Some of you are watching us. Yes, we know you exist. Other countries with your internet and cable news sources. You're watching us and laughing. To us the problems seem to be real but to others, who live without electricity and fresh water, our problems seem to be the fuel for humor at tribal get togethers with the "all you can eat" cannibal buffets. Because in the United States we tend to stereotype other citizens of other countries. If you live in Africa we tend to see a lot of dancing around fires. In Asia we see large reptiles destroying small people. In Russia we just see cloudy and cold conditions and a lot of people in fur hats. In Germany we watch in fascination as no one works but drink and eat all the time. That's not how I see the world but I do sometimes think that's a few of the stereotypes that others have. In other countries, from my perspective, I believe there is a stereotype for the typical "american" - at least two cars for every person, buffet style eating every day, many pets, a wife and a mistress for every man (or woman nowadays), many single mothers with a minimum of four kids on welfare, everyone is obese and carrying food stamps to the store everyday, every teenager owning a smartphone and gameboy, every senior citizen playing golf everyday and knitting, and fast food restaurants on every block of every city. Well, how offensive is that? I must tell you there are many blocks and many streets in America that do not have any kind of McDonald's or a Kentucky Fried Chicken. (We have to put the convenience stores someplace, don't we?) Also, there are many households that only have one running car (gas guzzling 4x4's mostly) and a few broken down BMW's sitting up on jacks in our driveways. No, the biggest difference is in our appliances. Well just the other night I had an emergency call about a broken ice maker in a refrigerator at a customer's house. Now for the benefit of you guys in India, in the United States and a few other countries we have running water which allows modern homes to have the capability to introduce water into devices that freeze that water and convert the frozen hydrogen/oxygen structure into cubes/squares that can be transferred to a cup or glass to cool our Pepsi. Pepsi is a concoction consisting of sugar and fizzy water. If you ever make it off the island you will be intoxicated by it's tingle in your nose. The problem with a broken ice maker in a refrigerator is one that may seem a little foreign to those who have no electricity or are suffering from malaria. But let me assure you that for the people of my country it's mandatory with our fizzy sugar drinks. I honestly can't see how our problems could be the butt of any joke in any other country and would cause any less sympathy from you for us. We do have problems here. We have roaches and other pests. Just the other day I had trouble standing in one spot in a kitchen at a house because the trash can was too full of discarded, half-eaten doughnuts and Big Macs. The thing is, even our pests are fed too well. And I don't even want to scare you with stories of such magnitude involving cruise control features being broken in cars. For those of you in countries that share antique Volkswagen Beetles, that might have an A.M. radio, and is the only running vehicle in the neighborhood, there are vehicles that have a feature that allows for automatic speed control you can set while on the highway (in our country we have roads made of re-enforced concrete or other materials that allow for long expanses of travel) and your vehicle (a lot of the times we are the only ones in our vehicles) can maintain a set speed of travel. In fact, the interstate allows for such long, uninterrupted distances we actually fall asleep at the wheel and crash our $50,000+ vehicles and we have a program called auto insurance that allows us a replacement so we can do it again. Sometimes, in our $50,000+ vehicles we travel through things called drive-thrus in fast food restaurants that save us all that time so we don't have to walk to be fed. And we suffer at times because we don't receive a packet of ketchup. Ketchup is a condiment that allows for an alternate flavor other than rice or fish like some are only accustomed to. We do have our problems in this country. I just wanted you to know that. My name is Rueuhy and I approve this blog.
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