The rest is secret -- secret, do you hear?
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Foreigners take note: There are two keys to understanding Americans
(that is, people from the USA). I know Barzun said that the key to
America was baseball. He was sort of right - baseball is cricket done
right. It is an almost endlessly subtle game (but then, so is
American Football), with roles both clearly defined and endlessly
varied (look up the definition of a 'double switch' some time). But
here's my take.
Cartoon character: Almost every culture has a character that
its members believe embody themselves. For the USA, foreigners think
this character is Mickey Mouse. Mickey is well-meaning but clumsy,
nice but not too bright. But that's not how we think of ourselves.
Our self-character is Bugs Bunny. Bugs is smart, sneaky, quick to
panic, ingenious, doesn't play by the rules (including those of
physics, when it suits him), and he almost always wins. That's us.
You can scare us, even put us in a bad position, but we're gonna come
back. We might change the game on you, but in the end we'll win it.
Bugs is a far more descriptive character for the USA.
Motto: Foreigners might think the US motto is "In God We
Trust", or "E Pluribus Unum", or even "We'll give you food and money,
but piss us off and we'll bomb your cities" (thanks to Robin
Williams). But that's not it, folks. The motto of the USA comes from
a science fiction writer, of all things, a guy who wrote simple
stories that influence popular culture to this day -- Robert
Heinlein. In his "Lazarus Long" stories he coined the phrase that is
most certainly the US motto. I lay it upon you thus. No charge.
