Uncouth Nation: Why Europe Dislikes America

[jsbowden]

I recently read the book in question, and while it's not an easy read (things of this nature aren't really written to be), it is an interesting one.

I don't know if cerebrate_think bothers to monitor LJ accounts anymore, but this is a book I'd recommend, based on many of the things he's said WRT to the UK prior to his leaving for here. So, Amy, if you see this, let Alistair know this is something I think he'd like, 'kay?

In general, I'd say it paints of fairly grim picture of European attitudes towards us. It definitely makes it plain that antisemitism is alive and well in Europe, although in a new guise..

The only Europeans I know are the ones I've met who've come to the US, and they aren't generally anti US or I suspect they'd have chosen other ways to use that vacation time and money, and the folks on my f-list who I've been interacting with over the intertubes in various forums for the last dozen years. I think Herr Markovits might be overstating things based on these long time interactions, but then, the sorts of people who don't like us were definitely present (and still are) on various Usenet corners, and this book pretty much nails them.

Comments

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

The anti-Zionism is more of a front for the more classical disliking of Jews for whatever reason. The author cites article after article after article in which Israel's right to exist is continually brought in to question, and how the Israeli dealings with Gaza and the West Bank is really no different than how the UK, Spain, and Russia deal with their own occupied bits, but the treatment Israel gets in the press makes them a monster, while the European analogs are merely defending themselves.