The Expatriate

I had a discussion with a young American, now an expatriate who has lived and worked in Viet Nam for the past 6 years.  He lives on what, in this country, would be a modest salary. Yet in comparison with most of the Vietnamese, he lives comfortably and has money left over to travel around much of that part of the world.

While living in Viet Nam, he has developed a very negative view of the United States. From a distance he observes an astonishing degree of commercialism in all aspects of American society.  He says that he and his fellow expatriates don’t know how they could ever earn enough to make ends meet should they return home.  He is astounded how few services and how little assistance are provided by the U.S. government to its citizens when compared to other countries. Now on the outside looking in, he believes America should evolve into a more wealth-sharing, socialist society. 

He has no desire to return to the States. He is horrified by the rise of right-wing white-racist populism in this country and sees democracy as a crumbling institution. He asked me if I was aware that the United States is currently on a traveler’s red list.  Travelers are warned before coming to this country about its gun violence.  It seems that many don’t understand America’s cult of gun ownership. In Viet Nam there is no hunting and no private ownership of guns.

He did not glorify Viet Nam. He acknowledged that the Vietnamese are tightly controlled by regulations. Recently this included a very strict one-year lockdown during the Covid epidemic, enforced by the police and military.  He described the Vietnamese people as having a ‘me first’ mentality, scrambling to get their fair share in a country with limited resources.  Nevertheless, he likes the people of Viet Nam and noted that, despite past history, they welcome Americans to their country.

Given his negative perceptions of America, I asked him why he thought so many from around the world continue to seek immigration into this country.  He answered that America has done a good job with ‘branding’.  People are attracted to the glamor, the glitz, the images created in the movies and other popular media.  But he goes on to say that the ‘American Dream’ is a hollow sales pitch, a bait-and-switch, an empty promise. 

I didn’t always agree with what was said.  In rebuttal, I spoke in defense of our freedoms and our opportunities for success. And, despite recent trials and tribulations, I voiced my strong preference for our constitutional democracy over autocracy and dictatorship. However, I found it eye-opening to hear how America is perceived by someone who is now outside and looking in.

Not infrequently, outsiders see us very differently than we see ourselves. I often think about my conversation with this young man, what I heard, what I thought about, and what I learned. When we put aside our insider perspective long enough to listen to the perspective of the outsider, we may hear some opinions with which we disagree.  We may also hear some opinions worthy of our serious consideration.