Is America Bashing Warranted?

America bashing is not warranted in the world, it is based on loose facts that have been manipulated. America is blamed as the source of all the world's problems because it is seen as the most prominent country. Through the analysis of two works- Richard Neville's Oh Say, Can't You See? and Chris Middencorp's God Diss America- this paper will prove this to be the case.

Richard Neville begins his argument for America bashing by citing George W. Bush's decision to renounce the Kyoto treaty as an example of the poor decision making the American government has made that hurts not only itself, but the entire world. In his article Neville seeks to denounce several myths that America still possesses. He starts by arguing against the myth that America is the land of the free. He states that America in actuality has the highest percentage of its citizens imprisoned over any other country. In fact, a quarter of the world's prisoners are incarcerated in the United States. He goes on to diminish the idea that happiness is honored. He argues that if this is true, how can the country exhibit one of the highest rates of clinical depression. He cites Eli Lilly as saying "Prozac changed everything, and that's just the beginning? America promotes global expansion and human rights is his next target. Neville points out that the United States spurned vital treaties on war crimes, as well as land mines, the prohibition of juvenile executions, arms controls, test bans and the Rights of Children. Neville then goes on to discuss the myth that America is the land of the free. If this is true, Neville argues, then it is unjust that the richest one percent of the population have more wealth then the lowest ninety percent, the largest inequality in the world. He points out that over forty million Americans are without health insurance, a number which increases every year. While these facts do not shed a kind light on America, Neville does point out some of its brighter aspects.

Neville goes on to discuss some of the good and admittedly "irresistible?parts of American culture. Austin Powers, jazz, and the first amendment are among these. He even admits to enjoying McDonald's on occasion although he is quick to assert that they are destroying the world's crop varieties by making every country they have a store in grow their standard potato- Idaho Russer. Another aspect of America which has spanned the globe is television. He claims that the television lifestyle is affecting youths, creating a new generation that relate growing up with knowing the latest fad. Television, he states, is "a non-stop marketing event? While the article primarily focuses on America's faults, Neville admits that Australia is not a perfect country itself. He recalls a law passed in 1800 which set the working week at fifty hours. He goes on to say that Australians today typically work longer then the convicts of 1800, blaming this workaholia on American culture. According to Neville, America also created share options and the notion of pay for performance, both of which are helping drive the wealth disparity of the nation. Neville also discusses some other "truths?about America. He claims that they are a greedy country, citing the nation's problem with obesity. Neville shows the IPPC's study that reported the 1990s were the hottest decade since the weather was recorded. He worries that as the climate grows the range and resilience of pests will increase, causing a crop drought and food shortage rivaling the potato famine of Ireland. These fears tie into Neville's larger argument of a world that is faltering.

Neville recalls his visit to Tonga. He says the country is ridden with political corruptness, few resources, and is one of the poorest nations in the world. However, he was blown away by how happy the native people were. He then goes on to say that most of the world would still rather live in a place like New York City over a poverty stricken country like Tonga, which negates any point he was making with this example. Despite Neville's desolate view of the world today, he believes that there is hope for the future. Global tax, global justice, and a global environmental agency are on the horizon, and he mentions the Law of the Sea in 1982, which protects the ocean as "the common heritage of all mankind? His definition of globalization also shows this. He believes this means global sharing, with a goal of planetary restoration socially, economically, and ecologically.

While Neville provides evidence for why America is faulty, he does not provide solid evidence for why America bashing is justified. His closing argument shows that the problems with America are, for the most part, worldwide problems and that America is just the most influential country. Neville blames America for the world's problems, while failing to realize that although America may be the leading contributor to a lot of the world's problems, it is not the only contributor. He uses the country as a scapegoat for taking the blame off of his own country. Even when he admits faults in Australia, he says they are caused by the American societies influence on Australia. This is not true, however, because if the Australian culture truly wished to have a different view of the world, it could do so. This is seen by Neville's visit to Tonga. This is a country that is failing, yet its people are still happy. They have not conformed to the American way of living, and while they are not thriving, they are successful in their own right. Neville makes it apparent that in order to be successful you must accept the American lifestyle as your own. Chris Middendorp, on the other hand, discusses American bashing as a twisting of the facts.

Middencorp discusses several prominate literary figures as an argument both for and against America bashing. He starts by talking about