This is about my experiences as a young man from a small country town in Michigan. I was naive with no life experiences with cultural diversity until I joined the Marine Corps. My first few years was an eye opener.
Reflection did not come until the following morning after I returned to the Marine Corp Base in Okinawa, Japan. With my Thanksgiving postcard in my hand, I thought of the poor, starving young child back in the Philippines. I ask you, when was the last time you thought of someone else in need before your own selfish desires? Probably just like most Americans including myself, when it slaps you in the face.
I thought about my Thanksgiving meal, with my plate overflowing with food, while knowing that this child and many other children from poor nations can’t even comprehend having just a portion of what I had on my plate, A small percentage of Philippines eat dog and cat meat. Prostitution and begging seem to be everywhere. I constantly heard stories of American service members trading peanut butter and cigarettes for sex. The stories I have heard and experiences I have witnessed brings to mind that basic needs are biological; food, water, shelter, and safety from individuals who take advantage of the repressed. I realized that it wasn’t the money I had that this child was upset about. Maybe I was incredibly naïve. I had plenty for wants, while he had nothing for his needs or should I say nothing tangible for exchange of food, shelter, and shoes for his feet. If a soldier had on a pair of Nike shoes and was walking a side street, his chances of having a bullet in his back and his shoes taken was a real possibility. Althusser helps support my claim with this thought. According to Althusser (2006), “It follows that, in order to exist
1. The existing relations of production” (p. 86) That child from the Philippines has learned dependence on helping hands of his repressors. His repressors are his own unstable government along with the occupancy of the United States military. An imperialistic society does not give return resources to independently reproduce production with out a vested interest in return. We could use the country of Dar Far for example. What does this country have to offer the United States in exchange for helping the families affected by genocide? The imperialistic society has a great deal to gain for repression such as cheap labor and forced sexual favors for food and money.
Nicely written, with an important message, Chris. Well done 
-M
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