I was just feeling fits of rage over the Republican radicals and Evangelicals as I read through newspapers on the internet. Then I happened upon this article written by Einstein. I don’t know who I am angrier at: The Americanophobes or the Neo-Conservative Evangelicals in the US. These two groups are both equally closed minded and selfish as all hell. There’s no balance in their speech, and as usual, facts are distorted.
So you can understand my pessimism. But it’s now combined with a rising frustration. I watch as the Democrats stumble, uncertain how to take on Sarah Palin. Fight too hard, and the Republican machine, echoed by the ditto-heads in the conservative commentariat on talk radio and cable TV, will brand Democrats sexist, elitist snobs, patronising a small-town woman. Do nothing, and Palin’s rise will continue unchecked, her novelty making even Obama look stale, her star power energising and motivating the Republican base.
To be fair (which is what I’d expect from REAL journalists), the criticism goes BOTH WAYS. There ARE radicals on BOTH ends of the political spectrum. And both teams have unfair players. It is biased to only mention the foul Radical Republican players. Here’s one sick example out of many. There are rumors going about the internet surrounding Palin and Obama that are just simply that: RUMORS (lies!). The radicals on both sides believe everything they hear without question or challenge. And they are seriously misbehaving!
We know one of Palin’s first acts as mayor of tiny Wasilla, Alaska was to ask the librarian the procedure for banning books. Oh, but that was a “rhetorical” question, says the McCain-Palin campaign. We know Palin is not telling the truth when she says she was against the notorious $400m “Bridge to Nowhere” project in Alaska – in fact, she campaigned for it – but she keeps repeating the claim anyway. She denounces the dipping of snouts in the Washington trough – but hired costly lobbyists to make sure Alaska got a bigger helping of federal dollars than any other state.
She claims to be a fiscal conservative, but left Wasilla saddled with debts it had never had before. She even seems to have claimed “per diem” allowances – taxpayers’ money meant for out-of-town travel – when she was staying in her own house.
Is the author implying here that Democrats are as clean as a whistle and never lie? Who does he think that he’s kidding?
Remember, this is a woman who once addressed a church congregation, saying of her work as governor – transport, policing and education – “really all of that stuff doesn’t do any good if the people of Alaska’s heart isn’t right with God”.
I am hardly impressed with this statement even though it’s true. Why? Because the Americanophobes are no different with their extremism and their “religion”. Because if you think about it, Americanophobia REALLY IS a religion. And let’s not pretend that we don’t know what Americanophobia is. So, how really are the staunch Anti-Americans different from Palin and Co.?
As said here…
Of all the pseudo-religions corrupting our thinking–Freudianism, Marxism, Darwinism, to name a few–anti-Americanism is the most bizarre and dangerous. The facts of American life and American history simply do not support the widespread view that the United States, in the lunatic words of playwright Harold Pinter, is a “fully-fledged, award-winning, gold-plated monster” that “knows only one language–bombs and death.” Such hatred usually is spawned by a diseased religious sensibility, an irrational passion for a narrative that bestows meaning on the world and one’s exalted place in it as a champion of the revealed truth and righteousness. Yet the cult of anti-Americanism is worse than any dysfunctional religion, for it masquerades as reasoned analysis based on historical fact.
And, most importantly, as said here…
Flynn: As I point out in “Why the Left Hates America,” anti-Americanism is the religion for people who hate religion. It comes complete with a devil (the United States); sacred texts (I, Rigoberta Menchu, The Communist Manifesto, etc.); saints (Noam Chomsky, Mumia Abu-Jamal); zeal (in putting together my book I was attacked, subjected to a book burning, and ejected from a conference for dissent); and many of the other characteristics that we find in various faiths.
As the British author continues in his article…
If Sarah Palin defies the conventional wisdom that says elections are determined by the top of the ticket, and somehow wins this for McCain, what will be the reaction? Yes, blue-state America will go into mourning once again, feeling estranged in its own country.
Then why don’t you Americanophobes leave us alone already? May I remind you that you’re not mad at the Neo-Conservative Republican party who choose people like Palin and Bush as leaders, you’re mad at ALL OF US. You just like to kick people when they’re down, don’t you? Do you push quadriplegics out of their wheelchairs where you live? If your answer is “no”, then why are you so harsh on the American liberal-wing no matter how hard we fight for a better life? We’re not trying enough, you say? Give me a break! We have no more power than you as far as government is concerned, and we’ve busted our asses trying to get Bush impeached. BUSH DIDN’T CHOOSE YOUR PM TO BE HIS LAPDOG, YOUR PM DID. We’re not going to apologize, AGAIN, because your own country cannot make peaceful decisions by herself – even if your only flaw is selling arms to terrorists like the yanks did. At some point in time, you people are going to have to take some responsibilities for yourselves!
And for the record, liberals ARE already in a constant state of mourning, if you will, even if they don’t show it on their faces. I’d like to think that we liberals realize what is wrong with our country. And it is so.
A generation of young Americans – who back Obama in big numbers – will turn cynical, concluding that politics doesn’t work after all.
Why do you Americanophobes always think it is the “young” that are liberal. I find that most curious. 
That is incorrect. Not only that, but we Liberals have ALWAYS been cynical and knew that politics rarely worked. Thirty-six percent of eligible citizens didn’t vote in the 2004 election. Have you ever did any research as to why people chose not to vote? It’s because they’re sick of our corrupt system and find solace with apathy. That is as far Left as you can go, sunny. The rest of the disgruntled Left have moved to Canada and Europe.
McCain might talk a good game on climate change, but a repeated floor chant at the Republican convention was “Drill, baby, drill!”, as if the solution to global warming were not a radical rethink of the US’s entire energy system but more offshore oil rigs.
Count me in as part of the “Drill, baby, drill” movement. I loathe having to depend on Americanophobes for ANYTHING. And some of us Americans are also getting sick and tired of the Americanophobic Canadians telling us how America wouldn’t survive without them. 
Even thought I’m voting for Obama, I would really like to get out of NATO and the UN and be the isolationists we once were, and let the rest of the planet fend for themselves for a change. Yes, Americanophobia abroad has hardened me THAT much. Yes, that’s me – a cynical mourning liberal.
If Americans choose McCain, they will be turning their back on the rest of the world, choosing to show us four more years of the Bush-Cheney finger. And I predict a deeply unpleasant shift.
Due to Global Warming? Then, how come you haven’t yelled at Australia for not signing the Kyoto Treaty? Due to War? Then how come YOU keep choosing leaders that send you to war or fund it? How come your leaders sold arms to terrorist groups like the yanks did? Is it the economy? Where is your own personal responsibility involved? Fix your OWN economies so that you don’t have to be so dependent on the USA. Follow measures of best practices and watch Japan in action. What else is on your laundry list of woes that our barbarian leaders put you through? Are you afraid of us? Because if that’s true, you’re the last group of people we would hear this from because the term, “paranoid” is usually pinned to the Americans. This gentleman from Romania thinks that you guys are just looking for something to whinge about.
Until now, anti-Americanism has been exaggerated and much misunderstood: outside a leftist hardcore, it has mostly been anti-Bushism, opposition to this specific administration.
You guys love to kick your own country’s flaws under the carpet in the name of “the extreme few”, don’t you? If that is true, YOU (like the US) certainly harbor MANY (a little more than a few) hardcore people.
Next, how in the world will the last two elections differ from this one??? It’s the same thing, no? The 2000 election was honorably won by Al Gore. Thanks to our Electoral Process, Bush took the seat, however. In the 2004 election, Bush won by 51% with 48% having voted for Kerry.
I predict the same scenario for the 2008 election. Whether the electoral vote wins or loses, McCain will win narrowly. And once again, 48% OF AMERICANS WILL BE AS PISSED AS HELL! You Americanophobic Brits and Canucks have absoulutely no clue how most Americans feel. And that is why you Americanophobes deserve the middle finger you get from us. We will be idiots if we apologize again because we aren’t doing anything TO YOU on PURPOSE. Talk about paranoia!
But if McCain wins in November, that might well change. Suddenly Europeans and others will conclude that their dispute is with not only one ruling clique, but Americans themselves. For it will have been the American people, not the politicians, who will have passed up a once-in-a-generation chance for a fresh start – a fresh start the world is yearning for.
Are you kidding me? Did we not have a “fresh start” back in 2004 with Kerry? It was kinda tolerable to withstand the hardcore leftist xenophobes back in the years between 2000 and 2008, but it’s now 100% acceptable to lump all Americans under one convenient umbrella if Obama doesn’t win? Are we going by the Euro-Canadian Three Strikes and You’re Out Doctrine? Oh Daddy, why don’t you go ahead and ground us, already?
Perhaps Americanophobia shouldn’t provoke me, yanno. Why? Well look at who’s throwing the punches? A bunch of imbeciles. We have an expression in the US: “Consider the source”. There are no intelligent people on the face of the earth that labels an entire nation by the outcome of 51%.
You guys have the audacity to call Americans “selfish”. If you people were as SELFLESS as you so smugly claim to be, then how come you don’t sympathize with the 48% who must bear the wrath of another 4+ years with Evangelical Neo-Conservative Extremists running the show and making more and more Americans suffer?
My Colombian friend challenged her Spanish speaking friends with some logic:
Those who chose Bush did not do it because they do not care what happens to the rest of the planet. Bush managed to convince many Americans that his intentions were to liberate the Iraqi people and to eradicate terrorism of the face of the Earth; an idealistic notion to believe in, but never a selfish one. This is why I think that the “Average American isn’t selfish in regards to the world”. On the contrary, they care too much. This has been an altruism that has cost them dearly and continues to go unappreciated.
I wrote this piece not from the point of view of a foreigner living in America, but from the perspective of an immigrant who has fully integrated into this society. After I posted this in Spanish, people continued to say mean things about Americans. They still believe that Americans are blind and selfish; something they feel was confirmed by the reelection of President Bush. Never mind that nearly half of us voted for Kerry. But even those I know who voted for Bush, did not do it because they want to destroy the world. Many of those who voted for him did it because they truly believed he would rid the world of tyranny and terrorism. How can someone call that selfishness? Naive maybe, but not stupid or selfish.
To all Americans, Bush voters or not, feel proud of what your country stands for and keep your heads high. Have faith in yourselves and your values… Truth will always prevail…
To non-Americans: Throw the first stone if your country is free of wrongdoing.
Feel free to read the rest of her essay here.
It is common knowledge that Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada lives much happier and is effortlessly afforded a better standard of living and quality of life than the US… by a long shot. The US is the only country in the world that is behind the times regarding social issues, foreign and domestic policy, and civil rights. Why in the world do you guys believe that this is the life that all of us (or even most) choose? You Americanophobes say that we’re all spoiled and rich. Where on earth do you get this from? Oops, confusing the Fat Cat Government with the average man on the street again?
What I find very curious is that when a barbarian president is elected in the US, you get pissed off and say one or both of two things that contradict one another:
- (Bush won): Fucking Americans only think about themselves; they don’t care how much we suffer from their voting choices
- (Bush won): Fucking Americans deserve Bush
What? Which is it? Either you’re a victim or you’re not. Either Americans are out to get you or they’re not. Either Americans want a typical, nationalistic, paranoid, arrogant, fat, lazy, greedy, racist, spoiled-rich, slutty, ignorant, stupid, humorless, loud, obnoxious, gum-chewing, carbon-emitting, gun-toting, bible-thumping, baby-killing, flag-waving and self-centered Neanderthal American to rule them or they don’t and deserve it as punishment instead – even if they voted for Kerry or Obama. ???
Perhaps once you goons make up your minds, only then, will Americans start to take you more seriously. Right now, you’re making Bush look …. *gasps* …smart.
And the manner of that decision will matter, too. If it is deemed to have been about race – that Obama was rejected because of his colour – the world’s verdict will be harsh.
Aaaah, so nice to hear this from the proudest braggarts of all-things-multicultural and tolerant. Let’s look at the developed world, shall we? America is the FIRST country to have one of African decent RUNNING for the leadership of an entire nation in the western world. Look at where the man’s been and where he is now. There are NUMEROUS amounts of minorities (including women) serving in high rank positions all over our government. And are we not the first country to have one that wasn’t even born here as a governor? (Arnold S.) What about Affirmative Action where colleges, employers, and the like are REQUIRED to fill a quota over one’s merit/qualifications?
Please do *NOT* talk to me about racism while the rest of you talk in private or to yourselves about the minorities that you despise in your own neck of the woods. Furthermore, please don’t discuss racism with me while a large mass of your people indiscriminately hate 300+ million Americans that they’ve never met before. Please do not talk to me about tolerance when your own country is known for judging people based on their social classes. And finally, what was your excuse when Bush won over Kerry in 2004? Were we racist, then? We’ve had more Republican presidents than we’ve had Democrats. Now, enter Obama. He doesn’t win and ALL Americans become racist?
Most certainly there ARE plenty of racists in America. But we are no more racist than any of you on a per capita basis. In fact, if anything, we are a less racist country. Here are some good readings for you:
- Are Only American Whites Capable of Racism and Intolerance?
- America: The Homogeneous Land of the Racist and Intolerant
- What Actually is a Racist These Days?
- Definition of Racism
- Why is Anti-Americanism Racism Too?
- Brown vs Black and the Latino Vote
The above are just opinions and proof this is a more complex subject to tackle than the whiny Americanophobic Crusade is making it out to be. Once you guys are qualified to make an informed or more balanced decision on this topic, than maybe, we Americans will listen. And finally once you stop attacking Americans in the street solely based on their place of birth, than we will look up to you as role models for tolerance in the 21st century.
In that circumstance, Slate’s Jacob Weisberg wrote recently, international opinion would conclude that “the United States had its day, but in the end couldn’t put its own self-interest ahead of its crazy irrationality over race”.
Hmm… some Americans are trying to figure out why the people in other parts of the world couldn’t put their own self-interest ahead of their crazy irrationality over “place of birth”. Or is that your self interest? Once people in other nations clearly show that they really ARE ahead of America regarding “tolerance”, then you can have your say.
…For America to make a decision as grave as this one – while the planet boils…
Come again?
While that planet boils? And you’re calling from Britain, right? Here’s a newsflash for you: Your current “boiling state” is saving many-a-lives. Here’s more additional reading for you to prove that Global Warming is not as “simple” as you make it to be.
…and with the US fighting two wars – on the trivial basis that a hockey mom is likable and seems down to earth, would be to convey a lack of seriousness, a fleeing from reality, that does indeed suggest a nation in, to quote Weisberg, “historical decline”…
Wait. I thought it was because we were all “racist”. So, which is it?
Well, you HAVE TO find some reason to hate us, and I must say I do give you credit for your determination and endurance to sift through the straws… Let me just reiterate. Nobody hates America and Americans better than America and Americans themselves. But see, you wouldn’t know that. Your “expertise” on American Culture is limited to your own backyard and trashy tabloids.
Let’s not forget, McCain’s campaign manager boasts that this election is “not about the issues.
That is correct. OK, so this wasn’t from a tabloid. Forgive me, but hey, allow me once again to remind you that only in America do we critique ourselves better, more honestly, and more vigorously than YOU. That quote above is just a perfect example of that!
If Americans reject Obama, they will be sending the clearest possible message to the rest of us – and, make no mistake, we shall hear it.
Wrong. You won’t “shall” hear it. You want to hear it. And even if Obama wins, you’ll still be scratching your asses looking for any excuse in the book to hate all Americans. And for the record, Americanophobia has been going on since the 19th century!
The real title of this article was, “The world’s verdict will be harsh if the US rejects the man it yearns for”. But if you read the article, it contradicts itself several times. If we are “yearning” for Obama, then why won’t he get elected?
You Americanophobes are just the perfect example of peace, harmony, love and tolerance that all Americans should live by, doncha think?
