I always learn a lot when I spend time outside of the US, often from unexpected sources. This week I\u2019ve been in Nairobi meeting with business leaders and academics from Africa and other parts of the world, and also chatting for some everyday Kenyans on the street.<\/p>\n
Kenya ranks in the middle of Africa\u2019s 50+ nations in terms of per capita income\u2014below $2000\u2014but is showing some signs of development. The people are generally friendly. Infrastructure development is spotty, and the country still has a ways to go economically.<\/p>\n
On one occasion, a local asked where I was from. I told him I was an American. He smiled and commented, \u201cOh, the land of Obama. He visited Kenya last summer.\u201d I asked what Kenyans thought of our country and our president, and he replied, \u201cWe like Obama. He will do a lot for us [Kenya] and make things [fairer] around the world. We like Americans, but there is a lot of racism in your county. Why do most white people there hate black people?\u201d I explained that most while people aren\u2019t racist; how else would we have elected a black president? He smiled and continued, \u201cBut we hear that racism is a serious problem in the US, with lots of crime against black people. Even police are killing black people, like in Kenya in the past. Obama says he\u2019s going to change the laws.\u201d I spent the next few minutes trying to unravel his misperceptions, but three specific parts of his comments are worth unpacking.<\/p>\n
First, this man said, \u201cwe hear\u201d numerous times. I asked where he and other Kenyans get their information and he mentioned TV and the Internet. As for TV, Kenyans have access to CNN-International, the BBC, and Sky News (UK). In my view, CNN-I is largely anti-American. Whether it\u2019s a special report of the lack of universal healthcare in the US, the spiraling gun violence \u201ccaused\u201d by unenlightened gun-toters, or general malfeasance in corporate America, CNN-I never seems at a loss for reasons to question the American way of life and its institutions. The BBC is leftist as well, but more credible and not anti-US per se. Sky News is the only balanced alternative, but it\u2019s clearly in third place in terms of reach. It\u2019s no wonder why those whose view of the US is molded by American news outlets see the country in a negative light.<\/p>\n
Second, this man compared alleged US racism to Kenya\u2019s past. Kenya became a republic in 1963. It is true that colonialism in Kenya\u2014like the rest of Africa\u2014had racial overtones. The idea that law enforcement officials in the US are killing innocent African-Americans because of their race, like some Europeans did on occasion to Africans in the past, is appalling. I recall the case that Dinesh D\u2019Souza made for Obama as an anti-colonialist, and I couldn\u2019t help but to connect some dots here.<\/p>\n
Finally, this man referred to Obama\u2019s effort to change the law, specifically in terms of gun control. While the President is careful to avoid such terminology\u2014only Congress can change the law\u2014it is clear that he seeks to do so and that many outside of the US see through his rhetoric. Ironically, in promoting live coverage of the President\u2019s speech on the topic, a BBC anchor actually used the same \u201cchange the law\u201d phrase.<\/p>\n
My conversation tells a lot about how the US is viewed outside of our borders. I try not to criticize American leaders while in other countries. I promote American ideals and counter media bias as best I can, but it\u2019s an uphill battle. There seem to be few clear, consistent, and articulate proponents of liberty and free enterprise in the US and abroad these days. American foreign aid used to be seen an attempt to spread freedom; it\u2019s now seen as legitimate global wealth redistribution.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll close with another encounter I had. A Kenyan street vendor I met pointed to his injured hand and said that medical treatment to fix it is available in the US even if you can\u2019t afford it. He referred to the work that Operation Smile has done with kids with a clef palate. As he put it, \u201cYou\u2019re lucky to be born an American.\u201d Indeed, free societies not only create wealth, but their people look for ways to share it voluntarily<\/em> to make the world a better place. \u00a0Perhaps there is some hope after all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I always learn a lot when I spend time outside of the US, often from unexpected sources. This week I\u2019ve been in Nairobi meeting with business leaders and academics from Africa and other parts of the world, and also chatting for some everyday Kenyans on the street. Kenya ranks in the middle of Africa\u2019s 50+ […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/battle4liberty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/battle4liberty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/battle4liberty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battle4liberty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battle4liberty.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/battle4liberty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/battle4liberty.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battle4liberty.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battle4liberty.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}