THE US IS A GREAT PLACE TO BE ANTI-AMERICAN.
Gerard Baker
The TimesOnlines.
October 19, 2007.

Anti-Americanism is on the wane at last. All over the world, Americans are being fêted once again as farsighted, liberating heroes.

Al Gore has won a Nobel Peace Prize, an Oscar and an Emmy, the triple crown of recognition from the self-adoring keepers of bien-pensant, elite liberal, global orthodoxy. Michael Moore is treated like a prophet in Cannes and Venice, as he peddles his tales of an America that poisons its poor, sends its blacks off to war and shoots itself. Whenever a loquacious Dixie Chick or a contumacious Sean Penn utters some excoriating remark about the depravity of his or her own country, audiences around the world nod their heads in sympathetic agreement. Bill Clinton, of course, is a god. Though protocol dictates that he may not say things that are too unkind about the country he once led, a nod and a wink will suffice.

It has always amused me that the same people who denounce America as a seething cesspit of blind obscurantist bigotry can’t see the irony that America itself produces its own best critics. When there’s a scab to be picked on the American body politic, no one does it with more loving attention, more rigorous focus on the detail, than Americans themselves.

It has always been this way. The fiercest and most effective opponents of US foreign policy in the 1960s were not the students in Paris or the Politburo in North Vietnam. They were Jane Fonda, Bobby Kennedy and Marvin Gaye.

Today I can only laugh when I see the popular portrayal of George Bush’s America in much of the international media. Supposedly serious commentators will say, without evident irony, that free speech is under attack, that Bush’s wiretapping, Guantanamo-building, tourist-fingerprinting regime is terrifying Americans into quiet, desperate acquiescence in the country’s proliferating crimes.

The truth is that America not only harbours the most eloquent and noisy anti-Americans in its own breast, it provides a safe haven for people to come from all over the world to condemn it.

Take a stroll through almost any American university campus and you will hear a cacophony of voices in a hundred different languages, slamming everything America does, from fast food to hedge-fund capitalism. For years one of America’s most celebrated academics was Edward Said, the Palestinian agitator-cum-professor, who lived high on the hog at Columbia University, near the pinnacle of the American intellectual establishment, dispensing his wisdom about US wrongs in the Middle East.

Hollywood is the global mecca for angry denouncers of everything American. From all over they come, forcing themselves to live in their green-lawned mansions carefully tended by cheap migrant labour from south of the Border. This autumn, unsuspecting Americans (and everyone else, of course) will be treated to an especially unsettling stream of antiwar, anti-American propaganda, much of it produced in Hollywood by foreigners – such as this weekend’s likely box-office hit, Rendition.

And where would the world get its daily media diet of horror stories about what a ghastly country the place is if its reporters weren’t all comfortably pavilioned inside America, where they make a generous living happily devouring the hand that generously feeds them?

It’s true that self-criticism is always more effective than an outsider’s observations. Let’s be honest, how much real moral weight do Vladimir Putin or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad carry when they decry American motives and actions? All but the most unhinged of America’s critics know, deep down, in a part of the brain they try not to consult, that whatever they may think of the Bushitler in Washington, they don’t feel comfortable agreeing with the ex-KGB hatchet man of the Kremlin or the Holocaust-denying Dr Strangelove sitting astride his Islamist bomb. It sounds so much better when Al Gore or Michael Moore says it.

But ask yourself why that is. Isn’t it because they know that only American criticism really carries legitimacy? Only a country that enthusiastically and self-woundingly honours Voltaire’s old dictum about free speech can really be trusted to cast judgment on anything.

There’s another, more important aspect to the world’s affection for those in America who are most critical of it. The Americans who win global approbation in Oslo or at the UN are not simply critics of current American policy. They want to construct an international system that will for ever prevent the US from pursuing its own objectives, a system designed to dilute, counterbalance and constrain America’s ability to govern itself. They prefer a world in which American democracy is subordinated to a kind of global government, rule by a global elite, tasked to make decisions on everyone’s behalf in the name of multilateralism.

Al Gore wants the US to give up its economic autonomy and submit to rule by binding international obligations to curb its carbon emissions. Some of the Democratic candidates for the presidency want to tie down the American Gulliver under a web of global treaties. The British Government, if recent speeches by ministers are to be believed, is now apparently seriously committed to the idea that only the UN has the legitimacy to determine how nations should behave. In other words, that a system that gives vetoes to China and Russia and honours the human rights contributions of countries such as Syria or North Korea should be accorded a full role in the promotion of the dignity of mankind.

There’s a larger irony in all this. Even as the US demonstrates the openness of its own society, its unrivalled capacity for self-examination and self-correction, a free system based on the absolute authority of the rule of law, it is told it must submit itself to the views of Moscow, Beijing, and Brussels.

Fortunately, while the American system may be forgivingly tolerant of people with wild and dangerous ideas, it doesn’t generally let them run the country.

Gerard Baker

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Have your say.

* What you wrote was pretty much right, despite the hint of American neo-conservatism here. I hate politics really, I'm anti-authoritarian.
I hope someone can sympathize with me; I don't like the people you condemn, or the ones that you defend.
Josh, Phoenix, Arizona

* Thank you for a great article as I love others views and insights of my homeland. I really enjoyed the spirited comments as well. I must admit I was quite pleased to see all the American responses as I thought I was the only gun totting, baby killing, not caring what the world thinks, living in a "red state" American reading international newspapers...As for Mr. Penn and the lot; keep it up! Someone must be listening...just not me.
Weldon T. Byrns III, Wilmington , USA / NC

* I don't think "most" Americans are appologetic about the state of things because they aren't. And why should they be? I don't think "most" Americans care about what other countrie's people think about them, and why should they? I think the media is largely responsible for a lot of what other countries view us as. And, as Clarence Thomas thomas puts it "If you listen to the loudest cries, you miss the voice of the people." I am a republican, and Southern. My husband is Belgian, and I've been to Europe countless times. I'm 30 years old. And I like our President. I hated Clinton. He's a witless, randy, idiot. I hate our media. I think that what is broadcasted and portrayed the most is sensationalized and focused on the most dramatic. I do not appologize for my president, and my European friends enjoy a good banter. Why comiserate?
Amy, Jacksonville, Florida

* Alan from Brighton hit the nail on the head. I am an American, but I have also been to europe 6 times. Spending time abroad is something all Americans should do, especially republicans. Im tired of having to apologize and say I dont like Bush. Because Im American Im seen as a stereotype of some gun toting redneck. Most of the Americans you will come across that actually have travelled the world are not the people you should be venting your hatred towards. The stupid Americans would never leave the country, and if they did they wouldnt talk to anyone except the Americans they were with.
Its ok to criticize us, but blind hatred is wrong. There are 300 million of us and we have different beliefs. Put yourself in our shoes and contemplate what it would be like if you were getting blamed for something you had no control over.
Im from California... not Alabama
Alex, San Diego, California

* I must admit that I've also seen the irony of hearing other countries call Americans "blind" and "ignorant" of the United States' mistakes and short comings when most of the other Americans I know are highly against much of our foreign policy, Bush, War in Iraqi and many other topics. In fact, I hear a great deal more criticism than approval from other Americans.
I don't see that there's a problem with Americans being aware of their faults. I see that the problem lies in that very few Americans are truly aware of the animosity directed at us from other countries. Many laugh it off by saying "Yeah, the world hates us!" but I don't think it's a joke. We Americans need to take our image and relations with other countries more seriously. What makes us truly blind and ignorant is how detached the majority of America really is from the rest of the world outside of our safe little U.S. bubble.
Rachel, Knoxville, United States

* So you see irony when people disagree with "official" opinions on US policies...
Just because they are not poor, they don't suffer, means that they should agree with capitalism, or media control or even democracy religion?
And furthermore, for you there're a number of them. A significant fraction of people trying to become someone just by contradicting official views. Sure!
Well, what frightens me is people like you trying to convince others that we should all justify US rulers's unlimited wealth thirst in name of "democracy" and "patriotism".
You don't bite the hand that feeds you, for sure.
Jose, Madrid, Spain

* Surely Gerard Baker is making the same mistake that "anti-American" Europeans make.
We are not anti-American, we are anti "Red State", and by that I do not mean anti those states, but their values and the people they elect. Liberal Europeans make the mistake of not playing up this divide, and risk offending moderate Americans by making their statements anti-American and not anti-Red State. By Red State I do not absolutely mean the strictly the geography, e.g. Austin, Texas is very "blue" and Oraange County, California very "red".
Alan, Brighton,

* You lost me about half way through the column. This idea that American liberals are just dying to subjugate the country to the whim of the United Nations is typical right-wing tripe.
If you gaze from afar at vigorous debate, it doesn't really follow that you are particularly aware when it is stifled. Your column really implodes with the last couple sentences. Guess who runs the country? Yep. The dangerous wild-idea people. You see the flames and dead people over there? That's Iraq. Furthermore, it's not really anti-Americanism that you're witnessing, this outspoken fervor and passion for what's right.
It's patriotism. Hence your column is falsely premised.
Mike, madison, WI

* After reading the article and the comments one might conclude... America is like a rooster who thought that he rise the sun... Sad, but true...
Citpeks, Novosibirsk, Russia

* "The truth is that America not only harbours the most eloquent and noisy anti-Americans in its own breast, it provides a safe haven for people to come from all over the world to condemn it."
Harbours in what sense? Protects them from terrorists? Allows them to pay for a war? Allows them to make the hmo's and oil giants richer? What these noisy people are doing is being patriotic, standing up for the values that they believe a country they love and support should hold to be self evident.
To those who compare the us system to others: We can make some comparisons that look good for the us and some that look bad. How many people inside and outside the country loose their lives as a direct result of US policy? The fact is that we don't need to compare anything, we need to ask ourselves whether it can be better, and whether people really need to die to keep others filthy rich. I think that things can be significantly better. SO LETS MAKE IT HAPPEN and let people critisize to bring about change.
I just scanned the comments and have this to say to our European and other international observers. I lived abroad for over eleven years, including eight in Europe. These stays abroad covered the period from 1961 to 2004. The only democracy in which I lived during that time was recently liberated from the USSR's grip, thanks to US efforts to confine communism. I lived in Spain under Franco for two years and had a taste of living in a dictatorship.
When you have enjoyed over 200 years as a democracy, managing to preserve it while carrying the weight of protecting it around the world, and when you have actually spent time here in the US observing how it works (outside wealthy liberal enclaves inhabited by American self-loathers like Hollyweird and parts of New York City), then you will be better qualified to denounce our shortcomings, which we freely admit.
Brendon, Denver, London, USA, UK

* Josu - How long has it been since Spaniards didn't have to be afraid of Guardias Civiles in pairs carrying machine guns?
Maggio, Washington D.C.,

* Well said Scott from Durham, NC, USA. You definitely have MY vote.
Krish, Sydney, Australia

* God Bless America and Keep It Strong !
Hugh Hogan, Monterey Co., Ca U.S A.,

* Every single protestor, every single complainer, every single outspoken critic becomes through their own actions, the greatest cheerleader of, and posterchild for, those liberties and freedoms guaranteed to those of us privileged to be citizens of the great nation of the United States of America.
Ironic isn't it that regardless of anyone's particular issue or dislike of the government of this country, America's most rabid and vocal citizen-critics do more to promote and spread the message of liberty, freedom, and love of country, than any other patriot could ever hope to accomplish by any other means.
Each and every protest is a shining example of the exercise of civil liberty in action. Free and open debate is the hallmark of our republic.
The day the protests stop is the day we know we're all in trouble. Loud, vigorous and continuous protest is this nation's caged canary. While she sings, our country is well.
Scott, Durham, NC, USA

* I think the most interesting example of the U.S. ability for open discussion and self-critique is Noam Chomsky's speech to the cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was invited to speak on Just War Theory as a part of the Distinguished Lecture Series. This was May 2006. It is amazing that the "BushHitlerRumsfeldHitlerCheneyHitler" regime allowed this since there is all this protest that they are all about squelching dissent, trampling on rights, etc... It is enlightening to watch the video of Chomsky's speach and contrast the decorum of the event with any event of a conservative speaking at any left leaning university campus. The cadets even presented Chomsky with an award of appreciation for coming and lecturing them after the speech. The difference in respect for the concept of Freedom of Speech between the left and the right is chasmic.
God Bless America!!!
John Bergquist, Golden Valley, MN, USA

* Great article. And thank Andy, America loves you also.
Mike Morgan. USA
mike morgan, Belvidere, Illinois

* But ask yourself why that is. Isn’t it because they know that only American criticism really carries legitimacy? Only a country that enthusiastically and self-woundingly honours Voltaire’s old dictum about free speech can really be trusted to cast judgment on anything.
You can only REALLY believe this if you think that you are the only one that can legitimately criticize yourself. I suppose you are smarter than to actually believe such a naive statement.
Fortunately, while the American system may be forgivingly tolerant of people with wild and dangerous ideas, it doesn’t generally let them run the country.
...what exactly do you call Bush????He easily qualifies under this description, and we have let him run our country.
Rick, Miami, FL

* David asked for a definition of anti Americanism. There is obviously no simple answer. In a way its a bit like beauty; you know it when you see it.
Any answer would have to include a presumptive reaction to policies that according to one's view run counter to the betterment of our world. It also involves psychological needs for feelings of superiority.
As human beings with limited abilities of comprehension we are forced to deal with a world of what might as well be infinite complexity. Out of pure necessity we oversimplify things to make problems and situations seem manageable. What we need to keep in mind is that everyone else no matter how gifted is forced to do this as well. So if we find ourselves believing someone is either incompetent or evil for their decisions it may be time to take a hard look at our own assumptions.
Policies will inevitably be flawed. If you want to improve the world promote objectivity and hope democracy works.
John-Michael, Springfield, Illionis

* Actually, one hears very few recent (legal) immigrants to America, or their first generation born American, complaining about America, criticizing it, or condemning it. Is this because they just don't know enough about America to participate in all the criticism and cynicism, or is it because those of us who have been here for a while -- long enough to have forgotten or perhaps young enough to have never known the dream and the struggle toward its realization -- have forgotten the wonder of America, its optimism and energy and hope?
Self-criticism is something the Communists came up with. It is not something that will ever become mainstream in this country. But you have to stand here, on the inside looking out, to understand that. God bless America.
Barb Beier, Jackson, Mississippi

* The truth is that Britain has a 'brotherly' relationship with America. They fight and bicker through normal life but when it comes to the crunch they stick up and protect each other.
In our case (Britain) America is the biggest brother and that makes us slightly envious but in reality no-one would really want to be without our muscular heavyweight on the world stage.
I for one am grateful for American assistance in times of need and want to say that not everybody 'hates' you America, unfortunately those with the least to say shout the loudest.
Britain loves you (most of the time!)
Andy, Bristol, Britain

* Great article. Very Hamiltonian.
James, Dallas, Texas

* The Americans who declaim the actions of America as it is today do so because they believe in the promise and ideals of the America that has been proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Because of the huge gap between what is and what could & should be, Americans who love America declaim it's current status. We don't accept that "this is all it can be".
Neal J. King, Munich, GERMANY

* The critics of America who are American persist in living in this inhospitable place. And the lines of those wishing to enter this awful democracy are very long, and that's apart from those who are already here illegally. of course, it's not heaven on earth but the views of western European elites do not match the reality...and they contrast dramatically with Eastern Europe (who have experieced the Left at it's "best")or Africa or much of Asia (who have experienced undemocratic regimes over much of their history). So, how about a little perspective!.
josil, san diego, USA?California

* What is your point? That we should prohibit and punish "anti-American" speech? (There goes that pesky Bill of Rights.) I suppose you would be the arbiter of what is anti-American. Would you prefer society in which only a sanitized pro-American discussion is permitted? It is our open society, subject to constant scrutiny, from which greatness is derived.
Clem, Cincinnati, Ohio

* It is indeed a delicious irony that the likes of Sean Penn and Danny Glover snuggle up to a Hugo Chavez as some kind of ideal national leader denouncing the country that has allowed them to prosper. Penn and his like would be dealt with in a somewhat different fashion were they to carry on as dissidents in the country that Mr. Chavez' so benevolently rules. If one would take at face value the claims of Micheal Moore and others it would be fair to conclude that the tired, huddled masses were, if anything, yearning to leave as soon as possible. The last time I looked the reverse was true. Thousands of people from all over the world come here each week often at great personal risk. People from Canada, a country with socialized medicine, routinely come here for medical treatment. The Polish immigrants that I work with and the Asian immigrants that I have gone to school with all hold this country in high regard. They all had to sacrifice to be here. Mr. Penn did not.
Brian W. Loss, West Chicago, DuPage Il

* IF you think america is going to get any better at bush leaves, what will happen when the next president will be selected on who can raise the most money? and even worse, no front runner for the presidency has any meaningful international experience!america is too self centered and lets just hope their world dominace doesnt last as long as the romans, which at the rate at which they are going, they wont have any friends left in the world in 10years.
luke, perth, australia

* I tickles me that, if even half of what detractors say is wrong with the U.S. actually WERE wrong with the U.S. (and the current administration), we'd never hear about it -- their words would REALLY be stricken and their bodies impounded. To date, not a single person's library record has been examined because of the Patriot Act, but a whole lot of people have warned against that abominable eventuality. No one's free speech is being stunted or coerced, or we wouldn't keep hearing about how badly its being treated. And, while it's probably a good thing to differentiate between the American people and their government, don't over-accentuate the gap -- the American people CHOOSE that government, keep in mind. The majority of us 'plain folk' -- those who don't live in New York or California -- are more akin to our administration's mindset than its detractors, but we're smart enough to know that simply ignoring them takes less energy than trying to subvert them. Events will do that for us.
Tim Sousley, Columbia, TN

* The reason Americans are so vocal is that in America there is hope of change being brought about by the people. These days it seems a bit of a forlorn hope, but it's in the blood, in the bones. Can't help it. We still believe that if we point out incorrectness, it will be corrected. That if enough of our brethren agree with us, we'll form a group that will have an even louder voice and by Dog, things will happen! They'll change! Where folks are more fatalistic about such things, they just shrug and order another pint, another Pernod.
Jim Houghton, Encino, CA, USA

* Thanks for a refreshing take on what is a particularly annoying, but tolerated, tradition of allowing dissent even though repugnance accompanies the ideas being presented.
Take Cliff, for instance. Having been through our public school system, thoroughly indoctrinated with socialist precepts, multicultural nonsense and political correctness drivel, he actually believes the hateful foolishness he spews.
Fighting, to the death, to defend his right to say this stuff sets America apart from the remainder of humanity.
That you noticed lifts my spirits. That Cliff"s misplaced anger is vented on my country does not.
Hank, Clearwater, Florida

* Mr Colpitts,
You have omitted the obvious. Mr Baker merely wishes to be paid as well as Christopher Hitchens. There is little market for spinning good and responsible behaviour, but a regime like W's is necessarily prepared to reward toadies extravagantly.
Stuart Munro, Seoul, Korea

* Mr. Colpitts says "I could go on and on and on."
I don't doubt that much.
Korla Pundit, Brooklyn, NY, USA

* At the end of the day American 'culture' has only harmed the World in its short uninspiring lifespan. But that doesn't mean that Americans as individuals are to blame. It is akin to any fashion, short lived and embarresing to look back at.
Imagine contempary life if 'Native' Americans and their customs had had the same influence on the world as has 'settled' Euro American attitude?
nonplussed, london,

* I don't know one anti-american here, in Spain. But a lot of us are anti-american-government. Can you see the difference?
Another thought: to all the american people that are so proud, do you know how is life in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, etc? You think, by definition, that you are the most free country in the world, but the truth is that you DON'T KNOW actually how the rest of the world is.
We certainly don't envy you. Want to try a year living here? You risk to never return......
josu, spain,

* Clifford H. Colpitts, Jr., Inwood, New York writes:
"Democracy freak, how many legitimate elected democracies did you CIA overthrow? How many children will go to bed hungry tonight in the United States? How many of your prisons can be classified as being the among the worst on Earth, especially the women's prisons. For how many years did your government (actually it still does) did your government torture and mistreat the mentally ill? I could go on and on and on. If you think that the United States is the best government in the world, you are either blind and misinformed or out of your mind!"
Comfortably written from a home in New York, USA.
You prove the article correct.
Richard, philadelphia, PA

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for ALL others."
W. Churchill

* Yes taxes are too high, too many liberals infest out lands, and the poor depend upon government far too much.
But the brilliance of the democratic republic called the United States is that, while we may look with scorn upon the detractors of our hallowed country, we celebrate to the fullest each and every detractor's right to speak what they will as they see fit without censorship or restraint; as a nation we will defend each and every individual's right to say what they want regardless of how vile, rancorous, despicable, or downright ridiculous. That specific freedom is more important than all others combined, for nothing is more powerful than the spoken word.
Voltaire hit the nail on the head.
All I can say is, if you don't like it, turn in your passport and move somewhere else. I don't recall ever seeing any of these protesters lining up to get on the boat to move to some other country.
Scott, Durham, NC, USA

* Mr. Baker:
The problem with people like you is that despite the fact that most of what you say in this article is indeed true - the conclusion is invariably wrong...
It is precisely this inexhaustible capacity for self-criticism that sets the US apart - that is correct - but the price that must be paid for this enlightened attitude is the impossibility of maintaining a self-satisfied, self-congratulatory, self-righteous notion of one's own country or society, of the sort nurtured by the Putins and Ahmadinejads of this world...
In short, you cannot have free speech AND a monolithic sense of superiority in all matters in relation to the rest of the world...
quevedo, Philadelphia,

* Mr. Baker, you forgot to praise the thing about our country that I know impresses you Brits the most. Free refills!
Shaky Barnes, Dodge City, KS

* As John Derbyshire pointed out, the EUropeans may look down on Americans, but they do so while listening to their iPod, wearing Nikes and American jeans, going to American mobies, ...
Michael, Santa Ana, , USA

* Interesting that the most famous American, America-bashers are all multi-millionaires. They hate everything about this country except their ability to become rich here. Also, with a few exceptions, they choose to still live in the land they most hate.
The best example of this is Britain's favorite anti-American American, the millionaire Noam Chomsky.
As to the independent and open minded university students here, they are able to parrot, with 99% accuracy the utterings of their hate America first left wing professors. A real show of independent thinking, don't you think?
Hollywood was a huge supporter of Joe Stalin (was it 20 or 30 million he exterminated?). So, its clear, we really need to listen to these actors today.
The US has indeed made errors; the two worst were involvement in WWI, WWII. A close third was joining the UN.
True, most Americans are ignorant of international affairs, but, unlike sophisticated Euros, we morons still can distinguish right from wrong.
Fed up with Euros, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

* These individuals aren't ANTI-AMERICAN. They're opposed to, and taking a public stand against, the dangerous policies and actions of the CURRENT AMERICAN LEADERSHIP, as is a good chunk of the rest of the world. Standing up to leadership that tries to tear apart the things that make America a wonderful place is the most patriotic thing I can think of. Any attempt to argue that people like Al Gore, Bill Clinton, or Michael Moore are un-American is just another dumb attempt by neo-con nuts to try to once again twist the truth. They're not fooling anyone anymore.
jayne, lincoln, nebraska

One of Cliffy's favorite books is the Quotations of Mao Zedong. Does that give you any indication?
I Heart Cliffy, Austin,

* I enjoyed your article, very "tongue-in-cheek" one might say. I, too, have noticed the irony of the "anti-americans" protesting knowing their rights and their lives are protected. However, few venture without to protest the true evils of the world.
Jeff, Austin, TEXAS!

* I, too, have noticed the irony shown by the "anti-american-americans." It is joyous to watch them protest knowing their lives and property are protected. However, few venture beyond our borders to protest the true evils of this world. A nice "tongue-in-cheek" article. I enjoyed it.
Jeff, Austin, TEXAS!

* Nice one Gerard! Now take your (devalued) dollars and crawl off to defend the next undefendable regime. China, North Korea, Zimbabwe?...
Jane, Los Angeles, usa

* Gee Mr. Colpitt, I truly wonder how you and those like you put up with the rest of us.
You've obviously never been outside our country, I would guess a recent college graduate or under 30 that knows absolutely nothing about history. Never served his country or risked more than a hangnail for the freedoms he enjoys.
I'm truly wondering when these paragon's of virtue are going to inform us of which country has a better government and why. Because you are going to get a very big surprise when you see the list for that government.
I'll split the cost with you Murph.
Thomas More, Dallas, Texas

* I notice it's Pilgrim STATE Psychiatric Hospital. Run by the liberal dominated NY state gov't, not the US gov't, which, under the Constitution, has no business running any health care facilities. Maybe Mr. Colpitts can't figure out the difference, or maybe nobody in New York is well enough educated in their public school system to know that difference, but if he's got complaints about the mental health care he's received and is blaming the US gov't, he's barking up the wrong tree.
Dave H, Culver City, California

* Mr Baker's comments may be the most astute since de Tocqueville. It is an odd combination of a natural isolationism and our myopic tendencies that leads to this unique, and useful, phenomenon. If the highest price of liberty is annoying banter or xenophobic journalists from abroad, so what?
Mike, Carmel, IN, USA
Thank you for the analysis. As US Citizens, we take many things for granted including the past. No party in our country can claim to be without transgression but we are still a young country with much to learn. As we grow, we learn new things that help us improve. When we have poor leadership, we have a finite amount of time before we have the opportunity to change to a new direction.
The US will always have detractors from within and without. While many of the naysayers have their arguments, we need their input if we are to make positive moves towards the future. We are the original melting pot with all our scars but we are still where more people would want to live.
We could pick any country and list all the positives and negatives. While Clifford may claim to dislike it here, you will notice he still lives in the US which is certainly a positive vote for Our country's greatness.
Thank you Mr. Baker.
Eric, Wasilla, AK

* Mr. Colpitts,
And where would you rather be?
What other country allows you to kick it AND enjoy all of it's freedoms? Among those freedoms is the ability to reach out and help the hungry and the suffering personally, rather than complain that the government hasn't done it to your satisfaction. Have you tried to be a blessing rather than a curse?
America has it's blood stains to be sure, name one country that doesn't, but I will say this, America also moves to correct the faults in itself. Slavery was, BUT IS NO MORE. Can we say that about Sudan? Women not being allowed to vote was, BUT IS NO MORE. Can we say that about many in the Middle East?
You don't like the way things are run, THEN DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE THEM, or would you rather just spit and be annoying?
Also, read de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" if you'd like to learn something.
Open your eyes, sir.
Steve, Ossining,

* Good article. It is curious to me how the "rest of the world" thinks so much of Al Gore, Sean Penn and Michael Moore. When Al Gore won the Oscar it was a joke. It was a obvious political move by the elite in Hollywood . In other words, it was a joke. When he won the Nobel Prize, well... I laughed out loud while reading the paper. Sean Penn is one of my favorite actors but the inanity which comes from his mouth... He should just act. Michael Moore is simpley a propogandist. His "exposes'" are mostly the use of facts to fit his pre-ordained opinions. I support their right to continue speaking. Unfortunately, many on the left DO NOT tolerate those who differ in opinion to speak. I cite the blatant and continuous aggressive, disruption of conservative speakers on our "Liberal" college campuses. Figures such as Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, and Clarence Thomas.
In contrast one will never this fascisitic behavior from a conservative in the U.S.
Guy, L.A., USA/CA

* Ray from Belgium is correct. It is amazing how many Europeans have a warped idea of what Americans are really like. In fact, Americans in general are more likely to engage in introspection, honest self-evaluation and self-criticism, than the majority of Europeans whom I have met. Americans can be, and usually are, their own worst enemies. I suggest that Europeans put more effort into looking at the problems in their own countries. No need to point out America's faults; most of us Americans are already aware of our faults.
Mike, Lake Forest, CA, USA

* Critics of American policies are anti-American? Many Americans who speak contrary to its policies are against an America that works only on behalf of its own self-interests. Many Americans want an America that treats other nations as it wants to be treated. Many Americans want an America that is a world leader, not a world bully. People confuse self-criticism of my country’s policies as being anti-patriotic rather than being, quite simply, American.
Terry Schoen, Lexington, KY, USA

* Murph -- Glad to see that good-old American pride coming from my hometown (Best Town on Earth). Hope things are well in Mad'ville. I'll chip in with you and Mr. Sexton (wonder if we are related?) to send Mr. Colpitts a one-way ticket to the destination of his choice. There are many places on this planet where he can view first-hand what government torture, hunger, religious oppression and mistreatment of the mentally ill REALLY looks like! I'm sure it would be an eye opener for him. Actually, I kind of like his comments, as they prove unequivocally the premise of Mr. Baker's article. I find it very heartening to see such a praise-worthy essay from across-the-pond. Too often I start to get depressed by the reports from our American main-stream media regarding what the "world" thinks of America. Nice to have it reinforced that they are wrong -- as usual. Thank you Mr. Baker!
D. Sexton, Lexington, KY, USA

* A wonderful article again by Gerard Baker. Where are the people who can express such (once-read, obvious) truths when I am assailed in Europe by the usual anti-American claptrap? It has seemed to me for some time that ant-Americanism is so universal......because it can be! Whiners know that Americans will listen and take note, rarely defending their system a-la-Baker, or more violently. And the anti-American can feel good about him/herself for having conformed to the numbing norms of the UN, EU, the media, the local Socialist elite etc. By contrast, why complain about Russia, China, Libya, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iran, North Korea, Cuba et al when the complaint will go unheard, unanswered and display the complainant's impotence. Thanks God for America and its ability to self-correct. If the West and its "allies" stood morew often behind the US, it would be a better world. Watch out for the impetus Al Gore's prize gives to bringing more regulation into the UN orbit. Taxes anyone?
Andrew, Rye, USA

* Excellent article! And here I thought all foreigners were trained to call upon their hate-America motivated reasoning when it came to issues of liking/not liking something about America. If Europeans would actually take the time to learn about America's foundings and what we actually stand for, I bet that hate-America crowd would dwindle into nothingness.
Cory, San Diego, US

* It is good to stop and reflect upon the nature of a free society. It is a society that is free to make mistakes, evolve, and allow for criticism and counter-criticism. Frankly, it is quite a wonderful thing that in America we do not suppress the hopelessly misinformed and hostile unless they directly threaten or assault the liberties of the citizenry.
Yes, you can hate this country, openly. You can advocate for your neo-Communist pogroms from Berkley to the Beltway. You can preach racism until your heart is content. The reasonable minds of the citizenry are likewise free to pick apart the numerous flaws of your self-destructive ideologies and go about our lives.
I love the fact that we have people who openly attempt to garner gravitas putting on "cosmopolitan" airs. People who like to overlook Mao, the USSR, Baathists, or Khmer Rouge. They make it easier to weed out the pseudo-intellectual celebrity wannabes from the free thinkers in our society.
Marty Lund, Laveen, AZ

* Mr Colpitts,
If America is so horrible, please leave and take yourself and any other pilgrims of your ilk to wherever you think you'll find a better life.
Those of us who have defended this nation and its people are tired of hearing from the likes of you. If I hated America so much, I would certainly leave. Why don't you?
Murph from Madisonville and I will pitch in for your plane ticket to Cuba.
Mr Baker, thank you for such a well written piece. You are a bright shining voice of reason in the wilderness. There are few journalists left with any intelligence or integrity. Thank you for being one of the few.
R. Joseph Sexton, Tacoma, USA WA

* Hey Mr. Colputtz:
This great America came about in 1776, when it was declared "...All men are created equal...". It came about in the mid 1860's, when hundreds of thousands of Americans died to keep our nation together, and to liberate African Americans. (Note: I said LIBERATE, not placate--these are two different things). It (great America) came about in the late 19th centuries' Industrial/Invention Revolution. It came about again in the 20th century on 3 seperate intervals (WWI, WWII, & Cold War), when we helped liberate Europe, and helped stop the Soviet Union from placing it's own "benevolent" version of democracy on this planet...
Furthermore, our prison system is designed to PUNISH lawbreakers. Sorry we don't let everyone have cable/internet access.
Lastly, No..(as in ZERO) Americans need go hungry tonight. You may not be able to have your Nike's/FUBU clothes and your Steak n' Potatoes at the same time. Welfare is not designed to give you a perfect fun-filled life.
Rich Moraghan, Cleveland, Oh

* An interesting article that bespeaks truths that people outside of the U.S. find hard to believe, and that sometimes Americans either forget or take for granted. As I read European and Asian newspapers (thanks to the internet), I am amazed at the number of western democracies that have official censors regulating what can be said or presented on television or in newspapers (just look at the recent forced resignation at BBC over the Queen's interview, or the total banning of a video game in Australia because it is "too violent"). While a certain level of self-criticism is permitted in many "liberal" democracies, nowhere is it raised to the level permitted in the U.S. – where anyone can say just about anything about any government institution or elected official (or any other public figure for that matter). We, and our form of government, are far from perfect, and certainly there is never unanimous agreement (and sometimes not even majority agreement) on major goals for our society.
L. Watson, Atlanta, USA / Georgia

* If you insist on labelling any act of defiance against any branch of government "anti-Americanism", you are laying the first foundations of tyranny.
Rob, London, UK

* ........... For how many years did your government (actually it still does) did your government torture and mistreat the mentally ill? I could go on and on and on. If you think that the United States is the best government in the world, you are either blind and misinformed or out of your mind!
Clifford H. Colpitts, Jr., Inwood, New York

* Hey, Cliff, it looks like you didn't get the gist of the article......You are in New York state blathering on about how much the US stinks. Biting the hand who feeds you? Maybe! Enjoy your freedom to speak your mind though, it's your right and no one in the US is going to stop you, so enjoy!!
and they say Americans don't "get" irony.......
Laura Abbey, Spokane, WA

* I actually took John Brittain's advice and did a search on Mr Colpitts, from his auto-biography:
"I am also, for about twenty-eight years have been diagnosed as a manic-depressive schizo effective type. I have spent about two years at various psychiatric wards and hospitals. Most of that time was spent at Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital located on Long Island, New York."
One wonders if like so many others his frustration with the USA is indicative of his own personal predicaments and failings rather then a genuine grievance with the country.
Bill Grant, New York City, USA

* The article is partially correct. Many in our country speak their mind and are (and should be) allowed. However, those same people who bash America and claim a right to free speech spew hatred toward those that speak out against them. Our freedoms are great, but there is a group in this country who beleive they only belong to those that agree with them (e.g. Dixie Chick and Sean Penn).
DanM, New York, NY

* Yes indeed, an outstanding article. We Americans have to live with anti-american factions in our country including CNN, the New York Times and the Democratic party for the most part. At times I feel fed up with the way we abuse freedom of speech.
Frank Lehmann, Centerport, USA- New York

* you make a good point..however it is very disingenous of you to state only criticsms against a republican administration; why didn't you mention critics against democratic administrations....you lose your credibly when you are so blatantly one-sided
n. lehmkuhl, somerville, nj, usa

* Mr Colpitts comments rather prove your point, don't they, Mr Baker? (If anyone wants to know more about Mr Colpitts in order to understand the context of his remarks, they can Google his name up and see that he has a lot to say about a lot of things.)
John Brittain, Lewistown, PA USA

* A superb essay! It would be terrifying to think Americans are moving in the direction of those doing American detractors who do the talking, were it not to also acknowledge the many millions of Americans doing the listening. American conservative talk radio, Fox, et al are more popular than ever, because they make a handsome living "in a part of the brain they (American and foreign demagogues) try not to consult."
Kirk McGahey, Covington, WA

* Mr. Gerard,
What a great article! You nailed it! Thank you for pointing out what most Americans know, but what is apparently a great secret to CNN and the rest of the TV media world! You forgot to mention John Kerry in your 1960's list by the way. If any of the ones you mentioned had to live under the laws of another country for a period of time, still using their freedom of speech to express their opinions, they would be singing a different tune and kissing the ground of the good old US of A once they got back!
I'm glad someone thinks our system is "forgivingly tolerant of people with wild and dangerous ideas but don't generally let them run the country"! Watch out, we're getting close!
I take exception to Bill's opinion there, the protests of the conservatives have been under reported while the liberal protest has had a bully pulpit!
Thanks again for your refreshing article. I shall pass it on to my fellow Texans!
Blessings,
Merry-Zoe Underland, Harrogate, United Kingdom

* Can you define what is anti-americansim? is this negative feeling directed towards the people or the government's policies?
David, Aberdeen, Uk

* Mr Gerard Baker...Thank you for a wonderful article...Spot on.....The real citizens of the US don't pay attention to the Gore's/Moore's/and Hollywood -want -a-beeee's.....Just the media likes to see themself's on the 'telly' and in the papers...like in the UK,I take everything with a grain of salt,Kosher, thank you.....and for good measure...Get the UN out of the US of A...and the US of A out of the UN.....Darfur sounds like a nice place for the UN..........
Mr Tim, San Marcos, US of A /Ca

* gerard, you are wrong. for about 6 years, we let people with wild and dangerous ideas run the country, with no protest, beyond the liberals. it has changed now, but these people keep enormous executive and administrative power for another 15 months.
bill copeland, tucson, usa

* I recently returned from the US and was honestly surprised at the number of people I met who were extremely open-minded as to what could change for the better in their society. The image we Europeans often have of a country that is the perfect illustration of dumb consumerism is absolutely false and I experienced the United States as a hommage to a free society where one can speak one's mind without any fear of retribution.
Ray, Hombeek, Belgium

* "Yanks go Home and Take me with You"
Bill Mac, Falkirk, UK

* By gad, it actually moved me reading this. It is comforting that rational and clear minds like that of Mr. Baker is actually still around in newspapers. To paraphrase Basil Fawlty: Let's stuff him out so we don't ever lose him!
William Hagerup, Trondhjem, Norway

* Thanks for your insight, I always forget there are some objective people across the pond. We Americans have long ago given up caring what the world thinks of us because we're damned if we do and damned if we don't. the biggest fear I have, besides the death of western civilization, is that we will become a socialist mecca like most of Europe. Me thinks the Mr. and I better take the European tour before it becomes Eurabia.
And Clifford, congrats on your membership in Moveon.org. but watch that blood pressure!
Pat Zahn, Seattle, Wa. USA

* Mr. Colpitts all those things you mentioned happened in the wink of an eye compared to the timeline of the rest of world history. And why do you point out the Vietnamese when hundreds of thousands of our own countrymen died during a civil war that eventualy ensured your mother could vote. And if there is a hungry child in America its because his parent doesn't know where to apply for help. Not for lack of assistance. How many govt's did we overthrow? Enough to keep you safe today. As for prisons. I'd match our worst with the best of the majoirty of the worlds countries. After all how many of those have free cable? The mentally ill? The last one we treated your way shot up VA Tech. Finally sir three points. First you could'nt say what you did here in better than 2/3 of the world. Second, they're Native Americans not American Indians. Third...leave...I'll buy the ticket!
Murph, Madisonville, USA/KY

* It is nice to hear Americans telling us how wonderful America is. But could you just explain those arrests for wearing the wrong T-shirt when George W Bush comes to town?
Alice, Lincoln,

* Only applause for Mr. Baker's writing and a wish for what he says at the end, to be true.
I would add, though, that too much freedom ends in chaos; especially when those who speak do not respect other people's ideas... if these aren't "progressist", that is.
Simon Salosny, Santiago, Chile

* We Americans are and independent lot. Not all agree on the Hollywood lifestyle and we really don't pay much attention to all that rot. We like free speech and love gossip but most of us are very patriotic and support our country. A good cup of coffee and jokingly talk about the President and the do nothing congress captures the early morning coffee houses.
Merle Ayres, Humboldt, USA Iowa

* I have been trying to work out (since no one will ever tell me) why the EU needs to be anything more than a free trade zone. So far i have a very short list of reasons. Anti - Americanism is at the top.
Geoff, Sydney,

When did this great America come about? Was it when you finally gave my mother the right to vote? Was it after you gave the American Indian the right to vote after you destroyed her religions and cultures? Was it after you murdered all those Vietnamese? Was it after all those terrible governments and dictatorships that you supported for economic reasons? Democracy freak, how many legitimate elected democracies did you CIA overthrow? How many children will go to bed hungry tonight in the United States? How many of your prisons can be classified as being the among the worst on Earth, especially the women's prisons. For how many years did your government (actually it still does) did your government torture and mistreat the mentally ill? I could go on and on and on. If you think that the United States is the best government in the world, you are either blind and misinformed or out of your mind!
Clifford H. Colpitts, Jr., Inwood, New York