America is divided right now. On one side you have vegans pontificating dreadlock diplomacy. On the other you have 'carnivore dieters' arguing for their right to own a stash of guns that would make Saddam Hussein blush. That's a caricature, obviously. But evidence certainly suggests America is becoming more polarised.
That backdrop in mind... Furious Trump supporters this morning launched an '"an assault on liberty" (as Joe Biden has called it), storming the Capitol building to halt the certification of the President-elect.
This led to the evacuation of the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Per the Sydney Morning Herald, "The US capital descended into chaos after a massive security breach allowed a mob of rioters to enter the supposedly fortified complex, smashing through windows and making it as far as the Senate floor."
"Trump posted a video on Twitter telling the protesters to go home, but also repeated the false assertions that the election had been stolen which had inspired his supporters to storm the Capitol."
"Biden demanded Trump go on national television to call for an end to the 'insurrection.'"
In response to the news, one travel blogger who goes by @trustedtravelgirl posted the following comment to both Twitter and Instagram.
"Next time you tell me to be afraid of visiting another country that you don’t know anything about, please replay a tape from the attempted coup in america today.
thx bye."
The statement highlights a double standard which the travel blogger (and many of her followers) claim many Westerners hold – the tendency to forgive or play down the dangers of your own culture (or cultures similar to the one you grew up in).
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To a degree this is understandable. It's the fear of the unknown vs. the numbness of everyday horrors. You eventually get inured to stuff. But whatever the case – it's worth thinking harder about.
The statement resonated with Instagram users around the world, with various providing their own experience of the same phenomenon.
One wrote: "'You can't go to cambodia it's dangerous. I don't want to know what your doing there. End of chat' mum 2018, 'ohhh America a good place to go. What will you do there?' mum 2019. 'If you go to Tanzania your putting yourself in danger!' Mum 2020 'mum turn on CNN' me 2021."
"The amount of people that feared for my life when I lived in Cambodia was unprecedented. I felt safer being alone there than I do in the states most of the time," the same user added.
"This!! like if i saw this happening in another country i’d be shook," wrote another.
"Amen! This is embarrassing for our 'democracy.'"
Prior to today's events, travel blogger Nomadic Matt had already been encouraging professional globetrotters to look at the bigger picture once international travel picks back up again – a sentiment @trustedtravelgirl and many other bloggers retweeted.
When we can all widely travel again, I hope we treat destinations and cultures with the depth and specialness they deserve and not as merely random backdrops for Instagram photos.
— Nomadic Matt (@nomadicmatt) January 5, 2021
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The post Travel Blogger Busts America’s Most Hypocritical Belief About Other Countries appeared first on DMARGE.
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