Ambivalently American

AMERICA – it’s the country the world loves to hate. US Ambassador Roy Austin complained about Anti-American sentiment in TT’s newspapers, but Anti-Americanism is a worldwide phenomenon and indeed a heck of a lot stronger in other countries, especially since George W Bush came into power. However, when the US attacked Baghdad, I don’t remember any noteworthy anti-war protests in this island. I didn’t see anyone burning effigies of American flags or masks of Bush and Blair. Anti-Americanism in our press is few and far between and generally by a small handful of writers. In fact, TT’s press should be the very least of Austin’s worries.

And what is the root of the anti-Americanism sweeping the globe? Americans claim it is jealousy and resentment because they are the most powerful, wealthy and influential country in the world. This, of course, is a shallow interpretation of Anti-Americanism as the root goes much, much deeper. But since we are talking about the press, the fact is that the most powerful and influential country in the world will, of course, be constantly criticised and lambasted for everything from its culture to its foreign policy. It comes with the job, and when you are in someone else’s country, you better get ready for some judgment calls that you may not like.

While Austin may think that our dinky little island is quick to judge America and its President, he seems to conveniently forget how TT has welcomed America into our shores. Did you know that when people from other small Caribbean islands come to Trinidad, they call us “Little America”? Trinidad has a love-hate relationship with the US, in that as an industrialised country we rely heavily on the US, but at the same time have to struggle to keep our own identity and differentiate ourselves from American ways. While some may bash the US for various reasons, I believe Austin should be damn glad that we in TT are generally very supportive of America and have allowed them to come and flourish in our country with little, if any, opposition.
 
Feeling hungry? Let’s go have some KFC, Pizza Hut, Church’s Chicken, Subway, Burger King, Papa Johns, Yogen Fruz, Haagen Daaz, TCBY, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays or Blimpies. Need some shoes? Here, let’s go into Payless. Fridge empty? Let’s fill it with Heinz mustard, Kraft cheese slices, Hershey’s chocolate syrup, Oscar Meyer hotdogs,  and Ocean Spray cranberry juice. Thirsty? How about a Heineken, or a Carlsberg, or a Smirnoff? Feeling bored? Let’s go watch some Hollywood blockbusters in the Cineplex. Want to sit at home and cock up your feet? Here, watch one of the 60-plus American cable channels. Feeling for some bling-bling? Let’s put a DVD and an MP3 player from Radioshack in your car. Let’s buy $1,000 Nike shoes. But it doesn’t only stop with the imported goods in our malls and groceries – it applies to every facet of Trini life. We look up to the States. We think everything there is better. Want an education? Here, go get a degree in Miami. Having a baby? Better go to the States for the birth so the child can be a US citizen and will never have to stand up outside the Embassy! Need surgery? No problem, head over to the good old USA for that triple bypass.

Need a job? Here, go work at one of the local oil companies. Foreign company wants to suck some natural gas from our land? No problem! Here, take Point Fortin, we don’t really need it. Need to build something? Hire an American contractor. Crime spiralling out of control? Let’s get an American expert to come and meet with our police force (ironic, though, that the USA has the highest number of gun deaths in the world…). Heck, looking around it seems we are just as Yankee as the Yankees! We can’t really blame Austin for defending his mother country and his President, because if it’s one thing an ambassador should have is loyalty to his leaders. It’s his job and his duty. But whenever you take a job that affects the general public, you open yourself up to public criticism. The President of the most powerful country in the world – and his representatives worldwide, from the ambassadors to the soldiers in Iraq – have to accept the responsibility that comes with entering another’s country, and thus have no choice but to take whatever criticism comes their way. Americans seem to not understand why Iraqis hate Americans with such a passion. Well hey, if you invaded my country against the will of the world, bombed my home, killed my kids and overthrew my government, I might hate America’s guts too.

However, it seems to me that the US feels they are always right and everyone else is, of course, always wrong. They feel they can, and should, criticise the rest of the world for being different (a perfect example of which is how badly the US wants to kick out Castro). When France opposed Bush’s plan to attack Iraq, the whole of the US was up in arms, renaming French fries “Freedom Fries”, boycotting French wines, and refusing to learn French in schools. Or what about when the Dixie Chicks said they were “ashamed” that Bush was a Texan? Mass outrage – “Burn the Dixie Chicks’ CD!” they cried. It seems like the US can’t take any form of criticism, even from their own. But nobody, and I mean nobody, has the right to advise another country’s media to curb any Anti-American sentiments they may express, no matter how many American interests we may have established in this island.

The real problem the US is facing is that Americans genuinely have no clue as to why the rest of the world harbours negative feelings towards them – and it’s because of their ignorance that people worldwide hate them even more. There is nothing more hated than a hypocrite, except for maybe a bully, and the US is perceived as both. If Bush and his international representatives, including Austin, can’t recognise or understand why millions upon millions of people all over this planet oppose US policies, maybe what they need is a little less defence, and a little more inner reflection.