October 15, 2003

Right Hook

J.J. McCullough OP Columnist

Anti-Americanism is not a new phe- nomenon by any means. Ever since the American Revolution there have been those who despise the United States— its founding principles, foreign rela- tions, and cultural attitudes. Never before, however, has anti-American hate become such a prominent and vicious practice, not just within the borders of America’s enemies, but with- in the Western world at large.

Now I am not an American myself (although many readers seem to assume I am, based on some of my past columns) but I’ve spent a fair bit of time in America, and have many American friends. I owe a lot of praise to my own parents, who never attempt- ed to inject politics into my childhood, and as a result, unlike so many other Canadian children, I was not indoctri- nated to hate the US at an early age. My opinions of the US have, and continue to be, influenced not by any pre-pro- grammed disposition, but rather by my own independent and personal assess- ments of the country, its people, and its history.

America-hating is fast becoming one of the world’s most popular pasttimes. From the starlets of Hollywood to the clerics of Iran, hating America has never more fashionable. _Anti- Americanism has almost evolved into a religion of sorts—a series of beliefs that are both shared, and never questioned, by a vast set of followers. And just like religion, anti-Americanism is preached as a supreme truth, not just by angry fundamentalists in the Middle East, but also by professors in our universities and protestors in our streets.

But what are the roots of this new faith? What motivates people with such an intense desire to hate a nation,

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which by all accounts is one of the freest in the world—if not in all of his- tory? The sources of anti-Americanism are about as diverse as its followers. Modern anti-Americanism owes a large part of its existence to leftist ideol- ogy. This dates back to the days of Stalin, when the _ international Communist networks of the time denounced the United States as the quintessential example of the bourgeois state. America’s gap between the rich and poor too great, the Communists argued, and American poverty was the result of unfair capital- ist exploitation of workers. Now per- haps in the 30s these complaints had some merit. However, as the years went on, the inequalities in the American system slowly worked themselves out, until the country was one of the richest in the world, with an extremely high standard of living for all citizens, not just the rich factory owners. That America could ever become an egalitar- ian society—indeed, an even more egal- itarian society than the Soviet Union— went against all the conventional logic of Marxist theorists of the time. America’s success exposes the funda- mental flaw in Communist ideology— namely that self-motivated, free indi- viduals can create a much more pros- perous and democratic society than a nation of faceless forced labourers whose only motivation is to appease some vaguely defined “collective good.” The other main argument used to convert followers to the cult of anti- Americanism is the oft-cited allegation that the United States is at the epicen- ter of a barbaric “foreign policy.” This argument, though leftist in origin, is so appealing to the public’s sense of decen- cy that it is often in turn embraced by

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even some of the more conservative- minded members of society. The laun- dry list of “Bad Things America Has Done” is repeated to the point where it is practically a cliche. America over- threw the democratic government of Chile, America supported the Shah of Iran, America tried to invade Cuba, etc, etc, These accusations are all taken at face value and what little analysis of these situations is done is almost always pre- sented through the lens of left-wing historians and other revisionists. Of course, in reali- ty foreign policy is an enormously complicated field, and is not one that can be judged sole- ly on a handful of isolated incidents, presented entirely out of context. It is truly disturbing that so many have already forgotten the decades-long Cold War, and the brutal, would-be global dictatorship of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, it is impossible to deny that America made mistakes and often over-reacted in its response to various crises—both real and imagined.

However, it is equally impossible to deny that the United States was on the good side of the Cold War, and that whatever minor blunders were committed along the way, the world is an infinitely better place with-

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out a nuclear-armed, expansionist Soviet Empire. America is not perfect— no country is—but when viewed in context, it is not an exaggeration to say that the United States has done more to

America hating is fast becoming one of the world’s most popular pastimes

protect the safety of world than any other nation in the 20th century.

That last sentence will no doubt make more than a few readers cringe. Our deeply entrenched culture of reflex anti-Americanism has taught us to view all praise of America as jingoistic brag- ging. There is a deep-seated jealously of America in other countries, and in American leftists, a deep-seated sense of embar- rassment their — country’s enormous success- es. All over the world people who resent the United States’ wealth, power, and histo-

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ry turn to anti-

Americanism as a way of dealing with their own sense of inferiority. Many people in this world seem to need a scapegoat against which they can vent all their frustrations, and personify as the source of all their trou- bles.

I will always love Canada, for it is my home, and the nation that has given me many freedoms, which allow me to live the life I so enjoy today. However, I remain equally indebted to America— for all that nation has done for my country, and indeed the world at large. It continues to disturb me how so many people refuse to acknowledge any good in America, and instead commit their entire worldview to the ugly faith of anti-Americanism.

Author's Note: My articles have been too long lately, and this is a very lengthy topic. So stay tuned, and next week I will attempt to delve deeper into the anti-American phenomenon, including the Canadian fascination with hating America.

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