by Daniel Brodell-Lake

Created on: October 08, 2008

"Do many foreigners see the US as a corrupt 'Empire of Consumption?'" Yes, they do.

But, these same people from other nations also love the values and culture of the United States of America. I recently returned from teaching English in Argentina for seven months. I have studied Spanish in Barcelona for two months. I have studied marine ecology in Belize. I have a Belgian Step Mother, a Hungarian and an Italian Godmother, and a vast multi cultural clan of extended family and friends.

These same people who view the USA as an empire of over consumption, also love the values of our culture and country. After graduating from the University of California in Santa Cruz, and living there for four years, I readily agreed with most Argentines when they had negative comments about my (our) country. It did not take too long before I thought, and later verbalized to my Argentine friends, "Wait a second. You can't keep saying negative things about my country while you try to dress like us, listen to all of our music and watch all of our movies."

The point is that, yes, we obviously over consume in many ways. But, our culture is imitated in nearly every corner of the world. We still represent a beacon of hope for people who are not able to escape violent dictatorships. Therefore, the same Argentine or Hungarian who is angry at the over consumption of our country, may very well view our country as a place with more freedoms. I made great Argentine friends who agreed with me on the point that the USA over consumes, but at the same time, they would prefer to live in a place where they have more opportunity and freedom.

I suppose I mean to say that, yes, we consume way too much. But that over consumption has not injured what we represent as a country. If it had, then my Godmother would not want to escape Hungary to come to the USA in the eighties. If it had, then my Argentine friends would not dream of one day living in California.

In addition, where can one go to find a non corrupt government? Should I listen to an Argentine calling the USA corrupt? I did when I was still in, "Anti-USA Santa Cruz mode." But then I realized that they have no right to call my government corrupt (which it is) since their government has gone through periods of corruption as well. It was then that I started flipping the conversation upside down- "What about your country in the eighties?" "Tell me, are you more angry at the British for invading, or at your own government for sending in untrained troops that everyone knew would be killed?" I would say to them in Spanish. Anyone can make fun of the global empire, but they are usually expressing concerns about themselves.

Yes, foreigners see us as a corrupt empire that over consumes; but this sentiment seems to come along with another. A sentiment of longing, and of betrayal. They seem to call us corrupt while remembering the Americans from WWII. They seem to call us corrupt while they have relatives who have finally made it to our country and love it.

When breaking the argument down to, "Us and Them," it becomes apparent that the USA is the only country in the world where we live next to them. Argentines live next to other Argentines in Argentina, and Hungarians live next to other Hungarians in Hungary. If we are going to make any multicultural changes towards understanding and sharing common human goals, it is going to happen where their neighbors our ourselves- right here in the US of A.

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