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Great editorial from Romania re: America
being 1/2 Romanian, it was great to see this editorial from my grandparents homeland.
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Editorial in a Romanian Newspaper
We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial
about us, the USA. When you think the US isn't thought
well of all over the world, read this excerpt from a Romanian
newspaper.
~An Ode to America~
Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one
another even if you painted them all one color! They speak
all the languages of the world and form an astonishing
mixture of civilizations. Some of them are nearly extinct,
others are incompatible with one another, and in matters of
religious beliefs, not even God can count how many there
are.
Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million
people into a hand put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse
the White House, the army, and the secret services that they
are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their
bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to
gape about. The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to
give a helping hand.
After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag
over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties
in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on
buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a
government official or the president was passing. On every
occasion they started singing their traditional song: "God
Bless America!"
Silent as a rock, I watched the charity concert broadcast on
Saturday once, twice, three times, on different TV channels.
There was Clint Eastwood, Willy Nelson, Robert de Niro,
Julia Roberts, Cassius Clay, Jack Nicholson, Bruce
Springsteen, Sylvester Stallone, James Wood, and many others
whom no film or producers could ever bring together. The
American's spirit of solidarity turned them into a choir.
Actually, choir is not the word. What you could hear was the
heavy artillery of the American soul.
What neither George W. Bush, nor Bill Clinton, nor Colin
Powell could say without facing the risk of stumbling over
words and sounds, was being heard in a great and
unmistakable way through this charity concert.
I don't know how it happened that all this obsessive singing
of America didn't sound croaky, nationalist, or
ostentatious! It made you green with envy because you
weren't able to sing for your country without running the
risk of being considered chauvinist, ridiculous, or
suspected of who-knows-what ulterior motive.
I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours
listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred
floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she
was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life
fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from
hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or
thousands of people.
How on earth were they able to respond united as one human
being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the
memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes.
And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars
were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a
family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.
What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their
land? Their galloping history? Their economic power? Money?
I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and
murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace.
I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion.
Only freedom can work such miracles!
--------------------------------
Editorial in a Romanian Newspaper
We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial
about us, the USA. When you think the US isn't thought
well of all over the world, read this excerpt from a Romanian
newspaper.
~An Ode to America~
Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one
another even if you painted them all one color! They speak
all the languages of the world and form an astonishing
mixture of civilizations. Some of them are nearly extinct,
others are incompatible with one another, and in matters of
religious beliefs, not even God can count how many there
are.
Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million
people into a hand put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse
the White House, the army, and the secret services that they
are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their
bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to
gape about. The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to
give a helping hand.
After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag
over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties
in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on
buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a
government official or the president was passing. On every
occasion they started singing their traditional song: "God
Bless America!"
Silent as a rock, I watched the charity concert broadcast on
Saturday once, twice, three times, on different TV channels.
There was Clint Eastwood, Willy Nelson, Robert de Niro,
Julia Roberts, Cassius Clay, Jack Nicholson, Bruce
Springsteen, Sylvester Stallone, James Wood, and many others
whom no film or producers could ever bring together. The
American's spirit of solidarity turned them into a choir.
Actually, choir is not the word. What you could hear was the
heavy artillery of the American soul.
What neither George W. Bush, nor Bill Clinton, nor Colin
Powell could say without facing the risk of stumbling over
words and sounds, was being heard in a great and
unmistakable way through this charity concert.
I don't know how it happened that all this obsessive singing
of America didn't sound croaky, nationalist, or
ostentatious! It made you green with envy because you
weren't able to sing for your country without running the
risk of being considered chauvinist, ridiculous, or
suspected of who-knows-what ulterior motive.
I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours
listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred
floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she
was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life
fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from
hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or
thousands of people.
How on earth were they able to respond united as one human
being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the
memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes.
And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars
were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a
family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.
What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their
land? Their galloping history? Their economic power? Money?
I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and
murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace.
I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion.
Only freedom can work such miracles!
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