‘I rejoice every time I hear of another American soldier dying! You people all deserve to die in another 9/11. You are destroying the world.’
You might expect to hear these sentiments on Al-jazeera, but certainly not from an English woman attacking a tourist on a bus. But it happened.
From my own experience, I'm often asked what part of the United States I'm from. When I reply, 'Oh, I'm Canadian,' many people quickly apologize for offending me or insulting me. I've found this puzzling--but I've also noticed when I first moved here, people warmed to me much quicker when my national identity was clearly established.
Therefore, we ask our American and British readers to please comment on this entry and share their experiences about US bashing here and abroad. As the linked article suggests, it’s well on its way to becoming more than merely fashionable.
Comments (6)
The anti Americans are also anti English, we pay to be insulted by the bbc and our own politicians.
Posted by Albion | October 21, 2004 12:46 PM
Posted on October 21, 2004 12:46
The comments over at Crooked Timber point out that FrontPageMag is a source to be taken with more than a pinch of salt, including "FPM has even less integrity than the Bushies. If they tell you the sky is blue, get confirmation"
and "If you had a penny for every single item of propagandist sensationalist hype that David Horowitz’s FrontPage Magazine has been alleging for years, you’d have a tsunamy of money." It seemed a pretty incredible set of experiences to me and hardly meriting of any kind of generalisation.
ttp://www.crookedtimber.org/archives/002683.html#comments
Posted by Will Martin | October 15, 2004 3:46 PM
Posted on October 15, 2004 15:46
Some relevant comments can be found on Iain Murray's invaluable blog, The Edge of England's Sword.
Posted by Anonymous | October 14, 2004 8:07 PM
Posted on October 14, 2004 20:07
I was born Jewish and I suppose I would be regarded as a renegade today. I have no time for organised religion but, not surprisingly, retain a Jewishness that will not leave me.
I make no attempt to hide my Jewish origins in the rural community in which I find myself and have met no anti-semitism. Thus I am surprised and horrified by this article. Similar sentiments have been expressed elsewhere and I have to assume that my experience is not the norm.
I am also a great fan of the USA - and this has nothing to do with that country's support of Israel. I lived in Bermuda for 32 years and being so close to the US I was a constant visitor and came to love the country and the people. Of course, politically, it has its faults but as I've discovered since I came back to the UK in retirement, the US is by no means alone!!! If I had my "druthers" I would be living my retirement years in the USA but unfortunately they wouldn't have me! I spent my first 35 years born and bred in this country but now find that I can't begin to understand my compatriots. Oh how I yearn for the openness, tolerance and sympathetic understanding of a different viewpoint that I found in the Americans of my acquaintance.
Posted by Henry Kaye | October 14, 2004 7:11 PM
Posted on October 14, 2004 19:11
Being English, I find the anti American sentiments that appear in this country disgraceful, especially when our "public service broadcaster" indulges themselves. I fear it has much to do with the wish (should that be death wish?) of a political elite!! trying to be friends with Europe.
They do not like us using the word English by the way.
Posted by Derek Buxton | October 14, 2004 3:01 PM
Posted on October 14, 2004 15:01
As an Englishman living in America, I'd love to share my thoughts on this matter. However doing so might contradict the Patriot Act.
Posted by AJE | October 14, 2004 2:50 PM
Posted on October 14, 2004 14:50