The eminent British historian Paul Johnson writes something of a polemic in Forbes magazine. In it he attempts to show that anti-Americanism is in fact latent racism. He also argues that there is no real democracy in Europe, that “European elites tend to look at Americans as a subcivilized mass, whose function is to be obedient consumers in a system run by big business.”
He concludes:
The truth is, any accusation that comes to hand is used without scruple by the Old World intelligentsia. Anti-Americanism is factually absurd, contradictory, racist, crude, childish, self-defeating and, at bottom, nonsensical. It is based on the powerful but irrational impulse of envy–an envy of American wealth, power, success and determination. It is an envy made all the more poisonous because of a fearful European conviction that America’s strength is rising while Europe’s is falling.
But what I am left wondering is what does anti-French sentiment in the US amount to? Is that not also racism?
Johnson brings up some good points on how Americans are generalized by Europeans. As an American, I believe this goes both ways. We have a certain image of French, Germans, etc. Our standard of living may be a source of envy, but look at our environmental record. It is horrible. And the way US takes advantage of smaller countries in Asia, Central America, and Africa is an issue that few Americans deal with. In general US foreign policy is the source of much of American resentment. It is hypocritical and arrogant. The rest of the world is more likely to see the negative results of our policy leading to Anti-Americanism. For example, the US subsidizes crops like corn (as does the EU); this helps out American farmers (which americans see as a positive) and ruins African corn farmers (a negative seen by the rest of the world). As Americans we only see the positive results which leads us to resent the people who we think resent us because of our prosperity. It really is silly. Do you know what I mean?
Johnson brings up some good points on how Americans are generalized by Europeans. As an American, I believe this goes both ways. We have a certain image of French, Germans, etc. Our standard of living may be a source of envy, but look at our environmental record. It is horrible. And the way US takes advantage of smaller countries in Asia, Central America, and Africa is an issue that few Americans deal with. In general US foreign policy is the source of much of American resentment. It is hypocritical and arrogant. The rest of the world is more likely to see the negative results of our policy leading to Anti-Americanism. For example, the US subsidizes crops like corn (as does the EU); this helps out American farmers (which americans see as a positive) and ruins African corn farmers (a negative seen by the rest of the world). As Americans we only see the positive results which leads us to resent the people who we think resent us because of our prosperity. It really is silly. Do you know what I mean?
I do indeed Scott – good point
Scott, you need to take a good look at european enviromental conduct.
70% of Frances electricity is generated by nuclear power. The Rhine is more polluted than the hudson and mississippi. and the dutch have destroyed the eco system of the zee. the eu subsidizes farmers at 100% more than the us and the subsidizes are aimed at export. as for abusing power little asian and african countries. the french proped up every tin pot blood thirsty dictator in sub saharan africa. they have the largest foreign military presence in africa and install and remove dictators in chad, car and cameroons right and left. so spare us your anti american euro trash crap.
by the way the germans get 65% of their electricity from coal.. they’re so enviromentally correct…
i hate it when people call eurpeanm leaders leites, when they are full of trade union bosses, and anti-nazis, and grouops of socialists who were executed by the nazis, and kaiser, but they do not call the us republican party elitist, when it is led by a son of a former opresident and cia boss, a billionaire called bloomberg, and a actor, from holywood, who is the son of somebody who was in the waffenn ss which it thought it was the mastser race, i also hate all those craoppy internt sites which are crappy anti-ffrecnh crap, opeople who hate the frnech in such horrid ways, there is no equaivalenmt of anti americam sites, like tyhose crappy sites who hate the french, and say the frech are all wimps, and they think critising bush for supporting global warming is anti-am,erican i hate those scum, the same scum, then think it is not anti gay though to ban them from getting married, whta load of elitist scum the us republican party are at times