Open letter to my fellow Americans

Dear Americans,

The world is watching you. The world always has been watching you. They watched you far before 9/11, and they're still watching. People watch what your President does, how he negotiates, how he smiles, what he has to say to them. They watch to see what you're wearing, where you shop, how you talk, how your society is portrayed in your TV series, in your movies. Unbeknownst to you, you are all on a country-sized stage with the spotlight on you. You don't look up often, and when you do, you never sense the eyes watching you from the side of the stage, trying to elucidate what's going to happen next from the muscle movement in your face, from your choice of words, or from your clothes.

You cannot turn the spotlight off, you can't step down from the stage. And while you're up there giving your performance, people are reviewing you as you go. Everyone's whispering and talking to each other, pointing, commenting, keeping track. Arguments arise, sometimes very heated ones, in the audience. Not infrequently, one section of the audience will only continue watching from the corners of their eyes and focus their attention on a bitter argument about what you just did, and whether it might be a good idea to do the same, or whether it would be treacherous and stupid. Some of the audience is paying attention because they want to be on stage too, they want to be up there giving the performance of their lives, flicking people they didn't like off and pretending to be just as unaware of the audience as you are.

Other parts of the audience feel threatened by you and how you are so flippant, even though you are on stage and everyone's watching. They don't know that when you're up there, you feel like you disappear into this mass of people and that your actions are only your own. Some in the audience have learnt how to play off of people's feelings about the whole play and can rally people around them to throw tomatoes, in addition to the individuals who spontaneously throw rotten fruit. Everyone has their own reason for watching. But everyone's watching.

I know, because I can slip off the side of the stage when only a few people are watching (like on a plane) and sit quietly in the audience, and no one will be none the wiser. And now that I'm back on stage, I'm telling you - don't pick your nose, don't pull out that wedgie, don't make a face you think no one will notice - there are so many people watching what you do that someone will see it. And the audience doesn't know you personally, they don't know who you really are - all they have to go by is your actions on stage. And there is nothing you can do about that. All you can do is learn to make big movements that are clearly visible from far away, act out what you want to communicate, and smile. Don't forget to smile. People know that under the stage is the biggest, most destructive army the world has ever seen, and the last thing they want to see is upset people jumping on top of bombs. That's why most of them are watching. Their fate is tied up with what's going on on that stage, but they can only influence what happens in indirect ways.

If you feel the urge to act on the audience's behalf, keep in mind that because everyone's watching, there is no single thing that they want or expect. You have to pick a part of the audience to focus on. And furthermore, shut up and listen whem they speak - you can't speak for someone you haven't heard speak at length. I am not saying this on behalf of the audience - I am saying this to alert you to that you are being scrutinized. Do with that information what you will, but don't forget it. And please think of your country and its reputation before you do anything at all.