How do you See America?

November 27, 2007 - 1:31 PM by

Washington Post reporter Amir Bakshi arrived in Israel a few days ago for a series he’s filing on How the World Sees America.

His first entry describes his arrival to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and the subsequent grilling he underwent – and underwent and underwent – at the hands of security agents.

A woman with large, green eyes reviews my passport, once, twice. She looks up. I smile. She doesn’t. She says I must submit to further questioning in the back.

So I’m led to a waiting room where a Jordanian woman is leaning her head against the beige stone wall, and a Syrian businessman is snapping his briefcase open, closed, open. An Israeli-American student glances up at them as she turns pages in her textbook.

“Bakshi!” a firm female voice calls. “Come with me.”

Behind the waiting area is a row of spare offices, staffed by young women in their twenties wearing beige-colored uniforms.

I’m seated before one of them, who eyes me and a form on her computer screen.

Then questions begin.

He made it through and is now traveling around for a week and blogging it.

Stay tuned. This should be good.

Tags: • Category: Blogging, Life, Travel 

Comments

3 Comments on How do you See America?

  1. Alex on Tue, Nov 27th 2007 4:30 PM

    2. Americans really don’t give a damn how the world sees them. And this reporter writing an article about it just shows how out of touch reporters are as to the rest of society and why newspaper circulation is going down like it is.

  2. jamie on Wed, Nov 28th 2007 5:31 PM

    3. It is true that not all Americans care, however some do. I for one am embarrased to be an American at the moment. This country is currently controlled by socially conservative, stupid, evangelical Christians who think they can do anything they want without consequence. This current American climate is not one that I support or believe in. And many feel the same way.

  3. David-Joe on Thu, Nov 29th 2007 6:27 AM

    4. I think the world sees America a bit like diaspora Jews view Israel – with rose tinted spectacles.

    The reality is that Americans are a fearful people today with rising resentment of immigrants, a continued faith in expanding government and a sustained mistrust and rejection of the individualist-capitalist ethic held by the Framers of the US Constitution.

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