Declining hegemon, egoistic, materialistic, snobbishness and war- these are the relating terms when talk about United States. Not that I’m bias, but perhaps the America’s invasion of Iraq portrayed negative images on the running of the previous government’s administration. As a liberal country, there are somehow some elements of abuse of power and assault on democracy in its governance’s strategy in order to stake out the globe. The United States has repeatedly asserted its right to intervene against countries with inner conflicts militarily, which they call the “failed states.”
With its prerogative and having veto in the United Nations Security Council, the United States had also made national interest-oriented decisions causing the inefficiency and failure of UN in solving genocide issues in Rwanda, Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as Darfur, Sudan. The level of commitment very much depends on the relative benefit in return.
The images of the war refugees being starved to death, massive killing of the innocents, poverty, food crisis, hunger and famine when there is more than enough food supply for everyone in the world are simply devastating. Even Walmart- (just to mention this for Angga!) had been implicated in labor issues before.
Some people said that the SUSI program is just another propaganda manipulated by the US government for diplomacy purposes. However, as a scholar, neutrality is essential for thinking and making further analysis and I’m really curious and want to see how life is for the Americans. I wanna look into the inner side of America, and see the differences between the civil society and the ruling classes.
Well from what I’ve observed, the American society is very different from the earlier impressions I mentioned. I’m only here for the second week but, I’ve learned the very essence of American life.
First of all, most Americans are peace-lover. They detested war and imprinted the spirit of “One for all”. I’m truly amazed by the voluntary spirit to serve for the community as demonstrated by the people here. Be it young or aged, most people have at least involved themselves in the field of social work and volunteer activities through organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, Old Folks’ Home, environmental bodies etc. Most of the people possess the consciousness towards their social responsibilities as well as the contemporary issues.
Plus, they are open-minded and accept things at a wide range. They accept who you are and what you are, like you for you being you and very straight forward in a sense that you don’t really have to worry about “what if they don’t mean what they say“. (No hypocrite!) They are warm-hearted, fun and happening, and nobody’s going to say that you can’t do anything! In short, you can experience freedom, express your minds freely, build up self-confidence, and chances are waiting for you as long as you are willing to work on it. It’s effort that matters!
Also, another significant discovery is, the welfare of the disabled is very much being concerned in the society. Disabled access is everywhere- you can easily see special pathways, automatic doors, compartment in the bathroom and buttons in lifts specially prepared for them. Even for the drinking water machine- you can always see one which is lowered down and easier for them to use. The disabled group in America can live independently and create their own social network. In this context, I sincerely urge the Malaysian government to improve the facilities that we have back there and create a disabled-friendly environment for those needing it.
What makes America special: tolerance, the belief of life will be better (pursuit of happiness) and everyone here has a sense of belonging, no matter from where you come from. The inner beauty of the society has been overlooked as a result of the negative reputation of the past government. What we see from outsight is different from what we experience inside. Therefore, one should really dispel prejudice before making any judgement.
Better understanding, more communications, and we’ll have the world in peace!
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