American Self-Criticism

I said it before and I'll say it again, blog trackers are a blessing.

Otherwise I would have missed this excellent entry by Racer X at his blog Ferdiad - The Warrior Liberal called Bowling for Idiots.

Here you have part of it:

Does anyone know what I hate the most about America? No, it isn’t the fact that the Republican leadership will cover up sexual predation in order to save a political seat. No, it isn’t the fact that our President wants to create a Gulag Archipelago of his own. No, it isn’t even because our government has turned America from being a beacon of light to the rest of the world into the scorn of the international community. What bothers me most about America is the stupidity of its people. Before you click to another site, please allow me to explain. Most of what I speak of, I am afraid, is not the fault of the people themselves, but rather the deliberate work of the elite.

What frustrates me most about the American people is lack of knowledge and ignorance of history. I remember reading a book about Basque Independence last year and how enlightened I felt. (For those asking what is a “Basque,” my point proven). I then changed my MSM IM call sign to “Herri Batasuna,” which is the Basque nationalist political party. A Swedish friend of mine got online and wrote to me, “When did you start studying the Basque independence movement?” At that moment, I was dumbfounded. I realized that most of what I strive very hard to understand is common knowledge to the rest of the world. As Americans, we are blind to world history. As Americans, we truly are isolated in a fairy tale world of ignorance. How many Americans can tell you about the CIA involvement in the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Iran? How many Americans know the name Simon Bolivar? How many Americans can tell you exactly how Fidel Castro came to power and why he commands massive support from the indigenous population? Can you tell me a friend of yours that can speak intelligently about the Islamic Revolution? How many Americans are even able to explain what Apharthied is and how such a disgusting system of government came to pass? What about the Boer war or the Crimean war? How many Americans know the significance of those events? Do you know anyone who can discuss the implications of the Russo-Japanese war and how Russia’s defeat to the Japanese set the stage for WWII? It was the first major military defeat of a white “Western” power to a “colored” enemy from the “Eastern” world. What will the long term effects of America’s folly in Iraq be for future generations? How many people do you know that understand the problems in Northern Ireland? How many Americans know the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? No, I am not talking about the “made for TV” explanation found only in the Bible, but rather the true causes for the conflict?

I recommend you read the whole thing. All I did was to type "basque" at Sphere. If Oliver Stone had had the chance to read it before going to Euskal Herria to show just how dense he is.

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