Hi, and welcome to my LJ. I don't think I've seen you here before, so it's possible that you don't know me very well.
Of course it would be very stupid to assume that all Americans believe, or are scared by, any one thing, and of course I make no such idiotic assumption. I am, however, not taking my impression from pundits, but from my experience of American culture, gathered over a great number of years, not merely the last few weeks.
It seems hardly deniable that when the right-wing pundits call Obama "socialist" they intend it to have a similar effect to calling him "Muslim" or "terrorist," and it seems quite likely that they imagine they have some reason to assume that it will have such an effect. And, in some quarters, as I have seen, it has indeed; although the comments I've seen have not referred to Obama, but to the bailout measures as I said. And, yes, I find the overreaction a little ridiculous, but I do not actually imagine that all Americans feel that way.
Regular visitors to my little nook are quite aware that I have nothing but the greatest respect and fondness for America as a nation, for its people, for its history, and for the many ways in which it has benefited the culture of the world. As for its current administration, the Republican party in general, extremist Christian fundamentalism, or laissez-faire capitalism in any form, I am afraid I reserve the right to be very rude about them in my journal whenever I choose, because I think they deserve it. And if you think that's bad, you should hear me on the subject of our pathetic excuse for a government in Britain.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2008-10-13 07:58 pm (UTC)Of course it would be very stupid to assume that all Americans believe, or are scared by, any one thing, and of course I make no such idiotic assumption. I am, however, not taking my impression from pundits, but from my experience of American culture, gathered over a great number of years, not merely the last few weeks.
It seems hardly deniable that when the right-wing pundits call Obama "socialist" they intend it to have a similar effect to calling him "Muslim" or "terrorist," and it seems quite likely that they imagine they have some reason to assume that it will have such an effect. And, in some quarters, as I have seen, it has indeed; although the comments I've seen have not referred to Obama, but to the bailout measures as I said. And, yes, I find the overreaction a little ridiculous, but I do not actually imagine that all Americans feel that way.
Regular visitors to my little nook are quite aware that I have nothing but the greatest respect and fondness for America as a nation, for its people, for its history, and for the many ways in which it has benefited the culture of the world. As for its current administration, the Republican party in general, extremist Christian fundamentalism, or laissez-faire capitalism in any form, I am afraid I reserve the right to be very rude about them in my journal whenever I choose, because I think they deserve it. And if you think that's bad, you should hear me on the subject of our pathetic excuse for a government in Britain.
I hope that has cleared things up a little.