Fullbore Friday

For those who have lived overseas, especially in Europe, it is always fun to watch others try to get their mind around the American character. In good time and bad - in fits and starts - there is something in aggregate "different" about us that others just don't "get."

There are lots of theories. I am partial to Hindenburg's theory about the fact that every upstart, unsettled, and stiff-spined boy and girl from each village came here. I think that is part of it.

I also think that the story of my genetics - the the millions with similar - add a bit to it as well; you name the rebellion in England, Scotland, and Ireland from the 1600s on - my bloodline was on the losing side and came here either as a prisoner or escaping a noose. My kids have some of their Mom's itchy French, Hindengurg's Germans, along with the few surviving American Indians with a healthy dose of rough early English immigrants that settled the South and the resulting fun mixtures that come from that dirt-floor cracka' bunch.

For the rest of the nation, throw in there Puritan seekers, Russian Anarchists, angry-Irish, hungry Italians, the strong-willed survivors of African slavery, broad-shouldered Central Europeans, ambitious Asians, and the plucky Latin Americans with the need to travel ... and you have a funky mix of type-A personalities who are a bit flinty, stubborn, and hard-headed. That is just the genetics.

Put in the fact that we are a nation held together not by the normal things - race, ethnicity, geography - no, just ideas - just concepts - ideas and concepts formed by a people who have known injustice, oppression, and tyranny - their own and others - and decided it was not to their liking.

There are plenty of places in our history where you can see glimpses of our nature - both inside our borders and outside. The bridge at Concord, Nat Turner's rebellion, Picket's charge, Adobe Walls, .... we could go on and on.

Last Tuesday was the anniversary of something that we understand well ... though can't explain. The Battle of the Alamo.

The link above is as good as any for details and the movie made last decade was not pure history, but fine as well.

Americans. We're a funky bunch; but that is just our nature.



Hat tip MS.