Page 18 - Issue 19

States with Covid is so bad. He asked if they hadn't been
vaccinated yet. I told him they hadn't. The vaccinations are
very behind in the US. When he asked why I explained about
the privatized healthcare system and the Federal vs State
governments and he said "You know I always thought I
wanted to live in the United States but from what you're
describing I think maybe I don't. Are there a lot of problems
in the United States?"

And so I spoke with him about the epidemic of guns, police
violence and privatized prisons. I explained about the war on
drugs and the opioid crisis. And for about 15-20 minutes he
listened intently, asking questions occasionally.

He said, "You know it's just such a big country. I really want
to go there for the summer and see all of the beautiful things
there." I agreed with him. I told him that the United States is
full of beautiful natural sites and amazing cultural works.
There are all kinds of wonderful artistic and musical venues
and places to visit. And yet when you see all of that beauty
and excitement on TV and in movies, or even in person, you
just have to remember that you're not seeing all of the
challenges, all of the difficult parts and all of the ugliness. To
be poor or a person of color, or gay or a woman in America
isn't always as fun as what you see on TV.

As an aside - I think you could say that in Israel, most
everyone sees a glorified version of America and wants to
live there but they rarely see the ugly side. In an ironic twist, I
think sometimes in America people only see the ugly side of
Israel and don't see the beautiful and the good that exists