Quote:
Originally Posted by Ledgem
I don't see much anti-American sentiment. Nobody has called America evil, nor have any sweeping judgments been made against the nation. Some people dislike what the country is doing and are offering criticism. It doesn't indicate that they're blindly parroting hatred from previous generations, or that they're not thinking for themselves.
This gets back to an issue that was discussed a few pages ago. A lot of us Americans think that we're #1 in the world in just about everything. That pride makes external criticism seem warped. If we are #1 then we are undeserving of any criticism, especially from those who don't live here; any negative sentiments must be blind hatred, jealousy, or trolling. But just as nobody is perfect, there is no perfect nation. Whether we're the closest to perfection or not is a matter of opinion, but we should certainly be able to listen to criticism and consider it honestly, without our pride getting in the way.
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Eh, as one of the people trying to defend Americans, I do agree there seemed to be some degree of anti-American rhetoric, at least coming from Vallen (a person I usually find myself agreeing with on these issues). I don't see America as #1 by any means. I'm very grateful for the prosperity and comfort I've been able to grow up with, but there's two sides to that coin. There are serious problems with this country's approach to public health, foreign policy, and quality of life as opposed to just long and prosperous life. Most of my gripes are philosophical, but they're quite real nonetheless. There's certainly something to say about the now aging rhetoric against our material lifestyles. So, with all that in mind, I, as an American, don't like to see statements made that lump us all (or most of us) into a viewpoint that matches our government's actions. Of course, perhaps I misinterpreted something, and if that's the case I apologize.