... hmm, ok so this is an observation as an outsider who has been pulled into the whole paranoia trip and only occasionally manages to come up for air and realize that she's been swimming with the current driven by the media. ... and I don't always speak about myself in the 3rd person ...it just seemed grammatically called for.... but, of course, I am too lazy to look this up ...also, I don't think you care.
anyway, so the paranoia thing is really something here. just watch the evening news. every night there is something else they come up with, which is bad for you. cigarrettes, coffee, drugs, ...geez .
.. ok, but seriously... I'm not sure if living in this country has made me more aware or more paranoid. I'd like to think more aware but that's quite an arrogant assumption especially in light of recent wartime propaganda caused paranoia. Orange alert here, red alert there, WMD possibly here, WMD possibly there... sigh....and all just for the sake of keeping "the great beast" in check (referal to the American general population by Alexander Hamilton - and no, I'm no great intellectual who reads lots of history books... I got this from the Chomsky book, I talked about in an earlier post).
Of course, the paranoia card is not only played in politics , it's equally present in anything concerning our health (first: disinfect your hands as much as possible. then: antibacterial soap is bad for you. first: eat lots of lettuce. then: lettuce is carzinogenic. ...etc. etc.) or our children. Especially first-time parents seem to be talked into a lot of shit they don't need or are alienating themselves from their peers in all sorts of ways...
the other day I was trying to sell a used electric breast-pump on my online mother-baby community group. My "ad" wasn't up for more than a day and already had someone found 3 articles on why not to use old breastpumps. After reading the article, I learned that this risk of infecting oneself with all kinds of crap even if using brand-new attachements is only a theoretical risk, for there are no actual documented cases of mothers or infants being infected with anything that way. Thank God, I wasn't the only one who replied to this with scepticism to this concern, which only shows not everyone (i.e. all americans) is (are) as paranoid as I thought.
But one thing I can say. The European mentality is very different that way.
I remember the days when I first came to the U.S. Germ consciousness was something rather far in the back of my head. For instance, I would have shared my drink with anyone who would have asked me. Today I can't sit or touch anything anymore without vividly imagining who peed, licked or vomited there last. It's ruining my life. aaaahhhh, the bliss of ignorance... ;)
Other things I would do in my not-quite-assimilated-yet phase:
- When I pulled out some gum or chips in the subway, I used to offer the people next to me as not to be rude by not asking.
- I once let a homeless dude sleep in my sleeping bag, while I was freezing my ass off spending the night at a Greyhound station (waiting for the first bus).
- I don't remember how many people I gave my last cent of the day because they got me with some sob story about them being stranded or whatever.
- I used to give one or two dollar-bills to every homeless person who would ask me for some change, even though I barely could afford my daily meals. I just thought it would be rude to give the man change only.
- While au-pairing in Philly, we (my girl-friend Anita and I) used to go out clubbing until the clubs closed at 2a.m. and then just ask someone in the club if we could crash at their place. Gosh...I hope my daughters will never read this... that was probably one of the most stupid things I have ever done, although we did meet a couple of really cool people. However, we did meet a bunch of shady people, as well. And I swear, one time we ended up in some mafia joint. We had solicited some Italian guy for a roof over our head for the night and he decided to take us to some other bar before heading home. He mumbled a code-word before getting into the place. Bathrooms were for cocaine administration only (I think, I was the only one actually using the bathroom), people at the bar with 8 pound gold-chains and sparkling gold-teeth. And hoochies everywhere your eye would turn to.
maybe I'll write down my au-pair experiences some other day. I should be working right now. need that damn money. ... I should read some more Thoreau. Just bought this new book with a collection of Henry David Thoreau's letters to a certain Mr. Blake. Maybe I get inspired and quit my job. ;) ... well, I guess, at this point I either explain or I send you somewhere for more info.
I'll do the latter. I'm lazy:
http://www.bradleypdean.com/seeker/
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