A few years ago, I asked a Japanese friend living here on a work visa what she thought about the diversity that is so characteristic of the Bay Area. After all, we have black, white, brown, Asian, Pacific Islander Native American, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Indian, Latino, and other races and ethnicities all living in one region, in contrast to her country, which is far more homogeneous.
"When I look at people here," she said, "you all look the same. You all look like Americans to me."
From her outsider's perspective, our differences seemed far less apparent than our commonalities.
It easier for me to see what she meant by looking at another country. In the romantic comedy "Love Actually," there are numerous black characters, most of whom speak with a British accent and comport themselves in the distinctive manner of Englishmen (and women).
Of course, this is a fictional representation, but those characters seem far less "black" than "English" to an American viewer.
The film "Bend It Like Beckham," which gently probes the plight of South Asians in London society, has characters of different racial and national backgrounds who have similar vocabularies and proclivities. There are tensions between ethnic groups but to us, outsiders, they all seem like Brits.
Maybe the point is that it can be difficult to maintain perspective on your own society from the inside. The unfairnesses and prejudice in America are horrible and real and do concrete harm, largely due to people like Trump who prey on the fears of poorly educated whites to demonize people of different races and backgrounds.
But in the end we are not a society of tribes. Not that that doesn't exist in the world. Just spend a little time in Afghanistan, where Tajiks, Pashtuns, Hazara, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Kirghiz, Kazakh, Aymāq, Baloch, Pashai, Nuristani, Gujjar, Arab, Brahui, Pamiri and others struggle to leave centuries of strife behind and form a common union.
Even so, from an outsider's perspective, they all look like Afghans to me. And hopefully one day they can agree on that.
Here in America we are all one people. We just don't see that yet.
***
The topics tonight are diverse, but they all look like news to me...
* U.S. Sets Coronavirus Case Record Amid New Surge -- More than 85,000 new cases of the virus were reported across the country on Friday, shattering an earlier single-day record and stirring new fears about the months ahead. (NYT)
* Loan payments loom as Trump fights for his future in politics and in business -- If President Trump is reelected, his loan-saddled properties could present a conflict of interest: He will owe enormous sums to banks that his government regulates, and national security experts say his debts and foreign deals may constitute security risks. (WashPo)
* With far less money than anticipated, Trump campaign officials are scrambling to address a severe financial disadvantage against Biden, producing something of an internal blame game. (NYT)
* Biden called out Trump for not releasing his tax returns in the debate after Trump accused Biden of taking money from foreign countries and brought up his son Hunter and his business connections in China. “I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life. I have released 22 years of tax returns. You have not released a single year. What are you hiding?” Biden said, bringing up reports that Trump maintained a secret bank account in China. [HuffPost]
* Russia’s hackers appeared to be preparing to sow chaos amid any uncertainty around election results, U.S. officials said. (NYT)
* Covid-19 hospitalizations increased in 38 states over the past week (WashPo) |
* Trump was sued Thursday by New York, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle for designating them “anarchist” cities that shouldn’t get a penny of federal funding. “This is a figment of Donald Trump’s troubled imagination,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters before the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle. “The only anarchy in this country is coming from the White House.” Trump instructed Attorney General William Barr last month to designate the cities “anarchist jurisdictions” following racial justice protests ignited by the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. [HuffPost]
* Iowa Never Locked Down. Its Economy Is Struggling Anyway. (NYT)
* Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) indicated that mysterious dark forces — rather than his own unpopularity — are responsible for surging campaign contributions to his Democratic rival Jaime Harrison. He called for a legislative review of the kind of small-dollar donations that are boosting Harrison. “Where’s all this money coming from?” Graham asked in an interview. “Some of these shadowy figures out there running ads, is there any foreign influence afoot?” Graham conceded last month that he’s getting “killed” by Harrison’s fundraising because his foes “hate my guts.” [HuffPost]
* A recent study showed that depression rates spiked three times higher during the pandemic, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent of American adults reported problems with anxiety, depression or substance abuse in late June. (NYT)
* Biden 378, Trump 144, Ties 16. (Electoral-Vote.com)
***
By the way, have I mentioned lately that not only do you look different from me, you are looking really, really good!
Whatcha got cookin'?
How's about cookin' somethin' up with me?
Hey, sweet baby
Don't you think maybe
We could find us a brand new recipe?
And I know a spot right over the hill
There's soda pop and the dancin's free
So if you wanna have fun come along with me
Say hey, good lookin'
Whatcha got cookin'?
How's about cookin' somethin' up with me?
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