Recently, I took a humanitarian trip to Vietnam. I was able to explore their beautiful country and immerse myself in their fascinating culture. But most of all, I got to speak to other student leaders from almost 69 different countries. They shared their wisdom, knowledge, world views, and brought me out of the protective layer that the American media has kept us in. They told me their opinions about the USA, and what their people think of us. From the constant questioning, I learned that the world is not laughing at us.
Donald Trump preaches it. "China is laughing at us" and "The world is laughing at us," are some of his favorite phrases. It's time to start winning, because apparently all America does is lose. I see people tweeting about it, posting about it, and complaining about how America isn't a great country anymore. Well, this is simply not true, and I'll give you three primary reasons as to why the world isn't actually laughing at us.
Economy.
What do you do on an average day? Maybe you go to work, hang out at home, go to school, etc. In Vietnam, a person's entire day is spent working. Whether it be sitting outside of their barely-standing home selling food, or driving a taxi through the heavily polluted streets, the only way to make ends meet is by doing it all day. The government isn't looking after them, and there's nothing to fall back on. In America, we can go to grocery stores, buy cars and eat healthy food. You're homeless? No problem, we have the Salvation Army, Goodwill, homeless shelters and many programs for you to get a job through. Those things don't exist in other countries, and those countries know it.
Freedom of speech.
This aspect of American life is possibly the most unappreciated right we have. As I listened to a Vietnamese girl speak out against the government, she followed it up by saying, "I hope they don't kill me for saying that." I made friends from Syria, Afghanistan, China, Malaysia,and more. They all agree -- they wish they had our freedom. Keep in mind, most of them love their country and will never abandon it, but they would do anything to be able to speak freely.
Standard of living.
My first day in Vietnam, I travelled to "old quarter," one of the main hubs for business and tourism. As my friends and I sat in the taxi, hundreds of mopeds zoomed past me, with entire families piled onto them. They all wore surgical masks to avoid breathing the toxic air. Once we arrived at old quarter, we decided to go to a restaurant. By the way, the restaurant was also someone's home. As we walked through the first floor, I watched as the employees cooked our food on the ground. They washed the dishes in dirty water. We went upstairs and sat down at a table, which was also someone's room. This was the norm for running a business, and was the same from door to door. Along with this, there were little to no grocery stores, and barely any hospitals.
The purpose of this article is not to point out the flaws in other countries. The people I met in Vietnam and other countries were some of the nicest and happiest I had ever met. It's to point out how lucky we are as Americans to have the simplest of pleasures. Our country is much nicer than politicians make it out to be. Our society, contrary to popular belief, is looked upon as orderly and sound. So whenever you hear someone claiming that the world is laughing at us, ask them which country they saw laughing.
