I promise this will be my last post for awhile (and they all cheered). Brenda wrote:
> The world economy today is very different from what it was even 50 years ago > because of advances in technology, equity markets and transportation. It seems > simplistic to compare it to civilizations dating back thousands of years when it comes > to political economies. I know it's different but people are people are people and they've always traded with each other even if it was in less sophisticated ways. > I fear you've missed my point. Never did I say or imply that we are obligated to bend > over to anyone. And I don't think that anyone should be stifled. Including those who > may be viewed as ungrateful. Or their critics. I read too much of the foreign press and should really tune it out for awhile. I felt such a rash of unwarranted criticism and contemptuous commentary coming from some of it immediately after 9/11 that it really changed the way I view some things. I also heard contemptuous and unempathetic in person from some people from other countries at that time and I guess I have just had my fill for awhile. The problem I see is that many of them DO take their information straight from tabloids or from press with an agenda. I was stunned, for example, to read outraged reactions from people in their governments automatically believing exactly what they read in the tabloids and taking it as gospel. I can't imagine this - it would be as if members of the U.S. congress picked up a story in one of our tabloids about something from another country and immediately started howling and pounding on their tables before they even consulted with official representatives of that country. Maybe it's all just high political drama that is too nuanced for me to understand. > BTW - I do think that fairly or unfairly, U.S. policy has become synonymous with > globalism for many critics, including those within our own country who would be > labeled "anti-American." I suppose that comes with the territory when you are deemed > leader of the free world. (I hope that doesn't read as being facetious, because that is > certainly not my intent.) I'm not sure I understand what you mean. I do understand how people can have a natural resentment toward a country that you have to keep hearing all the time is the "leader." I think that sets the U.S. up for a lot of hits, not always fairly. I don't understand those who think the U.S. is the only country being "imperialistic" or trying to exploit and take over the world. One can go to most any foreign country, including the third world countries, and see just as many corporations from many other countries long established there. I feel like some other countries project or try to shine all of the spotlight on the U.S. to divert others from shining the light on them. I feel we are often the convenient scapegoat and we;ve sort of endured that for a long time because we feel conscious of our wealth. After 9/11, I think people feel more sensitive to unfair or one-sided criticism. It seems like some in Europe have so much contempt for us that they could care less if we are gutted, severely wounded or even destroyed. Which gets back to some of my angry reaction or not understanding why they don't perhaps considered that if we go down it will certainly effect them, too. Kakki
