It’s said that travel is fatal to prejudice. I’ll go one
step further. I think you can’t really know your own country until you’ve seen
it through foreign eyes. When we lived in England, nearly everyone we knew had
been to the United States at least once. They’d visited New York or Las Vegas
or Disney World; sometimes all three. They’re unanimous in the things they
dislike: our healthcare system sucks. Restaurant portions are laughably huge.
And the peek-through stalls in public restrooms are downright creepy. But they’re
generous with their praise as well: no country on earth has better accommodations
for the handicapped. We, as a people, are typically well-educated, friendly and
optimistic. We demand variety in our entertainment: concerts, museums, shows, theme
parks, movies, sports, arcades, etc. We’re a creative, industrious people, and
we’ve developed a culture of freedom. We’re allowed – no, expected – to be watchful
and openly critical of our own leaders.
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