This past weekend, I took a trip to the U.S Embassy building in New York City. The experience opened up my eyes to international gatherings I didn’t know much about. It was amazing to see a room full of chairs- not one country left out- where major worldly discussions would take place. However, I was surprised about the out dated furniture and lack of a modern feeling the building gave. I expected to walk into a luxurious, modern facility in which the U.S kept up to date in order to impress all countries that visited.
As I thought about it, I realized that the U.S is famous for spending $1.10 when it only has a dollar. To modernize the Embassy building would not only destroy the history, but also give less developed countries a sense of inferiority. It would be waving our riches in their faces. Then they must go back to their broken down government buildings. The United States has made a good political move to suck up their pride and not feel the need to show off.
Although I must admit, the elevators are a bit scary and could be modernized, I respect the United States’ decision to preserve the history. As of recently, the U.S Embassy building has been going through renovations. I’ll be keeping my eye on the process to see how much of the Embassy actually gets touched. If we go all out, hopefully we don’t offend any third world countries. I'm not one to over react about political correctness, but our country's image in the eyes of the world is surely an important issue.
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