Who's 'Cray Cray'?

I just had a scan of yahoo.com, which I continue to hold as the bell weather of what America is really thinking. It turns out America is crazy. Here is a sampling of headlines:

“Druglord’s daughter to give birth in the US”

“3 dead and 3 wounded in Ohio Apartment Shooting”

“Walmart moms give narrow edge to Obama”

Oh the commentary I have on each one of these gems.

So I’m trying to figure out why Libya crazy feels different and restrictive even. Is it cultural? Yes, definitely. Despite being a self-proclaimed anthropological gender specialist, I giggled and took a picture of an Abaya shop today. The Arab perspective on women is very challenging for a Western mind. But before I go getting all judgmental, I must admit it’s not all bad news. Women are pioneers in Libya too. Is it political? Well, having been here for a bit, the answer might be yes, but the jury is still out on what political space will look like here. It seems to be trending Islamist, but many are quick to point out that this does not mean extremists will take over.

Or, do Americans have too much freedom? Of course there’s no such thing, but when I click on OMG website (yes, I chose to do that) and see the headline “Honey Boo Boo is Cray Cray in LA,” I can’t help but think that maybe there is a limit and that limit might be televising obese child beauty queens. But it does seem that American freedom is where I tend to hitch big differences to when I travel. It is a wonderful difference that, ok, sometimes we don’t use to the best of our potential. But I feel truly able to say (almost) anything and do anything within the (mostly) fair rule of law.

Maybe to save myself from liberal and anthropological guilt, I can also say that I maximize my American freedom, because it is familiar to me. It is my culture (except for the beauty brat). Navigating rights in Libya or other foreign places is not easy for an outsider. Indeed, contrary to popular belief and political opportunists, it’s a party here right now in Libya, especially compared to the previous regime hosted by the O.G. evil dictator. There is much talk about “liberation,” and the women I talk to are excited about opportunities more so than concerned about challenges.

Is freedom in the eye of the beholder? No, I think we must hold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the standard for all of humanity. But how those rights are made available to and embraced by different nations, classes and ethnicities is crucial to their success.