Thank you for a thoughtful and thought-provoking post. One of the advantages of having the privilege to travel the world is gaining exactly the kind of perspective you’ve shared.
Great post!! We visited Bosnia-Herzogovina in 2014 and spent a lot of time in Mostar and Sarajevo. Loved it and mourned for the history. Took many walking tours by local historians. That Americans talk about it like it's not a big deal is chilling 😢. Thank you for this post. More travelers should blog about their experiences in war torn areas. It's not just the destruction that is left behind, it's the lingering animosity towards others. Again, thank you!
Americans have not had a war on their own territory for decades. They just don’t know what they are talking about when they say things like we are going to have a civil war. It takes guys like you to to be out in the world to understand that. I lived in Germany when the whole Bosnia war went down. I saw the refugees and the follow on effects on the people that were lucky enough to escape to Germany. America is indeed exceptional but not in the way that Americans like to think about it.
Well said. As someone with family in Croatia, and who has seen the devastation that remained in Mostar after the war, I agree. I can't even begin to understand what people there went through, but I know it was horrific. And as someone watching America from the outside, I hope that you don't head in that direction.
It stopped me cold when I realized that while Dems have a deathly fear that not passing voting rights bills will enable the right to steal elections all over the country, the Republicans have an equally deathly fear that passing those laws will mean that their side can never win an election again. With a media that enhances polarization instead of dialogue, where does that leave the country?
Love this piece, guys. Thanks for prompting me to think about the situation in the US, where I'll be heading back out to next month!
Your points are excellent. How sorry I am that we who are moderates can't seem to break through the extremist talk. I try every day.
Thank you for a thoughtful and thought-provoking post. One of the advantages of having the privilege to travel the world is gaining exactly the kind of perspective you’ve shared.
Great post!! We visited Bosnia-Herzogovina in 2014 and spent a lot of time in Mostar and Sarajevo. Loved it and mourned for the history. Took many walking tours by local historians. That Americans talk about it like it's not a big deal is chilling 😢. Thank you for this post. More travelers should blog about their experiences in war torn areas. It's not just the destruction that is left behind, it's the lingering animosity towards others. Again, thank you!
Americans have not had a war on their own territory for decades. They just don’t know what they are talking about when they say things like we are going to have a civil war. It takes guys like you to to be out in the world to understand that. I lived in Germany when the whole Bosnia war went down. I saw the refugees and the follow on effects on the people that were lucky enough to escape to Germany. America is indeed exceptional but not in the way that Americans like to think about it.
Well said. As someone with family in Croatia, and who has seen the devastation that remained in Mostar after the war, I agree. I can't even begin to understand what people there went through, but I know it was horrific. And as someone watching America from the outside, I hope that you don't head in that direction.
It stopped me cold when I realized that while Dems have a deathly fear that not passing voting rights bills will enable the right to steal elections all over the country, the Republicans have an equally deathly fear that passing those laws will mean that their side can never win an election again. With a media that enhances polarization instead of dialogue, where does that leave the country?
I have more US friends than I do Australian, and have always followed US news closely.
For a while, I have been wondering: "what are they going to do? What can they do?"
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I agree with everything. However, what is happening in America is fascism. If we don’t see it that way our heads are in the sand. And when heads are buried nothing happens. See the link below and how it relates to what’s going on in America. https://www.bremertonschools.org/cms/lib/WA01001541/Centricity/Domain/222/Fourteen%20Defining%20Characteristics%20of%20Fascism%20slides.pdf