A few people that will remain anonymous made a big stink over my definition of Anti-Americanism claiming that I was a “racist”!
I will drag my definition along with the video that sums it up over here for easy viewing:
Q: What is Anti-Americanism (aka Americanophobia?)
A: Anti-Americanism is *NOT* about the disapproval of Bush and the Iraqi War; it’s *NOT* about the disapproval of past wars and whatever our government has failed to do right, and it’s *NOT* about hating the Republican Conservative individuals in America. Anti-Americanism is the indiscriminate hatred toward the American people (the white folk only) as a whole regardless of any American’s political positions and voting preferences. For more clarification, watch this video. It defines Anti-Americanism in depth.
Now, let’s determine what “Racism” really means:
Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. Racial separatism is the belief, most of the time based on racism, that different races should remain segregated and apart from one another.
Racism has existed throughout human history. It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another — or the belief that another person is less than human — because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes.
Read this site for more information.
While I haven’t developed a solid opinion as to whether or not Americanophobia is a form of racism, one of my British friends, David wrote in his blog how he defines it as such.
So does Mish from New Zealand who wrote the following in my comment section – you may go here for the full story.
We can agree, perhaps, that “racism” IS an ambiguous term, but it’s hard to disagree (aside from those two cutting examples above) that it’s not overused and rather misused by insecure knee-jerk reactionaries as a crutch in an attempt to appear “morally superior” in front of the crowd because he really does feel “above all”. The formula for this knee-jerk reaction is simple:
I don’t like what you just said + you used the word “white” = You are a racist.
I don’t like what you just said + you used the word “black” = You are a racist.
Never mind the context in which the term “white” and “black” is used in. That’s irrelevant to one with an agenda. And ultimately, only HE knows what that agenda is.
However, what the mis-usage of “racism” really does is belittle those people who have actually been the target of racism and cause more friction between the masses (not less). The likes of Richard Warman automatically want to believe that someone is “racist” or “Islamophobic” even though they DON’T know what the word means! They are the cultural elitists/radical leftists, and in my opinion, the most INTOLERANT people out there! As a matter of fact, the same person that told me that I was a “racist” also unashamedly admitted to being an Americanophobic. They only care about themselves. Their “mission” to get the whole world undivided and all holding hands is disingenuous. Once again, we see the hypocrisy in Americanophobia. While Americanophobes may not be “racist”, we can all (free-thinking people) certainly agree that it’s prejudice, it’s bigotry, it’s discriminative and it’s *not right*.
Depending on where the Americanophobic person comes from, all depends on if they hate all Americans as a whole or just the white folk. My blog concentrates on the Americanophobes that live in Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Why? Because I find them to be the most vocal about it. What about the middle east? They hate us the most. This is true. But we Americans expect middle eastern countries to hate us.
If you’re going to call me a “racist”, then you better call Michael Moore, in his book, “Stupid White Men” a “racist” too. Why? Because his principles are aligned with the Americanophobic sentiment that I speak of in my blog.
Yes, he DOES point out valid flaws within the US, however, a lot of his work has been based on LIES, LIES, LIES, so have his movies!
But why just the “white man”?
Leaving Michael Moore’s book aside, when Americanophobes make blanket statements about Americans, they ARE referring to the “white man”. Please keep in mind the stereotype that you use to describe us:
nationalistic, paranoid, arrogant, fat, lazy, greedy, racist, spoiled-rich, slutty, prude, ugly, ignorant, stupid, humorless, loud, obnoxious, carbon-emitting, baby-killing, flag-waving, bible-thumping, gun-toting, inbred and self-centered hicks
Now, ask yourself if you apply this to the “white anglo-saxon protestant (WASP)” or do you apply the above including the Blacks, Mexicans, Cubans, South Americans, Asians, Haitians and all those who’ve become naturalized citizens of the US?
Perhaps some Americanophobes DO wipe that big brush over ALL Americans regardless of where they came from or what their national heritage is. But will they a-d-m-i-t to even hating the minorities and include them too?… that…. is a whole different thing. 
Americans have faces. Don’t treat us as a face-less nation.
Keep in mind, this is my opinion. While I may be wrong, I feel strongly about this issue that I bring up.
American citizens can be Asian, African, or Hispanic/Latino too. Heck, there are even naturalized citizens that have in recent times come from Canada, Australia, and Europe and the list goes on! These people are exempt from the wrath of Americanophobia because of the huge backlash (due to the strain of censorship in a politically correct society) that would result in public humiliation for the offender. They would be called a “racist” and that is the biggest nightmare of the holier-than-thou and “morally superior” multicultural elitists. The big fat greedy white American guy is always fair game because it is more socially acceptable. Remember the video that you just watched about how it’s frowned up on in Britain to slander a Chinese person? (it doesn’t matter if he’s Chinese or a Chinese American!)
In a recent conversation with a Canadian that is against Americanophobia, the following only reconfirmed what I had previously felt. She states…
In Canada, one cannot say anything derogatory about any other culture without being politically incorrect or racist. Save the natives and the Americans, who are fair game. This is so ingrained in the “Canadian” culture that Canadians cannot/ do not think for themselves. If I said “French men are rude”, then GASP – Jenny! You are so rude and judgmental and how on earth can you look yourself in the mirror stereotyping an entire country like that! Yet, someone from Ohio comes into town and all the Canadians are whispering “That fucking American. He probably doesn’t even know we have a different currency up here. He is so ignorant and rude.” There is a blatant double standard here and I get treated like a pariah when I point this out.
In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if he were a French Canadian or a French American.
The likes of Richard Warman and political correctness having gone to such an overboard extreme, prevents people from taunting Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians (that have become or are US citizens) in the streets of Britain and Canada (or even online – once their heritage is discovered).
Here’s a hint.
—> Because being “racist” is one of the most typical stereotypes handed to us, WHO, really, are being called the “racists”: The minorities or the whites?
—> When you call Americans “white trash”, WHO, really are you referring to: The minorities or the whites?
—> When you say Americans are “oppressed”, WHO really are you referring to as the “oppressors”, the minorities or the whites?
—> What makes Canada so great and American so bad? Canada is “multicultural”. Who do Canadians believe are keeping America from being as “multicultural” as Canada: The minorities or the whites?
—> What will you tell America if Obama isn’t elected as president? What will you say if he gets assassinated?
Think about it.
I received this message from a Canadian who shared the following with me:
(sic) Its the fact that the american people and government are to ignorant to be able to embrace their multiculturalism and try to make everyone the same fat, stupid, greedy, obnoxtious asshole american people that the world tends to HATE.
…which inspired this post.
A French TV comedy shows an interesting example of this.
At 9:50 (toward the end of this video), a reference is made suggesting that the American military is “out to destroy the commies and the blacks”!
Why is comedy so funny? Because TRUTH can be found through comedy. Yes, it’s funny. Yes, it’s a joke. But this IS the way the Americanophobes DO view us. They sympathize with the minorities and dodge the “white folk”. This evidently is not a reality that Americanophobes want to accept as, like I mentioned earlier, none of these self-righteous elitists want anybody to think that they are racist. What do I think? I think they are projecting.
But the radical left Americanophobes are damned either way. They’re in a really rough position as — if they really do hate all Americans meaning that they include literally ALL AMERICANS, couldn’t they be considered racist as they are including the minorities or those immigrated from other countries? If they are only talking about the “whites”, that is odd to me too because what makes America, America is EVERYONE – not just the white people. Come here and see for yourself.
Everyone makes this place what it is and contributes to any stereotype delivered to the “all American folk” determined by the Americanophobes.
This is why I define Americanophobia to be geared toward the white folk.
When Michael Moore did his research on “American Ignorance“, he evaluated indiscriminately, but named them in his book, “Stupid White Men”. See for yourself!
Do I feel like a target of reverse discrimination? Absolutely not. I’m just simply defining Americanophobia for what it is.
In short, the word, “racist” has been downgraded to mean anything, but “racism”.
Hey Virgomonkey! You’re right, I DO love this post, although it made me boiling mad. While racism IS the most overused and abused term in modern culture, it nevertheless perfectly describes the true nature of anti-Americanism. The America haters hate AMERICANS regardless of our color, class, gender, or national origin. And when I think of all those left-wing, self-hating “Americans” who eagerly agree with the nastiest opinions of the overseas haters I get sick to my stomach and am overcome with a feeling of helplessness in the face of a tidal wave of ill will directed at ME just because of where I was born and who I am. How are we going to make a dent in this hate America juggernaut that is fueled in large part by many of our own people? I, for one, don’t know, but I’m going to keep on fighting the good fight through my blog and just hope I can make a difference. I know you’ll keep fighting, too!!
I confronted my mother “Why do you hate him?” referring to my partner. She replied “Because he’s one of THEM!” .. “One of WHAT!?” .. and my mother replied, as if spitting tacks across the floor “He’s American.”
Here is a man who has shown me nothing but respect, who has encouraged me and supported me with MY dreams and MY desires. He has stood by me through the darkest parts of my mental illness, holding me close and telling me he wont let me fall, and he NEVER has. He has taken on two children, not biologically his, who adore him so much everyone who sees them together automatically assumes they’re his, and oh does he love them so. He is everything I could have possibly ever dreamed of in a man, and so much more. He is my bestfriend, my lover, and my hero.
Tears come to my eyes as I type this. I think of all the times people have treated us badly because he’s American. I’m reminded of the way people look at him, and then the way they look at me. I can think of so many times when I’ve been asked why I’m with an American, herd people mutter that I’m a traitor.
No one cares about him being a good man, all they care about is that he’s an American.
I’ve grown so tired of being treated this way in New Zealand that I’ve told my partner that when we move to America after he finishes Uni .. I don’t want to come back.
I believe it, this, is racism. And it hurts.
Mish, Thank you for sharing your story with me. You are more than welcome here in the US. I read the full story over at your blog, and I’m sorry you’ve had to put up with all of that. I would like to think that people are mean to others because of something that they did to them. But as we can see here and throughout other examples in life, in general, that it’s not always the case. It sure sounds like racism to me and a serious case of bullying – that I’ve discussed a lot in my blog.
After all that you have been through with your man to date (his sickness and yours), the last thing that the both of you guys need is more harassment. Do you have any friends at all on your side? Because you sure do need a support network to deal with all of this. (Gosh… you’d think we were living in the dark ages! – It’s 2008.)
You have touched me, and I’m sure you will touch some of my readers as well.
Thank you for contributing.
By the way, where in the US will you be when you move here?
Seane-Anna,
Hear! Hear! I really don’t think I’ll change too many minds with my blog. But it does feel good to let this stuff out and vent about it. Only people on the edge of thinking will bite and see that stereotypes are just that… and hopefully learn to judge the individual and not THE GROUP.
Like Linda said in one of my other posts, “We all cry the same tears and shed the same blood”.
One thing I should have mentioned, is that I’m from a “mixed marriage”, my mother is white and my father is black. I naturally have an olive skin tone, but I most definitely have the more island features (wider nose, full lips, round eyes, coarse fuzzy dark hair .. I’ve herd in American it’s referred to as nappy hair) of my Maori father. I think it’s mildly important to mention this because I have experienced racism in the white on black, black on white, AND black on black forms that go on here in NZ. I also know what it’s like to have people pass judgment because I’m a “half cast”, though the ridiculousness of this is that there are very few full Maori in NZ, making the huge majority of “mixed blood”.
So when I make the comparison between how my partner and I are treated, I’m not pulling it from a movie or a history book (though I feel they make for excellent examples in many cases), I’m comparing it the the racism I’ve experienced myself.
I think what blows me away the most about this is that those who do bother to get to know him think he’s an awesome guy. I’ve even had friends say to me that they wish they could steal him off me, and “oh why can’t I find a guy like that” comments. One friend of mine, whose known me for about 10 odd years said he’d never seen me so happy, and went so far as to ask if we’d set a wedding date yet .. *lol*
As for where we plan to move, it’s not set yet. It all depends on where my partner gets work. I must admit, it’s so exciting though even though I know it’s still a couple of years off. Gives me time to learn more about American history and cuisine. After all, I feel the best way to learn about a people is to actually LEARN something about what makes them unique and beautiful.
Mish, there are many intolerant folk that live in the US too. You will run into mean people here. There’s good and bad happening everywhere. I’m sure you know this. But you shouldn’t have to put up with what you’re dealing with now. That’s nice to hear, however, that you have some friends that see your man for the person he is.
A family member of mine is a classic racist. And when I was in college (many moons ago), one of my African American friends and I went on a walk-a-thon march for Martin Luther King Day. Since that day, this family member of mine has been ridiculing me for it and giving me a guilt trip. She has never let it go. She’s tried to rub off her racist belief system on me, and I’m wondering when she’ll ever realize that I’m already set in my ways and that she’s just wasting her time. That’s part of the reason why I got so angry when others accused me of being “racist” over nothing when I remember the long battle I’ve went through with this family member of mine and being accused of being a “black lover”! Crazy!!
Anyway, I dedicated a whole post for those people wanting to either become a student in the US or live there. You can take a look at it here. It’s written with a bit of tough love, though.
It’s very rare to meet a gem like you have met. Hang on to him tightly.
I could not agree with this this post more. Its so nice to hear other people saying the things that SHOULD be said. Its very unfortunate that this post is so true, but nonetheless, it is. Yes, i am white, but that does NOT mean that i am a racist. I think the media is at a major fault here. When one person uses a term such as “black” they can automatically be considered racist, when in fact this may not be the case at all. So what can we the people do about it? Well, i guess not a lot, but i suppose posts like these do end up helping.
youre such a fucking racist. somebody should do something about you kind of people sub human piece of shit ruining the world from all kinds.