Lens Shifting

I have always been curious about the world overseas. I can understand however, why Americans would be worried about traveling abroad or visiting new places. After WWII we were in a cold war with the Soviet Union for so long and it made the U.S. afraid of everything except ourselves. The constant fear of being thrown into a nuclear war with communist countries was definitely enough to make us fear the rest of the world. Another fear of traveling may be from the lack of connection that we have with the rest of the world. The internet does connect us in a way, but not like the centuries of history that the European powers have together. Whether it be times of conflict or peace, the Europeans have had no choice but to be connected to one another for centuries. However, the U.S. has pretty much been going it alone from the time that it first gained its independence. We are somewhat isolated from other major powers.

A lot of Americans are ignorant about cultures not just in other countries, but also at home too. There are plenty of stereotypes between the northern, southern, eastern, and western U.S. that other people simply believe because of their portrayal in media. This is one reason that I want to be a social studies teacher. To motivate students to get away from their homes and experience a life that they are not necessarily comfortable with.