The "Average" American

[Traz-KOE]

Does the term "average" even have any useful meaning when applied to many qualitative variables over a large population?

To answer the questions that have repeatedly been asked:

I eat fast food more than I should, but I also excercise regularly. I'm not proud of my eating habits (being a student living on a student's budget and time constraints), but by the same token I manage to not be more than a little overweight. I am not the fat slobbery fleshbag you seem to picture me as.

I am not the most informed person in the world, but I do try to keep up. When an issue comes up that I have little knowledge of I prefer to do my own research rather than ignorantly and stubbornly parroting the party line.

I am a registered Democrat, and using lables rapidly approaching obsolete I consider myself to be socially liberal and fiscally moderate. I am registered to vote, and will do so according to my beliefs, which may or may not correspond to those of my registered affiliation.

I am not ignorant of what goes on in the world around me. Much of what I do not know stems from a lack of available information and an accompanying lack of time to do research on what is not widely available. I am sympathetic to the issues faced by nations other than my own, but more often than not the need to make sure I have food and a safe place to sleep, do well in my schooling, and work towards fulfilling my ambitions in life take precidence over what happens thousands of miles away.

I live in the state of Washington now, but I was born and raised in California. I do not like tofu. I never lived on a beach. Disneyland was never closer than a seven-hour drive. I don't surf.

My favorite sport is football (not soccer). I watch baseball with passing interest, and like to participate in most outdoor sports, but think professional athletes are paid too much.

I take some things in my life for granted once in a while, but by and large I am grateful for everything I have. I am not the greedy corporate money-man that has come to be associated with Americans.

I speak two languages, a smattering of phrases in a few more, and lament that I cannot fit language classes into my schedule.

I can find my country on a map.

I can find your country on a map.

I don't live on a sunny estate, spending my time finding creative ways to inflict and enforce my views on the rest of the world. I live in the basement of a reasonably-sized house with my roommate and his daughter, spending my time finding creative ways to balance homework, studying, volunteer work, daily routine, and recreation, all while still having time to sleep and write this rebuttal regarding the "average" American.