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What is anti-Americanism?
Published on October 18, 2004 By Draginol In Philosophy

Predictably, when someone talks about anti-Americanism the far left will begin distorting it to sound like that if you criticize your country then you are "UnAmerican".  Pretty soon, the original point is turned into a charactiture of itself and the original author's points are ridiculed into oblivion.

Criticizing the policies of your country does not make you unpatriotic. Not agreeing with the US President doesn't make you anti-American.  The intellectually lazy may find it appealing to hide their anti-Americanism behind principled disagreement on policy. But most people with common sense understand there is a difference between disagreeing with US policy on some issue and being anti-American.

So here's a quick guide:

You might be anti-American IF:

  1. You think the average American is "stupid" or "a sheep" or "brain washed".
  2. You prefer law be made by appointed judges rather than elected officials.
  3. You think of the United States, as a whole, to be "the greatest threat to world peace".
  4. You think American culture is a grotesque cancer spreading across the world.
  5. You think that the United States is the greatest threat to the environment.
  6. You think that the United States kind of "had it coming" on 9/11 because of years of its "foreign policy"
  7. You hope that the United States "loses" in Iraq.
  8. You would like to see China or Russia or the European Union act as a "counter balance" to the US militarily
  9. You consider Bush, Clinton, or any other US President a "War criminal"
  10. You believe that US-style capitalism is a force for global ruin, individual degradation, or environmental catastrophe

You'll note that none of these 10 items involves criticizing a US policy. Or voting for a particular presidential candidate. Or even what kind of car you drive.

Someone who is anti-American is probably not as likely to buy an American made car as someone else.  But not owning an American made car doesn't make you anti-American (I realize this should be obvious but based on some of the things I've read in response to my article this basic bit of logic seems to elude some people).  Driving to some anti-Bush protest in your Volvo with your "No blood for oil" sign may be SYMPTOMS of being Anti-American but these things in themselves do not make someone anti-American.

You'll also note that there is a difference between being anti-American and Un-American.  Thinking that the US deserves to be attacked by terrorists is different than being in favor of say laws that censor critics of the government.  The former would be a symptom of anti-Americanism and the latter would be a symptom of being un-American in my opinion.

That's my 2 cents on it anyway. 


Comments (Page 3)
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on Oct 25, 2004
I note however that your list also simply exaggerates and distorts what the left have said about the US etc. so that they sound anti-american.Sometimes I wonder what's the point in debating: neither side seems to be bothered listening to each other, they just look to score points. But then, scoring points is so much fun isn't it!
on Oct 28, 2004
I don't think I've exagerated anything. I have seen people say that the average American is a "stupid sheep". I have seen people say that "you Americans deserved 9/11 and more!" There are plenty of people who hope the US loses in Iraq (Something like 30% of the French in a recent poll for instance).
on Oct 28, 2004
There are plenty of people who hope the US loses in Iraq (Something like 30% of the French in a recent poll for instance


Well, yes, but it's hardly a surprise that foreigners are anti-American, particularly the French. The French don't think the Americans are grateful enough for French help in the War of Independence and the Americans don't think the French are grateful enough for American help in WWII. That it's only 30% is a big surprise for me. I always thought the antagonism went deeper than that.

Sure, Americans call their fellow citizens sheep. But many of them seem to be fattening themselves up instead of fattening up livestock; maybe many Americans don't quite understand their role in the foodchain.
on Oct 29, 2004
Excellent!

How would you rate giving comfort to the enemy in time of war?
on Oct 29, 2004
Excellent!

How would you rate giving comfort to the enemy in time of war?
on Oct 29, 2004
Criticizing the President's policies is certainly not Un-American. However, the unrelenting personal criticism of President Bush over the past year; telling the world that Bush and the entire government he assembled is evil, out for personal gain, etc., is wrong.

We are still winning the war. The terriorists quote Ted Kennedy and John Kerry almost every day. They and their cohorts have chosen politics over support for the war effort. Their changed opinions clearly show their lack of respect for the truth.

Imagine if the Democrats had stood with the war effort a year ago. If terrorists had heard Kerry, kennedy, et al. saying that we are coming after you. I believe the war would be won by now and less lives would have been lost in Iraq.
on Oct 30, 2004
Yeah, you believe that because you have absolutely no understanding of why the terrorists do what they do. They couldn't care less about who's in the White House.
on Oct 31, 2004
You would like to see China or Russia or the European Union act as a "counter balance" to the US militarily
THere's nothing anti American about having equilibrium among powers, unless your construing "...balance" as counter attack.
on Oct 31, 2004
how about just being a person first?
on Nov 02, 2004
There aretwo different issues that ate being conflated in the Blog by Draginol. First, American civil society, its culture, its values and of course, pop culture are not red rags to anyone. One may have an opinion on any of these issues and a negative opinion does not make anyone anti american.

Now, USA and its military, its Pentagon, ots CIA, its corporations and vested interests are an entirely different issue. I do not think that if the American media reports the War in Iraq half fairly, you will find anyone supporting that war.

Finally, if American Presidents are above international law is that not incentive to sighhn the International Protocol on the Court ofCriminal Justice.
on Nov 05, 2004
Where do I begin? To start, how does the "far left" make anything sound "UnAmerican"? Next off, I qualify under 9 of those qualifications, so I must be bin Laden. Wait, no, I live in the heartland! Your article is BS and you need to watch the news, or learn, or get out from under your rock. If you agree with me, look at my blog, cause there's more.
on Nov 06, 2004
I have to say that the premise of your article is un-american. If someone says yes to any of your questions you say that those opinions are anti-american. It is their right to disagree with you, the government or whoever. First Amendment.
It was John Ashcroft who made comments about "remaining silent" and I don't think he's on the far left.
Here is the exact quote from his Congressional testimony:
We need honest, reasoned debate; not fearmongering. To those who pit Americans against immigrants, and citizens against non-citizens; to those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty; my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists - for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give ammunition to America's enemies, and pause to America's friends. They encourage people of good will to remain silent in the face of evil.

And it's pretty easy to guess when he's referring to "those who scare peace-loving people with the phantoms of lost liberty" he was reffering to those who opposed the Patriot Act.
on Nov 07, 2004
shut the fuck up moron.
on Nov 07, 2004
steevlane, not sure which moron you mean (maybe me?), but a real compelling argument you make there.
on Nov 07, 2004

The terriorists quote Ted Kennedy and John Kerry almost every day


if you were to add up every instance of a person quoting john kerry in the past year, bush would top the list.  and that was just the soundbites.


 

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