Ugly Americans.
Tuesday, February 29th, 2000
Sigh…
Two nights ago, somebody standing on an overpass dropped bricks onto cars speeding along the Autobahn near Darmstadt, Germany. Some cars crashed. Some people were very badly hurt. Two people died.
I shook my head in disgust when I heard this. Jeremy said that it was probably some dumb kids messing around. I was just surprised that nobody on the news said anything about Germany getting to be as bad as America. You hear that a lot over here when, say, somebody in Germany runs amok with a gun. Of course, in America we have people shooting guns from overpasses and not “just" throwing rocks - not that these rocks turned out to be any less deadly than bullets.
Anyway, yesterday they caught the suspected rock-droppers. They are indeed just kids. Four kids between the ages of 14 and 18. Four American kids.
I let out a spontaneous groan of dismay when I heard it. It doesn’t really matter whether the rocks fell from German or American hands - two people are still dead. It’s just that it’s one more incident to reinforce this image that so many Europeans have of the stupid, violent American. It’s one more thing that I will, in one way or another, have to answer to as an American living overseas (“Did you hear what those Americans in Darmstadt did…?"). And it’s fuel for the fire tended by people who claim that all the crimes committed in Germany are committed by foreigners.
Why do people have to be so stupid and destructive? Why? Why? Why? And don’t tell me it’s video games…
You horrible teenagers, what were you thinking? Were you thinking at all? Do you realize what you’ve done? Do you understand the concept of death? Do you grasp the fact that you have been the sole cause of a completely and utterly pointless waste of innocent life?
I’m embarrassed and disgusted by these four “fellow Americans”, and I hope that they have some sort of conscience so that they can be racked with guilt for the rest of their miserable little lives.
Ugly Americans indeed.
Comments
1
Okay - I’m livin in Darmstadt and when I heard a 20 year old girl was killed in a crash, caused by these teenagers, I thought "Uuh - maybe I know her." But it was a hard week, a lot of work, no free time. Then I heard it - it was Sandra, a beautiful, friendly, ironic girl. Very intelligent, very popular - and very dead. But nobody in Darmstadt impeaches all the americans. During the obsequies americans and germans stood together. No rassism, just tears. Well, live is not easy - not in germany, not even in the US.
I also read some of your articles. About shopping on sunday, service in the computershop. See it this way: Du you really want to shop on sunday? Why - there are six other days. Cafe’s are opened, also restaurants, cinemas, etc. Yeah - the german laws (Ladenschlussgesetzt) are a historic fossil. Nevertheless - these laws was written to protect people, to give them one day free. Services in computershops: Ouch - that’s a more or less worldwide problem - incompetent service people in shops. But it’s not german specific, I had some chances to collect similar experiences in Taiwan, China and Italy.
2
I can only say that I love Darmstadt. I feel home here also as an expat. I’ve only been here 2 years and my only problem is to find a job as an unmarried foreigner…! Mabey someone has some suggestions!
—>nic
3
We took that trail to play football, get to the German stores(Vertkauf, i think), and also to ELK to play basketball. Both my parents worked there. One at the Aid Station and the other at the Mess Hall, right next to the Gym. This was a passing of prior kids that stayed there, which means this was done way before the year 2000. I left in 94’.
UNLV.
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