Losing My Backbone

The night of the USA-Ghana match in the World Cup I went downtown Ghent, Belgium to watch on a big-screen TV on a city square. There were about 300 to 400 people there for the match and the atmosphere was electric. Although the African support for Ghana outnumbered the few Americans there, that was no big deal and I had no sense of any potential problems no matter who won.

The same cannot be said for those of other nationalities that were there. There were a group of Moraccans sitting together who were obviously not going to be rooting for the States that night and during the match, since I was wearing a USA soccer shirt and hat, some ignorant Belgian walked by, looked at me and said United States of F***G America. While there is no doubt some of it was in my head I was reminded of why I sometimes feel uncomfortable exposing my nationality over here.

Most of Belgium was pro-Ghana in that match. This in itself is not surprizing since Belgium has long had ties to sub-Sahara Africa (both good and bad) and there is a large immigrant community in Belgium from places like the Congo, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. Nonetheless, the mood on that plain was very clear where the alliances were and that included full-blooded Belgians. What were their reasons?

Based on history and politics it seems Belgians have a lot of reasons to be pro-American. I won't even go as far back as WWII as that is so cliché and I know Europeans are getting sick of being reminded of their debt from 70 years ago. However, it is very “present-time” to remind Belgians that our presence helped end the Cold War peacefully, NATO Headquarters is getting a new complex paid for largely by US tax dollars and that most Americans who come to Belgium invest and contribute a lot more to the local economy than the average African, who is more likely to be here to reap the benefits of a generous social system paid for by the Belgian taxpayer.

I really don't want anyone reading this to think I expect the rest of the world to root for us in sports. However, I don't see why a sporting event has to turn into soapbox for people to express their anti-Americanism. What is it that makes this guy think that walking by me and saying something offensive and povacative is acceptable?

Since the 70s and 80s and some high-profile hijackings of airlines and cruise-liners there have been times where being an American exposed you to a higher-level of risk. I suppose I wasn't in any real danger that night, but the very fact I was made to feel uncomfortable in this setting in a Western European country just confirms that something is messed up.

I would even dare suggest that Belgians and citizens of many other countries in Western Europe have lost the ability to think for themselves. They live in fear of what their societies have become and feel powerless to do anything about it. Everything they do has to be based on a “politically-correct” basis. Who determines the standards of what is “politically-correct” is another matter. When more Belgians are willing to refer to the U.S.A. as a Great Satan than admit they are tired of North Africans milking their society dry then they obviously have no back-bone anymore. It is a lot easier to criticize someone who won't run into your streets and break your store windows or set your cars on fire.

Then again, maybe I am the one without the backbone. I have so adapted myself to this situation that I no longer embrace my American nationality publicly, reserving it for a football match once every 4 years and then with reservations. It bothers me to the point that I have doubts about my own national identity or even how I would react in certain situations. I'm worried I would turn into the Apostle Peter; “deny, deny deny”...and this makes me an Angry Man.