DudeMan
07 Apr 2004, 07:16 PM
I just finished reading a really interesting book (http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FD03Aa02.html) by French social commentator Jean-Francois Revel, which explores the origins and pathology of the anti-Americanism that colors the thinking of so many people. (the link will take you to a good review that appeared recently in the Asia Times)
From my own semi-regular trips to places like London and Paris, I gotta say it's really striking just how fervid, reflexive and nearly-unanimous anti-American thinking really is. For that reason, Revel is a true example of a free-thinker who is willing to challenge the dogma that pervades the national conscience of his home country.
One thing I kept coming back to as I read his lively prose was that the reflexive assumption that America must be at fault for nearly everything that goes wrong, has been internalized by many among the American political left. In reading many of the sniffing or downright outrageous quotes and anecdotes, one hears echoes of some of the more unfortunate turns and tropes of the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination campaign. And it's a pity too, because by taking on gross mischaracterizations and building straw men, legitimate criticisms get lost along the way.
Interestingly, this was a best-seller in France for several months and caused a national dialogue on the subject. (one of the many things I admire about France is how well educated and well-read the average person there is). Many believe that the recent cabinet shake-up in France that saw rabid anti-American Foreign Minister de Villepan being re-assigned to Interior Minister was at least partly in response to the discussion this book caused. So hopefully there will be at least a chipping away at the anti-American orthodoxy there. I'd like to see it sell well here too, because I think it would be healthy for our own political dialogue.
Finally, a Frenchie worth listening to!
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Edited to add: to be fair, a similar anti-american pathogen infected some on the right during the Clinton years. The most prominent manifestation of this was Robert Bork's abhorrant 'Slouching Towards Gomorrah'.
From my own semi-regular trips to places like London and Paris, I gotta say it's really striking just how fervid, reflexive and nearly-unanimous anti-American thinking really is. For that reason, Revel is a true example of a free-thinker who is willing to challenge the dogma that pervades the national conscience of his home country.
One thing I kept coming back to as I read his lively prose was that the reflexive assumption that America must be at fault for nearly everything that goes wrong, has been internalized by many among the American political left. In reading many of the sniffing or downright outrageous quotes and anecdotes, one hears echoes of some of the more unfortunate turns and tropes of the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination campaign. And it's a pity too, because by taking on gross mischaracterizations and building straw men, legitimate criticisms get lost along the way.
Interestingly, this was a best-seller in France for several months and caused a national dialogue on the subject. (one of the many things I admire about France is how well educated and well-read the average person there is). Many believe that the recent cabinet shake-up in France that saw rabid anti-American Foreign Minister de Villepan being re-assigned to Interior Minister was at least partly in response to the discussion this book caused. So hopefully there will be at least a chipping away at the anti-American orthodoxy there. I'd like to see it sell well here too, because I think it would be healthy for our own political dialogue.
Finally, a Frenchie worth listening to!
--------------
Edited to add: to be fair, a similar anti-american pathogen infected some on the right during the Clinton years. The most prominent manifestation of this was Robert Bork's abhorrant 'Slouching Towards Gomorrah'.