Basically…

Minorities should be seen and not heard, but if they are heard, they should all speak from the same, eurocentric, pro-white, conservative script or they cannot be accepted, no matter what level of education or career position they’ve acheived.

It’s just that simple, I suppose.

If you aren’t White, you’d better be “Right” or stay out of Sight.

God Bless America.

–Cobra

I haven’t seen this ‘TV leading reality’ too much with respect to Obama and 24 — maybe I missed it.

But in breaking down stereotypes, TV can indeed be powerful.

I hope Pres. Obama doesn’t raise taxes too much.

We have encountered great kindness and hospitality for the most part. But what has surprised us is the attitude that most of our European friends had that we couldn’t really be Americans. Their picture of Americans was of rich, pushy, aggressive, “ugly” Americans. It was a revelation to many of them who had little or no contact with Americans, that there were actually Americans who were not rich, overbearing, loud, or touting American culture as superior to theirs. For most Europeans their idea of America is what they see on the TV or in movies. Then, of course, there are the few Americans who are actually loud and boorish.

In spite of modern communications, many places in Europe are quite insular. They don’t see many outsiders and those they do are usually regular visitors. We stayed in a pension in the Dolomites in Italy where the owner asked us earnestly, how we had decided to stay in her inn. She was interested because, as she said, “We never get Americans here. You are my first Americans.” All the other guests were regulars from Germany, France, and Italy.

In my opinion, much of the anti-Americanism comes from their media, which probably feels they have to defend their culture from the overwhelming spread of American culture. That and a certain degree of envy of what they see as our overwhelming wealth.

One incident that I can relate happened when we got on the wrong bus in Switzerland. We were trying to go to a small village where a trail we wished to hike began. I won’t explain how we managed to get on the wrong bus, but we soon realized it was the wrong bus because it was winding down the hillside into the valley of the Rhone River. No one on the bus spoke English but we spoke just enough German along with our map to communicate to a kind woman where we were trying to go. She told all the passengers on the bus about our mistake. A man in the back came forward and we were able to understand that we would get off with him and he would see to our problem. We were a bit worried about such an arrangement. What if this gent had plans to take advantage of us? Nonentheless we got off the bus with him and he indicated for us to wait for him as he set off on foot. More mystery, but we were now 30 k from our home base, and lost. We really were now dependent on this man to help us find our way. In about fifteen minutes he returned, driving an old, but well cared for Mercedes. We drove on a steep and winding road, up, up, up the steep wall of the Rhone Valley. Twenty-five minutes of steep driving suddenly levelled out into a small alpine village set high above the Rhone. He deposited us at our trailhead. We thanked him profusely and I tried to give him some money for his kind assistance. He refused to take the money indicating that it was a gift from him to us. What an example of cooperative international relations! And certainly no anti-Americanism there.

Yes, their culture is different than ours. Competitiveness is not as important as cooperation. They are still much more tribal than we are. We met a Swiss farmer who is running the same dairy operation that his family has been running for 200 years. The same families have been in that high valley for hundreds of years. If we hadn’t experienced it, it woulld be hard for us to understand.

I and many others believe that a big part of Dr. King’s cheque has cleared precisely because Black skin did not prevent an otherwise effective candidate from getting the consideration a majority of your fellow citizens obviously believe he deserved.

You, obviously, disagree deeply with a majority of American voters. The proof that race no longer puts an insurmountable obstacle in anyone’s path to any office, even the Presidency, still has the power to inspire people around the world with hope and a new appreciation for your country.

Of course you as an individual have no obligation to welcome our good will.

Papamas, I always found it odd when an American exhibits knee jerk bigotry toward foreigners, its proof to a liberal hes a bigoted redneck. Yet when foreigners do it towards Americans, its somehow a valid view from a nuanced person that points to a flawed America.

Well, they are Europeans, and therefore our cultural superiors. That’s why we should be more like France.

(sarcasm off)

Well, they are Europeans, and therefore our cultural superiors. That’s why we should be more like France.

(sarcasm off)

Someone who has had a lot of dealings with Europeans, help me out with this: I have had a moderate exposure to Europeans. It seems to me that Europeans may be more racist, and virulently so, than Americans. […]

But, albeit a small sample, the Europeans I have met have been both unthinkingly anti-American (in speech, at least) and much, much more racist than the average American. They are certainly very anti-Semitic. Anyone else seen this?

Absolutely. No two ways about it. I lived in Europe for many years, and was shocked at the tribalism and racism I saw there, even among the highly educated. There’s a reason Europe has been wracked by wars since…uh…well, the Romans left.