If only more Americans felt this way...

[Silver]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...1-7583,00.html

The need to paint Americans as a greedy, selfish, war-mongering superpower cannot be disturbed by facts. It matters not that, in the year before the tsunami, the US provided $2.4 billion in humanitarian relief: 40per cent of all the relief aid given to the world in 2003. Never mind that development and emergency relief rose from $10 billion during the last year of Bill Clinton's administration to $24 billion under George W. Bush in 2003. Or that, according to a German study, Americans contribute to charities nearly seven times as much a head as Germans do. Or that, adjusted for population, American philanthropy is more than two-thirds more than British giving.

There is a teenaged immaturity about the rest of the world's relationship with the US. Whenever a serious crisis erupts somewhere, our dependence on the US becomes obvious, and many hate the US because of it. That the hatred is irrational is beside the point.

We can denounce the Yanks for being Muslim-hating flouters of international law while demanding the US rescue Bosnian Muslims from Serbia without UN authority. We can be disgusted by crass American materialism and ridiculous stockpiling of worldly goods yet also be the first to demand material help from the US when disaster strikes.

The really unfortunate part about this adolescent love-hate relationship with the US is that, unlike most teenagers, many never seem to grow out of it. Within each new generation is a vicious strain of irrational anti-Americanism. But unlike a parent, the US could just get sick of it all and walk away.

[Yurt]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...1-7583,00.html

The need to paint Americans as a greedy, selfish, war-mongering superpower cannot be disturbed by facts. It matters not that, in the year before the tsunami, the US provided $2.4 billion in humanitarian relief: 40per cent of all the relief aid given to the world in 2003. Never mind that development and emergency relief rose from $10 billion during the last year of Bill Clinton's administration to $24 billion under George W. Bush in 2003. Or that, according to a German study, Americans contribute to charities nearly seven times as much a head as Germans do. Or that, adjusted for population, American philanthropy is more than two-thirds more than British giving.

There is a teenaged immaturity about the rest of the world's relationship with the US. Whenever a serious crisis erupts somewhere, our dependence on the US becomes obvious, and many hate the US because of it. That the hatred is irrational is beside the point.

We can denounce the Yanks for being Muslim-hating flouters of international law while demanding the US rescue Bosnian Muslims from Serbia without UN authority. We can be disgusted by crass American materialism and ridiculous stockpiling of worldly goods yet also be the first to demand material help from the US when disaster strikes.

The really unfortunate part about this adolescent love-hate relationship with the US is that, unlike most teenagers, many never seem to grow out of it. Within each new generation is a vicious strain of irrational anti-Americanism. But unlike a parent, the US could just get sick of it all and walk away.

at times tempting

[Psychoblues]

Is this the new DP standard? Posting quotes and links without comment or conversation the new thing for this board? I would suggest the board will not survive with that new standard.

[Sitarro]

Is this the new DP standard? Posting quotes and links without comment or conversation the new thing for this board? I would suggest the board will not survive with that new standard.

Is that your comment on the post? Very impressive.

[Psychoblues]

I never assumed for a moment that you would have any comment other than an attack on me, zero.


Is that your comment on the post? Very impressive.

Just for a refresher, I didn't post the quote or the link. I thought it rude to invade a message board with such a callous and shallow and obvious attempt to start a fight without even a peep of personal attitude or information.

I might be wrong in that observation, but you can't say that I am. Only the original poster in this thread can explain that.

Welcome to DP, silver!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stephanie]

at times tempting

Sometimes, I've wished.

[Psychoblues]

Wished what, stevie?

[KitchenKitten99]

Reminds me of the 'letter' from a Canadian (or wherever it was really from) about us.

[midcan5]

Maudlin soap but sometimes good soap. Everyone should be proud of the good things we manage to do as a nation, I would exclude Bush from this as his bad far outweighs any good. His record is sad. But suppose my son does well in school but steals from banks on weekends? Do I forget the bank robbery cause he really is a good boy?


"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it." Edward R. Murrow

[ranger]

Maudlin soap but sometimes good soap. Everyone should be proud of the good things we manage to do as a nation, I would exclude Bush from this as his bad far outweighs any good. His record is sad. But suppose my son does well in school but steals from banks on weekends? Do I forget the bank robbery cause he really is a good boy?


"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it." Edward R. Murrow


Blah, blah, blah............

What are you guys going to do when George Bush isn't in office anymore to hate? Then what?


Oh, that's right, you'll start the "I hate John McCain" club next.

[midcan5]

What are you guys going to do when George Bush isn't in office anymore to hate? Then what?

No one hates Bush, hmm, well I don't, he is just an incompetent leader and since he is in office still, he is fair game. Remember you guys blamed the black plague on Clinton, that and everything else.

[ranger]

And when he was a lame duck, we didn't waste our time with him. And now that he's a former President, we don't waste our time with him, unless he does something stupid while trying to "help" his wife.

[Abbey Marie]

Silver, interesting article.

The author is shining a light on a very common human failing- resenting those who help us. Being "helped" makes some people feel weak and inferior, instead of grateful.

Also, no good deed goes unpunished.

[Hagbard Celine]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...1-7583,00.html

The need to paint Americans as a greedy, selfish, war-mongering superpower cannot be disturbed by facts. It matters not that, in the year before the tsunami, the US provided $2.4 billion in humanitarian relief: 40per cent of all the relief aid given to the world in 2003. Never mind that development and emergency relief rose from $10 billion during the last year of Bill Clinton's administration to $24 billion under George W. Bush in 2003. Or that, according to a German study, Americans contribute to charities nearly seven times as much a head as Germans do. Or that, adjusted for population, American philanthropy is more than two-thirds more than British giving.

There is a teenaged immaturity about the rest of the world's relationship with the US. Whenever a serious crisis erupts somewhere, our dependence on the US becomes obvious, and many hate the US because of it. That the hatred is irrational is beside the point.

We can denounce the Yanks for being Muslim-hating flouters of international law while demanding the US rescue Bosnian Muslims from Serbia without UN authority. We can be disgusted by crass American materialism and ridiculous stockpiling of worldly goods yet also be the first to demand material help from the US when disaster strikes.

The really unfortunate part about this adolescent love-hate relationship with the US is that, unlike most teenagers, many never seem to grow out of it. Within each new generation is a vicious strain of irrational anti-Americanism. But unlike a parent, the US could just get sick of it all and walk away.

Got any links to how much other countries contributed to the tsunami disaster? Or to the current Chinese and Myanmar disasters? Got a link to show how much foreign countries (even middle eastern ones and South American socialist ones) contributed to us during the Katrina disaster? The US isn't the only benevolent nation on the planet. We're also not the "parent" as you put it. That's the most ethno-centric thing you can say. Foreign nations look to us for help because we're rich, but they also look to other rich nations as well. Giving during times of emergency isn't anything to take "pride" in, it's just a part of being a good member of the international community. Any feelings of enmity foreigners may have against us stem from our foreign policy (piloted by the Bush administration) of invading countries unilaterally and destablizing the middle east. It has nothing to do with this fantasy you have that people "resent us for helping them." If you want to be a purveyor of conspiracy theories, there's a forum for that on the main menu of this site. It's easy to go around saying "poor, poor US. Everybody hates them. BOO HOO." It's much more difficult on the other hand to actually point-out our flaws and work to fix them.
http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/100718/1/7263
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9282598/

[diuretic]

This isn't directly related but in the aftermath of Cyclone (hurricane) Tracy that hit Darwin in 1974 (Christmas) the disaster relief fund here received a cash gift from a small village in India (not the Indian or state government). The message with it was, "because you have helped us."