I like being un-American.

The American way. I wonder what it is. I’m an American. And I guess that I like to do things my own way. Even if fellow Americans don’t like it. I pretty much do as I please. I’m a dissident. I speak my mind. I’m opinionated. And I can be arrogant, too. Maybe that, more than anything else, makes me American. Arrogance. Especially when I’m dealing with my fellow Americans. I tend to be less arrogant and more courteous when I’m traveling in foreign countries. Maybe it’s that I like their ways better than American ways. Especially when I’m in countries with social democracies. Life seems so much more humane when I’m abroad. More decent. Less hurried. The values are different. More respect for other people. For the common good. We Americans tend to be selfish. Out for ourselves. We tout individual freedom. But it really ain’t being free and decent. Instead, the idea is to exploit the people around us. To cheat ‘em. For the sake of making a profit. The ‘successful’ American is the monetarily rich one. Americans worship money. And material goods. The spirit is secondary. Of course, not every American is the same. Some of ‘em act like foreigners. Rather un-American. That’s me. I’m not especially proud to be an American in this day and age. I could settle for being an Icelander or a Scotsman or an Italian. –Jim Broede