December 20, 2003
Blogsurfing/Therapy
Last night I accidentally found some British blogs. They were heartbreaking, to me, in their uniform anti-Americanness. So today, I visited the Eatonweb Portal and am currently surfing British sites. It's better than it seemed last night. I found at least one that I've bookmarked and will be returning to.
As for many of the other ones, I don't know why I get so worked up over blogs that get like 7 hits a day, have the word 'mediocrity' in their self-description, and think its the height of humor to compare Bush to Hitler. I guess I just always expect better from the Brits. It's a culture that I loved so much and continue to love. I really always thought that my first serious purchase as an adult would be a flat in Edinburgh or a house in Forres. I don't think I have that dream anymore and it isn't me that has changed. I was always American, Jewish, Zionist, Republican and very political. Now these are dirty words in most of Europe and unfortunately, Britain isn't an exception to this. I've lost several British friends now over politics. I still have many friends that I adore in Britain and knowing them continues to makes me very happy. Still, the ones that I've lost have really affected me. I haven't lost a single American friend (that currently lives in America, anyway) over politics no matter how bad our disagreements have gotten or how insanely leftist they are. Interestingly, the ones in Britain who continue to be my friends are the ones that I had discussed politics with pre-9/11. They know that my political thinking didn't begin on 9/12 and I know that theirs didn't either. In fact, these are the ones most likely to engage me on my site (as opposed to coming on once, saying something one-dimensional, telling me what a crappy site I have, and being absolutely horrified when I or any of my commenters respond). The ones who discovered politics only after it became fun to ridicule president Bush or to compare America to Nazi Germany are the ones I can't connect with anymore.
A large factor is, of course, the very existence of this site. It is somewhere that people can check into daily to get a running commentary from me on every little thing. Of course I'm going to write things people disagree with. Of course I'm going to piss people off. This site was something that I had planned to do for years. I didn't know about blogs then. I often discussed starting some type of website and always mentioned that it would have a rightwing bent. I had asked people like commenters Bobby and Graeme if they wanted to write for it. I believe Graeme was going to do the 'Commie Corner' or something. Most people that knew me knew it was one of my plans. I also planned to have a music site but found that I had little to say about music other than 'I like this' or 'I don't like this'. Anyway, the point is that this blog, like my political opinions, wasn't born out of 9/11 either. I didn't wake up one day and decide that America needs a strong foreign policy (though, yes, I was certainly more isolationist than I am today-9/11 did change that), that I like smaller government, lower taxes, lower spending, that I think evil exists (hi, I was born in Russia), that I love America, and that comparing an American president (ANY American president) to Hitler will make me see you as stupid and will make me say mean things like 'I hope he kills as many members of your family as Hitler did mine so you could really understand what you're saying'.
Here's the interesting thing, to me, about politics and friendship: the more common ground you have politically, the less you discuss it. For example, I rarely discuss politics with the many friends I've made in the last few years through the rightwing political circuit in NYC. What's the point? We agree on most things. Even the things we disagree over remain areas of argument where we respect each other. How can I respect someone who says 'Bush is soooo stupid. Can't you just see the stupid look on his face?' Listen, if that's your argument then we have little to say to each other.
Maybe things won't always be this way though I suspect they will. Basically, any leader that I will admire in America will probably be skewered in Europe. I've been watching a Reagan documentary recently with Oschisms and the similarities between his presidency and that of George W. Bush are unbelieveable. The idiot protestors who saw America as a bigger threat than the Soviet Union, who thought that talking was going to solve anything (when, in fact, Russia only got serious about the talks when they thought America was going to be able to build the much-ridiculed-by-liberals SDI system), those who dismissed Communism the way they dismiss Islamofascism today. Didn't being on the wrong side of history once already teach them anything? And it does matter that Europe violently hates these leaders. I will vote for George W. Bush in 2004 (barring some unforseen circumstances). To call him stupid is to call me stupid. To call him evil is to call me evil. It's not that hard to understand.
I hope that someday I'll be able to buy that property in Scotland and spend days in my favorite pub writing in my notebook, listening to British indie rock, and connecting with people of a culture that I feel I understand so well. I've been told often that I'm too much of an optimist.
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I have so much value for the friends who respectfully but energetically disagree with me. I love to talk politics--which, given your argument that people who have much in common politically don't talk about it often, makes me strongly drawn to intelligent liberals. But there is still a huge value to me in talking with smart conservatives, too. We could say that's because I tend to be more moderate, although in other areas of discussion (i.e. film and fashion) I strongly prefer to talk with people who share my tastes. Otherwise, there's nothing to say that doesn't hurt one another's feelings in a pretty real way.
Without optimism, I don't know that we'd go anywhere. I'm optimistic that I'll run into you there someday, and that in that pub all kinds of people will yell and scream at each other and then kiss and toast to one another's differences. Such is my vision of vibrant democracy.
I don't know what I was trying to say, or how to put into words my reaction to what you wrote save to say that I really liked it/agreed, but I'll just leave this behind as evidence of the effort.
Posted by: candace at December 20, 2003 02:40 PMK,
I knew you before 9/11 and after reading your site (apologies for not doing it before!!) I feel I have learn't a lot about your views and I still like you!!! And I'm British!!
S xx
You have some very good analysis in there. I went to graduate school during the Clinton era, when they wern't overtly lashing out at an obvious symbol every day, and still I felt I had to temper or couch my positions in conciliatory language, to asuage anti-american guilt. I can't imagine what it is like to be directly insulted all the time. I had a hard enough time not showing my disgust with deconstruction (and am still obsessed by it) "The text is everything, you can't escape the text".
This blogosphere is so daunting. I found two brit blogs I liked right away: Adam Smith Blog and Au Currant. 501 instances of Augusto Pinochet mentioned as a former dictator on the BBC website, and now none allowed for Hussein. Thanks for the leads and the insight, Kashei.
Posted by: Michael D at December 20, 2003 11:32 PMGee, our make believe Resident-Select Chimpy's P.R. War is working out for him, better than his daddy's...no contracts for those who did not come aboard, those are for his friends (Haliburton-no bid contract overcharges)...
Oops, maybe the Muslims will fight back. Better call out the Brownshirts Ridge-entropp!
Yay! 500 American lives to capture one old lice-ridden homeless bum! Yippee! Turn on Rush! Yippee! Hate some more! Yippee! No food for poor and black children! Yippee! Throw Grandma out on the street in time for Christmas! Yippee! Make Mother Earth uninhabitable, but make money! Yippee! Kill off some more species! Yippee! Yee-haw! Yay! Yahoo!
Posted by: btezra at December 21, 2003 01:39 PMI have to disagree with your statement that "to call him evil is to call me stupid." I think Bush is evil, particular when it comes to selling off domestic policy to the highest bidder or the oldest childhood friend. I do not know the full extent that corporate consideration factored into the war on iraq or the rebuilding effort, but may the full fury of congress and the judiciary pour down if they played any part at all. I do not trust him --- but that doesn't mean that I think that people who vote for him are also evil or untrustworthy.
You've said many a filthy thing about Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, both of whom I voted for, but I've never assumed you were also calling me lying adulterer or an opportunist. So, I would relax a bit --- no one need love your candidates to love you.
wait a minute...unless you were calling me a lying adulterer...you bastard.
I guess I think Americans are personally invested in their leader and so form at least somewhat coherent opinions on them. Europeans see the (R) next to the president's name and despise them right off. Also, if you think his actions, which I agree with, are evil-doesn't that make me evil? And if he's stupid, aren't I stupid for voting for him?Again, its not EVERYONE (on either side-there are plenty of Americans with one-dimensional opinions too) and again, I respect the people who take me on about my opinions rather than act like babies who didn't get their way.
Posted by: Kashei at December 21, 2003 08:56 PMDawn, the reason why the "selling off domestic policy" thing isn't the same as calling Kashei evil is probably because your conflict is not over whether or not it would be a good thing if the President had evil/selfish motives for everything that he did in his role as president, but whether he is that kind of person. You believe that it's happening - most have a tendency to find alternate motives for everything their fiercest enemies do - but she, and I, do not believe this war was driven by "corporate consideration" (and indeed, you've got a hard case to make calling it the cause, even within the left). It's a difference over essentially unprovable motivations.
I think there are some things that deep friendships must have in common; there are some core values among those things, and respect for one another is essential. But I think we both know that without a hatred for Bush one is not going to jump to the conclusion that his actions have evil motivations. Therefore we're not disagreeing with you about what evil really is, but whether or not it's happening.
Regardless, it takes two mature people to be good friends despite very real and deep-seated political differences, but it's possible, so long as there is none of the selfish, angry bickering that Kashei is describing. Or if the bickering at least happens in a good-natured manner and with genuine respect. Now I've given four cents to it and I'll go away.
Posted by: candace at December 22, 2003 12:32 AMKashei, please keep exloring those British blogs! (While mine, linked above by Michael, is technically British -- it's written from London and has a fair amount of stuff on British politics -- I am an American.) Just this week, an article appeared in left-wing British magazine the New Statesman, bemoaning the lack of left-wing British blogs, and lamenting the fact that most British blogs actually lean to the right.
Check out my blog, and explore my blogroll. You'll find some great writers who time and again denounce anti-Americanism and who are very sensible and supportive of the war against Islamist terror.
Posted by: Jackie D at December 22, 2003 03:19 AMHey Jackie,
I've bookmarked you and have forwarded around your link about Nigella. Thanks for the comment. I'll definitely keep up the British blogsurfing.
Interesting commentary. I have browsed a few British blogs and I missed out on the raving anti-American ones. (The Idiotarian Loony detector I borrowed from Misha must have been working)
I like your site. Good writing and interesting ideas from all of you.
Have a great holiday season.
Posted by: David at December 22, 2003 05:09 PM
