WHY DO OTHER COUNTRIES HATE US?

THE SATURDAY EVENING POST | 1914 | Cadillac Motor Car Co.

[Uncle Burt]

Found this while pondering the question,why do other countries dislike us? Part of an ad in the Saturday Enening Post in 1914.

In every field of human endeavour, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or a manufactured product,emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition;the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man's work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone- if he acheive a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging. Jealousy does not protrude it's forked tongue at the artist who produces a commomplace painting. Whatsoever you write,or paint, or sing, or build no one will strive to surpass, or to slander you unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it can not be done. Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler as a mountebank, long after the big world had acclaimed him it's greatest artistic genius. Multitudes flocked to Bayreuth to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while the little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river banks to see his boat steam by. The leader is assailed because he is a leader and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or excel, the follower seeks to depricate and to destroy - but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant.

There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as the human passions - envy, fear, greed, ambition, and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains - the leader. Master poet, masterpainter, master workman each in his turn is assailed, and each holds his laurels through the ages. That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial That which deserves to live - lives.

[_Jim]

We're going to differ on a few points as I detail below ...

Hehe. I would have to agree that their side has an equal amount of inaccuracies in their media as we do in ours.

I think there's is worse, but, they are both bad insofar as they fail, many times, to get even an accurate portrayl on a story when they try - let alone any outright propagandistic activites 'they' engage in!

However, I doubt the truth (the reasons actually discussed by the government, not the Fleischer version of events) would create a more friendly climate overseas. Considering most governments act in their own best interest (why we are going into Iraq, but let a million die in Rwanda)

Ahhh ... now we're getting somewhere ... the result of many of these 'problems' around the world are a direct result of THEIR government's policies and actions - like in Rwanda - no?

For one, what in Rwanda directly affects our national security (I hate to be so cold-sounding but, bear with me on this question)?

But we *do* help out nonethesless, WHERE we are allowed to through NGO organizations (aid organizations) that supply aid, but again, it's WHERE these NGO's are allowed to help by these (usually) dictatorships ...

I think the issue is simply that as the most powerful nation, we get to do what we want.

Not quite. (You might want to provide an example or two here.)

The system is set up to put countries in antagonistic positions -- battling for a scarcity of resources, new markets, etc.

Where have we done this?

And what is this 'battling over markets' thing?

Are you not a free-market trader, IOW, you prefer a level of governmental control wherein the parties *directly* involved are not alllowed to direct their operations BUT must be ruled by some function of government?

Inefficient (see: Failed Soviet Union) ...

We ARE arseholes, and I think most of the world has every right to stick it to us when they can.

No we aren't.

And I object to being lumped into a 'nebulous' group like that.

Properly portrayed, we are a country that gives the BIGGEST aid and most aid to other countries on the face of the earth! Our donations to charity are unmatched, per capita, anywhere!

(I think you have bought into some liberal clap-trap on this point.)

I mean, Americans dont know any better anyways,

This may be more a product of your experiences - they sure aren't mine! (Perhaps this is the COMMON portrayl you get from movies and the media? Ever catch that clever program on PBS during pedge drives that descibes the art and technique to travel in the world?)

but at what point do we excuse ourselves due to our own ignorance? We have the lowest voter turnout in almost the entire world,

This seems to be the case - but, I think you're *oversimplifying* to a very great degree. Were thinks WORSE I am willing to bet that voter turnout picks up ... meaning that life is okay for most people today, and they have no complaints, therefore, they don't vote.

we know absolutely nothing about the rest of the world,

You're including a LOT of people in that 'we' - and SOME of them *do* know something about the rest of the world! To state that "we know absolutely nothing" is a misleading oversimplification, a blanketing, all-encompassing rubber stamp that is in error. (If even ONE person knows something about the world the logic in that sentence evaporates.)

Overall, this is a bit of liberal clap-trap would be best be discarded here and now.

and this ensures that the government can do whatever it wants overseas

Huh?

Others *are* watching you know - were this REALLY true the BBC or DW TV (which we I have seen being aired here on one of our PBS affliates) would be all over a story where we did whatever the hell we wanted to !

and when something bad happens due to it, they can simply use a blanket "they hate our freedoms" statement to explain it away.

Occasionaly something bad does occur - witness when one of our servicemen gets a little too 'frisky' and, well, you recall the stories - in our lifetimes even.

[_Jim]

I am guessing the tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians who will die

With talk (from the Saudis even) that Saddam may be offered a place to 'retire to' to avoid armed action -

- and your main preoccupation is talk about " thousands of Iraqi civilians who will die" is denoting of your mindset.

Never mind that Saddam is free to slaughter (and has slaughtered!) and maim and terrorize his own people (in numers FAR greater than the simple 'thousands of Iraqi citizens' you cite) - do they not count as human beings in your book -

- and it's okay for him to treat them as property?

Is it because they are not white or they are Muslims that you show no concern about Saddams continued atrocities?

Never mind that he represents a serious threat in the region - and the world! He will be free to pursue WMD at his own pace should we not force him to disarm - won't he?

[_Jim]

We have arbitrarily decided who can and more importanly who cannot,

I see you do not agree with a policy to remove a threat to civility and human life in the region of the Middle East.

You would, in effect, let anyone who wants to, no matter how power hungry or crazy -

- like a man who has *already* demonstrated the ability to 'pull the trigger' proving that he can (and will again):

1) gas his own people and
2) fire just under a hundred balistic missiles (scuds) at a democracy in the region

- possess, build and use any method of killing he desires.

Have I got that right?

And when was the last time you perused through the Federalist papers or read Washington's Inaugural address?

Well, bury your head in the sand if you wish.

[_Jim]

25 000 people starve to death every day.

when the U.S. government begins to care about them, I

Sounds to me like so much liberal clap-trap (somebody has been watching the left-wing biased, alphabet networks again) ...

AND in MOST of these countries the people are dying (MAY be dying - even THAT has not been proven or substantiated at this point!) because of the stone-age policies in effect because of that country's dictator -

- isn't that right?

FURTHERMORE, do you now or have you in the past donated to any relief agencies who are often in BETTER positions to assist these peoples?

(I'll bet not.)

Thank you for 'playing' on FR and have a good day.

[LisaAnne]

Why does every country hate us?

I don't care why, just stay the h*** away from me and my country.

[_Jim]

Polls show Americans are some of the most ignorant people on Earth

I'm not going to accept for one minute a sampling of one hundred or even one thousand people to 'indicate' what the American people are or are not.

I don't have much more energy or time to spend on this, but I think somehow your perceptions are heavily slanted on this.

MUCH of what you write could also be applied to ANY OTHER country on the face of this earth. To any people, anywhere.

I could, one day, also contract to have my *own* poll conducted and, what do you know, the results could be that Americans know the most about other countries of all the peoples of the world!

How many PBS specials are produced each year, how many copies of National Geographics are sold every month DETAILING different cultures, different peoples on the face of this earth -

- yet you are willing to tell me WITH A STRAIGHT FACE the 'experiences' you have had depict ALL Americans everywhere and so apply to all Americans as well?

Simply, and quite purely hogwash.

Such wide, wild, generalizations I will *never* accept.

The same goes for some 'poll' conducted wherein 1,000 people are supposdly, randomly, called and 'questioned' on a few wide-ranging issues - for which they may have had little exposure, but, question them on a subject or culture they *have* studied or had exposure to and the answers come out *much differently*. Something like this requires research - not a phone-conducted poll!!!!

Rather, I think all this is more a product and the influence the media has had uniquely on you.

Forgive my bluntness - but sometimes the truth can, you know, feel that way ...

[JoeSixPack1]

WHY DO OTHER COUNTRIES HATE US?

What an ignorant question.

[Paulus Invictus]

# 1: Iraq is not, repeat not, disarming. That is part of the problem and also a requirement in the UN Resolution.

#2 The inspectors have found new, empty shells for the use with chemical or biological weapons. Does that mean that Iraq has or had biological or chemical weapons in their armories? They claim they have no such weapons but they have actually used them on Iran and the Kurds.

#3 Iraqi scientists who fled Iraq have stated that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear. Are these guys credible? Or do you believe Saddam?

[Paulus Invictus]

OK, what wars did we start? WW I and II were started by the peace-loving Germans and in WW II, it included the militaristic Japan. These two benevolent countries lost both wars, thanks to our help. Then we helped rebuild your country and Japan. Wow, are we nasty!

We didn't start Viet Nam. The blame goes to France. We didn't start Korea. That was started by North Korea with help from the USSR and later China. We didn't start the Gulf War. Saddam started that one. Our major problem with those three conflicts is that we wussed out and didn't finish the job. Aside from the Mexican War. I can't think of another war "we started."

As far as being universally hated, I doubt that. I have lived overseas for 17 years and never witnessed anti- American problems, except from the local verions of Commie media and far-left organizations (mostly in France and Italy, sponsored by the Communist party in both places).

[driftless]

Works both ways. I've read comments by foreign-exchange students about how they viewed America in my local rag. While most of the students were very polite, there were a number who complained about some very trivial things. Incidentally the foreign students who complained the most tended to come from France.

[bfree]

I don't know and I certainly don't care.

[driftless]

I'd get my snout out of that crap by Chomsky that you're reading. You've swallowed the Marxist claptrap about capitalist plunderers whole. You have eagerly bought the leftist lie about the zero-sum world ie: because one country is rich, the other is poor. If the U.S. and Great Britain didn't exist, all the poor "oppressed" countries that exist today would still be poor. In fact if it wasn't for the nasty old capitalist countries and their technological innovations and democratic ideas, those poor oppressed peoples lives would be worse.

There have been many non-Western countries who have invaded, occupied, and enslaved other lands and people. Like the Moors, the Turks, and the Mongols for example. Why did their civilizations collapse and/or why aren't those peoples the richest most powerful peoples on the planet?

[canadian]

Despite helping Muslims like kosovo, Kuwait etc. they still want to kill us, I cant understand this.
We are obviously on the wrong side.

[FreeReign]

WHY DO OTHER COUNTRIES HATE US?

Most people around the world don't hate us. Most statist governments around the world do hate us.