Impressions of the United States

When I am abroad, I always make it a rule never to criticize or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I come home. –Winston Churchill

On September 1, I returned to the United States from Japan, thereby ending a journey that started twenty years ago. On September 17, I jotted down these twenty-five observations of my native culture.

1. The atmosphere is shrill, pushy, and ruthless. Simple courtesies have disappeared.
2. There are too many logos and labels; even the simplest items have them.
3. Nearly everywhere there is too much perfume or potpourri in the air.
4. Suburbia is sterile. It saps, leeches, and blanches all inspiration, drive, and enthusiasm.
5. Other than one or two cities, the infrastructure everywhere assumes that no one walks and that everyone drives. Time is wasted in cars, especially at intersections.
6. Few people ask why; fewer still ask why not.
7. Most mid-sized towns look the same.
8. There is too much labeling and pigeonholing; many people jump to conclusions in estimating other people.
9. The nation is obsessed with sex and sexuality. Many people in all bands of the sexual spectrum label and pigeonhole people in all the other bands. And they do so based on presumptions, assumptions, anger, preconceived notions, or pop psychology.
10. An extraordinary number of people are obese; thin people are treated with derision or suspicion.
11. The broadcast news media are copycats that fixate on one item.
12. The pop culture is nauseating.
13. Television is the colosseum of our age.
14. Many things are hyped and many people are wired, skittish, and frenetic.
15. Clothing is outsized; few people wear tailored or fitted clothing.
16. The clothing styles and fashions are severely limited.
17. Most passenger cars look as though one designer worked for all the auto makers.
18. High calorie food. High fructose corn syrup. Ridiculously large portions. The nation has forgotten that “a fat kitchen makes a lean will.”
19. Service is often bad or begrudging – where it exists.
20. People in small towns usually are friendly and want to be helpful.
21. Judging from television and print, the country’s fifth major food group is pharmaceuticals.
22. Most people are doing too many things at once; few people focus solely on the task at hand.
23. Most people are in a hurry to get nowhere important.
24. The country boasts a fantastic selection of and prices on office supplies and tobacco products.
25. There is a tremendous range of bookstores. They would bankrupt any avid reader.