Simple Math for Dumb Americans
most of the foreigners interviewed by any one of the news programs not only exhibited their superior knowledge of international politics, but they were far more informed on American politics than most Americans.
by J. Patrick Makowski, Columnist
February 18, 2003
According to the opinions of many U.S. citizens, as of late, Americans are becoming less and less popular with the World community. President W. would have us all believe that the European population, once believed to be our cousins overseas, is becoming increasingly hostile toward Americans. Fact of the matter is, he couldn't be farther from the truth. The United Nations has been unabashedly fighting the Bush administration's toddler-like desire to invade Iraq all year. Even longtime U.S. supporter, Germany, has become increasingly vocal in its disagreement with Bush's Iraqi policy. Even perennial chicken-shits, the French, are standing up to W.'s increasingly repetitive calls for a "unilateral, U.N. attack." In a recent editorial for The Nation, columnist Eric Alterman reports that even though Spain's staunchly conservative government has been in support of Bush's plans for Iraqi invasion, the Spanish people have been protesting the allegiance.
Recently, 48 Hours, 20/20, MSNBC and CNN have all run programs investigating this growing perception that Europeans are progressively becoming more and more anti-American. Surprisingly, America's T.V. journalists were unable to find much commentary from the World community that could be labeled as anti-American. I don't remember exactly which Abercrombie & Fitch-clad reporter in the field, for which program, went to which country. I do remember that none of them--and these jokers went everywhere from Milan to Mogadishu--could find any strong anti-American sentiment, outside of the occasional Muslim extremists, of course. They did run into a lot of normal, average people (who just happen to live outside of America) who were not only more educated on Bush's foreign policy, but were not real pleased with it. They were not, however, anti-American.
According to the increasingly conservative crowd hanging out around Washington D.C. these days, if you do not agree with the president's foreign policy, you are anti-American--regardless of where you live. National news agencies perpetuate this myth by showing citizens of other countries protesting W.'s policies and labeling them as "anti-America(n) protests." Once again, they couldn't be farther from the truth. The saddest lesson to be learned, however, was not that the Bush administration is trying to paint anti-war sentiment as anti-American, but that most of the foreigners interviewed by any one of the news programs not only exhibited their superior knowledge of international politics, but they were far more informed on American politics than most Americans.
The fact that people who don't even live in this country are more up on American current events of import (this doesn't include any news run on the E! Channel) and that they are protesting against the policies of our government in greater number, and at a greater volume than our own citizens, is frightening--but not in the way Washington D.C., and your television, would have you believe. These facts are frightening because everyone on the planet seems to be more aware of the global consequences of Bush's international policies than Americans. What's even more terrifying is that W.'s spin-doctors are using this ignorance to garner support for his now-imminent invasion of Iraq.
In case you're wondering why Europeans are against an American invasion of Iraq, it's mainly due to W.'s many other foreign policy blunders. W. may see an invasion of Iraq as a mission of mercy for the world, but the world ain't having it. Many Europeans are understandably disgusted with W.'s refusal to sign any strategic or anti-ballistic missile treaty that involves America's disarming. Refusing to limit one's own nuclear arsenal while simultaneously demanding that another country disarm itself smacks of hypocrisy regardless of what God you pray to. Not surprisingly, W., in his narrow-minded self-righteousness, fails to see this comparison. I say, if being against war, and specifically W.'s oil-mongering war, makes me un-American, then "Vive la France!"
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