September 18, 2006

 

REWIND: A Chilly Hike (Day 283)

Chilled by stale sweat and covered with a thin layer of dust we precariously yet quickly made our way down the steps of the mountain. It was my second day in South Africa and Jared and I had just spent the last 2 hours climbing to the top of Capetown's famed Table Mountain.

We were chatting as we made our way down, Jared in front with me following somewhat closely behind. As we curved around one of the many steep hairpin turns we were greeted by an older man about midsixties and his wife perched on a rock.

"You must not be Canadian" he said. We began to answer but he continued, "because you're practically yelling".

Somewhat thrown off guard Jared and I stopped for a moment. His wife smiled.

"We just spent some time in Canada, and they were pretty quiet" he said. At this point Jared and I took a couple of steps in an attempt to continue down the steep path. He went on, "and you know what I think?...I think they're quiet because they don't want to be mistaken for Americans".

His wife nodded.

With this comment Jared and I paused. We had actually been talking about this exact subject the night before and had agreed that in most cases it's actually Canadians who are giving US a bad name, at least in the areas we had travelled. In Southeast Asia there were numerous instances when we had encountered what we thought to be an obnoxious group of Americans, yet on further investigation found they were actually Canadian, and if we can't tell who can? We had also agreed that there really aren't that many Americans traveling and if they do they tend to watch their asses closely and go to great lenghts to serve as positive "embassadors" since they know the world is against them.

"Well actually..." Jared and I said at the same time. I smiled as he continued to explain our thoughts to the man and his nodding wife. "Interesting" was all they replied.

The man then started to talk to Jared while his wife began chatting at me. She said she thought Americans were pretty quiet after their recent trip to California. She then went on to say that California was a dirty place with entirely too much poverty. Her husband chimmed in to say he thought Bangkok was better than L.A.

"We all have our problems" Jared replied.

"Well at least they don't pretend to be civilized" the man spat.

At this point Jared and I glanced at each other. It had been an odd couple of minutes. They had greeted us by offending us and had continued to do so throughout the entire conversation yet had done it in an oddly polite fashion which had thrown Jared and I off enough to allow them our attention for so long. But this comment, followed by his wife saying California was the most horrible place in the world, snapped us out of our daze and we realized we could no longer tolerate their inconsiderate blabber.

We turned to go, but then I turned back.

"Yes, we all have our problems, that's why I choose to reflect and go home and help make change rather than sit around telling others what's wrong with their countries" I said with a smile.

And with that he was off.

"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard!" he screamed, spit flying in all directions. We turned and continued our stumble hurridly down the mountain while the man stood upon his rock screaming at the top of his lungs. His voice boomed over the side of the mountain and with each echo his topic changed. Americans were fuel guzzling inconsiderate Bush-loving human beings. None of them had a good bone in their bodies. The English were soccer playing children. Women were losing their femininity. The list went on and on. At one point Jared said he even yelled something about me needing to grow out my hair.

The man was insane, yet his comments still stung. He was saying the things I know a majority of people think. He was exactly the type of traveller I hate. The dirty hippie that has done nothing but sit and smoke weed while bitching about the world and what's wrong with it. In my opinion the epitome of a useless human being. Someone who travels the world, learns so much, has so much priviledge yet uses none of it for any good. I don't know how many times I've found myself in rooms full of travellers drinking, smoking and whining about Bush and the U.S. government, fingers jabbing at the air, eyes rolling, tempers flaring. Early in my travels I used to agree, hanging my head to a certain extent. Yet as time has gone on I've found myself fed up with other travellers and their opinions. It's not that I don't agree with a lot of what they say, it's what they don't say that bothers me. When it comes to world politics all the focus is on the U.S. and how it's "messing things up". People seem to believe their countries have little or no power in world politics. In their minds George W. Bush thinks he rules the world and their comments show why in some ways he does. They don't acknowledge their own roles in the process. They don't acknowledge that it's the people they vote for at home that either support or fight the issues their voters deem worthy. They don't acknowledge that they elected the leaders that allow Bush to "rule the world"(1). They don't acknowledge that it's their voice that makes the change. Instead they waste their breath screaming at Jared and I, telling us how we screwed up by not doing anything when we may in fact be the only one's who actually make our voices heard.

As much as it hurts to be accused of being supporters of an "evil imperialistic empire" their angry voices and jabbing fingers have shown me how much power I have simply because I have the right to vote in U.S. elections. Whether it's right or fair, at this point in history my vote effects the entire world. Given that, it is not possible for me, a world traveller and U.S. citizen with an understanding of politics and environmental issues to go home and be the person they accuse me of being. What I now understand is that the rage in their voices may actually be a result of the belief that their votes are meaningless when in actuality they are not. They are frustrated by their self-imposed uselessness and the knowledge that I will continue down the mountain and make the change they want to make, while they will continue to rant on rocks, their words bouncing off the cliffs and creavaces of the mountain's dusty terrain.







(1) "They" being the majority of people in their country. I know I didn't vote for Bush but I accept the fact that a majority of people in my country did.

Comments:
A very rant worthy rant. I'm wondering where was that guy from ?
 
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