The Logic Off Topic list

Firstly let me preface my potentially confrontational statements
by saying that I was deeply disturbed by the attacks earlier this month.
My heartfelt sympathies go out to all who were or are close to someone
who lost their lives in this great tragedy.  I initially promised myself
to stay out of this debate but the numerous posts I have read on the
topic on this list have prompted me to do otherwise...

Dennis Gunn wrote:

>Americans are easy targets.  We are wealthy, largely uninformed about
>the world outside our borders, under-versed in history and geography,
>often loud and crass,  etc.... but I just can't believe that
>Americans are the evil perpetrators of some scheme for world
>domination, we aren't that organized.  We are however irrationally
>portrayed that way day in and day out around the world and the result
>is that some poor suckers actually end up buying into the whole Great
>Satan theory after which anything becomes possible for them.  And the
>extended results are what we are witnessing.

Though the US is a great an influential country, not all its influences
on the rest of the world are seen as positive elements. It is fairly easy
to see how any or all of the following examples (among lots of others)
can give rise to resentment...

Lets see: A nation that consumes resources at a rate such that if the whole
world was doing it, things  would be completely unsustainable within
a very short period of time.  And earlier this year, George W walked away
from the Kyoto protocol on Greenhouse Emissions. What do you read from
that?

A nation that built much of its wealth and proseperity on the back of a
largely unwilling, indentured labour force.  The US walked away from
the Racism conference in South Africa recently. Why is that?

A nation that for  a large part of the last century  has had its snout in the
the middle easts 'gold pot' and directly or otherwise has created instability
in that region for that time, largely to ensure it's supply of fuel is
not profoundly disturbed.  If Bin Laden is  responsible in any way for the
recent  attacks, then you can bet he has done this in part because  he has
a problem with the US's 'puppet' King in Saudi Arabia who is generally
disliked  by a large part of the population. The Islamic world, particularly
the more fundamentalist elements have a big problem with that given
the regions significance to the Muslim faith. Lets not forget Israel,
Palestine, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq...

A nation that touts itself  as the worlds  only 'superpower' and is planning
a missile defense system that will make things stay that way, unfortunately
forcing many other 'wannabe' superpowers' to be somewhat more  paranoid
and react accordingly...

Exportation on a tremendous scale of largely vaccuous entertainment and
'lifestyle choices' , which promote values many who are not similarly
inclined see as selfish, unquestioning, frequently violent and irresponsible.

There are plenty of other examples but I'm sure you get the picture.

In simple terms, there are some basic motivations behind these examples:
greed, profit and  exploitation,  often cleverly disguised as 'freedom and
opportunity'. The US isn't the only nation doing this, but it does so on a
typically grander scale and thus stands tallest. Until this changes,  (if it
ever does) there will be a problem, and at some time some where, the US
will be seen as the 'Great Satan' you refer to.

If nothing else can come of this, perhaps it is an opportunity for
Americans (and us all) to be less 'indulgently wealthy' and more 'ethically
wealthy', learn about world events and insist on being informed about them
by the largely self obsessed media. Learn history and geography, be less
loud and more humble...

This won't stop madmen, but it will definitely make the more reasonable
individuals around them far more difficult to convince that their way is
right.

S.