Out There: Kids balk at American pride
Forgive me for posting something a little bit lighter, but this is a real slice of life piece.My older kids went through phases of wanting to be very Israeli like what's described in this article. But my largely American readership will be pleased to hear that I may have the most American kids living in Israel (and God willing likely to stay). Unlike Herb Keinon....
BORN HERE, my four children are all pretty blase about their American roots. The Constitution doesn't interest them; the Civil War means nothing to them; and they don't well up all teary-eyed watching clips of Bob Dylan singing at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington.
That's all very natural and understandable. They're Israelis, for goodness sake. I understand that. But what annoys me is that they are not proud I'm an American. If anything, they're embarrassed by it.
It's the darndest thing. This is a country that - let's face it - loves everything American (except, of course, the odd American who lives here).
Israelis visit the US by the millions, an estimated 600,000 Israelis actually live there, and half the rest of the country seems to want to be American - aping the way Americans walk, talk, and dress, and copying what they eat, buy, watch and listen to.
Every other person here wants to be American.
Except my children, they wish they were Moroccans.
Read the whole thing and enjoy!
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home