- 20 May 2009 14:33
#1911591
It seems that Americans do not realize how widely spread is Anti-Americanism in the world. Otherwise – could it have developed so fast during the last 60 years? Nobody can also give a precise and clear answer – why it is so? Plenty of academic researches and discussions have been devoted to it. Still an explicit answer hasn’t been found. If anybody knew it he would surely get the Pulitzer Prize. I will try to answer shortly to this question.
My answer is –
Everything that is self-evident to Americans is not always understood by the other world. Americans are not able to understand and explain it. So that it is enough and carefully.
Of course, it can not be generalized – part of Americans probably understands it and part of the world – too. But here we speak about minority against dejectory number of the masses.
Here we speak about democracy and the free market. They are a fundamental basis that offers to any society exactly what it wants most – freedom, stability and security. It is exactly those values that any normal person and society want on the whole. It is only natural for a man. Apart from the place people live or what their historical, religious and cultural traditions are. It can be proved by a countless number of examples in the whole world. We can see prosperous, stable and free societies starting from Japan, South Korea even to Scandinavia. These are historically, religiously and culturally different countries with one common basis – democracy and free market.
Americans with this understanding have lived for generations, it is natural and self-evident to them. It can be almost definitely said that democracy of the USA has developed without any hindrance and huge crashes already for many centuries, especially XXth. There are no other countries having such opportunity. Including Europe.
Europe even during the XXth century has lived through two huge and disastrous wars, Nazism, communism and other destructive traumas. Russia and a half of Europe have started again to get to know the modern democracy and the free market only during the last twenty years. It is similar with other regions of the world. Surely, it affected also America but not so much as in the countries where real warfare took place and/or totalitarian regimes ruled everything.
American society with its experience of democracy is far ahead. So far that they can’t often hear and understand those who are dropped back. At least there is such a feeling. It is the biggest gap that provokes Anti-Americanism. It all generates the ground for mutual lack of understanding. Besides, this permanent stability has given to America a great number of economic advantages and power. Also an immense responsibility. There are no other countries that would have such an experience and possibilities.
Still it is essential to understand that one of the democracy staples is the Freedom of Word. Ability to be self-critical. It gives strength internally – problems are noticed quickly, they have been discussed and common solutions are found. In other societies that do not have such an experience with the freedom of word there is a feeling that democracy is not a discussion about better solutions but never–ending problems. It is used by all possible opponents of democracy – they hide their problems with simple demagogy – Just look what is going on in America – corruption, murders and loose discipline. Nobody explains to these societies – they are exceptions not regularities. It is widely spread rhetoric in the talks of America’s global rivals.
Paul Lasaro
My answer is –
Everything that is self-evident to Americans is not always understood by the other world. Americans are not able to understand and explain it. So that it is enough and carefully.
Of course, it can not be generalized – part of Americans probably understands it and part of the world – too. But here we speak about minority against dejectory number of the masses.
Here we speak about democracy and the free market. They are a fundamental basis that offers to any society exactly what it wants most – freedom, stability and security. It is exactly those values that any normal person and society want on the whole. It is only natural for a man. Apart from the place people live or what their historical, religious and cultural traditions are. It can be proved by a countless number of examples in the whole world. We can see prosperous, stable and free societies starting from Japan, South Korea even to Scandinavia. These are historically, religiously and culturally different countries with one common basis – democracy and free market.
Americans with this understanding have lived for generations, it is natural and self-evident to them. It can be almost definitely said that democracy of the USA has developed without any hindrance and huge crashes already for many centuries, especially XXth. There are no other countries having such opportunity. Including Europe.
Europe even during the XXth century has lived through two huge and disastrous wars, Nazism, communism and other destructive traumas. Russia and a half of Europe have started again to get to know the modern democracy and the free market only during the last twenty years. It is similar with other regions of the world. Surely, it affected also America but not so much as in the countries where real warfare took place and/or totalitarian regimes ruled everything.
American society with its experience of democracy is far ahead. So far that they can’t often hear and understand those who are dropped back. At least there is such a feeling. It is the biggest gap that provokes Anti-Americanism. It all generates the ground for mutual lack of understanding. Besides, this permanent stability has given to America a great number of economic advantages and power. Also an immense responsibility. There are no other countries that would have such an experience and possibilities.
Still it is essential to understand that one of the democracy staples is the Freedom of Word. Ability to be self-critical. It gives strength internally – problems are noticed quickly, they have been discussed and common solutions are found. In other societies that do not have such an experience with the freedom of word there is a feeling that democracy is not a discussion about better solutions but never–ending problems. It is used by all possible opponents of democracy – they hide their problems with simple demagogy – Just look what is going on in America – corruption, murders and loose discipline. Nobody explains to these societies – they are exceptions not regularities. It is widely spread rhetoric in the talks of America’s global rivals.
Paul Lasaro
- By FiveofSwords
- By Deutschmania
- By wat0n