America is Arrogant and Racist ..... and has been for a Looooong Time

[Stinky The Clown]

The Native American's were called 'savages' and were persecuted and culturally raped by America. The Native American peoples went on to economically eclipse Americans.

The Negroes were used as slaves and were regarded as subhuman by America. Vestiges (at a minimum) of that remain to this day.

The Germans were called 'Krauts' over the course of two wars. The German people went on to economically eclipse Americans.

The Japanese were referred to as 'japs' and cartooned as myopic and incapable of growing mustaches. The Japanese people went on to economically eclipse Americans.

The Korean people were referred to as 'gooks' and largely cartooned in a manner similar to the Japanese. The Korean people went on to economically eclipse many Americans.

The Vietnamese people were held up as pajama clad jungle people. They were referred to as 'slopes' and again cartooned as we did the Japanese. The Vietnamese people went on to defeat the Americans, who now seek to repair our relationship with them.

The Muslim people are among the oldest and proudest civilizations on Earth. Americans today portray them as ignorant cave dwellers, incapable of discerning nuance in world events. Portrayed as killing because of an article in the American Newsweek magazine. Nothing could be further from the truth. How will the Muslin people demonstrate the humanity to Americans?

I wonder.

[SodoffBush]

1. The US is out of the loop in general

and enjoys being there.

[SouthernDem2004]

2. How does this differ from every other Western Country?

We all have pasts we are not proud of... Which country doesn't?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. And your point is?

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. And this makes America different from most other countries how, exactly?

The Dutch in South Africa called the blacks "kaffirs", and regarded them as subhuman...the British called the natives in their colonial posessions "wogs", and exploited them and set them against one another through the "divide and rule" tactic...the Germans slaughtered the Herero people of the German South-West Africa colony, and under Hitler attempted to exterminate Jews, Slavs and Roma...the Japanese regarded anyone who wasn't Japanese as "gaijin", which means roughly "foreign barbarian", but carried a subtext of "subhuman", and look at what THEY did in China and India and Burma and Singapore and everywhere else during their mad drive for conquest...

Xenophobia is a pretty universal human trait. The US hasn't got a very good track record, no, but then neither does pretty much any other country that's ever been a global power.

[Tux]

5. Welcome to human nature

Humans fear what is different: skin color, culture, religion, technology, education, etc. All nations have elements of that snce they have human populations. It can be changed but as long people are scared of change, feel pset over something and have someone to blame, it will never go away.

[Colorado Blue]

6. Too true! Also, I think it should be mentioned that "America"

is not a monolith - but 300 million human beings, each of whom has a story.

It is important to recall our collective national history for an important reason: to keep us humble when bullying OTHER nations for THEIR abuses. In fact, any person who claims some sort of moral high ground should look first at the mirror, then at his own family's or nation's history, before climbing up on THAT high horse.

By the same token, casting OR assuming collective guilt isn't fair either.

Many of us are first or second generation, or even immigrants - many of us are from some of the countries we're supposedly so "racist" against. And our laws and respect for individual rights remain a model for societies everywhere.

A challenge for leftists here in America is to somehow try to project these democratic ideals into a workable foreign policy. Too often we sit on the sidelines hectoring, feeling morally superior of course, without coming up with a single concrete, productive idea for how America and its huge economy, global economic interests and manifest security requirements, can interact productively with the world.

The European Union, after thousands of years of conflict and war, is trying to work out their differences on a regional scale. Perhaps we could attempt something like that in this hemisphere, for a start?

[Stinky The Clown]

7. And therein lies the kernal of truth in our history of arrogance

My family is one of the ones you point to as being relatively new to this country. And even as we assimilated, so we looked down on those came after us.

And so it goes.

And so it should go no longer.

[Darranar]

9. A good idea. But without the US. The US will never stand for anything...

that does not allow them to dominate Latin America.

Hugo Chávez has the right proposal, more or less - at least for a start.

[Colorado Blue]

13. That's why it's INCUMBENT upon US, to make sure the US

CHANGES. We can do it! We shouldn't give up on ourselves.

Even leaving out Vietnam, since the Reagan years, with the exception of Clinton, our leaders have been an extraordinary bunch. The more I read the more upset I get. It's ASTONISHING some of what's gone on as you know. The degree of corruption at the highest levels is beyond description.

But our principles are sound, we are as PEOPLE, strong, bright, creative. We have a wonderful mixture of ethnicities and religions and cultures. Our strength is that awesome diversity, and the fact that we can live here and coexist, people who in another environment might be throwing bombs at each other.

That's no small thing!

Working against us, is the rise of a religion that doesn't believe in science. Big multinational businesses are working AGAINST small enterprises and creativity.

But I'm not giving up on us yet. I believe the ideals of the founding fathers are still sound and that we CAN recapture the spirit of America.

Half the battle is just seeing the elephant in the soup bowl!

Thoughts?

[Darranar]

22. Well, yes. Eventually, of course, the US should be included...

But the aim for now should be for developing nations to help each other, not to depend on the supposed "aid" from developed nations - not because of some kind of "national responsibility" nonsense, but because the simple facts of power mean that the altruism of the rich nations towards the poor ones is typically fake.

When power becomes decentralized enough, then immediately plans should be made for some kind of human union, a global government that can at last abolish war and borders. That is not a bad idea even now - as long as the power of the powerful nations is checked.

[Just Me]

8. There are many people who not only enjoy but also embrace diversity.

However, change IS scary. The first to beat on their chests are the ones who are most afraid of change, of something different from what they have been exposed or believe even if their perception and/or beliefs are completely irrational.

[vogonjiltz]

10. Yes we are,

but I have one caveat, we at least know that we can do better and at times strive to do better. America is a vastly better place than it was 50 years ago, though I feel that it has been getting worse lately. I admit that my experience is a little limited, I have lived my whole life in the same neighborhood in Chicago, Rogers Park, which is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the country. Having grown up and gone to school around that kind of diversity is something I am thankful for and I wish more people would have that kind of opportunity.

[Colorado Blue]

14. I am familiar with that neighborhood and I love it, I know just

what you mean:)

I wish EVERYBODY could spend some time in Rogers Park, USA.

[spindoctor]

11. And Republicans are repukes :) But I rather talk about the Middle-East...

Because I do have a problem with Middle-Eastern culture. Yes, they are an old civilization but they need to get their heads out of the 14th century and join us in 2005. Fuck their pride.

Middle-Eastern and North-African Muslim cultures are a disgrace to 21st century enlightenment.

If you think our conservatives and our fundamentalists are bad news, hey...it can be worse.

Ironically enough, we destroyed the only noteworthy country that successfully built a secular state in the area.

[Colorado Blue]

15. I think our vision of it, what we see - the violence, so forth -

is only part of the story. And things are becoming more modern and cosmopolitan - Iran and the Magreb states particularly, are quite diverse and sophisticated.

And women, women are a huge key - and young people. Things WILL change! We're seeing the worst, in wartorn regions, and no doubt some of the religious people do NOT want to change and resent it and they totally resent US - we represent change itself.

As some of the other posters point out, people fear change and they fear "the other." So it will take time.

I found this review of two new films, both by WOMEN, in the Lebanon Daily Star:

CANNES: Creative and talented, the emergence of two new female directors from the Middle East was one of the more positive discoveries at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Their debut films - "Marock," written and directed by Leila Marrakchi, and "One Night," written and directed by Iranian Niki Karimi - featured in the "Un Certain Regard" section of the competition and received positive reviews.

Set in Casablanca in 1997, "Marock" tells the story of 17-year old Rita, played with winning breeziness by Morjana al-Alaoui, in her final year of school and more interested in boys than her studies. She falls in love with her Jewish neighbor Youri, much to the chagrin of her older brother Mao (short for Mohammad), recently returned from his studies in London. Rather than opt for obvious melodramatics, however, Marrakchi imbues her tale with the dreamy wistfullness of adolescence, where amber-lit evenings listening to music, getting high and the laughter of friends feel like they'll last forever.

"It's a time of dreams, of freedom, of love and going all the way with things," Marrakchi told The Daily Star. "This was really the rhythm I wanted in the film."

Karimi's "One Night," is an entirely different work, following 20-something Negar through a single night on the streets of Tehran. Kicked out of her house by her mother, who is expecting a male suitor, Negar embarks on an odyssey through the twilight metropolis, accepting lifts from three men, all strangers.

snip

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=4&Article_id=15378

[spindoctor]

16. There are reform movements in the cities,

And the situation is different in every country of course. But it's a two steps forward one step back process.

In many aspects they are quite literally stuck in the middle ages and it is that frame of reference that holds back social, intellectual and scientific growth.

[Colorado Blue]

18. It's a challenge for sure. One of the hardest things, in big

chunks of the world, is that distrust of change and/or US, has led to people refusing medicine.

Polio is on the INCREASE again - after having been nearly eradicated. People think, the polio vaccine is AIDS virus, or will make one impotent and/or sterile.

It is beyond frustrating.

[Ksec]

12. America no. Americans, yes

And Id like to note weve come a looooong way, at least most of us, well half of us.

[AP]

17. Islam is actually the newest, youngest of the major religions.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. As a religion, perhaps

As a culture, no, they're quite ancient.

[AP]

21. "Muslim" is the religion. What's the culture?

[radar]

19. A writer on www.dissidentvoice.org touched on this, partially....

...About our past history returning.

"... we are returning to our violent roots. As any indigenous person can tell you, we are coming home to the values that made America great. Abu Ghraib was a fresh start at reestablishing our violent national heritage that began with Indian slaughter and seemed to stall out a bit after Vietnam. But we’re baaaaaack! And we’re as bad assed as ever...."

Free People Do Bad Things
by Joe Bageant www.dissidentvoice.org
May 26, 2005
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/May05/Bageant0526.htm