Today I feel like I was infected with anger and irritation

For one thing, it's the 15th anniversary of 9/11, and it's still a day I feel compelled to remember what happened and the people lost as a result of it. Most anniversaries I don't feel any emotions about it and it isn't the first thing I think about: some days I have to see reminders in facebook to remember. But I always take some moments on it. Yesterday though I remembered today would be 15 years later, so I did wake up aware of that.

Today was I think very much not helped because lately I've been exhausted by the US bashing everyone is so terribly fond of doing. I'm sure all of you know I'm pretty damned outspoken about a lot of the problems we're grappling with, or failing to, in the US. Though I often enjoy discussing these problems with people from other countries, there gets to be a point, and it's always closer than the day before, when I am just so sick and tired of the rest of the world ignoring their own problems so they can concentrate on the lunacy that often rules the US. I just don't want to hear it, or hear an acknowledgement that hey, sometimes the US DOES do good shit. And as I get older I do think that you can definitely have your opinions, but you should limit voicing them if you're not from there. Believe it or not, I didn't tell most Chileans what I thought of their country, and still don't. Because I'm a bitch, but I'm not a total asshole.

This morning my Australian friend Leeza who's in China just really pissed me off. As always, she starts off about how charmed her life is there, despite her town being bad when it comes to the internet, etc... all the things that I consider secondary essentials are challenges that require work-arounds, patience, and just accepting shit isn't always or usually going to work. So, I'm delighted for her that she's got people who bend over backwards to help her and glad she is liking it there.  From there, it's on about how the Chinese can't distinguish not only between Australian/British/South African/German/American, and instead thinks everyone is American, they can't distinguish between well-educated and under- or uneducated, more prestigious professions, and less. I can understand being irritated everyone thinks you're from a country you're not from, but I don't get why the rest of it matters.

From there that went into how all the Chinese, and the rest of the world for that matter, totally buy the stereotypes, and thinks the US is the most dangerous place in the world, full of gun-obsessed, gun-toting lunatics shooting everyone everywhere up. I point out that this is a stereotype, that I'm from the city with the country's worst gun violence and most shootings, and yet somehow I made it all these years, along with many others, who never ever get shot, and recognize that we need drastic reform so freaking desperately. She replies she's just telling me what the rest of the world thinks (even though I so know that), and then condescendingly tells me how Australia banned all guns in the 80s or 90s, they're a recognized leader in getting rid of gun violence, blah blah blah. Bitch, I know. I've already read up on Australia so effectively fixing that problem there. But, she's not done: all mass shootings are in the US, and they in the rest of the world "just roll our eyes, and say that's America." She continues to say that she feels sorry for America now.

At this point, I'm done and I say, "You're right. The victims deserve it. And while many of us have been desperate for gun legislation for years, at heart we're all dangerous, gun-toting maniacs. I've got another eye-rolling American tragedy to think about today that simply annoys the rest of you, so off I go." Couldn't have been more sarcastic, and she breezily says, "Yes, I agree with you," (!!??? REALLY!?) and continues on to talk about learning a lot about how it won't change because of people in Congress being too afraid to lose their jobs to take it up.... etc.

Maybe she didn't mean to be offensive and victim-blaming and everything and say that ultimately each American shot in a mass shooting or shot at all deserves it for being stupid about not making these legislative changes years ago. Then again, maybe that is how the world feels, and maybe it's understandable to those on the outside. And today people from other countries very likely forget what happened today themselves and especially all these years out just don't care about it. But it never is understandable or forgettable to me, and today of all days I need GOOD vibes for and about the US.

So hope your day is better and less grating than mine, and hopefully it's a peaceful day regardless of your feelings, or lack thereof, about today's anniversary.