‘Even if you’re not American, everyone became an American that day,’ Bono, the pop group leader has been reported to say. I like to exercise my grey cells. What would my picture of Americans be, should Bono be the representation?
One to try evoke populist emotions. One to have never been there and trying to do for a sage. Wherever Bono was on the September the eleventh it was not the area of the burning buildings. Easy to see, the guy lives quite a relaxed lifestyle. I would also have to think that Americans are people to go about a simple key in guitar playing and they would not mind sounding cloudy singing ‘gloria’ (after all, this could be only Latin).
Popular taste happens to be low level. It never survives more than a hundred years. I could bet money that U2 is not going to mean much in 2112 (nope, I don’t expect to live that long, there’re charities and foundations). Mr. Bono feels like he’s some kind of a grace. He identifies with you. He knows this should make you happy.
I won’t be happy. My interest with American English would have never progressed but real Americans. I am not an American. I have learned and spoken American for some thirty years now. Why? Why don’t you listen to the jazz corner of the world (the Birdland corner). Quincy Jones. Back on the Block. Real folks.
‘Hey, yo got hit. I’m proud of you’, Mr. Bono would be actually saying. He wouldn’t feel like mutuality in pride, would he? 
