Today I was able to enroll in my first semester of classes at NYU and get a better idea of what I'll be starting with in September. As a new student, I'm required to take three classes in my first semester so while keeping those in mind, as well as the backgrounds and credentials of the professors, and times/days of the courses, I put together a schedule that I feel will be challenging and interesting, give me access to professors with knowledge and experience in fields that I am very interested in, and hopefully allow me to work a part time job.
My courses will be Analytical Skills for Global Affairs, International Political Economy, Global Civil Society, and International Relations in the Post-Cold War Era. I'm excited to begin these classes in a few short months, once I'm (hopefully) settled in New York City.
As I scramble to get everything done for my current courses at UCCS, the semester is quickly coming to a close (less than two weeks left, holy crap). I have been thinking a lot about what I've learned over the course of the semester and what I've gained from my one semester as a public administration student. I feel it's been very beneficial and that I've learned a lot about myself, areas that I need to work on, management, time management, stress reduction, and the importance of planning effectively. I also learned that graduate school requires a lot more reading, a lot more writing, a lot more time spent in the library, and a lot less bullshitting. Even though I will not be continuing in the MPA program at UCCS, I am really glad I started and am completing this semester. I feel like it has prepared me a lot more for what it's going to be like as a full time graduate student at NYU. Keep this post in mind for future reference when I'm trying not to lose my mind while working on my thesis.
Apologies before I go on in this blog. I will undoubtedly write more about the bin Laden circus over the next few days or weeks, but it's only because I feel it's necessary, given the media coverage of American jubilation, flag waving, and excitement over the news of bin Laden's death. A friend and former Marine buddy recently commented on my cynical Facebook status update about bin Laden's death and the costs. Basically the gist of it was that I could have waited a few days before questioning our valiant efforts in killing bin Laden.
Above picture courtesy of Rob Shore, Mongolian RPCV. http://www.thedandybird.com/
My immediate response was that I think it's incredibly important that we question these things as soon as possible. I'm no conspiracy theorist but I'm always wary of what I hear, especially if it comes from any mainstream media 'news' source. I feel that questioning what we see, hear and read is pivotal in the learning process. Part of me understands the excitement of Americans over bin Laden finally being brought to justice but part of me also finds it disturbing and worrisome. It's hard not to think that this accomplishment and the media circus that follows is not just another shiny distraction to excite Americans and turn their attention from the fact that we are still borrowing money to fight wars in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan, as we continue to build upon our already massive debt.
Call me a terrorist or communist but the idea of American exceptionalism, in my humble opinion, reeks of hypocrisy, arrogance and dillusion. I believe that America as a nation has many great qualities and that there have been and still are great Americans who've accomplished amazing things. I will always be greatful that I was able to grow up in a nation where I didn't have to live in fear of being killed because of my skin color, ethnic background, or spiritual beliefs, where I was able to receive a good upbringing, a reasonable education, access to countless resources, good food, countless sources of fun and recreation, good medical care, and I was able to complain endlessly when I didn't get my way.
All that being said, Americans need to recognize that the world is becoming smaller as improved technology creates new, advanced methods of transportation and communication and as the global population continues to expand. If Americans expect to continue to be a leader and a major player in the global community, we had better realize this quickly. We may have been the 'leader of the free world', the world's melting pot, one of the world's first and most successful democracies (or constitutional republic) and been able to live lives of excess and privilige (well a lot of us, not all) for decades, but if we don't adapt, it will not continue. Our increasing disregard for the lives of anyone other than our own citizens (and Western Europeans occasionally), makes us increasingly polarizing. When we see Arabs or Muslims celebrating the death of an American, we react with disdain and disgust, yet there are flag waving, red, white and blue rallies being held in D.C. and NYC (and other places in the U.S. I'm sure) to celebrate the death of bin Laden. You'd think we just won the World Cup. When American or European civilians are killed, it's terrorism. When Arab or Afghan civilians are killed, it's collateral damage. When Americans are killed in retaliation to the killing of innocent Arabs and Afghans, it's STILL terrorism. When WE retaliate against the deaths of innocent Americans, it's just us fighting terrorism and preserving freedom and democracy, keeping the world safe, and avenging the loss of our innocent civilians. Americans are apparently the only ones allowed to defend ourselves and avenge the loss of innocent lives.
Much of the rest of the world doesn't suffer from the same memory loss that Americans do. At the risk of being pessimistic and paranoid, what happens if we default on our massive debt? What happens when the dollar is no longer relevant? You think that if the U.S. ever becomes a third world country that the rest of the world will suddenly forget everything that we did under the guise of spreading freedom and democracy and fighting terrorism? The rest of the world hasn't forgotten what we did during the Cold War, what we did under the guise of fighting communism, so I doubt they'll forget what we have been doing over the past couple of decades.
I have heard it plenty of times before and I'm sure people will continue to claim that my criticisms indicate a hatred for the U.S.A. I will continue to argue that I only criticize because I want to see improvement, I want things to be better. There are a lot of things I love about the United States of America and there are a lot of things I want to see improved upon here.
More on this soon, homework calls. In the meanwhile, here are a couple of interesting articles on the death of Osama bin Laden:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/02/dont_get_cocky_america
http://www.desertlamp.com/?p=10108
No comments:
Post a Comment