Reply #12: God I HATE that term [View All]

[Djinn]

we get it thrown around here alot - anything one says about US Foreign Policy makes you "Anti-American"

I'd say it's one of two things...either your wife is over sensitive and she's taking legit criticism of the US as "anti-americanism" eg:

The fact that the US is a rich developed nation with no public health care is f**ked

The fact that getting a decent tertiary education is prohibitavely expensive is f**ked

The fact that there was barely a peep of protest at the theft of the last federal election is f**ked

That hardly anyone votes is f**ked

The MASSIVE influence of corporations on government (as manifested by loobbyists becoming heads of government depts, that the truth about GMO's is almost unknown in wider US) is f**ked

Those things are not "anti-americanism" they are facts.

OR people she see's may be ignorant ie they say things like

"all American's are stupid" including Noam Chomsky?
"all American's are fat" including the cast of the unlamented Friends?
"all American's are war mongers" including the millions that protested against the most recent one?

Some people are ignorant - tell your wife to ignore them - much as you would ignore some American idiot telling you that "all Canadians are...." (not really up to date on the Canadian social stereotypes) and if they're not just pig-shit stupid engage them, ask their opinions on FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, Chomsky, Greg Palast, The Bill of Rights, the copious political forums based in the US (more than most nations have so obviously not ALL Americans are tuned out from politics) New York City, Popular Culture etc etc etc