Member-only story
US in the Looking Glass
There's a side of the US we don't see or know because it doesn't expose itself to us, but there's no denying it exists.
In jest, I asked my coworker who studied conflict resolution why he hadn't brokered a deal between Russia and Ukraine. He laughed, saying that's easy, but the US doesn't want peace — wars are the economy's foundation.
He has seen the United States that Americans don't see. Colonialism and imperialism shattered Somalia, spawning decades of violent conflicts, and US airstrikes again battered his birth country this week. Still, he doesn't blame Americans for their government; he understands how the world works and Western and Somalian oligarchs are responsible for the decades of wars that displaced his family across three continents.
Americans don't know our nation inflicts suffering on so many people. US imperialism isn't a subject we learn or discuss; our patriotic culture and excessive display of American flags won't allow it. So, we hurl a barrage of hate at anyone who uncovers unsavory truths because we've been told since childhood that our country defends the good and anyone who isn't with us is against justice. Believing otherwise would defy everything we know, and that's a heavy burden to bear.
