HAPPIER
ABROAD Why
You
Can Have A Better Life and Love Beyond America
The US media’s
negative coverage of other countries – Misportrayal
vs. Reality
As we know, the US
news media has nothing good to
say about anything abroad. It
portrays
everything outside the US
matrix (and within as well) as “bad” and
“horrible”. They’ve
always had this horrid tendency to
misrepresent life in other countries, portraying them as war-torn,
poverty
stricken, oppressed, dangerous and uncivilized. However,
travelers who go
to those countries that the US
media portrays in a bad light, often find the refreshing opposite, and
discover
a new world that the US
media tried to hide them from.
For instance, we all know the
completely negative
coverage of the Middle East by the US
media. That region
is always portrayed as primitive,
barbaric, war-torn, violent, extremely dangerous, and where people are
always
ready to take your life at any moment. But those who have
been there
report how safe, calm and peaceful it really is, as well as how
hospitable the
people are. They report that shop owners will make friends
with customers
who browse their shop and offer them a free place to stay for the
night, with
no strings attached, out of pure kindness and hospitality.
Some are
amazed at how crime-free much of the Middle
East
is. For example, in Lebanon,
if you drop a wallet on a public street with many pedestrians, and
return a few
days later, your wallet will still be there, exactly where you left
it.
Of course, the strict punishment laws there (such as chopping off the
hands of
thieves) play a role in helping to make it so safe. One
guy even told me that he felt more safe and
comfortable there than in New York City
even.
One thing that has never changed is
that Hollywood
movies still project the image onto the
audience that in other countries, life is a hellish struggle to stay
alive and
that death is waiting around every corner.
That is completely inaccurate.
For example, the recent hit flick “The
Kingdom” portrayed Saudi Arabia
as
just such a place. However,
a friend of
mine who works there had this to say about the movie and what
it’s really like
there:
“The
movie was just another gross exaggeration of Hollywood. I live here and it is very
peaceful,
tranquil, and nothing ever happens.
But
it’s good that movies like that keep people away so no one
comes and tries to
take away my job.”
In addition, some parts of the Middle
East are even more
advanced technologically than the US.
For instance, a friend
who works in Oman
showed me
photos on his laptop of Dubai,
showing modern clean the city streets, and the existence of 7 star
hotels with
futuristic designs, as well as a building built for INDOOR
SKIING! He
explained how the average income there is higher than in the US!
Yet
NONE of these things are EVER covered by the US
media! (You see now, how
you can’t base your knowledge of the world on the US
media, as it teaches you NOTHING
about the rest of the world?)
Here are some images of the 7 star
hotel, indoor skiing
area, and futuristic looking city being constructed in Dubai:
For more images from Dubai,
see this Powerpoint
presentation from which the above
images were taken from:
http://www.happierabroad.com/Dubailandiaeng.pps
Now let’s take the example
of Africa.
The US
media is always
showing Africa to
be a continent where only
savage jungle tribes and violent gang wars on the streets
exist. But
there is so much of the continent that is civilized, advanced, modern,
and
peaceful. Yet those areas are totally ignored by the American
news media.
A reader of mine who went to Serbia
had this to say about his
experiences there:
“Hi
Winston
I
have read your description of life in Russia
and how it is the opposite of what is portrayed about it in the States.
I
have had similar experiences in my travels of Serbia & Montenegro....
i
recommend you check it out one day. It is not a place full of
warmongers and
genocidal murderers that the US
politicians and media have portrayed. It is the place where all
the people
only want one thing.... to love and to be loved .
regards
Dule”
On the other hand, I’ve
been told that in Europe, the
media tends to have a far more equal balance in its coverage of good
and bad
stories, unlike the US
media which focuses almost purely on negative stories, disasters, bad
news, bad
people, etc. which I feel is unwholesome and pointless.
There are far better things I could be doing
with my time and life than to listen.
It is said that in France
and Britain,
the media is
intellectual whereas in the US,
it is not. This is
easily observable
though, for if you glance at a mainstream newspaper in either France or Britain,
you will see that the scope, depth and variety of the content are of
higher
quality than in the US.
It’s such a pity that the
US news media does so much
to discourage Americans from going overseas, where they can discover
whole new
worlds and cultures, expand their minds and souls, and make dreams and
fantasies come true which otherwise never would in the US. I
hope that my
website and ebook help to counteract the media’s completely
negative portrayal
of other countries. After
all, since
they show only negative things (like disasters), why can’t I
only show positive
things? It’s
only fair. And if
you’re interested, you can start with
my legendary extensive photojournals.
Remember, the US
media isn’t going to encourage
you to go out and explore the real world. No way.
They aren’t going
to tell you anything positive about it. They don’t
even tell you or teach
you ANYTHING about other countries.
Instead, they want you to stay home and live in fear and
paranoia, so
that you’ll feel empty and need to consume and buy stuff.
Don’t buy their
feeble attempt at brainwashing you. In fact, I would urge you
and others
out there not to even watch the US
network news, nor its printed forms such as Time Magazine, Newsweek,
US
News and World Report, etc. as nothing good can come from it. They don’t tell
or teach you anything useful
or relevant to your life. All
they do is
frighten you with bad news and disasters. There are far
better things you
can do with your time that are healthier, more effective and beneficial.
To be fair though, other countries
and their media can
also portray themselves as the “center of the
world”, overinflating their
importance to themselves that is not shared by other countries. My culture consultant
gives the following examples
from his multi-national experience:
http://forum.internationalliving.com/viewtopic.php?t=491
“Most
countries have an overinflated view of themselves and
their role in the world. In Thailand
they think that the whole world knows their king and that he is some
great
world leader next to Kofi Annan ( sp). In the US,
they think that events in the US,
especially the 9/11 "changed the world forever". Also, that every
human being on the face of the earth would rather be living in the US
than back in
his country.
In
Arab countries, they think that the entire world is looking to them
to be taken out of darkness and to be converted to Islam.
The
Russians think that the most important event of the 20th century
was the October Revolution of 1917.
Again,
the countries, their media and educational systems confuse
"our country" with "the
world". Most people do not know Thai king's name and have never seen
him.
Most people like to live in their countries and 9/11 changed *the US* forever, but people
in Bhutan,
Lithuania
and Mali
were not changed by the 9/11 events which took place in a country very
far away
from theirs.
Most
people do not want to be converted to Islam and the Russian
revolution of 1917 was an important event for *them*. Not for the world.”
Reader Responses:
- “Winston,
Remember my last email to you, the American media never shows any
"nice,
good, wholesome, happy people or things" they only show the 1% to 2%
nasty, horrid people and events. AND THAT’S JUST USA
NEWS
Unless there are people
dying from destruction, either
human based or by nature, we never hear about other places in the world.
But, the internet is slowly changing that, and for the first time we
are
starting to see a glimpse of the outside world. Especially from
emerging
smaller countries who are starting to show themselves online.
Best Regards,”
Thank you
for previewing the Happier Abroad Ebook. Get the FULL version
now for only $14 by PayPal to wwu777us@yahoo.com!
Now
comes with 3
FREE BONUS gifts:
Expatriate Observations Ebook -
containing over 150 pages of multi-national wisdom and advice by my
cultural
consultant, the "Socrates of International Culture", a MUST
HAVE for anyone contemplating a multi-national existence, My Travel and Dating
Guide To Russia Ebook, and complete
access to all 9 of my epic legendary Russia/Europe
Photojournals!
Previous
Page
Back
to Table of
Contents
Next
Page
