Last night at the caucus, I’m sitting near a young woman who was acting as the caucus secretary. After the caucus, she asks me (and my nurse) to have a drink with her. Okay, I say. When we get to the bar and sit down, one of the first things she said was:
\n“I hate this fucking country.”
\nShe then lists, in detail, the many reasons the good ol’ U.S. of A. has earned her spite. Our president. Our prudishness. Our crass culture. I nod my head in agreement with many of these things. She then goes on to tell me about all the time she has spent in Europe. About how Europeans are enlightened and critical thinkers. About how she never felt homesick in Europe. About how she dreams of moving there permanently.
\nI mention that I have a German mother and I was born in Germany.
\nHer face lights up like Vegas. “Then you have EU citizenship! What in the hell are you doing here?!”
\nUm, because if I lived in Germany or most other parts of Europe, my crippled ass would be wasting away in a nursing home.
\nOf course, I’m polite and I don’t say that. And I don’t tell this story to disparage anyone. But her negativity really reminded me of something; I’m glad I live in the States. I have uncles in Germany and they can’t believe someone like me owns his own home and holds a job. They tell my mom that would never happen in Germany. In terms of accessibility and community integration, Europe lags behind the States by a good decade. And so while I may passionately disagree with most of the policies of the present administration, I’m obliged to recognize that living in America has presented me and my peers with opportunities that we never would have had elsewhere. Things certainly aren’t perfect here, but I wouldn’t be doing policy work if I didn’t believe that if there is one constant in America, it’s our capacity for change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"