Views of America by Laura Kwong

August 1, 2009

I’ve talked to four or five Greeks now who believe that September 11th was organized by Jewish politicians and businessmen as a plot to further their stranglehold on the world economy. I’ve been told that Bush’s helped orchestrated the fall of the Twin Towers so he could launch a war on Iraq and Afghanistan and open a path for an uninterrupted flow of oil. I’ve heard that Obama is “white inside,” no different than any other politician, and that big pharmaceuticals control the U.S. People have told me that Americans landing on the moon is nothing but a “good Hollywood movie”. One man I talked to believes that maybe now robots have gone to Mars but another girl said that she is not convinced the international space station is real. Some of these ideas I have heard before, some of them I agree with more than others; they are all good food for thought.

Conspiracy, corruption, ignorance, media propaganda—is ignorance bliss? Need I be afraid? What can I do even if it is all a conspiracy? How can I defend my country when the retort is always, “There’s no evidence because they do a good job covering up.”? Are they right?

There is a lot of pride in Greece for the present-day country and the ancient civilization that so much of the world revolves around, but there also seems to be a significant amount of fear, doubt, insecurity, and anger towards immigrants, tourists, and even the EU.

I have much to learn.