
billion with the second largest landmass in the world. Their
lives are not unlike those of Americans except for the general
absence of bars outside the big cities. They eat extravagant
meals with friends and play cards when they celebrate, and
they smoke cigarettes like it's the cure for SARS. The only dif
ference is the attitude. They remember a time when things
were not so good, and they aim to make life better for their
children and grandchildren. They see complacency as the great
est of all weaknesses and aim to improve themselves on a daily
basis. When I am around, the Chinese are always conscious of
their every action because they are proud of their country and
want me to leave with the best of impressions. They are proud
of themselves as individuals and socially responsible, a term
that has long been lost in American culture. We sit back and
watch the world fall to pieces, put up our hands and say "not
my problem." Unfortunately, as many of us are now realizing, it
is everyone's problem, and we will have to solve it.
Young Americans in particular need to hit the activate
switch in a hurry. Young people are the group that everyone
worldwide admires and emulates. I am very proud of my genera
tion for showing up in full force on November fourth, but what
we must accomplish will require the ongo
ing application of our skills, not one
day of ballot-casting. It is time that
someone else starts getting involved.
When I say someone else, I do not
mean the common American percep
tion that "someone else" will do our
dirty work. The potential for change
becomes greatly limited when people
do not change on an individual basis.
This is not hippy nonsense about
peace, love and the power of youth.
Simply put, the newest generation of
college graduates and young people
is the best educated, most globalized,
and most intellectually liberated group
America has ever seen. But we need to
realize that our position of entitlement just
went down the drain. You are free to do what
ever you want, but if you want to do nothing
you are the main source of America's problems.
If you care to maintain the quality oi life you've
always enjoyed, it's time to protect it. Take
advantage of the freedoms we have that the rest
of the world does not. We have free speech, so say
something. Our press is uncensored, so write about
something of substance. These are not freedoms that
the people I see on a daily basis have the pleasure
of taking part in, and yet they somehow seem to
accomplish more than we do every single day. Figure
out what pursuit in life you truly care about and
work every day to stand out in that field. We
must take responsibility for our destiny and stop
treating our country as something we joke about
behind its back. The time has come for this gen
eration to start shaping its legacy, and by all
. means it should be a great one.
The current state of the world
we will inherit is a personal
insult, and Americans have
never taken insults lightly.
Because the world remains
intrigued by our youth and
pop culture, they are equally
interested in the thoughts
of American youth. We
should start talking, writ
ing and behaving ourselves
like someone is watching,
because they are. We are a
nation of great persuasion
in a world that continues to get
smaller and smaller. If we do not use
the gifts granted to us by our parents and grandparents
to improve upon the problems they included in the package
soon, we will continue to swell into the biggest joke on Earth
and fall to pieces, bringing down much of the world with us.
Apathy and cynicism will get us nowhere. It's time to get Elvis
on the treadmill before he dies on the toilet.
Aaron Burns
Aaron Burns graduated from UGA with an English degree in the spring of
2007. He now teaches English in Dao Xian, China at the Senior One grade
level which is the equivalent of a high school sophomore. For those inter
ested in learning more about going to or teaching in China, Aaron can be
reached at Boourns44@gmail.com.
NOVEMBER 26, 2008 • FLAGP0LE.COM 9