Christopher Hitchens: This July Fourth, ignore polls on America’s image

The Examiner ^ | July 4, 2006 | Christopher Hitchens

[newfarm4000n]

Who cares what the polls say. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Seen many Americans immigrate to Arab countries ???

[Pajamajan]

"Seen many Americans immigrate to Arab countries?"

Nope . I don't see too many Americans immigrating to Cuba either. I can't imagine why. Jimmy Carter loves the place.

Why don't the liberal Americans immigrate there, since they think Bush is Hitler, and America is such a terrible place to live?

[newfarm4000n]

Why don't the liberal Americans immigrate there, since they think Bush is Hitler, and America is such a terrible place to live?

America is so great that they would live hear even if a perceived Hitler was running it !

[Tolik]

Christopher Hitchens:

...we seem almost ready for a poll of Americans on what they think the rest of the world thinks of them in opinion polls, where the “finding” would be that most of those Americans polled think that most other people polled think they stink.

...A country that attempted to be in everybody’s good books would be quite paralyzed. The last time everybody said they liked the United States (or said that they said they liked the United States) was just after Sept. 11, when the nation was panicked and traumatized and trying to count its dead. Well, no thanks. This is too high a price to be paid for being popular.

...Faced with a complete beast like the late Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, who has been trying to kill us for several years, millions of Americans appear to believe that he only appeared in Iraq because in some way we made him upset. Well, even if this was true — which it is not — it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. (What would you say to a policy that made him contented, instead?).

Thus, for a Fourth of July message, I would suggest less masochism, more confidence on the American street, and less nervous reliance on paper majorities discovered by paper organizations.

Happy Independence Day.

Nailed It!
Moral Clarity BUMP !

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[Egon]

Here's a poll I want to see: How many Americans actually care what other people think of us?

[jazusamo]

Ping

Hitchens on Polls.

[Just A Nobody]

Thank you so much Jaz! This is the best ping I've had in a long time! I have saved it for future use. ;*)

less nervous reliance on paper majorities discovered by paper organizations.

Priceless!!!

[jazusamo]

I knew you'd appreciate it as soon as Pew Center came up. Hitchens nailed it. :-)

[GOPJ]

But who’s doing the random samples in Somalia and Tajikistan and Ecuador?

Polls are difficult - my guess? Pew's lying. Their poll results outside the US uphold liberal preconceived notions... The chances of that being true - is statistically insignificant...

[Just A Nobody]

Uh oh.....you are getting to know me too well. LOL!

[RhoTheta]

Normal Rockwell...

Would that it were still true. The innocence of that age, that is.