The United States is a place that induces fear into people. It has never been as apparent as it is now with people such as Donald Trump instilling ideas of terror into everyone’s minds. We are one of the most powerful countries in the world for many great reasons, but also because we put those thoughts out there to prove to the rest of the world that we think we are the best.
What do I mean? I mean that I’ve seen first hand how people from other parts of the world view the United States. While studying abroad in Argentina, I took a history class at a local university. When discussing the United States, the most frequently talked about aspect was how big and strong our army is. No one cared about any other successful aspect of our society other than what we use to assert our power.
At the end of my semester abroad I took a 36-hour bus ride down south to Patagonia. There were very few of us on the bus (because most people are too sane to do that), so we got to know everyone pretty well. For the last four hours of the ride, I sat next to a girl my age from Australia. We talked about our different countries, our schools and families, and politics. We ended up on the topic of gun control and she was absolutely horrified, as anyone should be, about the string of shootings that have occurred over the past few years. The mere idea of seeing a gun in real life was unimaginable to her. Yet that is such a part of our culture. While I’m not a fan of guns at all, I believe that people should be allowed to have guns if they really know what they are doing with them and have had thorough background checks. That’s not the problem, the problem is that everyone has to have the most, and the largest guns for no other reason than to feel powerful.
The most recent experiences I have had that show the fear that the U.S. emits took place while I was at my internship. I work at a shelter for immigrants and refugees from all parts of the world who have seen unimaginable things. The families that travel here have already undergone some of the most difficult journeys, yet while the most dangerous parts of it are over for them, they are all frightened of being in the United States. One day, a television crew came to the house to interview a few of the families. When one mom came into the kitchen and saw them, she immediately came over to me and asked if they were immigration. I reassured her that they weren’t but just the fact that she was so immediately scared shows the way that we treat non-U.S. citizens. We want everyone to be afraid of us so that we can be the best and strongest.
The fear that we create to frighten other countries has backfired, now generating fear within our own people. This fear is why presidential candidate Donald Trump has come as far as he has. He spreads fear just for the purpose of showing his “strength” and how he will be tough enough to handle the very same fear he created. The United States has so much more to offer than just our brute strength. The majority our country is made up of passionate and considerate people who genuinely want the world to be a better place, and care about people other than just our own citizens. This is what other countries should see when they look at us, a country that gives everyone the chance and support to succeed, no matter where they come from, a country that gains its power from unity, justice, and compassion.
