Commentary from the British Exchange Students

The American people have been bleeding media coverage from their ears and eyes for the last eighteen-months as the Presidential Election has approached. Pounded senseless with statistics, heated debates, and multitudes of other facets from the race, the American people have been wrapped up in the what the nation fundamentally stands for and who exactly they are.
Thus, with so much self-analysis, a reflection on American culture and the election itself from the perspective of the British exchange students McClatchy recently hosted, provided some fresh and interesting commentary.
The three exchange students spoken to were: Natasha, Iohan, and Will. Each of them are from Manchester and are seventeen years-old. When initially asked what they generally thought about the culture just at McClatchy, Natasha commented, “People have group discussions in classes here. They are more eager to talk and give their opinion. I prefer it to the English way where our teachers have to call on us to respond otherwise it’s just awkward silence.” This ushered the group conversation/interview into a discussion about the way Americans, to them, seem less introverted in expressing themselves. Whether this was putting their input into a class discussion, singing on the street, or starting up a conversation in the grocery line, Americans overall to them seemed to be more demonstrative.
As the conversation gravitated towards the subject of American politics and the comparison to English politics, Will initially commented that, “back home it is a bit more professional.” The three expanded, however, that Trump being elected reassured the American philosophy and ideal that anything is possible here. It was a bitter-sweet comment. Iohan remarked, “He proved that in America anybody could really run for President and win even. In England, qualifications and regulations are much more rigid.” They let across the idea that it was both a negative and positive of American culture.
On the topic of the lash-back the election has received and the extreme polarized divisions between citizens, they attributed the extreme factions to the American attitude they identified earlier. The desire to share an opinion and to stand by it, they felt, was rooted in what has seemingly split the nation. Natasha concluded, “I feel like the views here are more extreme and that’s why America has seen the divisions it has lately.” The notion of American conviction being both a highlight and downfall of the culture resonated with accuracy.
Natasha, Iohan, and Will all also commented on their nation’s own recent controversial politics. They discussed Brexit and even drew a parallel between it and Trump’s election. “I think just like with Brexit it wasn’t real to people. Then they were like ‘Oh lord did we actually just do that’ when they realized afterword what they’d just done.”
Their observation on the entirety of American culture and the recent election was a combined comedy and insight. They painted a picture from an outside perspective that examined our nation with a casual, but exposing fashion.