Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site mnetor.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcs!mnetor!clewis From: clewis@mnetor.UUCP (Chris Lewis) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.flame Subject: Re: America-bashing Message-ID: <1360@mnetor.UUCP> Date: Wed, 17-Jul-85 17:31:15 EDT Article-I.D.: mnetor.1360 Posted: Wed Jul 17 17:31:15 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 19:17:20 EDT References: <3140@drutx.UUCP> <847@teddy.UUCP> <356@sbcs.UUCP> Reply-To: clewis@mnetor.UUCP (Chris Lewis) Organization: Computer X (CANADA) Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Lines: 39 Xref: utcs net.politics:9782 net.flame:10885 Summary: In article <356@sbcs.UUCP> debray@sbcs.UUCP (Saumya Debray) writes: >My impression -- in the four years I've been in this country -- is that >the "average" American has little knowledge of, and even less interest >in, what goes on abroad. Surveys seem to bear this out: I remember >reading about one last year where most of the people interviewed didn't >know which side the USA was backing in El Salvador. I'm amazed >that this should be the state of affairs here given the tremendous >amount of information people have free access to, and my conclusion >has been that most people just don't give a damn about what's >happening beyond their own backyards. All countries have this to a certain extent. It's just seems lot more blatant in the US. For a country who has an official stance of "Saviour/Protector of the Free World", they don't practice what they preach too well. Examples abound. One primary example is WW II: It wasn't until 1941 when Germany declared war on the US (eight days after Pearl Harbour) that the US decided to enter the European and Atlantic war. Prior to that, most of the aid that was provided to Britain and the other allies was under-the-table (Roosevelt was afraid of being impeached, since some VERY powerful US citizens and lobbying groups backed the Germans - I won't name any names for fear of getting nuked by their fans. Lend-lease was considerably after the war started.). In spite of this fact, that's not what US history books say (or so I have been told by some expatriate Americans who've been reading some non-US originated history). Many Europeans still haven't forgiven the US for leaving them in the lurch (and being hypocritical about it) for so long. The US has been practicing "Isolationism" for most of this century. The last 50 years should make it pretty plain that (with a few notable exceptions like Korea) the US (primarily citizenry) doesn't get particularly interested unless US lives have been lost or threatened. (eg: Iran, the recent TWA flight, Pearl Harbour, the Gulf of Tonkin incident (a 'nother story to be sure!) etc.) -- Chris Lewis, UUCP: {allegra, linus, ihnp4}!utzoo!mnetor!clewis BELL: (416)-475-8980 ext. 321