From: Kharin (kharin@kharin.com)
Date: Mon Sep 15 2003 - 08:27:21 MDT
"That the term has wide use does not render it meaningless."
Actually, I think it does. Whereas the term 'un-american' had a relatively precise notion of what the term implied (in terms of what it is to be American and what it was to undermine that), the term 'Anti-American' is far more dilute and lacks any such precision. All that can be said about it is that it appears to imply the term 'American' to be both clear and unambiguous whilst doing nothing to make it so. For example, your first definition assumes opposition to us government policy is identical with opposition to the US public. Democracy may have much to recommend it, but I can think of no country in the world where that identification is reliable.
http://www.artsandopinion.com/2003_v2_n1/roy.htm
"What does the term mean? That you're anti-jazz? Or that you're opposed to free speech? That you don't delight in Toni Morrison or John Updike? That you have a quarrel with giant sequoias? Does it mean you don't admire the hundreds of thousands of American citizens who marched against nuclear weapons, or the thousands of war resisters who forced their government to withdraw from Vietnam? Does it mean that you hate all Americans?"
"1. Opposed or hostile to the government, official
policies, or people of the United States, their aims, or interests, or to
their institutions.
2. To be against America or Americans. 3. Predisposed to hostility towards
America, Americans or things American."
Again, these terms are so broad and abstract (not to mention self-referential sinceit doesn't define what it means by America) as to convey nothing other than 'anti-americanism means whatever it is convenient for it to mean.' Usually in the course of some op-ed writer being anti-European, anti-German or anti-French. For the people who complain of anti-Americanism surrendering to any of these things is, if they won't forgive the phrase, de rigeur. As I expect French wine exporters could testify... wonder if US imports to France suffered anywhere near as much?
"That the USA is disliked for simply being powerful is a point I have also
made elsewhere. "
Does it not strike you as being at all odd that this powerful state should spend so much time enaged in hysterical handwringing over the fact that the other children don't want to play with it? Did Kitchener or Bismarck lose much sleep over that sort of thing? At the risk of sounding like a spiked columnist the only thing the existence of the term tells us is that US seems to suffer from a certain lack of confidence.
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