"anti-American"

[Paul Mackin]

For folks who don't want to read my thoughts on antiAmericanism as pure
irony let me try to defend my post as a LITERAL statement of the beneficial
effects of the practice of AntiAmericanism from the point of view of
America. First, the world is divided into Aristotelians and Platonists. I'm
an Aristotelian and Platonists will not agree with what I am about to say
(maybe not Aristotelians either). But anyway, my thought is that
AntiAmerican rallies, etc., in times of particular stress can quite arguably
function as a purgative and relief valve against the inevitable feelings of
fear and resentment America's  vast wealth and power necessarily inpire
throughout the world and often within America as well.  In other words
ritualized violence against America may help to forestall actual violence of
the 9/11 variety or even the anthrax business.
            P.



----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Baum" <michael.baum at nist.gov>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 8:52 AM
Subject: Re[2]: "anti-American"


> 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
>