Anti-Americanism
Thursday, December 15th, 2005 -- J. DoeMany foreigners living abroad have been asked if personally they have felt the effects of anti-americanism. Usually the answer is no.
That may be because:
- they are just lucky to be surrounded by non-anti-American people.
- many anti-Americans are not really anti-American when it comes to the American people, but to American policies, be they foreign or economic
- they just don’t understand the language the anti-American people (as happened to me when I met an Osama Bin Laden fan outside a Doctor’s office who was speaking with a heavy accent and all I could do was smile blankly -after all he was smiling at me)
Wikipedia defines Anti-Americanism as a consistent hostility towards the government, culture, or people of the United States of America. Anti-Americanism is often described as a phenomenon that is uniformly hostile to the United States independently of the real attributes of the nation, and thus has characteristics of a distinct ideology.
According to GlennGreenwald this definition is lacking. It is just not enough. He defines Anti-Americanism as “an inclination to blame America for every world problem, and to vigilantly search for America’s guilt while downplaying, ignoring, or excusing the guilt of its enemies.”
“The countries which the European Left makes a passionate cause of defending - from the Palestinian Authority to Iran and Syria, not to mention Cuba, China and multiple other historic Communist regimes — routinely imprison and/or execute people without any due process, for reasons ranging from criticism of the Government to adultery and homosexuality. None of that sparks “outrage among Europeans,” because none of that provides an opportunity to depict the United States as the world’s real evil. As a result, the European Left is uninterested in it.
And therein lies the embodiment and definition of “anti-Americanism”: the parmaount desire to find fault and evil with the U.S. and thereby adopting that goal as the first and only real principle, from which everything else follows. That goal is then fulfilled by selectively and endlessly highlighting and exaggerating America’s faults and downplaying, ignoring and even defending far worse flaws in others. In its most virulent (and quite common) form, this extends to making common cause with the most abusive and genuinely evil regimes and movements around the world, whose only virtue — the only one the European Left needs — is that they are opposed by the U.S.
This is a deeply dishonest and manipulative syndrome, having nothing whatever to do with the principles to which its adherents claim fidelity. Indeed, their supposed “principles” (human rights, the sanctity of human life, individual liberty) are simply weapons, pretexts, used to promote the only real principle they have - that the U.S. is a uniquely corrupt and evil country. And the reason one knows that to be the case is because these same individuals systematically overlook and even excuse far more severe violations of their ostensible principles when perpetrated by the countries and governments with which they inexcusably sympathize (sympathy which itself can be explained by a desire to sit in opposition to any and every American interest).”
Read the rest of this excellent post here.
Many of my neighbors here in California are anti-American.
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Thanks
Starsailor
Sir,
The anti-America people are also anti-neighbor, if their neighbor if different than they are. Not wanting to work hard, they are also anti-hard working people. Not being willing to spend money for military defense, they are against those that defend themselves (and defend them).
Not only does this mean they will be anti-American, they will be anti-immigrant (those that they brought in to do the work), anti-Chinese (who are out-manufacturing them) and anti-other country (the French will once again hate the Germans and vice versa).
This sorry state of affairs makes one think somewhat pessimistically about the future of the human race. But then the definition of a pessimist is: “An optimist that has acquired some experience”.
Hi Ray,
I really like your definition of a pessimist. An optimist with experience. How true! Many things change with experience.
if 49 % votes yes to Bush ,that makes me skip half the nation, without thinking from my side.
The other halve gets the benifit of the doubts , but
even democrats are right winged to our perspecive, but then again , we have a headstart of a centuries.
25 % of all energy is consumed by 10 % of all americans, most people in prison per population in this planet , donates a dime to aid, spends ten times as much on guns as the opponents.. I see no clashes, demonstrations,or opposition,70/80 % was never outside his country or has a passport,shalll I continue.. naah I’better stop,,
but for the remaining good ones , a big thumbs up ,
everything taken with a little grain of salt , all americans are welcomed,my country is far from
perfect as well. Have good evening,
Greetz from the netherlands..
“even democrats are right winged to our perspecive”
No doubt about it.
“25 % of all energy is consumed by 10 % of all americans”
“donates a dime to aid, spends ten times as much on guns as the opponents”
Any links to prove it ?
“I see no clashes, demonstrations,or opposition”
Huh ?
“70/80 % was never outside his country or has a passport”
AND ? What’s the point ?
“naah I’better stop”
Yes, in this case I agree with you.
I see that this post was about you too.
“my country is far from perfect as well”
And mine (Italy) is a complete mess.
“Have good evening”
Merry Christmas
you know, this makes me think a little…supposition that 70-80% of Amercans don’t have passports.. I don’t know if that’s true, might very well be. But it makes me consider the reason. Could it be that it’s just extremely difficult to get anywhere that would require a passport? We’ve got Canada (which if I’m not mistaken doesn’t require Americans to have a passport, just some decent ID) and Mexico to the south, and that’s it. America is HUGE and diverse and cheap to travel about. Travelling abroad requires air travel and is very expensive. But then of course there’s the fact that we are raised to believe that we live in the best country in the world and why would we ever wanna leave?
“even democrats are right winged to our perspecive”
Well yes, but our right-wingers aren’t as fascist as Europe’s growing racist far-right menace such as the Catholic League which actually are apologists for Mousselini.
Also, you better get used to us Americans. We are the third most populated country in the World. In two hundred years, the white European will be a footnote in history books. We use more energy, because unlike Europe, we are growing. Europeans are old and dying off.