Commentary Magazine: Americanism and Its Enemies
Published January 17, 2005
A pointer to David Gelernter's thoughtful essay in the January 2005 issue of Commentary magazine, "Americanism and Its Enemies," in which the author traces the religious origins of American exceptionalism and analyzes the current phenomenon of anti-Americanism in that context.
Anti-Americanism has blossomed frantically in recent years. Nearly the whole world seems to be pock-marked with lesions of hate. Some of this hatred focuses on George W. Bush, but much of it goes beyond the President to encompass the supposed evils of America and Americanism in general. In its passionate and unreasoning intensity, anti-Americanism resembles a religion--or a caricature of a religion. And this fact tells us something important about Americanism itself.
(Originally posted on enrevanche)
- Commentary Magazine: Americanism and Its Enemies
- Published: January 17, 2005
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- Section: Politics
- Writer: Barry Campbell
- Barry Campbell's BC Writer page
- Barry Campbell's personal site
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Aaman, very true. There were just as many capitalists behind the American Colonials as there were religious principles.
BTW, I would add that the thinking expressed in the article is more elistist than anything I've ever heard come from a northerastern liberal athiest.
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The linked article is puerile crap - Americanism as Biblical Puritanism - and I guess passports are issued by the Angel Gabriel, Mullah Dobson is the arbiter of virtues, and The Midwest the Mecca of the true believer.
Deconstructing the article would be easy, but I have better things to do. I'll just content myself with one paragraph:
Firstly, this is evidently a writer who does not know much about Buddhism or Islam - equality is the essence of both religions - Islam is founded on that principle, flawed in application though it may be. Secondly, do he really believe 'non-believers' find it more difficult to be 'believing Americans'? I, for one, find no difficulty. Finally, the concept of Afghanistan as a thriving democracy is laughable - name even one oppposition candidate to Mr Karzai. The tribal warlords still call the shots. I will not touch on the exclusionary nature of requiring one to agree with the Bible to be a 'true American' - very similar to any theocracy, I would say.
A more reasoned, perhaps related, analysis of Americanism in particular, and mercantile capitalism in general was done by Max Weber in "The Protestant Work-Ethic And The Rise Of Capitalism"