Rag Land

Breaking News: In a startling development, the United Kingdom, tired of cowboy hats, southern drawl, and the Alamo (always with the Alamo...we could've had an Alamo..), has decided to nuke the State of Texas. Many noticed...few cared...

Sorry, just wanted to start off with a bang (ha...a bang!...get it...cause of the bomb...no...please don't go away...I have no friends...). However, recently I had an interesting conversation and, in an effort to drum up comments (looking for 1...,)I thought I would put up a post that was a little un PC. Here goes...

Texas is to the rest of the United States as the US is to most of the rest of the world. "What, what, what?!" you say, "You must elaborate in more paragraphs!" So I shall! I was talking to a former Texan about how it was interesting having lived in the UK what a different view of America and its politics, place in the world, etc. I found. I also said (and if any of my British friends read this, don't hate me...although I think Zhubin is the only person(British, American, Swahili...)who checks it...ever...) that it seemed to me that there was an inordinate amount of Brits who, when asked about the topic, seemed to have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder in regards to us across the pond. In fact, I seemed to feel throughout the year I lived there a kind of unconscious but semi-prevelant bias against America (except from my fiancee...I love you babe!). Now, I am not saying that we don't give them plenty of reasons! I would be the first to admit our faults. But it seems to go beyond that. It made me start thinking, "Now why do other countries feel so strongly about our country and our people, when the reverse of that among Americans towards other countries is largely not there?" And then the person I was talking to gave me an answer I hadn't thought of before and I thought it should be shared.

Most of us know Texans. Heck, both my parents and most of my extended family either live or come from there and through all my schooling, I have met any number of them. However, among most Texans (and I do say most...if you take offense to that, then you are probably in the group that isn't like this...you're perfect...just the way you are...) there is an almost palpable "Pro Texas" "We Rock" "I Crap Gold Because I Was Born In Dallas" feeling exhibited towards others...or at least that is how we perceive it. I say perceive it because in talking to my Texas person, they told me how proud they were of where they were from, how they thought it was the greatest place to live, and how they thought everyone else felt the exact same way about their own state. It was not until they lived elsewhere that they, for the first time, felt the intra-state feuding (North vs South, South vs Deep South, Deep South vs. Emancipation etc.). They relayed to me that they didn't ever compare themselves to other states, because there was no need to compare. Texas was the best state.

Now I know some of you are saying...so? But for the rest of you, I propose that this is not an arrogance, but a security and an insulation. Because of its size, power, and small migration rate Texas is one of the most insulated states. People are happy there, they love it, and nothing outside of Texas really makes that much difference to their daily lives. Ok...fair enough. They believe they live in the greatest place, but, according to what I can gather, figure that others would and should be as proud and secure in where they live.

So far so good? Ok, so what's the connection you ask? Well, is that not the behavior that the US portrays most everyday. Although most of us wouldn't dream of thinking that other countries were less than us, we, for the most part, do believe we live in the greatest nation on earth and are very secure in that. This is fine for us to feel that way, but the impression it puts out to the rest of the world is one of "we're better than you" rather than "I think we are great"...a subtle difference, I grant you, but a difference nonetheless. I propose that we are giving a "Texas" vibe to the rest of the world that doesn't have the luxury of insulation from the "outside world" that we enjoy in this country. We must understand that what some USers feel when bombarded with the fifteenth verse of God Bless Us Texas is what the rest of the world feels towards the US but exponentially.

So next time you hear the US being trashed by another country, you can see that it may not be as cut and dried as it appears. Give them the benefit of the doubt...and then hit them...cause heck...we're bigger and can do whatever we want...