Practical Penumbra

The usual trite old bollocks, eh? Here: if you truly believe that you are hated as a nation because of your freedom and wealth, then you are paranoid enough to need professional medical help. America is hated because it is a big, rich, dangerous, dopey, greedy nation that insists on fuckingaround with other countries. All anyone wants fro the U.S. us that itshuts the fuck up and stays at home.

Give that a try.

Bugbear, you're a putz. It's you that's spewing the usual trite answer.

America is big, rich and powerful, yes. That's why the French hate America. (Also because Americans speak English, and the French hate anyone who speaks English.)

America is not dopey, and no more greedy than any other nation. And they have a better record on "fucking around with other countries" than almost any nation in Europe.

But the Islamists hate not only America, but Israel and Australia and Spain and Turkey and Britain and France and Germany and Canada and Japan and India and the Netherlands and Italy and Greece and Sweden and New Zealand and China and every other country that doesn't have an Islamic government and each other. It's a culture of xenophobia and intolerance that seeks to exterminate every other culture.

Bugbear, I don't think you "get" America--there's nothing we'd like better than to let the rest of the world get on with their business while we get on with ours...only, here they come with their hands out--give us money, help us repel these invaders, take our side in this border dispute--and because we are a soft touch we "loan" money that is never repaid, send food and medicine to less industrialized nations, and troops to help the little guys that are being bullied. Then, after we have crushed the bullies (Germany, Japan, Italy) what do we do? We "loan" THEM money and send them food and aid and rebuild them. And what happens when we try to stay out of other countries' business? They fly airplanes into our skyscrapers...

Yeah, whatever. It just disturbs me when anyone says "Uhhhh, I think he hates me because I'm too, uhh, nice."

Actually, I think most hate stems from jealousy--did you REALLY hate the cool kids in high school, or were you just jealous that they were popular when you weren't?

I suppose it really goes this way: "foreign policy" is all about greed. The wealthy nations "help" the poor nations by lending them money. More often than not the loans help to cripple the poor country's economy because of the huge amounts of interest they have to pay us. The loan has no visible benefit because the governments of the poor countries are corrupt or incompetent or both. (Of course, ours are too, but we've enough money to get away with it.)

So, okay, do what you want (in any case, who's going to stop you?), but spare us all the moral high ground. I don't believe that any of the "civilised" nations do anything unless there's a buck to be made from it. The difference is only that the U.S. seems to believe its own publicity.

And don't bother with the "I bet you weren't popular at school" stuff.

I bet you're ugly and your mummy dresses you funny.

Yeah, like the Marshall Plan. Real money-spinner that one.

Bugbear, I'll say it again: You're a putz.

America does have the moral high ground here. They give away - no strings attached - billions in foreign aid every single year. Even to countries actively opposed to them. Their troops throughout Europe and Korea and Japan have defended those nations for the past six decades.

What America wants is a peaceful world to trade with. They don't want to invade anyone, they don't want an empire. Why would they? They already have America.

I've never been called a putz before. You're cute.

Bugbear:
Sweetie, you are THIS close to getting your little self banned--I may be ugly, and my mom may dress me funny (and has for the last four decades, by the way), but this is MY blog, and YOU don't know me well enough to call me names. Pixy, by the way, gets to call people names on my blog because HE is paying for the bandwidth, and it's only because of his generosity I have this webspace. Now if the Irish and the Aussies can't play nice, I'm going to the back the Aussies--because they, unlike the Irish, were AGAINST the Nazis in WWII, if for no other reason....

And maybe I should have said "Did WE really hate the cool kids, or were we just jealous?" since I meant "you" in a general way, not as a specific directed toward Bugbear. One has trouble with one's pronouns occasionally...

Please don't ban me - I have nowhere else to go. And no friends.

Yay. Someone is backing the Aussies.

Aussie Aussie Aussie. Oy. Oy. Oy.

Seriously, I can't think of any posts of mine that are good enough to be nominated. Can you nominate someone elses' posts?

Ozguru - yes, you may. In fact, it's encouraged
:-)

Susie - I want to call you names, too!

"sweetie" springs immediately to mind ;-)

Yeccccchh!

Dearest Harvey--you DO know me well enough to call me names...(unfortunately, not in the Biblical sense, since I'm afraid of your wife!;)...)

Susie - yes, my wife spreads terror wherever she goes :-)

Bugbear - what happened? Catch a look at yourself in the mirror?

Susie - [ping]

I am beautiful but fatally flawed