Subject:
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Re: "Why Do so many hate America"... or is it "Why does America hate US?"?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sat, 17 Nov 2001 08:46:43 GMT
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Viewed:
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236 times
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This is a quote from Kurt Vonnegut's 'Cats Craddle', written in 1963. I only
read this recently, coincidentally enough around Sept11.
"-People- are hated a lot of places. Claire pointed out in her letter that
Americans, in being hated, were simply paying the normal penalty for being
people, and that they were foolish to think they should somehow be exempted
from the penalty"...
"Larry Pieniazek" <lpieniazek@mercator.com> wrote in message
news:GLx45J.JpC@lugnet.com...
> From the Phillipines, via my IBMTEXT alumni list
>
> http://www.inq7.net/opi/2001/oct/23/opi_csdequiros-1.htm
>
> I found it quite interesting... however I also agree in part with some of
> the responses to it from that list, here's one in its entireity:
>
> - start -
>
> That is certainly a third-world editorial.
>
> The turmoil in Afghanistan started in 1973. The Taliban were hardly a
> creature of the US, and did not receive any direct US aid. The fact that
> the Afghanis were not able re-establish civil rule after the Soviets left • is
> hardly the fault of America's government or people (who have been the
> largest contributors of aid to the Afghan people for the past decade). It
> is the fault of the Afghanis.
>
> Suppose the US had tried to bring order to Afghanistan's murderous brew of
> ethnic conflict and larcenous warlords. The same sniveling turd-world
> yuppies who complain about neglect would be whining about racist
> neo-colonialism and arrogant cultural imperialism. And what goes for
> Afghanistan goes for Uganda, the Philippines, and Chile (the writer is
> obviously going on knee-jerk reflexes learned from the New York Times to
> bring up Chile). What were the wonderful alternatives that America robbed
> them of? The Philippines and Uganda would look like Afghanistan and Chile
> like Romania.
>
> Do they hate us because we are happy, prosperous, and free, while they • live
> in a fly-specked tyrannical dung heap that no self-respecting camel would
> wipe his ass with? Of course they do, because they know it is their • fault,
> because they know that if they didn't think that their neighbor's success
> was their loss; that if they were able to argue instead of riot, so • brutal
> thugs were the only sort of government that could stay in power; that if
> they believed in an objective world to be addressed by reason and
> intelligence, instead of a fantasy realm to be imposed by theocracy, then
> they might be happy, prosperous, and free.
>
> So the people who "hate" America and, like the editorialist, want to blame
> America for not magically rescuing them from themselves, need to face up • to
> some facts: America doesn't hate them, and, yes, Americans are lucky to • be
> Americans, but America is not lucky, she is blessed, blessed by
> accepting--as they have not--to have her soul confirmed in self-control, • and
> her liberty confirmed in law. In the meantime, they can get on board, shut
> up and get out of the way, or wait until there is space on the • Enterprise's
> dance card.
>
> - end -
>
> (I think the truth is somewhere in between these two viewpoints, Sean
> (above) was off the beam quite a bit, although I really really think • "damned
> if you do, damned if you don't" resonates. We "saved" europe via WW II and
> the Marshall plan and by defeating the USSR, yet many europeans resent us
> just the same, while still wanting to live like us, and in large part • doing so!)
>
> ++Lar
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