First, instead of cussing people out while driving, I sometimes get really sarcastic. Just now I found myself following a car driving really funny and I said out loud cheerfully, "Oh, no, that's cool. That's a, you know, different approach to this whole driving thing. Think outside the box, you know?"
Then, last night I was at the gym on the stationary bike. I was reading a book, but sometimes I need to look up and focus out further to rest my eyes. Well, there are TVs right in front of the bikes, and I got a little sucked in to "Deal or No Deal." I'm not proud. Anyway, it's a game show, and Howie Mandel is the host. It's basically a guessing game, and you have a chance to win up to a million dollars. Well, last night the contestant was a Korean guy whose last name was Kong. Anyway, apparently this guy's parents emigrated here with $750 in their pockets and made a life for themselves. I know this because every time I looked up, Howie Mandel was repeating it. And what bugged me was that he kept saying "This is the American Dream, isn't it? You have the chance to win X dollars right now! Isn't that the American Dream?" He was very excited. The anonymous "banker" who offers money on the show kept making the contestant do humiliating things like sing karaoke and clog dance (although, to be fair, the contestant didn't seem to think this was embarrasing, but rather exhilirating). Anyway, I was thinking "No! I don't believe making an ass out of yourself on national TV in the hopes of making a million dollars for doing nothing." I asked my students today what they thought the American dream was and why people came to America. Their answers? To work. To raise their kids. To give their kids a better life, education, a home... It may be trite and cliche, and it may not be a million dollars, but I like their answers better.
2 comments:
When my family arrived from the Old Country, it was definitely to win a million dollars from Howie Mandel (shudder). They failed miserably. So, will you marry me, Count? You may not have a million Howie-dollars, but you have biting sarcasm, and that's enough to pay my way through anything.
Mine came here because everyone else died in the Holocaust or were oppressed by communism. They assumed this would not happen here. Fuck a million bucks. They were just happy to be alive and have jobs and public schools. I'd love to smack Howie around a little bit.
Post a Comment