Wednesday, September 10, 2008
With Friends ~
What a pleasure: to get an invitation to have supper with friends in New York. Poured down rain, caught a taxi to 114th Street near Columbia, had the best corn I've eaten in ages and spent the evening mainly in heated political discussion about the presidential candidates. I noticed a marked difference in my perception as to what was being said, hearing it coming from Americans. Coming from a living source, thus carrying more meaningful weight. From the distance, in Europe, all talk about America seems speculative and groping.
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2 comments:
I find we have a wider vision of things from this side of the Atlantic.
An interesting and honest observation, Charles. All talk about America from elsewhere has always seemed speculative and groping if not also too often presumptive and, incredibly enough, dismissive. We are unique in having been a melting pot for most of our history, I think --when anyone insults or wounds us, they insult or wound their own. Unlike most countries in Europe, this nation is so large that even the 5 boroughs of NYC are diverse from each other. Not even I who've often visited NYC would presume to know what's what in any one of them! I'm enjoying your take on it.
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