My anxiety over his safety is clearly mollified by reading an article by him after the fact--so I am left confused by the definite patriotism of his gratitude.
I think because he's all stressed out about being about to travel overseas for the first time in his life. The man's in his mid-30s and never been anywhere he couldn't communicate in English. And he's going by himself, not as part of an organized thing, or meeting friends or anything.
He would have been okay in Europe, too (an old friend of mine fell ill with toxic shock syndrome on a school trip to Switzerland, got excellent care in Lausanne), but it would have been even more scary than it was here. Or so I read it.
I guess first time travelling abroad gives you the shakes if you leave it for a while, but:
It did not escape my mind that in some other place I might have died. This is not chest-thumping or jingoism. It is a fact of my residency.
Is going to confuse me, because there was nothing I understand as American in his rescue. Yes, in some other place he might have died, and that some other place could be anywhere in the US.
He had a very close call and that often leaves people misty-eyed. What I read was gratitude for the kindness of strangers, and the knowledge that in a different time/place he might not have gotten it.
and the knowledge that in a different time/place he might not have gotten it.
Perfectly true. Still don't see what that has to do with the US, though.
I'm willing to bet that 90% of the time (or more) when someone says, "Only in America!" it's not actually true.
So is he that kind of guy? That calls out jingoism and then steps in it anyway?
But if there's a deep-fried twinkie involved, it probably is.
Here's a different kind of train story. [link]
So is he that kind of guy? That calls out jingoism and then steps in it anyway?
I can't speak to Coates specifically, but I think most people could be "that kind of guy" at least on occasion.
