The Wondering Mind

A while ago posted this blog about the hatred and bigotry that the current race for the White House has brought out in some people in this country. The point I was trying to make, although it was rather inelegant, was my disbelief of all the people (especially the white ones) in this country who wonder out aloud why the “world hates America”, when they barely hide their contempt and racism for people not like them. Seeing as how the majority of the world is non-white and non-Christian, it seems only logical to me that they might take offence.

To my surprise, I had at least two people read that post (I’m still shocked that anyone finds my blog, never mind actually reads it). Unfortunately, one “reader” was just the sort of bigot I was talking about. After leaving a comment filled with factual inaccuracies, baseless assertions, and opinions stated as facts, she clearly thought she was throwing down the gauntlet by stating,

dear speed 10

prove me wrong.

My immediate reaction? Thank you so much for that rhetorical equivalent of, “Screw you. I’m taking my toys and going home!” About the level of intellectual maturity and sophistication I was expecting.

I’m not sure what I’m supposed to prove “wrong” among the litany of baseless assertions and opinions stated as fact, and I doubt Marianne would be persuaded by anything I have to say. But in case one of the people who occasionally stumble on my blog by accident read the post, I thought I would more thoroughly cover the silliness of Marianne’s comments.

• Not everyone in this country is Christian. About 1/2 are not anymore, based on how they vote. – Last time I checked, Christianity did not come with a political party membership card. I’m pretty sure Jesus was more concerned about how we treated each other as neighbours, not which Pharisees we vote for. The assertion that people of certain political views do not adhere to a “true” version of Christianity is a matter of opinion, not fact.
• Most slander against our own country comes from them, for political reasons, and this hatred transports overseas. – A statement critical of America is not, by definition, slander. That prisoners were tortured at Abu-Ghraib by American G.I.’s is a critical statement of America, and is factually correct. An assertion that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake is a matter of opinion, so cannot be slander.
• Foreigners are not so supine and unsophisticated that they need to be schooled by Americans in what is wrong with this country. They have plenty of their own reasons, both justified and not, for disliking this country without worrying about the domestic political disagreements amongst Americans.
• Our government has become godless. Nancy Pelosi is a prime example. – America has several levels and myriad institutions of government. Even if Marianne was referring to a particular one only (I suspect she was referring to the Federal government), the assertion that it is “Godless” is an opinion. In case the distinction is lost on anyone, an opinion, unlike fact, does not have a testable thesis which can be proved or disproved.
• Nancy Pelosi is not the government, so cannot be the said example Marianne refers to. And again, the assertion that Pelosi is not Christian because she does not adhere to Marianne’s brand of religious beliefs (thank God!) is an opinion, not a fact.
• Obama, the illegal alien running for President, is another. – I have no idea what the basis is of Marianne’s claim that Obama is an illegal alien, but by law, anyone born on U.S. soil and/or to at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen is automatically conferred the right of U.S. citizenship. Obama was born in Hawaii to a mother with U.S. citizenship.
• White Americans are not racist, even though they are falsely accused of this. They do resent being called this. – There are over 300 million people in the U.S., over half of whom are white (for now). That means that Marianne is asserting that not one person out of over 150 million people is racist, something that is mathematically and demographically certainly impossible. But if you want proof, I point out Mr. Obama’s own grandmother and the crazy lady at the DNC convention as examples.
• I’m sure racists resent being called that. Not sure what you expect me to do about that one, Marianne.
• Black racism is at its peak, and will get worse. – I have no doubt that some black Americans are racist. But as a demographic group which is not, and has never been, in a position of power, most people correctly do not consider this to be a topical issue. And what demographic data would suggest that black Americans are becoming more racists, I have no idea.
• There are financial benefits to falsely accusing whites, so the trend continues. – I don’t know what “financial benefits to falsely accusing whites” of racism there is. If Marianne is referring to affirmative action, that does not require current racism to justify it. It is reliant on the theory that past injustices had resulted in current structural inequalities which the victimised groups cannot overcome without government assistance. This case is made more compelling if there is existing discrimination, but that is not necessary.

As I said, I don’t expect the “Mariannes” of this world to even pay attention to what I have said, never mind actually be persuaded by it. Such people generally require a burning bush as a sign, figuratively and literally, and even then will only be “persuaded” if they hear what they already believe in. Otherwise, I think they claim it as a sign from the devil.

But there are others out there who might find the sort of silliness Marianne promotes attractive because they have not been exposed to the facts. It’s for those people that I would just like to set the record straight.

After 9/11, I heard a lot of my American acquaintances ask why “the world hates America”. Many of them came to the conclusion, as Bush did, that it’s because those people hate freedom. Or some variation, such as that they were jealous of America.

Well, perhaps it’s because so many Americans hate anything and anyone different. This chauvinism is directed not only domestically at blacks and generally anyone not white, but manifests itself as xenophobia directed at the rest of the world.

When so many in the U.S. do not even bother to disguise their hatred and contempt, not to mention outright ignorance, for a religion followed by more people than any other in the world (I believe), why would you expect the world to love you? When the country’s political leaders, including Obama, do not dare condemn such bigotry in their electorate, what is the rest of the world supposed to think and feel?

I’ve noticed that whenever something bad is perpetrated by a non-white in this country, there is quickly a lynch-mob mentality against that group, whether it be ethnic, religious, or whatever. I didn’t see any such sentiment against white people or “Christians” when Timothy McVeigh carried out what was at the time the most horrific act of terrorism on U.S. soil. Nor was there talk about white “baby-killers” or cries of, “Kill him,” when it was widely reported and suspected that the anthrax attacks were probably perpetrated by a U.S. national, almost certainly a white person.

What’s troubling is that this not-so latent racism is generally accepted in this country, especially if those people holding such views don’t live in metropolitan areas. Just look at the sentiments flying around concerning comments by Congressman Murtha. It’s a proverbial shrug of the shoulders, as if people were saying, “Yeah, we know people holding and expressing such views are wrong, but what are you going to do, except try to avoid and humour them?”

So I guess the real reason why so many Americans have to ask why the “world hates America” is that they buy into the hype and the dream of this country being “that shining beacon on a hill”. The rest of the world sees the truth: America perhaps does more than any other country to aspire to that ideal, but they are not even close to living up to those standards and don’t even seem to be trying most of the time.

It’s often hard to understand, and even harder to take, when others treat you as being lesser than that which you see yourself.

Added October 26, 2008: For a follow-up, you can go to this post.