Why I hate America (Mickey Z.)

[Tace]

Mickey Z. -- World News Trust

"Why do you hate America?" This is a remarkably easy question to provoke. One might, for instance, expose elements of this nation's brutal foreign policy. Ask a single probing question about, say, U.S. complicity in the overthrow of governments in Guatemala, Iran, or Chile and thin-skinned patriots (sic) will come out of the woodwork to defend their country's honor by accusing you of being "anti-American." Of course, this allegation might lead me to ponder how totalitarian a culture this must be to even entertain such a concept, but I'd rather employ the vaunted Arundhati defense. The incomparable Ms. Roy says: "What does the term 'anti-American' mean? Does it mean you are anti-jazz or that you're opposed to freedom of speech? That you don't delight in Toni Morrison or John Updike? That you have a quarrel with giant sequoias?" (I'm a tree hugger remember? I don't argue with sequoias.)

When pressed, I sometimes reply: "I don't hate America. In fact, think it's one of the best countries anyone ever stole." But, after the laughter dies down, I have a confession to make: If by "America" they mean the elected/appointed officials and the corporations that own them, well, I guess I do hate that America -- with justification.

Among many reasons, I hate America for the near-extermination and subsequent oppression of its indigenous population. I hate it for its role in the African slave trade and for dropping atomic bombs of civilians. I hate its control of institutions like the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization. I hate it for propping up brutal dictators like Suharto, Pinochet, Duvalier, Hussein, Marcos, and the Shah of Iran. I hate America for its unconditional support for Israel. I hate its bogus two-party system, its one-size-fits-all culture, and its income gap. I could go on for pages but I'll sum up with this: I hate America for being a hypocritical white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.

After a paragraph like that, you know what comes next: If you hate America so much, why don't you leave? Leave America? That would potentially put me on the other end of U.S. foreign policy. No thanks.

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http://www.worldnewstrust.com/content/view/147/lang,en/

[Deja Q]

1. Indigenous? Sounds disingenuous.

After all, Cortez slaughtered plenty of Mexicans and then taught them how to be good Christians afterward.

My point is, how far back shall we go in order to be self-righteous in whining? Especially when 17th century America was hardly the first empire to utilize slaves, amongst numerous other issues we're hardly the first for having done?

Indeed, it took the actions they escaped from in order to scribble up the Constitution. It took quite a while, but as time went by the Constitution became increasingly relevant as Americans bothered to live up to what it said. Whether by guilt or nobility, people changed.

And now it's changing back.

Devolution.

Whatever happened to the future? Is it easier to point fingers at the past, where events had been tainted by the victors of those battles? We don't know the context of those situations, ergo it's pompous and idiotic to judge. We can't. Not completely. It's all circumstantial evidence; which is the same reason why people who sternly adhere to translated religious texts are fools. We are putting in faith in others who translated the original texts. And can we believe they were being 100% accurate in their translations? But that's another topic.

The future is what's important. Not the past.

A side-note: To the Chinese and Indians, we're great benefactors right now. We can't make up for Cortez, but we are to everybody else.

[Vogon_Glory]

3. Why Should The USA Apologize For Cortez?

Why should the US be required to apologize for Hernando Cortez, Pedro Aguilar, and other Spanish conquistadors? They were Spaniards, not Americans, and Spain had little to do with the political and social structures of the United States.

Yes, there was a lot of genocide and racial oppression in US history. However, that was perpetuated at first by British-descended American colonists from British colonies, and later on officially and unofficially by the US government, various state governments, as well as by all too many individuals.

I also get annoyed by these wanna-be Third-world would-be sympathizers. Yes, the US occasionally practiced genocide and practiced slavery until 1865. So why are these indignant souls remaining silent about the trans-Sahara slave trade practiced by North African Berbers and Arabs? Why are they so quiet about the east African slave trade practiced by Arabian Gulf merchants and potentates? Why are they so quiet about the fact that far more slaves were exported to Brazil and the West Indies than to the USA? Why do so many of these bleeding hearts keep mum about the genocidal policies of the Sudanese government in Darfur and in the south of that country? Why do they give the Taliban a pass on the Taliban's treatment of the Hazeri?

Cruelty and genocide are unfortunately a part of too many cultures' heritage. We will ALL have to face this unpleasant fact if we want to create a better world.

[readmoreoften]

5. Uh, I think the reason is because they're not citizens of that country.

I think they're criticizing the legacies of their own culture, while whites in the West Indies decry their own.

And most of the bleeding heart liberals in the U.S. are heartily disturbed over Darfur.

"The U.S. occasionally practiced genocide and practiced slavery until 1865" (???!!!) Nice attempt at whitewashing slavery. I don't think that 12% of our population is Black because of an "occasional" practice--the vast majority of blacks in the United States are African-American, not West Indian or African immigrants.

[Vogon_Glory]

6. Whitewashing? Hardly...

I don't think I'm whitewashing US history at all. Yes, the US did occasionally practice genocide in regards to Native American peoples.

Slavery was also practiced in much of the US until 1865, although I don't believe that the states which had already abolished slavery before the end of the War Between the States deserve to be so heavily tarred with slavery's brush.

As I said, I am tired of half-educated little twerps who have failed to grasp the elemental and all-too-obvious fact that slavery and genocide are ugly cultural practices practiced by many different cultures and justified by too many religious faiths over the millennia. This is not to get the US off the hook for its deplorable history, but it's to make other people take a good hard look at THEIR histories too.

[readmoreoften]

7. The word "occasional" whitewashes a widespread practice.

It's like saying Germans occasionally killed large amounts of Jews. Late medieval Europeans also killed Jews through systematic pograms. Is it "twerpy" for Germans to point out the horror that their own countrymen perpetrated a few generations earlier, or should they call the Czechs and the Russians and remind them that their ancestors had also engaged in ethnic cleansing pograms?

Each culture is responsible for cleaning its own house, the sins of its own fathers. Of course other nations engaged in slavery, but slavery in America was a unique racialized practice with specific consequences unlike anywhere else in the world-- and practicing slavery late in the game as far as civilization goes.

You cannot use the term "occasional" to discuss slavery; please.

[Tace]

4. Interesting

If you want to take it up with Mickey, visit him at MickeyZ.net. I'm not sure he posts on DU, although I usually forward the URLs.

[cyclezealot]

2. The country is larger than it's foreign policy

Yes, reason to hate it's foreign policy. That's the reason much of the world hates us. Of course, much of the world must realize americans are either too apathtic or too uninformed to do anything about our international problems. So, should they hate the American people. I hope not. We need speak up to the rest of the world, to save our countries reputation.