26 June 2005
Who Are Americans to Think That Freedom Is Theirs to Spread?
In today's New York Times Magazine, Michael Ignatieff writes a compelling article with this title. Since The Ugly American (1952) became a best-selling book and a Brando-starring film, Americans have wrestled with the question Ignatieff raises. Many Americans in its history opposed involvement in foreign matters. George Washington warned the infant nation about meddling in their affairs. Jefferson offers the opposite model, a single and universal model of the best form of government for achieving the inalienable rights of Man. Tom Paine and the French revolutionaries wrote the humanistic Universal Rights of Man. Ignatieff makes a very good case that most Americans hold the Jeffersonian model as fundamental to promote and assist all peoples to achieve these goals. We're the Good Guys of history. Being bracketed by two oceans, Americans have no neighbors strong enough to argue with our self portrait.
Spreading republican governmental ideals represent the secular bias of the United States and its people. Most religions follow a similar bias by upholding their unique creeds individually as humanity's. Each religious group has the best way for worshiping and participating with Divinity's standards by which humans should live.
It should be no surprise that Americans believe and live as if having achieved the secular ideal. Externally, Americans are being judged by the manner the US frames its political, trade and military objectives. Thus, it isn't uncommon to hear that Americans are bullies and arrogant in issues not involving America, because once involved, the US forces the outcomes to meet America's goals first. For the US, the secular ideal is a fundamentalist view of the world.
Try arguing with a fundamentalist about anything. The fundamentalist cannot lose, only be deterred. Being right is an attribute of power dynamics, too. Only a greater power has legitimate authority to change, rebuff and punish the fundamentalist's truth. Ignatieff's article raises many, many issues upon which to ponder, perchance to act.
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Spreading republican governmental ideals represent the secular bias of the United States and its people. Most religions follow a similar bias by upholding their unique creeds individually as humanity's. Each religious group has the best way for worshiping and participating with Divinity's standards by which humans should live.
It should be no surprise that Americans believe and live as if having achieved the secular ideal. Externally, Americans are being judged by the manner the US frames its political, trade and military objectives. Thus, it isn't uncommon to hear that Americans are bullies and arrogant in issues not involving America, because once involved, the US forces the outcomes to meet America's goals first. For the US, the secular ideal is a fundamentalist view of the world.
Try arguing with a fundamentalist about anything. The fundamentalist cannot lose, only be deterred. Being right is an attribute of power dynamics, too. Only a greater power has legitimate authority to change, rebuff and punish the fundamentalist's truth. Ignatieff's article raises many, many issues upon which to ponder, perchance to act.
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