Comments on: We Are All Ambassadors Now

By: Hans

Hans — Sat, 04 Dec 2004 08:24:48 +0000

I hope I’m right in remembering the latest polls show that Americans are still very well liked in Europe (in France, too). The low esteem is reserved for the actual administration and it its foreign policy. And I also believe that this argument is more of interest in Metro America than in Europe.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Sat, 04 Dec 2004 08:15:28 +0000

Cheap stereotypes of the Bush administration aside, there are reasons for non-Americans to be concerned with some of the policies of the War on Terror. Conveniently suspending certain rights and privileges which can be traced to Lackland’s charter in 1215, while not without precedent, should be cause for concern. Frankly, I have been more annoyed with Mr. Bush’s apparent incompetence than anything, but he certainly does symbolize much of what the world wrongly, and, more importantly, rightly loathes about our beloved country. We ought remember that soft power is, in the end, the source of most hard power and that international law is the only insurance we have for when America is no longer “number one”.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 04 Dec 2004 00:15:23 +0000

The dollar buys so little now in London that I think they have found a way to get even with us for dumping their tea in Boston.

By: yabartleby

yabartleby — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 19:31:10 +0000

yabartleby,
If you’re interested in “smirky little trolls” , the mirror is over thataway….
Anti-Americanism as an growing organizing principle that substitutes for Marxism as the “religion of the disaffected” has been commented on in many places, both right and left. It’s a vital subject, not least given the growing neo-marxist/neo-fascist/Islamist affinities we’re seeing in its wake.
Orgabnized hate quite concerns some of us. At least, those of us not already poisoned by it, as you are.
RE: Paul’s opening quote, modern anti-Americanism does indeed draw on old and consistent European resentments. Frankly, it’s hard not to see Europe’s attitude as the former “proper people” wondering how all the peasant trash they though they were glad to be rid of has been turning around and surpassing them in area after area for the last 150 years.
Just imagine what all these people could have achieved in and for a Europe that gave them the same opportunities to make full use of their talents.
Europe’s answer is, of course, to get over themselves, get better management, and let the results speak for themselves. Americans had to do that in the 1980s, once they realized that Japan had some answers they didn’t. Europe can do it too.
This is unlikely to happen without a major crisis, it seems, but the coming collision of demographics, finances, and the European nanny-state looks all set to provide one. Not, alas, without a lot of projection, blaming, and hate of a sort we’ve seen there before served up on the side. Alas.
One more reason that it’s important to be a citizen-diplomat – to strengthen the reasonable centre and those who refuse to hate, wherever one goes.

By: yabartleby

yabartleby — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 19:21:47 +0000

“Geesh”? That’s crushing. Suddenly I see I DO hate your freedom, Darwin was a crank and heliocentrism’s looking dodgy.

By: Finlay

Finlay — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 19:07:36 +0000

Geesh, what an asshole.

By: yabartleby

yabartleby — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 17:31:52 +0000

anti-Americanism is a theory of international relations, social justice and moral sentiments that postulates that every ill, grievance and injustice can be traced back to the United States.

True, if one follows one fork of the genuine ambiguity in this paragraph: anti-Americanism is a theory of international relations – a theory propounded by shallower right-wingers. It is slightly more sophisticated than “They hate our freedom”. Does it give you no pause that almost (not forgetting Poland!) every foreign populace wanted Bush gone by enormous majorities? One reason from a very long list: Bush and his cronies lock people up indefinitely without trial and torture them. They are not ashamed of this. They seem to think it’s manly. You re-elected the smirky little troll.

Re. “predominance”, this European is not very much in awe of your wealth. Your billionaires live “well” but the median American seems increasingly trapped in debt, ignorance and rat-like industry. As for your power, well that is mostly military now, isn’t it, and while I wouldn’t put a second Normandy invasion past W the Brits and the Frogs have got the bomb. See how well you’re doing with N Korea and Iran now. And you don’t really make much we want to buy anymore, though I would miss my PowerBook.