Ten Things I Hate and Twelve I Love About America

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

This is from a blog by a 28 year old Iraqi man who came to America in August to study journalism. I encourage everyone to go to his blog and delve into the archives for a picture of what we have done there.

http://twentyfourstepstoliberty.blogspot.com/2006/11/ten-things-i-hate-and-twelve-i-love.html

Thursday, November 02, 2006
Ten Things I Hate and Twelve I Love About America

Well, one of the most asked questions I’ve been asked since I moved to the States is “how do you like it here?” And I was trying to take notes all the time whenever I thought “here is something I like/ or I don’t” so I can answer properly.

I love living here. Of course I miss Baghdad, my house, my family, my colleagues back in the office, my beautiful and huge German shepherd dog, my room with all the pictures hanging on the wall, especially my graduation picture with all those who graduated with me that year in 2002, and I also miss my “purple” car

Nevertheless, I have things that I hate here. Maybe it’s the cultural differences, or maybe it’s just me. But I do hate some things here.

So, why don’t I share this stuff with you guys!

Ten things I hate about America:

* People don’t understand that democracy doesn’t mean that people should be able to “walk in bikinis in the streets of Tehran-Iran,” because that is culture and you cannot force people to change their culture in the name of “democracy.”
* People believe that they have democracy and accuse the rest of the world of being “undemocratic,” when in fact they have freedom only in the U.S., which is a huge difference!
* People don’t cover their mouths when they yawn.
* They don’t give their seats to elderly or women in buses and underground trains.
* When they hear about people hit or abused in Iraq, they call it torture. But when the American armed forces and the CIA do the same thing, they call it “abuse!”
* Newspapers call those who killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis “insurgents.” But when someone plans an attack inside the U.S., even if only planned and was failed, he/she is a “terrorist.”
* They burp loud in public.
* They send their parents to the elderly houses or leave them to live alone when they are old and incapable of taking care of themselves.
* They don’t have or tell jokes.
* A husband and a wife are not one. They are separate entities and children are taught to grow into the same thing.

Now, twelve things I love about America:

* People are nice and helpful.
* I am free to do, eat and wear whatever I want as long as I don’t offend others.
* I can walk freely in the streets as late as I want
* People listen to you and always try to advise.
* Transportation inside the cities is really good. It makes my life so much easier.
* People love and cherish their feel of belongingness to their soil and they are proud of their flag. * Education system is great, for those who can afford it.
* They call their political leaders “stupid” and keep reelecting them!
* I don’t hear explosions and don’t wake up on the IED-alarm-clock everyday like I used to in Baghdad.
* There are traffic lights for cars and pedestrians, which most of the people respect!
* Junk food.
* I have many friends here. I wouldn’t survive the change without their support.

Feeh!

[OllieLotte]

1. Nice post - thanks. n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Thanks for reading it.

I thought it would die without anyone bothering to read it.

[porphyrian]

3. I love seeing similar things through cultural differences.

I've had a similar experience in a minor way by watching a bunch of Asian (mostly Japanese) movies lately.

[smomfr]

4. I´ve been living in Mexico since ¨82¨. My Mexican friends

have asked me what the bigest difference is between our countrys. I always tell them there are a lot of locos in both countrys but in the states they´re all armed.

[porphyrian]

6. Ha! That's about right. - n/t

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

5. "They call their political leaders “stupid” and keep reelecting them!"

LOL, what a brilliant line.

Thanks for the post. It was quite fascinating and entertaining to read. Makes me want to meet him.