America, Just Be Yourself: Standing for our principles is more important than being loved.

The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal ^ | October 6, 2004 | Claudia Rosett

[quidnunc]

"America addressed the earth: Do you love me as I love you?" – W.H. Auden, "In Time of War"    

Auden wrote those lines in 1938, on the eve of World War II, and in them he summed up one of the basic traits of the American character. More than most, we want to be liked. Maybe that's because we are naive, or absurdly romantic. More likely it's because we are a country of immigrants, a democracy in which mobility and markets reward richly those who find ways to get along. And just possibly it's because life in America, with all its human failings, is still good enough that we dwell less on hate than on friendlier sentiments.

Whatever the cause, a lifetime after Auden wrote the lines above, America is again peering into the shadows of war, and wondering how to put the zing back into its geopolitical love life. John Kerry is campaigning on the promise that if elected president he will go to the world, or at least the United Nations, to ask: Could you (please) love us as we love you?

The answer, of course, is no. Not right now. Apart from rare spells of relative world peace, or joyous interludes in the immediate aftermath of American troops liberating nations such as France, or more recently Afghanistan, the answer from various quarters over the years has often been no. The worst friction tends to come at precisely those times when America stands up for its own principles, looking less to win love than to defend liberty. Today, no American president can safely avoid taking that stand, and making that choice — at least not for long.

-snip-

[Ptarmigan]

Good point. I don't care what other nations think of us. When America stands up to its principles, that is truly taking the moral high road.

[Retief]

Screw being liked or respected. I'll settle for being feared.

As for the premise that Americans have always wanted to be liked, I don't buy it. How many American western films have you seen, where the lone cowboy, not caring what anybody thought, did what he thought was right? Doing what you think is right despite all the critics is a part of American legend.

[flashbunny]

The world isn't a popularity contest. You get no points for being liked. Letting countries and terrorists know that they'll be hell to pay if we're messed with is much more important.

[Restorer]

In making the rounds of London's richly stocked bookstores, it was hard to miss the big stacks of anti-American books that were almost everywhere on display. On closer inspection, it turned out most of these books were written by American.

I don't know about London, but I did have an interesting experience here in Sacramento.

The local Barnes and Noble had a table at the entrance labeled "Current Affairs."

Just for fun I categorized the books. 29 were anti-Bush or anti-America (usually both), 5 were pro-Bush or America, 4 were more or less neutral.

No books by the Swifties, Ann Coulter, Rush, Hannity or O'Reilly were displayed on that table.

You don't have to go abroad to find anti-Americanism.

[FReethesheeples]

BUMP % Dittos!

[GailA]

I'd much rather be FEARED than liked. Thank GOD for the COWBOY in the White House who has a backbone.

[Uncle Vlad]

Remember all of the sympathetic headlines from newspapers around the world after 9/11? Headlines that read something to the effect, "We Are All Americans." Ultimately, what did that really get us other than lip service?