Well That Didn't Work

THE LONGEST BLOG IN HISTORY
I was so proud of how well I was keeping this blog up, but it's been nearly a week since my last post. Shame on me! Shame! I posted earlier that it was going to be hard for me to maintain this during Advanced Placement examinations, fortunately, those are ending tomorrow. Mostly though, I just haven't had much to post, not much goes on in my day-to-day life.

I suppose in the grand scheme of things, my life is pretty interesting (moving five times and having the family that I do will do that to a person's life.) I have more stories at seventeen than many do in a lifetime. For example, how many people do you know who've gotten a letter from someone in Pakistan?

Four days ago, I received the following letter via email:
"Hello Lifeisducky Lady,

My name is Nadia (yes it's given under sender but it feels "proper" to introduce myself in this way....go figure). I came across your site while doing some research on the theatre of the absurd. I'm writing from LUMS, a university in Pakistan. (I'm assuming, having read some of your "blogs" and looked at your site generally, that you are not reaching for the nearest Atlas right now:)

I just had a couple of questions (some of them I'm only asking you because you're American, and you seem to be in possession of a higher intellect than most people). Your "news" link goes to cnn.com. Do you find that CNN is biased at all, and if so, do you manage to counter that prejudice with any other form/deliverer of news?

How many people do you know think Palestinians are dastardly rats, and do you think so? And what about Micheal Moore - uppity ingrate? irritating oik?

And do you believe in/accept the theory of evolution? (Any of them i.e Punctuated equilibrium theory, Eve theory etc)? How about the people around you? Are you very religious? What about people you know?

Sorry, I know these questions may sound a bit odd, but I'm just a bit curious about Americans. Mostly because what is "American culture" (or at least, how it's portrayed in the media) is constantly being pounded into the heads of the 30% of people here that have access to cable tv, and I suppose it's a case of knowing thy enemy. I want to know more about Americans. Or more accurately, what Americans (in your position i.e students; people mostly well off) think about their government and about other countries, and conflicts going on in other countries. And I don't really consider us enemies, but I know that our respective governments do assume that role with each other, in a way.

It's alright if you don't want to answer these questions. Or feel a bit put off by them. I understand.

But if you wouldn't mind giving me a better picture about Americans in general that would be great. Anything you feel that would make the people a bit more 3d to a stranger (I know already, for instance, that you don't think much of their intellect:) It really would help a lot. Instead of faceless, obese white blobs (note deliberate use of loaded language in past sentence) this inquisitive native may see someone quite like herself.

What do you think?"

I was so intrigued by the whole event that I immediately wrote her back:

"Hello Nadia,

(since you've introduced yourself to me as such, I hope you won't mind the informality)

I must say I was quite surprised, and even more intrigued, by your email; my website is fairly new and judging by the lack of comments and email I've received (yours is, in fact, the first) I didn't think anyone had even seen it, let alone cared about anything I had to say. I'll be glad to answer your questions if perhaps you'll answer one of mine: out of pure curiosity, how did you manage to stumble across my little pittance of a site?

Before I answer your questions, I'd just like to present the humble opinion that I am not like most Americans, that is to say, I don't believe I am quite the representative you're seeking, I'm just a simple girl in New Jersey. None the less, I will be glad to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

As far as your question regarding CNN is concerned, yes I do believe that CNN is a biased news source, however, this must be taken in context. All news outlets, especially those in America, are biased because all news venues are, in essence, businesses, and as such, are dedicated more to profits than news. As it happens, most American news networks are on the liberal side, but not extensively so. Despite the fact that our government is currently under conservative control, the population leans overwhelmingly towards the liberal end of the political spectrum. The networks choose to cater to the audience they find most profitable, in this case, the less conservative audience. Overall, I do find that in domestic reports, most news networks display low rates of bias, usually by presenting both sides of a story or directing the viewer to their website for further information. Sadly, this is not the case for international coverage. I do find that American news reports regarding foreign affairs tend to present biased information. To combat, what you refer to as, the prejudice that can be seen in the news here, I try to read international newspapers online such as The London Times and a few others, but it usually doesn't give me too much of an outside perspective because of the relationship our government has with many English speaking countries. In that respect I am quite limited; the only language I am fluent in is English, so I cannot truly be exposed to news venues with perspectives that vary too far from that of what I am presented here.

I don't know any people that consider citizens of Pakistan to be "dastardly rats," but that's probably because I tend to associate with people like me (as all people do) and I have no strong anti-Pakistani sentiments. I must confess that at seventeen years old ( I debated quite extensively with myself over whether or not to reveal my age to you, but seeing as you've read my website, you've no doubt read of my mentions of high school life) I am not very well informed about Pakistani-American relations. As a society, we are fearful of nuclear powers and even more afraid of terrorists (comparable to our crippling fear of communism throughout the latter half of the 20th century) which is, of course, where the general American cautiousness regarding Pakistan and several other Middle Eastern countries stems from. Overall, I do not personally know anyone who has expressed to me any anti-Pakistani sentiments, although I cannot legitimately claim that such people do not exist.

I've only seen one work of Michael Moore's, Roger and Me which was about the relocation of General Motor's factory in Flint, Michigan which employed a few thousand residents of Flint and its surrounding areas. While the movie was humorous because of its satire and upsetting because of its topic, it was a very one sided film. Right now I am following the Miramax/Disney dispute over the release of his next film, but out of an interest in the laws and politics driving the case, not Moore himself.

I was raised in a Jewish household, but I have rejected blind faith as I've grown older (which seems a paradoxical statement considering my age.) In this respect, I am unlike most Americans who claim affiliation with any one of several major religions, for although I was raised in a Jewish home, I do not practice Judaism or any other religion. I do not have extreme anti-Palestine feelings despite my religious roots and neither do my parents although I know many Jews who do. I consider myself to be a fairly educated individual (please don't take that as American arrogance) and as such try to keep an open mind about everything. I realize that children are needlessly dying in Palestine just as they are in Israel and that the majority of Palestinians want peace and are not the militant minority. But I digress; you asked if I believe in evolution, I do. At this point in time, I feel it is the most probable and, to an extent, provable explanation of life and its development on earth. My public school teaches evolution; I live in an area of the United States that is less religious as a whole than many other areas of our country. It is those areas that give way to the stereotype that all Americans are close-minded fools. A Gallup Poll (a nationally recognized private polling and statistics group known for their accuracy) conducted in 2001 reported that:

45% of respondents chose "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so," the statement that most closely describes biblical creationism. A slightly larger percentage, almost half, chose one of the two evolution-oriented statements: 37% selected "Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process" and 12% chose "Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process." The public has not notably changed its opinion on this question since Gallup started asking it in 1982.

I obtained that information from www.http://www.unl.edu/rhames/courses/current/creation/evol-poll.htm)

I hope that helps you in some way.

I was once told to "love my country and fear my government," and that is an attitude that many citizens here take. Overall, I feel safe here (as naive as that may sound) and I know that I have some opportunities, in fact several, that many people in the world will never know. I disagree with many of President Bush's policies, especially those concerning our involvement in foreign affairs, but having no access to classified documents has left me without all the information I would need to make a truly educated decision on such matters and much of my negative opinion of our current administration is derived from other political differences. I am not currently of voting age, so my opinion on this matter is fairly irrelevant, but I will be eighteen in time for the next election and consider myself a Democrat while Bush is a Republican (or repugnican, as I sometimes jokingly refer to them.)

I truly hope this has helped you in some way. I don't know what kind of insight a seventeen year old can truly provide, but I find cultural and information exchange a fascinating study, so if you have any more questions for me, I would be willing to answer anything that I am knowledgeable in.


Very Sincerely,
Samantha H. (the "Lifeisducky Lady")"


Sadly, I've yet to hear back from her, although I am really looking forward to it. So, how long did that take you to read everyone? Was it worth it, lol...just kidding. Now get on with your life!
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