Hi Lawrence, Geraldine, and Anny,
I'm with Geraldine on this too.I don't think America has some monopoly on this.
Except I do think Lawrence is right in that something else is at work in America,
an evangelizing drive which is similar perhaps to the colonizing which drove the
British Empire into existence everywhere. It reminds me of that cartoon "Pinky
and the Brain" that my kids were fond of, there are two white rats, the Brain
which has a huge head due to being zapped by some scientist or another, and
his bumbling but ever loyal sidekick Pinky who says invariably "what are we
going to do today?" and the Brain says wearily "the same thing we do everyday,
Pinky, try and take over the world." In the neoconservative view, nationalism and
belief in democracy is intrinsically linked to Christianity and belief in 'moral
values' and America's wealth and power is the means to propagate both.
Interestingly, or so it seems to me anyway, many who went red feel under seige,
as if under attack from a media that they view as 'liberal', from a government
that they fear will take their guns, and this has seemed to combine most
recently with the fear of being under attack from terrorists. In some sense, it's
perhaps reactionary from the great changes of the sixties and seventies, the civil
rights movement, the end of segregation, the women's movement, gay rights,
the debacle of the Vietnam War, so that the neoconservative movement has
been fueled by this desire to take back the country, to restore 'moral values'.
The attack from without gave motive and reason to this feeling attacked from
within.
Oh, and you forgot to add what is perhaps most significant, homophobia. Every
proposition to ban gay marriage or to define marriage as between a man and a
woman passed overwhelmingly and it was apparently this, along with the right
to gun ownership, that were the 'moral values' that drove so many from their
churches to vote. And that, too, is found everywhere,
Best,
Rebecca
---- Original message ----
>Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 17:41:35 +0100
>From: Anny Ballardini <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: anti-american,
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>Hi Lawrence,
>
>I am with Geraldine when she says:
>
>As for racism, classism and sexism - name that country that doesn't have
>these things - I'll buy a ticket to go there today - I can think of quiet a
>few off the top of my head that have
>these things in greater quantities than America and horror of horror many of
>them are not in the 'Western World'.
>
>to which I add,
>
>horror of horror they are also in our futuristic Europe, especially in the
>South, never heard of Southern States?
>
>and to : racism, classism and sexism - I wonderfully add : consumption,
>cheers to all,
>
>Anny Ballardini
>http://annyballardini.blogspot.com
>http://www.fieralingue.it/modules.php?name=poetshome
>The aim of the poet is to awaken emotions in the soul, not to gather
>admirers.
>Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Lawrence Upton" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 5:26 PM
>Subject: Re: anti-american,
>
>
>> Hi
>>
>> L
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: REBECCA SEIFERLE <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: Lawrence Upton <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: 18 November 2004 16:21
>> Subject: Re: anti-american,
>>
>>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >---- Original message ----
>> >>Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 15:35:29 -0000
>> >>From: Lawrence Upton <[log in to unmask]>
>> >>Subject: Re: anti-american,
>> >>To: [log in to unmask]
>> >>
>> >>I take it you mean the Democratic voters
>> >>
>> >>I don't think it's anything like that
>> >>
>> >>If they were all voting against Bush only, that would be something; but
>> >>Kerry isn't that far from Bush; and I assume many who voted for him
>wanted
>> >>him
>> >>
>> >>It may well be a kick in the teeth for all those who didn't vote at all.
>> >>They're the really interesting ones.
>> >>
>> >>L
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>-----Original Message-----
>> >>From: Geraldine Monk <[log in to unmask]>
>> >>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>> >>Date: 18 November 2004 13:16
>> >>Subject: Re: anti-american,
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>>it's
>> >>>a bit like kicking 51 million American's in the teeth
>> >
>>
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