Light a Candle...

Anti-Americanism as an Industry...

Davids Medienkritik puts anti-Americanism in a new perspective, especially since this post is from the European point of view. This posting hits on some unsettling (to the left) points.

I believe that the root of much of the European/East coast liberal anit-Americanism springs from two conjoined sources:

• Despite 'democratic' reforms of the 19th and 20th centuries, much of Western Europe, in particular France and Britian, remain societies stratified by class based on pre-industrial royalty. As such, we (the US) are the 'trash' that they threw out. To be beholden to the colonials, for us to not realize their inherently superior culture is inherently galling to much of the intelligensia/elites of Europe. We must be put in our place, to recognize our true status - this pespecitve appears to drive and inform much of their world view and actions.
• The New Englander elites buy into this. For their part, they seem to imagine themselves the new American Royalty, and are constantly frustrated by Joe Schmoe American's refusal to pander to this perception, despite our fascination with the remaining bastion of Royalty in Britian. They view Europe as the precedent for the type of preferential status that is afforded the select in Europe and is not (except in Universities it seems) afforded to anyone here except on merit. They want, no, they need the semi-socialist/communist type government/society that has grown up in Europe, since only in a system where the 'peasants' are dependent on government for almost everything and individualism is denigrated, can their true 'status' be realized.

It is amazing (and at times, amusing) to me, how similar discussions about us stupid peasants within the left, and genealogical research (which does have a valid basis) always begin based on a predetermined premise with some groups/people. In both venues, the assumption is that the correspondent is naturally going to be one of the elite in the new order/has royal/highly ranked/historically important ancestors. If all these assumptions were factually true, there would be no peasants (Joe Schmoes to the rest of us) for these elites to guide.

History tells us that leftist (the tyranny of the righteous intellect left or right) is so jealous of its power that fraticide is its most common form of self protection and advancement. Power at the top is held more in a balance of fear/terror between uneasy alliances than any desire to work to the common good. Interestingly, the only political body with a lower turnover rate than the Soviet Politburro is purported to the the US Senate, that bastion to those towers of reason, Kennedy, Kerry, and Boxer.

posted by Clayton @ 7:37 AM