For two centuries America has been on the verge of exhaustion or collapse, but it never has been exhausted or collapsed.

So, back in 1802? Huh?

For two centuries capitalism has been in crisis, but it never has succumbed.

Again, 1802? WTF?

For two centuries the youth/the artists/the workers/the oppressed minorities were going to overthrow the staid conformism of the suburbs, but in the end they never did.

Suburbs? In 1802?

Why the Europeans and Arabs, each in their own way, hate America and Israel.

WDYHASM?!?

AROUND 1830, a group of French artists and intellectuals looked around and noticed that people who were their spiritual inferiors were running the world.

And throughout the ages, we've had similar "revelations" from religious groups, philosophical groups, economic groups, and so forth.

To put it in other words, this article would be just as relevent if it were about a militia group in Idaho, a UFO-mystic group in California, an EST group in NY or a bunch of gool-ol-boys in Georgia.

But the BEST is contained in these two paragraphs:

Today the battle lines are forming. The dispute over Palestine, which was once a local conflict about land, has been transformed into a great cultural showdown. The vast array of bourgeoisophobes--Yasser Arafat's guerrilla socialists, Hamas's Islamic fundamentalists, Jose Bove's anti-globalist leftists, America's anti-colonial multiculturalists, and the BBC's Oxbridge mediacrats--focus their diverse rages and resentments on this one conflict.

Okay, everyone clear on who's who? The bourgeoisophobes include the "anti-colonial multiculturalists" in the US (I will assume that the author means the US when the author says "America's").

On a side note, has anyone ever wondered why the authors of these articles can't tell the difference between "America" and "The United States of America"? Is "Canada" something they can pinpoint on a map?

Anyway, paragraph two:

The bourgeoisophobes have no politburo. There is no bourgeoisophobe central command. They have no plausible strategy for victory. They have only their nihilistic rage, their envy mixed with snobbery, their snide remarks, their newspaper distortions, their conspiracy theories, their suicide bombs and terror attacks--and above all, a burning sense that the rising, vibrant, and powerful peoples of America and Israel must be humiliated and brought low.

So........... US citizens are suicide bombers for Arafat?

French intelligentsia are terrorists?

Ahhhh, I see. This is a case of "group everyone I don't like together (they share the common trait of not being liked by me)" and then "group all of their activities together (they sharing the common trait of being activities of everyone I don't like)" and then start spewing "insight" about why everyone in that group is wrong.

So, where does that place me? Definately an "anti-colonial multiculturalist" but one who thinks that Arafat should be arrested?

Hmmmmm?

Ah, that doesn't matter, does it? Just group everyone that you don't like together 'cause they're all WRONG!

Your life must be so much simpler when you do that.

PS: Money is the root of all happiness.

It's called a "dictionary".

And most of the ways the middle class are bland are ways in which it's *good* to be bland. Like not strapping explosives around one's paunchy waist and blowing oneself up in some bland public market. I'll take that kind of blandness any day.

You say "most", but you only give one isolated example.

How many Palestinians are there? How many of them have turned to suicide bombers?

Once again, statistics are beyond your grasp.

The West has, in the past 100 years, turned out a handful of great novels, jazz, and that's about it.

On the other hand, we have also created pet rocks, junk bonds, EST, talk shows, and so on.

As a nation, we are obese, ill-informed and pre-occupied with mindless gratification (fat, dumb and happy).

I'm glad you support that.

Well, at least we aren't suicide bombers.

Remember kids, no matter how pathetic you are, there's ALWAYS at least ONE other person in the entire world that you can say you're better than.