It just doesn't Translate:
Explaining the Election Overseas
Dear Rudy,
In about a week I shall embark on another trip to India. (I cannot
remember whether this is my seventh or eighth trip.) I love it there.
It's magical and mystical and yet so heart stopping and chaotic. I am
drawn back again and again.
A few years ago I was in India when the Monica Lewinsky scandal
broke. I'd be sitting around a table with new friends when suddenly
someone would realize I was an American and immediately want to know
my opinion on Bill and Monica. Most Europeans scoffed and laughed
over the issue, because that kind of stuff is common in their
countries. No one ever makes a big deal of it.
My upcoming trip should definitely offer some flavorful memories,
particularly of conversations I'm sure I'll have about the election.
Indians love to talk politics, and this election will provide fodder
for lively discussions. Those long train rides I'll be taking will be
anything but boring. The events surrounding the election have shocked
me, leaving me feeling a bit embarrassed. This is something I would
expect to happen in India, Yugoslavia or Russia, but not in my own
United States of America.
The past few days have caused me to think about how to answer the
question: "How could that have happened in America?" I don't know
what to say. Politics aside, how COULD that have happened here?
Judi
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