"anti-American"

[Michael Baum]

Eulenspiegel7646 (on Wednesday, October 31, 2001, 1:36:39 AM):

Eac> paul.mackin at verizon.net (Paul Mackin) schrieb:

Eac> "AntiAmerican is a perfectly legit word within Pynchon circles and without. A
Eac> legit thing too. AntiAmericanism is a very healthy thing in moderation. At
Eac> least one day a month should be devoted to it. In the U.S. of A. and
Eac> throughout the world."

Eac> Nur ein tag in der Monat?  Paul, mein lieber Freund, wer ist doch der Narr???

Actually, Mackin's statement isn't true at all, despite its veneer of
reasonableness and moderation. "AntiAmericanism" isn't a healthy
thing, not even once a month. The reason is that it's so mindlessly,
uncritically wholesale. It basically means opposition to all Americans
and all things American -- for the purposes of this note meaning
"referring to the United States" as opposed to our colleagues north
and south of us -- without thought or discrimination. Feel free to
oppose particular Americans or particular American national policies
and actions or particular American institutions (Michael Jackson, for
example) or whatever, but being antiamerican "once a month" is no more
just or healthy than being anti-jew, or anti-arab, or anti-black, or
anti-chinese, or anti-third-generation-german-catholic-immigrant, or
... Well, you get the idea.

maab