The whole crowd at California Restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong was still in awe of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies and now the teams of the countries were emerging. Their country leaders smiling and waving back. We roared when Hong Kong showed up. Some of the people in the crowd applauded loudly when they saw Singapore. And like a giant river of blue and white the Americans came. And instantaneously as if on cue the entire restaurant began booing and hissing.
It was like the breath in me got knocked out.
When they showed George and Laura Bush waving to the athletes the hissing and booing crescendoed. And at this, I joined them.
My friends at the table spoke loudly, “Gosh, Jackson, it’s embarrassing to be American.”
The booing and hissing continued and I heard someone in the crowd yell out, “Fuck America!”
Deepak turned to me and he looked concerned. “Man, what has happened? We are in an upscale restaurant in the middle of Hong Kong. My God, how bad could it be in other places?”
Deepak was a virtual American being that he spent a majority of his teenage and adult life at Syracuse University and later being more American than myself (who was born there) by working on special, top secret projects for the United States Department of Defense. And we joked that we shared the same mother just different fathers. Even though people told us that he was the Indian George Clooney and I was the blonde Tom Cruise.
But the real question was how could something or anything begin so beautifully, full of promise, respect, and passion. Then lose it all?
And my thoughts instantly transferred to my trip to South Africa tomorrow night. My God, could something so beautiful end so horribly?
continue reading on SoulParking.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment