Re: I am a believer in the envy syndrome

Partly through having felt it as mentioned in an earlier post, but also from a purely logical point of view.

Noone would dare argue that the US is not seen as a wealthy country. This image goes back decades if not to the begining of the 1900s.

When anyone becomes the target of envy, it also becomes a target to criticise and that criticism can be come finicky and intense. I can recall how hyped up I felt the first time I visited the US. Conditioned by years of hollywood I like so many people believed that life in US was way beyond the simple reality. When I 1st arrived there I discovered it was not unlike whaere I was living (Australia). The people were very friendly & lived ordinary lives. Hollywood was just fantasy. I *know* that this is also how many eastern people see US.
Consider the Ayatolla's 'Great Satan' - who ? - the US - the people ? - the president ? - the senate ? - you tell me who he was referring to - I could never quite work it out. In reality he was attacking the concept of a free country where people had to take responsibility for their lives to a greater degree than many other countries & religions allow.

If we take a country like India, 900 or so million people, because it is not wealthy, few people take the time to criticise its bad practices and there are *many*. Nobody feels threatened by India's wealth because there is none.

If India were as wealthy as the US then its class system would be globally despised and attacked. Its religious bigotry would be despised & attacked. Its treatment of women would be also more widely atttacked etc: etc: etc:.

Cheers

Doug Marker

..over others' lives, and at the level of US power today: influence of the direction of whole world - though we are <5% numerically. Clearly envy is mixed-in - some don't see the 95/5 ratio as 'bad' in itself; these just wish They were in the 5%: that's envy.

Just don't think the other mixtures of attitudes towards US are this simple. Different groups focus upon ways in which our preferences + the power to institute them, gore their favorite ox. (Muricans neither know nor care - they had an ox they liked). Note the locals harassing people who look Arabic - typical. (May take the heat off the other minorities we semi-despise, but feel guilty about doing so).

For all the magnanimous gestures (Marshall plan, etc.), there are equivalent ignorant ones (supporting anti-democratic weasels, etc.) and we tend to be brash, ignorant of most customs not like ours - and disdainful of those, however we give lip service to "welcoming diversity". (I've lived here a long time - that's BS, especially when the Puritan sanctimony comes out)

So it ain't that simple. But in present case it also isn't important about the balancing act:

These young, ignorant sociopaths are Nazis, wouldn't recognize the idea of 'dialogue' if it bit them in the ass. We will likely skip the dialogue attempt and go directly to ass.

(Dunno about putting an ex-gov, a pol and Pres's buddy as - Grand Czar of Coordination. Far better in that slot, someone expert in terrorism.)

I see a huge minefield..

A.

Welcome to IWETHEY!