Representing America

Now that the Olympics are winding up, maybe I'll have a chance to reflect on some murky bits that have been stirred to the top of my puddled brain. One of these is the sheer oddness of being a walking representative of your home country. Out here in the French countryside, a lot of people have never even seen an American outside of TV, so we are the country. Constantly in the back of the mind is the worry, "Am I going to make my whole country look bad if I do this or that?" I can't begin to know what impressions about the US we must give to the locals, though my guesses would be:

"She's really nice and polite, but isn't it odd how she doesn't wear makeup or take pains to dress stylishly?"

"That American fellow seems very reserved. He's polite when he talks, but he doesn't talk much, and he always looks kind of unshaven and scruffy."

"They have good manners but they really keep to themselves." (Of course, when you can't communicate well enough for casual socializing, this is the unavoidable byproduct.)

At this point the reality behind the impressions diverges sharply based on one's cultural predispositions. In the US, one could read these descriptions and hear that Em and I both have a strong sense of identity, are confident enough not to bother with supercilious "dressing up", and are probably decent characters because we have good manners. I suspect that French folks put a lot more weight on appearances than we do - especially regarding proper dress and grooming - so I doubt we would rate so well in their eyes. However, I hope we make a better show for our country than some of our other US exports.....

....Such as, for instance, Tonya Harding. The Olympics this year brought back memories of that utterly revolting experience, and Em and I were very happy that we were not living in Europe during her Olympics. Seeing this classic example of redneck trailer trash (Pardon my crude directness, but, well, you know it, I know it, everyone knows it..) representing the United States to the world would have had both of us refusing to show our faces in town for months! I still think back on her blubbering performance at the skating events and mentally cringe. This year's crop of athletes made us proud, though - at least with the exception of Bode Miller, who came off in BBC interviews like a bored frat boy "too cool for his shirt". For me, the most incredible Olympic moment belonged to the Chinese skater who suffered that terrible crash, then paused, rested a moment, and carried on her couples exhibition to such extraordinary results. I doubt I will ever do anything that would cause our local friends to be equally impressed with American resolve, but her determination really gives everyone else something to shoot for.