Where have all the Americans gone? (Greece) (Victor Davis Hanson alert)

Townhall ^ | 7/13/03 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Elkiejg]

Another good Hanson article. Yes, we "barberic" Americans can and do choose where we spend our money as tourists -- and yes the EU "elite" can hate us for many reasons -- but eventually they miss our money and our military protection.

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[mewzilla]

We spent three months in Italy back in the mid 80's. We were told back then not to visit Greece because of safety concerns. We didn't go. Doesn't sound like much has changed.

[Cacophonous]

Hanson apparently sees no connectionn between America's constantly intervening - post WWII - in other countries' affairs and the dislike those countries have for us.

[mewzilla]

What was their excuse back in the mid 80's?

[Non-Sequitur]

Greece is hosting the Olympics next year. I wonder if the Americans will attend that?

[Guillermo]

But they didn't mind Soviet-style intervention. That was and is OK.

[Cacophonous]

We've been in Europe since 1945.

[Cacophonous]

Who knows whether they minded it or not? Not our concern.

[Guillermo]

That makes sense.

You imply that Greece hates us, because we're interventionists.

Using that logic, they should hate Russia too.

But, they don't hate Russia, so, logic states that their hatred of the US isn't because we're interventionists.

[gaspar]

Yes, we should have let the Greek Communists take over after WWII. Were that the case, there would be tday a lot fewer mouthy Greeks and, something almost never encountered in Europe's Dogpatch, a little humility.

[xJones]

It is a national secret that soccer fans in the Athens stadium booed when asked for a moment of silence to honor the September 11 American dead shortly after their murder.

I hadn't heard of that, that says more than enough.

[ClearCase_guy]

at last may have achieved what its elites so often and so vocally wanted for the last thirty years-a country empty of Americans.

Atlas Shrugged

[demkicker]

Good eye-opening article. I found this sentence interesting:

My gut feeling is that after years of splashy anti-Americanism, most Americans-quite wrongly I think-finally concluded it was a hostile place better left alone.

I don't understand why he thinks it is "wrong" for Americans to avoid spending their time and hard earned money in countries whose populace dislikes us so. Seems logical to me, but it is a pity for them.

[mewzilla]

Yeah, I know. So what had we done in the 80's to tick off the Greeks? I'm still waiting to hear :)

[Cacophonous]

I don't know that they don't hate Russia. One thing I do know is that they have much in common, historically and culturally, with Russians, and much less so with western Europeans and the US. That would make them (the Russians) a little easier to stomach. Also, it was politically sensible to stay at least cordial with the Soviet behemoth.

[vharlow]

What do you mean by "intervening"? Site some examples, so someone can understand your viewpoint better.

[Cacophonous]

huh?

[ricpic]

Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger (the Greek diner contribution to America)