Pangur Bán
Deconstructed
As there has been so much posting of late on this topic, I decided to type some of my own thoughts on the matter of European or Leftist hostility to the United States and Bush. As a European who has lots of experience and fondness for America, I find the nature and prevalence of these sentiments somewhat saddening and disturbing. I want to explain them both to myself and to Americans.
So, why do I think Europe and the Left seem to hate America so much?
POWER OF AMERICAN CULTURE
Americans should realize that expanding American cultural influence threatens Europe's distinctive cultures; or, at least as perceptions go, appears to threaten them. As far as many Europeans are concerned, American cultural influence is eroding the many proud and diverse cultures of Europe. To quote one European CFC poster, Mario Feldberg, "European countries become more like cheap copies of America every day SOURCE. American culture intrudes everywhere. American music is replacing and marginalizing traditional music everywhere in Europe. American fast food is doing much to damage the health and dietal diversity of European people. Expensive American movies are sold cheaply in the European market, making it extremely difficult for native industries to compete. While Americans blame failed liberal social policies, European parents blame the insidious influence of American culture for the social problems of their children and wider society. Although the people of Europe love American popular culture, their proud elites hate it. To quote one writer,
"we might, not without some justification, compare American culture to the AIDS virus, HIV. Like that brilliantly adapted organism, US culture is endlessly self-replicating and alarmingly adept at co-opting the production machinery of its host" (Ziauddin Sardar & Merryl Wyn Davies, Why Do People Hate America, (2002), p. 117)
What the writer is speaking of is the extraordinary popularity of mass-produced American popular culture.
Moreover, Americans must understand that much of Europe's cultural attitude is rooted in social elitism. Hence, not only do European elites hate American popular culture, they despise it; and they despise it precisely because it comes in the popular form. This, however, generates negative stereotypes and attitudes which filter down to the masses.
Now, what's wrong here is that they do not understand that America has its own elite culture. American elites like opera, theater, jazz and ethnic curiosities as much as European elites do. However, Europeans do not fully understand that. They do not understand that American elites despise McDonalds and Hollywood blockbusters just as much as they do.
AMERICAN POLITICAL POWER
Along with American culture, the political power of the American state also contributes to European dislike of America. Europeans elites see themselves as political equals, at the very least, of the USA. They do not expect America to ignore them. When it does, America is seen as arrogant.
Western Europeans see themselves as the judges of the world. Every time that the USA does something that the majority of the European chattering class disagree with, another few hatred points are added to the American scorecard. What makes this worse, is that orthodox western European political philosophy is rooted in leftist ideology, which frequently conflicts with the American state's actions.
Moreover, Europeans know that America is much stronger than any European state. As it is the American government who have to take most of the hard decisions in the political world, they get all the blame for any bad things that ever happen; while the good things that the USA does are taken for granted, and ignored. This is caused by the political impotence of Europes political elite. They cannot or will not make any serious attempt to solve the worlds problems or threats to their own security. America does this for them. The result?
The situation might be compared with a spoiled child who takes for granted all the toys, clothes and food he normally gets, but screams his head off that one time he doesn't get what he asked for. The child might say "that's not fair, I hate you". The analogy gets even better, because like the spoiled child and the indulgent parent, Western Europe thinks that the USA really won't do anything about it, and so whinging carries little risk. Under Bush, America has taken a tougher line. Hence, Europe has been forced into a transitional phase, comparable with the psychological state of this child between thinking the parent won't respond, and the realization that the parent is taking a tougher line. Hence hatred now is at its height.
CLASH OF VALUES
As mentioned above, and so often emphasized elsewhere, there is an apparent clash of values between America and Europe (i.e. Western Continental Europe). To understand why this is, you have to go back in part to the Second World War.
In the early 20th century, a number of what we would now call right and left wing philosophies floated around the universities and social clubs of Europe. The economic and social tensions generated by the Great War and the Great Depression elevated these into mainstream political life. While Russia fell under Communists after the Great War, fascist took Italy, and the two ideologies clashed in other nations like France, Germany and, more violently, Spain. By the early 1940s, all of Europe except the British Isles and Sweden were under the grip of one of these ideologies. Both of these ideologies relegated or even persecuted Christianity, marginalizing it in much of the European mind. However, fascism lost the war, and hence, thereafter, the propaganda battle. For the West, the conquering Americans proceeded to reindoctrinate them. Western Europe experienced a revival of political, this time American inspired liberalism. Ever since, continental Europe has been suspicious of the right, and hostile to the far-right. The inability of western European countries to maintain their colonial empires, further undermined right-leaning nationalistic sentiment. Far-leftism, on the other hand, suffered no such fate. Although W. Europe for the most part rejected the Soviet Union and its policies while embracing American hyper-capitalism, leftism never got tabooed. This is what one might call the Fascist Experience.
America, on the other hand, did not suffer so much. Political moderation was and remains the norm in America. As America has remained stable, Western Europe has moved further and further to the left. As things now stand, America seems extreme through many W. European eyes. As far as much of the European chattering classes are concerned. Here, it is necessary to explain leftist psychology.
European leftist political philosophy subscribes heavily to Liberal Universalism. They believe that all people and cultures should be treated equally. In this, they do not differ too much from the American mainstream. However, where there is a difference is in the psychological roots and precise nature of this philosophys application. European cultural universalism is rooted in what one might call autophobia (fear or hatred of the self). What started nearly a century ago as doubting the superiority of Western civilization has been transformed into hating Western civilization. Whats more, liberalism condemns any Master-Slave/Exploiter-Exploited/Strong-Weak relationship. This is kratophobia, (fear or hatred of the powerful); Kratophobia, like Autophobia, exists among leftist elites everywhere in the West. Both act as mutual sources of reinforcement.
One way they reinforce each other is Colonial Guilt. The European middle classes feel extremely guilty about colonial exploitation. The Fascist Experience made Europeans reassess the morality of Colonialism, and made them react especially strongly to its practice. Colonialism was not only wrong, but Europeans (or White Christians) were bad because they practised it. Europes modern history put Europeans on the wrong side of the historical relationships mentioned above, and are thus an object of Kratophobia; and, hence, Europeans are also an object of European autophobia because Europeans themselves are to blame.
Another way is through dislike for Christianity. The experience of the early 20th century destroyed may of the religious structures of Europe, and the sufferings led millions to re-examine their faith. Science has also come into it, because in Europe science and religion are usually seen as mutually exclusive. Bearing this assumption, and faced with the compelling logic of western science, much of the educated and non-educated European population has abandoned real commitment to Christianity or even totally disavowed it. It was not even mentioned in the recent EU constitution. Moreover, Christianity is tied up in the European historical mind with Western supremacy. Hence, it also falls on the wrong side of the above mention anathematic historical relationships. This is compounded by and tied up with the view that religion itself is also exploitative. This means that the European leftist elite is actually hostile to Christianity, and hence even more so to the West. Again, kratophobia and autophobia reinforce each other.
A third way they reinforce each other is environmental carelessness. Mans assault on the Earths environment is not only a cause of great concern to left. Its a cause of concern for everyone, but the left are particularly paranoid about the topic (perhaps rightly, perhaps not). Besides mere practical concern, environmental exploitation stirs up feelings of both kratophobia and autophobia; the former because animals, plants and the earth are being damaged; and the latter because man, particularly capitalistic western man, is doing it.
A final way they reinforce each other, although to a lesser degree, is warfare. The horrific carnage of the Great War (1914-18) bred polemophobia (fear or hatred of war) into the W. European psyche. By 1939, much of W.Europe simply surrendered rather than fight the Nazis. They were liberated by the Americans and Russians (the former did not experience the carnage, and the latter was too undemocratic and ideological to be effected in the long-term). Ever since, W.Europeans have been protected by America. They have never needed to fight another war, and thus European society has never needed to counter its polemophobia. The attitude has monopolized a large part of the psyche of Europes elite.
These reasons help to further explain European (and international leftist) hostility to America. America is seen as an exploitative society. American elites exploit their own poor as well as the international poor, especially Third World Nations. America is often portrayed as a society based on slavery and infested with racial intolerance and exploitation. Almost as bad, America is a self-confidently Christian society. This allows Europeans elites to further the image of America as a stupid society. American society is a polluting society, seen as so wrapped up in its own vanity and arrogance, and so controlled by evil capitalists, that it is negligent about these effects. America is also seen as a cynical, bullying, warmongering society. European leftists rejoice in recounting the numerous evil wars America has fought or invasions it has led in the past few decades, such as in Indo-China and the Americas.
BUSH
So, for all these reasons, Bush has been a particularly sore inspiration for anti-Americanism. He is perceived a modern colonialist, as a Christian, as an anti-environmentalist and as a warmonger. Whats more, the portrait of Bush as a thicko reinforces older European attitudes about Americans. However, the attitude has neither been caused by Bush, nor will it disappear after him.
WHY DO EUROPEANS SEEM TO HATE AMERICA SO MUCH?
Anti-Americanism in Europe has its roots in the success of American culture and the American state. This brings out insecurities everywhere, including Europe; and it brings out European elitist attitudes to culture, remoulded, diverted and diversified in appeal, towards America. It also has its roots in European political impotency. So long as Europe has so little power and responsibility, it has no reason to check its leftist utopianism with reality. As with a spoiled child to his indulgent parent, so Europes first reaction to anything remotely bad done by America is a ludicrous fit of anger. As America has so much responsibility, and has acquired so much more since the fall of the Soviet Union, it has and is bound to inspire lots of these fits.
So, why do I think Europe and the Left seem to hate America so much?
POWER OF AMERICAN CULTURE
Americans should realize that expanding American cultural influence threatens Europe's distinctive cultures; or, at least as perceptions go, appears to threaten them. As far as many Europeans are concerned, American cultural influence is eroding the many proud and diverse cultures of Europe. To quote one European CFC poster, Mario Feldberg, "European countries become more like cheap copies of America every day SOURCE. American culture intrudes everywhere. American music is replacing and marginalizing traditional music everywhere in Europe. American fast food is doing much to damage the health and dietal diversity of European people. Expensive American movies are sold cheaply in the European market, making it extremely difficult for native industries to compete. While Americans blame failed liberal social policies, European parents blame the insidious influence of American culture for the social problems of their children and wider society. Although the people of Europe love American popular culture, their proud elites hate it. To quote one writer,
"we might, not without some justification, compare American culture to the AIDS virus, HIV. Like that brilliantly adapted organism, US culture is endlessly self-replicating and alarmingly adept at co-opting the production machinery of its host" (Ziauddin Sardar & Merryl Wyn Davies, Why Do People Hate America, (2002), p. 117)
What the writer is speaking of is the extraordinary popularity of mass-produced American popular culture.
Moreover, Americans must understand that much of Europe's cultural attitude is rooted in social elitism. Hence, not only do European elites hate American popular culture, they despise it; and they despise it precisely because it comes in the popular form. This, however, generates negative stereotypes and attitudes which filter down to the masses.
Now, what's wrong here is that they do not understand that America has its own elite culture. American elites like opera, theater, jazz and ethnic curiosities as much as European elites do. However, Europeans do not fully understand that. They do not understand that American elites despise McDonalds and Hollywood blockbusters just as much as they do.
AMERICAN POLITICAL POWER
Along with American culture, the political power of the American state also contributes to European dislike of America. Europeans elites see themselves as political equals, at the very least, of the USA. They do not expect America to ignore them. When it does, America is seen as arrogant.
Western Europeans see themselves as the judges of the world. Every time that the USA does something that the majority of the European chattering class disagree with, another few hatred points are added to the American scorecard. What makes this worse, is that orthodox western European political philosophy is rooted in leftist ideology, which frequently conflicts with the American state's actions.
Moreover, Europeans know that America is much stronger than any European state. As it is the American government who have to take most of the hard decisions in the political world, they get all the blame for any bad things that ever happen; while the good things that the USA does are taken for granted, and ignored. This is caused by the political impotence of Europes political elite. They cannot or will not make any serious attempt to solve the worlds problems or threats to their own security. America does this for them. The result?
The situation might be compared with a spoiled child who takes for granted all the toys, clothes and food he normally gets, but screams his head off that one time he doesn't get what he asked for. The child might say "that's not fair, I hate you". The analogy gets even better, because like the spoiled child and the indulgent parent, Western Europe thinks that the USA really won't do anything about it, and so whinging carries little risk. Under Bush, America has taken a tougher line. Hence, Europe has been forced into a transitional phase, comparable with the psychological state of this child between thinking the parent won't respond, and the realization that the parent is taking a tougher line. Hence hatred now is at its height.
CLASH OF VALUES
As mentioned above, and so often emphasized elsewhere, there is an apparent clash of values between America and Europe (i.e. Western Continental Europe). To understand why this is, you have to go back in part to the Second World War.
In the early 20th century, a number of what we would now call right and left wing philosophies floated around the universities and social clubs of Europe. The economic and social tensions generated by the Great War and the Great Depression elevated these into mainstream political life. While Russia fell under Communists after the Great War, fascist took Italy, and the two ideologies clashed in other nations like France, Germany and, more violently, Spain. By the early 1940s, all of Europe except the British Isles and Sweden were under the grip of one of these ideologies. Both of these ideologies relegated or even persecuted Christianity, marginalizing it in much of the European mind. However, fascism lost the war, and hence, thereafter, the propaganda battle. For the West, the conquering Americans proceeded to reindoctrinate them. Western Europe experienced a revival of political, this time American inspired liberalism. Ever since, continental Europe has been suspicious of the right, and hostile to the far-right. The inability of western European countries to maintain their colonial empires, further undermined right-leaning nationalistic sentiment. Far-leftism, on the other hand, suffered no such fate. Although W. Europe for the most part rejected the Soviet Union and its policies while embracing American hyper-capitalism, leftism never got tabooed. This is what one might call the Fascist Experience.
America, on the other hand, did not suffer so much. Political moderation was and remains the norm in America. As America has remained stable, Western Europe has moved further and further to the left. As things now stand, America seems extreme through many W. European eyes. As far as much of the European chattering classes are concerned. Here, it is necessary to explain leftist psychology.
European leftist political philosophy subscribes heavily to Liberal Universalism. They believe that all people and cultures should be treated equally. In this, they do not differ too much from the American mainstream. However, where there is a difference is in the psychological roots and precise nature of this philosophys application. European cultural universalism is rooted in what one might call autophobia (fear or hatred of the self). What started nearly a century ago as doubting the superiority of Western civilization has been transformed into hating Western civilization. Whats more, liberalism condemns any Master-Slave/Exploiter-Exploited/Strong-Weak relationship. This is kratophobia, (fear or hatred of the powerful); Kratophobia, like Autophobia, exists among leftist elites everywhere in the West. Both act as mutual sources of reinforcement.
One way they reinforce each other is Colonial Guilt. The European middle classes feel extremely guilty about colonial exploitation. The Fascist Experience made Europeans reassess the morality of Colonialism, and made them react especially strongly to its practice. Colonialism was not only wrong, but Europeans (or White Christians) were bad because they practised it. Europes modern history put Europeans on the wrong side of the historical relationships mentioned above, and are thus an object of Kratophobia; and, hence, Europeans are also an object of European autophobia because Europeans themselves are to blame.
Another way is through dislike for Christianity. The experience of the early 20th century destroyed may of the religious structures of Europe, and the sufferings led millions to re-examine their faith. Science has also come into it, because in Europe science and religion are usually seen as mutually exclusive. Bearing this assumption, and faced with the compelling logic of western science, much of the educated and non-educated European population has abandoned real commitment to Christianity or even totally disavowed it. It was not even mentioned in the recent EU constitution. Moreover, Christianity is tied up in the European historical mind with Western supremacy. Hence, it also falls on the wrong side of the above mention anathematic historical relationships. This is compounded by and tied up with the view that religion itself is also exploitative. This means that the European leftist elite is actually hostile to Christianity, and hence even more so to the West. Again, kratophobia and autophobia reinforce each other.
A third way they reinforce each other is environmental carelessness. Mans assault on the Earths environment is not only a cause of great concern to left. Its a cause of concern for everyone, but the left are particularly paranoid about the topic (perhaps rightly, perhaps not). Besides mere practical concern, environmental exploitation stirs up feelings of both kratophobia and autophobia; the former because animals, plants and the earth are being damaged; and the latter because man, particularly capitalistic western man, is doing it.
A final way they reinforce each other, although to a lesser degree, is warfare. The horrific carnage of the Great War (1914-18) bred polemophobia (fear or hatred of war) into the W. European psyche. By 1939, much of W.Europe simply surrendered rather than fight the Nazis. They were liberated by the Americans and Russians (the former did not experience the carnage, and the latter was too undemocratic and ideological to be effected in the long-term). Ever since, W.Europeans have been protected by America. They have never needed to fight another war, and thus European society has never needed to counter its polemophobia. The attitude has monopolized a large part of the psyche of Europes elite.
These reasons help to further explain European (and international leftist) hostility to America. America is seen as an exploitative society. American elites exploit their own poor as well as the international poor, especially Third World Nations. America is often portrayed as a society based on slavery and infested with racial intolerance and exploitation. Almost as bad, America is a self-confidently Christian society. This allows Europeans elites to further the image of America as a stupid society. American society is a polluting society, seen as so wrapped up in its own vanity and arrogance, and so controlled by evil capitalists, that it is negligent about these effects. America is also seen as a cynical, bullying, warmongering society. European leftists rejoice in recounting the numerous evil wars America has fought or invasions it has led in the past few decades, such as in Indo-China and the Americas.
BUSH
So, for all these reasons, Bush has been a particularly sore inspiration for anti-Americanism. He is perceived a modern colonialist, as a Christian, as an anti-environmentalist and as a warmonger. Whats more, the portrait of Bush as a thicko reinforces older European attitudes about Americans. However, the attitude has neither been caused by Bush, nor will it disappear after him.
WHY DO EUROPEANS SEEM TO HATE AMERICA SO MUCH?
Anti-Americanism in Europe has its roots in the success of American culture and the American state. This brings out insecurities everywhere, including Europe; and it brings out European elitist attitudes to culture, remoulded, diverted and diversified in appeal, towards America. It also has its roots in European political impotency. So long as Europe has so little power and responsibility, it has no reason to check its leftist utopianism with reality. As with a spoiled child to his indulgent parent, so Europes first reaction to anything remotely bad done by America is a ludicrous fit of anger. As America has so much responsibility, and has acquired so much more since the fall of the Soviet Union, it has and is bound to inspire lots of these fits.
good luck, anyways! 
