Gil Hamilton wrote:
>
> F. Marc de Piolenc forwards:
>
> >Among the Bourgeoisophobes
> >Why the Europeans and Arabs, each in their own way, hate America and
> >Israel.
> >
> >http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/102gwtnf.asp
>
> It may be true that they hate freedom in some
> narrow sense, but it misses the point: what they really hate is the
> godless, arrogant, materialistic, undeserved (etc. from the article)
> appearance communicated by the exports of our culture. It is this
> hatred of the perception of our culture that is misinterpreted (by
> shallow and jingoistic analysts on *our* side) as "they just hate our
> freedom."
It would be more on target to say that they hate the *consequences" of
freedom, but I like the simpler formulation better. The absence of fear
and awe (arrogance), the rejection of superstition (godlessness),
confidence, active pursuit of gain - all are outgrowths not merely of
freedom, which we have in only a relative sense - but of the
*expectation* of freedom and the responsibility that goes with it.
> Which leads me to a couple of other comments. The additional security
> restrictions imposed on Americans since 9/11 clearly play right into
> their hands.
So very true...and very sad. As long as we're putting untrained but
heavily armed National Guardsmen in airports and finding new ways to spy
on each other, Bin Laden has won no matter what happens to him
personally.
> Another point well made here is the notion that American left-wing
> intellectuals and politicians, as well as right-wing fundamentalists
> and their politicians, all fall into this same boat.
A point made by Ayn Rand many years ago, but less entertainingly.
Marc de Piolenc
