On Destroyerclub, on a debate thread about the state of the U.S., one of the posters mentioned he didn't think there is a foreign country that likes us any more.
Oh dear. Other nations don't like the United States. Jealousy's a *****. If there's any topic that gets my indignation up, it's the plaintive cry that we're not 'liked.'
The other countries don't like us? Boo freakin' hoo. The important question is why they don't like us.
Europe doesn't like us? Europe ought to be more concerned about their own situation. European countries have a higher unemployment rate. Their birthrates are lower while their social and health care programs take a larger chunk of their income. The result: an aging population whose younger members won't be able to support the bloated social welfare cradle-to-grave nanny states they've created. It's worse than our own serious Social Security problems. Instead of solving their own problems -- sucking it up and doing without the six weeks paid vacation and paying more out of pocket for health care -- they'd rather harangue the USA to follow their example.
The fastest growing population in France, Holland, and others is Muslim immigrants, who have a higher birth rate than the native populations. This has lead to inner city enclaves of Muslim youths who are rabidly radicalized. They do not recognize the laws of their adopted countries. Non-Muslim women have taken to wearing head scarves when going through some sections of their cities because it's easier than being followed, harassed, and threatened with physical violence.
The Islamic populations around the world don't like us because we promote the basic freedoms of speech, religion, peaceful assembly, etc. which are the antithesis of their sharia law.
And I can see their point. Our freedom of speech and expression leads to an 'anything goes' society where vulgarity, crudeness, and impiety are not only tolerated, but now are trumpeted by our intellectual elites (and Hollywood, where anything approaching intelligence seldom rears its ugly, sane head).
Works of 'art' like Piss Christ are an unfortunate byproduct of the rights that allow me to post this without worrying that I'll be dragged before the authorities and fined or forced to publicly recant my opinions.
(And speaking of art, isn't it funny that among all the feces smeared Madonnas and bondage-themed Last Suppers you don't see any Piss Mohameds? Ask the editor of Danish newspaper The Jutland Post why. Ask Salman Rushdie (if you can get him on the phone). Ask Theo Van Gogh. Oh, no, you can't ask him.)
The Arab countries also hate us because we support Israel. Israel -- aside from being full of dirty, filthy, lazy, pig Jews -- has also committed the unforgivable offense of building a modern market economy and a high tech society despite having few natural resources and some monumentally rude neighbors.
This is very embarrassing to the Arabs, who, if they didn't have oil, would have sand and camels as their main exports. And even with their thriving oil fields, only the ruling families own the wealth. The rest of the population depends on their largesses. And even if their standard of living is high, their medical, technological and scientific advances stalled out sometime in the middle ages. Islam has not been conducive to free thought and experimentation these last thousand years. It's risky promoting new ideas or methods when any Imam among thousands can decide it's blasphemy and declare a fatwa.
Who else doesn't like us. Russia? And all the other countries who used to be part of the USSR? They've had economic and social problems since before the fall of the Tzar. The collapse of communism and the move to a more free market economy helped for awhile, but now with Time's Man of the Year skulking in the Kremlin, they've regressed.
China's still trying to make communism work with a limited free economy. But they want to be the next super power, so of course they don't like us. All those lead painted toys and poisoned tooth paste were real clues.
And Canada. Some Canadians still like us, but they're too busy following Europe's example and oppressing free speech. Ask Mark Steyn. Or Ezra Levant.
Mexico hates us, but they're all too busy trying to sneak in here to complain about anything except how prejudiced we are when we object to them sneaking in here illegally.
I don't think Australia hates us, which is good, because I'd like to have Australia's good will. Any nation descended from convicts and forced emigration is a country I want to have on my side. Seriously. I think Australians kick butt and I hope any carping coming out of there is from their version of the lunatic fringe who spawned Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan up here.
The strong are always hated by the weak. The rich are always hated by the poor. We need to suck it up, not descend to their level or make their mistakes.
If we ruin our economy, who will go to the tsunamis and other natural disasters with aid and money? If we stifle our creativity, where will the little Saudi princes get future versions of Wiis or iPhones? Where will the rest of the world go when they need new medical procedures that aren't available anywhere else? Or routine but crucial operations that have a two-year waiting list in their countries?
