BrynM's Journal: I'm afraid of Americans.

Time to update my sig again. This one is a David Bowie/Trent Reznor quote from the song "I'm afraid of Americans". My MP3 player cued it up for me and the lyrics really struck home given today's political world climate and the upcoming US Mid-term Elections. I'm a US native (Californian) and I don't think I know who Americans are anymore - my own people and many of them seem to hold beliefs that are alien to me.

I know I'm not alone in feeling this way and frankly that scares the hell out of me. Somehow my national identity has been usurped by people I have no faith in over the past six years or so. Thanks to those people, the world views me (the American not the individual) in a skewed and suspicious manner - perhaps rightly so. I still feel patriotic, but what the feeling came from is being chiseled away and discarded without my consent. I vote. I converse. I write to my representatives. I try to be a responsible citizen, but after so long futility sets in.

If you're unfamiliar with the song here are the lyrics. They remain as eerily true today as they were in 1997.

Johnny's in America
no tax at the wheel
Nobody needs anyone
They don't even just pretend
Johnny's in America

chorus {
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
} (x2)
I'm afraid of Americans
/chorus

Johnny's in America
Johnny wants a brain
Johnny wants to suck on a Coke
Johnny wants a woman
Johnny wants to think of a joke
Johnny's in America

chorus

Johnny's in America
Johnny looks up at the stars
Johnny combs his hair
And Johnny wants pussy and cars

Johnny's in America (x2)

chorus

God is an American (x2)

chorus

Yeah, I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the words
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans

God is an American (x6)