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June 29, 2006
The rule of law in America
A friend of ours just sent a note, "At least there is some hope for the rule of law in this country," after we saw the reports about the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling: "US Guantanamo tribunals 'illegal'". Perhaps people outside the United States don't realize just how downheartened millions of Americans have been, since 2000, about the political and judicial system that we were told, growing up, was the best in the world, a model for other countries.
I know that the current U.S. administration hasn't caught up with the fact that we aren't a model any more in areas we used to pride ourselves on. Apparently the Supreme Court also ruled that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention applies to the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Hard as it is for this American to write the words, the ruling says that we can't (legally) torture people. Who us? Torture people? There's a terrible sense of unreality about all this, to someone who grew up feeling quite idealistic about the core values of the United States.
And this is why I get so annoyed by people who rant about China's human rights record. Sure, China has done some ugly things, but the idea that we can sit in judgment, given our own behavior, strikes me as absurd. Here's something else I learned as a kid in the Midwest: people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Posted by Karen Christensen at 10:57 AM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2006
A tale from the American West
I've just read a fabulous book, Buffalo for the Broken Heart, that I hope readers outside the United States will be able to find, because it beautifully presents traditional, iconic life in the American West along with changing consciousness about sustainability--and responsibility. It's the bad and the good, in an engaging memoir that may help you to understand us a bit better. It's also witty; I especially loved Dan O'Brien's observations about his neighbors, whom he is clearly fond of:
The lives and the pedigrees of my friends and neighbors were heavily vested in the belief that this land is 'cattle country.' In the view of some, their progenitors sacrificed everything to wrench the northern plains away from the dark forces of wildness, and they do not want to hear that the salvation of the land, and perhaps of the economy, might lay in a retrenching, a falling back to the greater wisdom of evolution. Hell, most of my neighbors don't even believe in evolution, even though they have been engineering evolution in the form of modified cattle for generations.
Dan O'Brien, ends the story with the launch of Wild Idea Buffalo, a company selling grass-fed free-range buffalo meat by mail order. Our first package arrives today, and we'll be eating it with our first peas.
Posted by Karen Christensen at 4:19 PM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2006
The national character of the Americans
One of the most famous, and infamous, books every published about the United States is Domestic Manners of the Americans, by Fanny Trollope. It was a huge hit in England. I can open it anywhere and find something amusing, acutely observed, and possibly true even today. I picked up my copy this morning and this was the first thing I saw, "Having now arrived nearly at the end of our travels, I am induced, ere I conclude, again to mention what I consider as one of the most remarkable traits in the national character of the Americans; namely, their exquisite sensitiveness and soreness respecting everything said or written concerning them." What do you think?
Posted by Karen Christensen at 8:49 AM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2006
President Eisenhower about "Texas oil millionaires"
I wasn't sure this was accurate when it arrives in an e-mail, but a check at Snopes.com verifies it. People outside the United States may find it even more surprising than I did. Is it encouraging, or does it just show our decline?
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."--President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952
Is it possible that after decades of globalization U.S. politicians are far less attuned to the things that matter to ordinary people, here and around the world, than they were in 1952? It's no wonder that this affects what the world thinks about America.
Posted by Karen Christensen at 7:17 AM | Comments (0)
June 7, 2006
Good will squandered? Surveys of 10 nations, 2004
It's not hard to understand why we, the United States, would have some relationship problems, given that a poll in October 2004 found that "George Bush has squandered a wealth of sympathy around the world towards America since September 11 with public opinion in 10 leading countries - including some of its closest allies - growing more hostile to the United States while he has been in office." A month later, we reelected him (or, depending on your view, elected him for the first time--and of course there's still the Ohio question, covered in Rolling Stone this month).
United States Information Agency Alumni Association: Surveys of 10 nations, September-October 2004
Posted by Karen Christensen at 4:09 PM | Comments (0)
June 6, 2006
A thought about Western civilisation
On Mahatma Gandhi's arrival at Southampton, 1930:
Reporter: "Mr Gandhi, what do you think of Western civilisation?"
Gandhi: "I think it would be a very good idea."
Posted by Trevor Young at 7:49 AM | Comments (0)
June 2, 2006
Here's the link to the "Website of the Week" notice
Valley Advocate: Splash "Bookmark: Website of the Week--encouraging people around here to read what the world thinks about America!
Posted by Karen Christensen at 1:08 PM | Comments (0)
June 1, 2006
The language we use to talk about America, and Americans' use of language
After having our forum hacked, and watching the lively discussion that is taking place on the main site, we've decided to remove the forum for now. Keeping the discussion front and center seems like the right thing. There are quite a few regular contributors, but other people are weighing in, too.
What makes this frank conversation possible? I wonder if our choosing to use the word 'hate' on the website is the key. Most writing about what the world thinks of America wimps out when it comes to the possibility that reasonable people may have feelings of rage towards the United States, and that they may really hate some of the things we do, personally as well as on a global scale. I haven't seen anyone suggest violence--that's something else again--but there are strong emotions here.
Here's a pet peeve of my own: Americans' casual ignorance, and comfortable acceptance of their own lack of knowledge. I was at a conference recently and the moderator said, "Our Arab, or Muslim, or whatever you call it, brethren." Sure, someone may not know the difference between an Arab and a Muslim. But why should he feel comfortable airing that ignorance? And it's easy enough to look up the definitions.
The best one I found on a quick search was this: "An Arab is someone with ancestry from the nations of the Middle East or North Africa where Arabic is the primary language. Iran, where the predominant language is Farsi, is generally not considered an Arab nation." (from www.gsanetwork.org/justiceforall/definitions.htm)
Muslim is the equivalent of Christian: a believer in one of the branches of Islam. Many Arabs are Muslims, and many Muslims are Arabs, but they are not the same thing.
A related peeve is Americans' stilted speech and writing. At the same conference, I heard a senior publisher begin a speech with a sentence that included the phrase, "Esteemed assemblage." Good grief!
Posted by Karen Christensen at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)
First award for LoveUSHateUS.com, What the world thinks about America
Just heard that the Valley Advocate has chosen our site as its website of the week! Congratulations to all the lively, thoughtful contributors from around the world, helping us to understand one another better as we discuss what the world thinks about America.
Posted by Karen Christensen at 10:57 AM | Comments (0)