MWB,

The American model just isn't sustainable anymore. And its still the model they export abroad. It's still the model Europe is competing with. Something's got to give.

TAM,

I don't really read fiction...but I'll take your word for it. I saw The Colour Purple and Amistad. Does that count?

Jon,

I don't feel good. I feel....relieved? If that makes sense.

Van,

America is under a lot of pressure these days. I tend to believe its past its heyday, due in part to the bad decisions its leaders have made in the past decade.

As for our PR? I'm not sure. Maybe our blogs? Hahaha. What do they say about us? That we're rabidly critical of government but only because we love our country? I think that's good PR, don't you?
sparks | Homepage | 07.26.07 - 12:11 pm | #

I don't know if it's me getting older, or the American culture almost passing its "golden" threshold, but your #2 observation's what's been on my mind as of late-- especially after seeing the polarity in American politics, education, religion, $$, family life, etc. But I guess, our own culture is in dire need of refocusing as well to get a good balance of both.

Hollywood is really great PR for the US. How about ours?
van | 07.26.07 - 11:10 am | #

Does it feel good that, now you know?
Jon Limjap | Homepage | 07.26.07 - 10:54 am | #

There's this novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. A lot of people consider it the history of African-Americans in a nutshell. Read it and weep.
theamateurmisanthrope | Homepage | 07.26.07 - 1:27 am | #

America's minimum wage per EU salary matrix corresponds to 753 € similar to the minimum wage applied in Portugal, Slovénia, Malta, Spain and Greece (which are on the middle level).

If China were to collect the 600 billion dollars in debt that America owes them in one go, America would collapse and sigh, so would the free world.

As to America not being the paradise of our postcolonial mind, how very true! It's been like that for quite some time already. The young 'uns (children of Pinoy Americans) have to slug it out harder along the way than their counterparts in Europe; I suppose because they are down in debt even before they start their professional life - most universities in Europe are tuition free - except for the UK but even in the UK there's a huge grace period for those kids who incur debt to go to uni and if they can prove that they haven't earned a sufficient amount to pay off that debt within a period of time, the student's debt is written off.
Manila Bay Watch | Homepage | 07.25.07 - 9:20 pm | #