Over the next few weeks as I traveled I talked to several friends about this instance, wondering what it means to wear by Obama button abroad. Am I seen now as clearly an American and people don’t like Americans? Or am I seen as an American who wants change and believes in hope?
(SIDE NOTE) In these discussions it sickens me to know that most people abroad don’t realize that 80% of the United States is against Bush and commonly American are seen as supporting Bush. Why is the foreign media not covering this more? No wonder people hate us, I would too! Insert here any number of conspiracy theories and issues about mass media… (/SIDE NOTE)
Interestingly enough all of these thoughts on identity came about because of a logo. I’ve been fascinated by Obama’s use of a logo and think it really did a lot or his campaign. From a design standpoint I would even go so far to say it’s groundbreaking that he is the first real presidential candidate with a logo. (Others of course have used their name in a copyrighted font, but he is the first to make an iconic graphic.) So it is the visual I am choosing to identify with, which of course only reinforces what we all know about the power of images.
(SIDE NOTE 2) Ironically I am now in Berlin (and made these plans long before I knew Obama would be coming here too) and plan to wear my button at his speech in two days. Given that our current president has screwed up so many things on a global level, I think it’s really exciting to see a candidate understand there’s more to the world that the US. (/SIDE NOTE 2)
Foreign Identity
By Rachel Beth Egenhoefer - 22/07/2008
I consider myself a pretty avid traveler. I grew up traveling to many different places and my family opted to take our own routes as opposed to big group tours. I’m often embarrassed when I see other Americans in foreign cities looking loudly for the nearest hamburger, sporting t-shirts freshly bought from street vendors of the city we’re in, and laughing at different customs. I am proud in many ways of my American identity (although that pride seems to be diminishing in recent years) however I’ve also always been able to blend in to local customs. (Except in Asia perhaps where I am clearly an outsider, but could be from seen as from the majority of western countries.)
A few weeks ago I arrived in London and while on the Tube (from the airport to Furtherfield ironically) 2 men glared down at me. I looked down and there pinned to my bag was my Obama button. It occurred to me that for the first time, I was outwardly identifying myself as an American in a foreign country. Now, it is entirely possible that I was jet legged, these guys were crazy, or it is just a matter of being on the Tube and everyone glares at everyone, but in any case it has caused me to spend a good deal of time thinking about this.
Over the next few weeks as I traveled I talked to several friends about this instance, wondering what it means to wear by Obama button abroad. Am I seen now as clearly an American and people don’t like Americans? Or am I seen as an American who wants change and believes in hope?
(SIDE NOTE) In these discussions it sickens me to know that most people abroad don’t realize that 80% of the United States is against Bush and commonly American are seen as supporting Bush. Why is the foreign media not covering this more? No wonder people hate us, I would too! Insert here any number of conspiracy theories and issues about mass media… (/SIDE NOTE)
Interestingly enough all of these thoughts on identity came about because of a logo. I’ve been fascinated by Obama’s use of a logo and think it really did a lot or his campaign. From a design standpoint I would even go so far to say it’s groundbreaking that he is the first real presidential candidate with a logo. (Others of course have used their name in a copyrighted font, but he is the first to make an iconic graphic.) So it is the visual I am choosing to identify with, which of course only reinforces what we all know about the power of images.
(SIDE NOTE 2) Ironically I am now in Berlin (and made these plans long before I knew Obama would be coming here too) and plan to wear my button at his speech in two days. Given that our current president has screwed up so many things on a global level, I think it’s really exciting to see a candidate understand there’s more to the world that the US. (/SIDE NOTE 2)
Over the next few weeks as I traveled I talked to several friends about this instance, wondering what it means to wear by Obama button abroad. Am I seen now as clearly an American and people don’t like Americans? Or am I seen as an American who wants change and believes in hope?
(SIDE NOTE) In these discussions it sickens me to know that most people abroad don’t realize that 80% of the United States is against Bush and commonly American are seen as supporting Bush. Why is the foreign media not covering this more? No wonder people hate us, I would too! Insert here any number of conspiracy theories and issues about mass media… (/SIDE NOTE)
Interestingly enough all of these thoughts on identity came about because of a logo. I’ve been fascinated by Obama’s use of a logo and think it really did a lot or his campaign. From a design standpoint I would even go so far to say it’s groundbreaking that he is the first real presidential candidate with a logo. (Others of course have used their name in a copyrighted font, but he is the first to make an iconic graphic.) So it is the visual I am choosing to identify with, which of course only reinforces what we all know about the power of images.
(SIDE NOTE 2) Ironically I am now in Berlin (and made these plans long before I knew Obama would be coming here too) and plan to wear my button at his speech in two days. Given that our current president has screwed up so many things on a global level, I think it’s really exciting to see a candidate understand there’s more to the world that the US. (/SIDE NOTE 2)
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How was the speech?
Now I am very curious to hear about your experience of going to hear Obama speak in Berlin. We actually have a magnet sticker like your badge that is stuck to a doorframe at my house. Someone gave it to my husband when he was in San Francisco, and he didn't know what to do with it, so he just put it there. Like the labels my younger son posted all over the house on New Year's Eve, things like that tend to stay stuck where they are put, even though none of us really know what to say about it. Ironically, the only person in my household theoretically eligible to vote in the US elections is very suspicious of Obama, who is obviously not leftist enough for him. Most of all, though, I am very curious about what you understand as your "American identity" - what does it mean to you to identify with a certain country? The reason I am curious is that the question of identification (in that sense) comes up repeatedly for my sons and most of their peers at the International School. These kids have grown up speaking at least two, sometimes three or even four languages for many different reasons. Very few of them identify with a place, a specific country, although they often have strong ties to different countries through emotional relationships to certain people in their lives. Identifying these kids with a certain country because of the language(s) they speak is almost always imposed from the outside. This kind of external identification is, unfortunately, also frequently accompanied by some degree of ignorance - the kind that often causes my "other son" to explode with impatience, when he feels compelled to explain again, "Africa is not a country!"