MOOOOOOOve over, America!
Cheers!
Posted on 03/04/2006 10:34:51 PM PST by FairOpinion
Have you noticed how the world doesn’t like America? Few countries have anything good to say. The irony is that those for whom it has done the most tend to be least grateful. And this applies regardless of whether the recipient state is Asian, Latin American or European.
In the 1950s, when the Marshall Plan was reviving Europe’s crushed fortunes, it was commonplace in England to joke about Yankee unpopularity. The one that became best known went like this: “We hate them for three reasons, because they are over-paid, over-sexed and over-here.” This snide if successful strand of humour has roots that stretch far back into Europe’s relations with the ‘New World’. Oscar Wilde was a past master: “It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful still to have missed it”, or “America had often been discovered before Columbus, but it had always been hushed up.”
Even the French had their little digs. Clemenceau, who was Prime Minister during World War I, is best known for the following witticism: “America is the only country to have progressed from barbarism to decadence without experiencing the intervening stage of civilisation.” Freud: “America is the most grandiose experiment the world has seen but, I’m afraid, it’s not going to succeed.”
What lies behind such humour is rank jealousy. Success, no doubt, breeds envy but when your own impoverishment or incapacity adds the curse of dependence envy turns rapidly into dislike. The more the world needs America the more it hates itself for it. And since one cannot swear at oneself, America becomes the next best victim.
Of course, Yankee crassness, at times their innocence and often their idiocy have added to this. Americans are hardly their own best ambassadors. I recall a US Senator at the Cambridge Union who single handedly helped his side lose the motion “This House reaffirms its faith in America.” It happened when, carried away by his eloquence, he warmed to the subject and promised to lift the poor cities of the world “up, up, up — all the way till they look like Kansas City.” That shattered all prospects of a vote in favour.
And yet if America feels let down, stung by ingratitude, even lacerated, I can understand its feelings. Because those who need America the most are often the ones to kick hardest. This week India came very close to joining the list of the ungrateful.
Consider the facts. After nearly forty years of undisputed existence, the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, one of the world’s most sacred holy cows, has been dismantled to admit one single country. Of itself this is epoch-making. It’s revolutionary. But when you add the fact that this will give India, a country that was sometimes called a nuclear rogue state, the capacity to enlarge its civilian nuclear industry, which otherwise simply couldn’t have happened, the magnitude becomes enormous.
But are we grateful? Not if you look at the Left or the Samajwadi Party. Nor if you judge by the so-called popular protest on the streets. Not even if you go by the polls published by newspapers like this one. Instead, we’re more concerned about Bush’s Iraq policy or his threats to Iran, by his duplicity in the war on terrorism or even his simplistic, moralistic, little-Christian attitudes. We prefer to see reasons to dislike him. We ignore all cause for gratitude.
My point is simple. If Bush is so terrible why did we seek him out for help? If his Iraq policy is so unforgivable and if he is, as Arundhati Roy insists, a killer, why did we ask for his assistance? The choice to not do so was always there. But we consciously acted otherwise. Now, having got what we wanted, and possibly in far greater measure than expected, does it become us to carp and criticise?
The truth is we have in George W. Bush a president more pro-Indian than any before him. In fact the same nuclear deal would not have been possible under Clinton or Kerry or Gore. Bush alone made it happen. And he did so despite our Parliament’s well-known stand on Iraq and the ill-disguised contempt our elite have for him. If he could rise above all that then, surely, in return we could have expressed our gratitude more clearly and with good cheer. The protests should have been postponed or muted. They were hardly a suitable way of saying thank you.
PING
"the ill-disguised contempt our elite have for him"
Ours, too.
I wouldn't give you ten cents for any hundred "elite"anywhere. Elite is garbage compared to integrity, truthfulness and fairness.
It is really nice to see President Bush and Laura appreciated and to see them both having a good time, they certainly deserve both!
The Hindi are people who know how to make their way creatively and productively and peacefully in the world (except the Hindu mobs attacking Christians) instead of either sneaking into the US and living off welfare or sneaking in to terrorize and kill people.
There's an Indian restaurant in suburban Detroit called the "Priya" that serves an elaborate buffet of delicious dishes and, to me, the food is the best I have ever eaten anywhere.
The owner is from India, and he always comes over to our table and chats with us.
I'd call that a miracle. ;)
Nice article! (Thanks for the ping, Gretchen!)
Indeed, refreshing!
Which is why I, a backwoods resident of Vermont, have Cowboy boots, A Texas Marshall's Hat with an Alamo Badge , a waxed canvas driver/horseman's coat that goes down to my ankles, and a Colt single action Army in a slap leather holster.
I love Texas so much I have to take it with me. I guess I should move down there!
MOOOOOOOve over, America!
Cheers!
Amazing constrast to what spews from the American media. Nice to see it at all, though.
Well....did he? Just kidding, that was a cute story
Im from New Delhi... and I can just say that its been a real pleasure having Mr. Bush over!
Ive lived in Houston too, so I guess you could say that Ive been a guest of the Presidents in a manner of speaking ;)
Hes a good man, and hes done my country a good turn.
So allow me to join Karan Thapar in thanking Mr. Bush and the United States!
Im really glad that he visited. Heres to both our countries!
Definitely a good article....thanks.
"So allow me to join Karan Thapar in thanking Mr. Bush and the United States!"
And thank you for conveying to us your thanks.
I think India and the US have a strategic relationships, which will benefit both our countries.
Considering how many other countries we help, who not only aren't grateful, but turn against us, we appreciate people and a country like India, where they express their thanks and mean it sincerely.
I agree, Thank you President Bush for doing the heavy lifting.
Ohio, go check out this out you'll enjoy it
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/013315.php
Thank you, Justanobody for the ping. Thanks FairOpinion for this excellent article.
Thank you, America and Pres. Bush, for your friendship. The civilized world (barring muslims, communists, and liberals) love you and admire you.
May God bless this great country and her people. The world would be living hell but for the battles you have fought in favor of freedom, equality, and justice throughout the world.
Bump
Thank you, India.
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