Me: The most shocking thing I noticed when I was in Europe was-
Jilly: How stunningly American you are?
Me: Nah, I already knew that. No, it was how stunningly American the other Americans were. Like, I could look into a crowd and pick out every American there, just by the way they were walking.
Jilly: Yeah, that’s a thing you learn.
Me: It was so weird! And I was in Germany. Almost everyone was white. We all looked… eerily the same, but I still knew who was from somewhere in Europe, and who was from the US.
Jilly: We really do have a unique culture.
Me: And we’re everywhere! So many American tourists all over the place. And I thought everyone over there was gonna be all impressed. Like, “ooooh, an American! Let’s ask him all about what America is like!”
Jilly: Why would you think that?
Me: Internalized propaganda, mostly.
You may not like it, but this is what peak MERIKA looks like.