Customer Reviews

Hating America : The New World Sport

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

Isn't great to choose sides either liberal or conservative and then state your party line instead of providing an honest critque of this new book by John Gibson?

I felt that the book gives very clear and factual information backing up the claim that many in the world hate America, and a good explanation as to why this is. If you want to sum up the "why" we are hated into one or two words or sentences (like a good many of the Amazon reviewers have opted to do) you will miss some real insight and perspective on this complex and emotionally charged subject.

Do I believe (almost 35 percent of the reviews here) that the author misses the point that the world hates George W. Bush instead of the American people and therefore the book is a garbage read and only worth a one star review? No!

Do I believe that there are a lot of people that are envious of the wealth and power that our country has been blessed with and has worked very hard for? Yes, they are out there. And this book brings the attitudes and mindset of these individuals into greater clarity and understanding.

I see this same attitude almost every day here my city. People that see someone that has "more" than them, and hating them because of it. The fact that many are willing to kill someone because they are envious is a story that has been replayed time and time again throughout history.

Hey, if your mind is made up, I don't want to confuse you with the facts! This book looks at the issue with a certain measure of political bias (Gibson is a Fox news conservative journalist) but I feel it is worth reading for it's perspective and attempt to shed more light on the "America Haters."

Knowing the "why" of a particular matter is an important first step in DOING something about it. Gibson provides well researched arguments backed by solid sources which form a strong foundation for his conclusions. I welcome reading a different book from the liberal side that deals with this same issue. If it exists, I haven't found it yet.

I liked the writing style, and found that like LA LAKERS guard Kobe Bryant, Gibson could be misunderstood for being a bit of an egotist. Oftentimes people that are passionate about something (basketball in Bryant's case) can be misperceived as being arogant, when in fact, they are simply exceptional at what they do, or highly knowledgeable about the subject. Gibson impressed me as being the later.

As for the reviewers who saw Hating America as essentially a political sales pitch, I don't see many of you providing suggestions for alternate books which deal with this subject from a non political perspective. If someone would like to provide some titles, I would gladly give them a read.

To sum it up, not a flawless book, but certainly worth a four star review.

I'm Australian, and like most Aussies I grumble about America from time to time. But, and also like most Aussies, I know it's the best, most successful, most intelligent, most humane, most cultured and most admirable society on Earth, the true beacon of human achievement and the light and inspiration of the world. Yes, for all its faults which I know all about.

I am, it is true, half British. Modern British envy of America saddens me, as the envy-and-nihilism-intoxicated ravings of the loathsome, freakish Margaret Drabble and Harold Pinter and their likes fill me with utter disgust and shame.

As an Aussie, I, like most people in the developed world, owe my high standard of living directly of America and I know it. Not only because of American inventiveness and marketing. Nott only because America saved our bacon in world War II and ronald Reagan saved us from the threat of nuclear annhilation more recently. The American alliance allows us to keep our defence spending down to 2% of GDP. We loaf at America's expence, let it pay for two-thirds of our security, resent it, and scream for help when we're in trouble. We're not as bad, not as envy and inferiority consumed, not as neurotic and self-hating, as the French and Germans, but we could be a lot better, and yes, more grateful.

The Poles and people in Eastern Europe don't hate America. Their liberation by America is close enough in time for them still to remember it.

One word of advice to Americans: You are loved, you are admired, by people all over the globe. Don't forget your friends, and perhaps give them a bigger word of praise than you sometimes have in the past. America attracts more resentment because its culture tends not to acknowledge its friends than for perhaps anything else.

Read this book to understand one of the most dangerous, sick and disgusting pathologies in the world, and help do something to stop it.

God Bless America!

Excellent reading (unless you're a flaming liberal). You might also like Anti-Americanism by Jean Fracois Revel.

A few of these reviews have credibility problems to say the least. I love the liberal's excruciating denial of reality. This book is a MUST read for anyone wanting a glimpse into the visceral hatred many in the world have of America. More to the point...CONSERVATIVE AMERICA!
I spent 22 years in the military and over half of that time was outside the U.S. I vividly remember living in England when Reagan was president and watched the daily lambasting of America by the "elite" European media. Yes...nothing like watching America being bashed every single day in the news. Can ANYONE here imagine watching Good Morning America or reading their local paper and seeing only a constant drum beat of hate towards Canada or France? We may dislike some of their policies, but we are not enamored with an obsessive hatred towards them. It would get a little old hearing or reading this day-in and day-out. Not to mention a waste of brain cells. So WHY does the rest of the world spend SO much time dedicated to bashing America? Rather childish, but obviously very sporting for them.
What Gibson describes is not some dreamed up right-wing delusion. I witnessed first hand this hatred throughout the 80's and 90's. I remember how happy I was when I moved from a local village in England onto the Military Base and was able for the first time in 3 years to get CNN news. Compared to the BBC, CNN was the epitome of conservatism.
The only ones who deny Gibson's findings are those living in their elite world. I would challenge any American to pay close attention to European or Canadian news media during a visit or better, live in Europe or Canada for 1 year and then read Gibson's book. Try then to dispute Mr. Gibson. This is a MUST read!

"Tariq Ali, a young writer gained fame in the early 1970s decrying American policy in Vietnam. By 2003, he had lost none of his youthful anti-Americanism. 'Some of the Bush idealogues in the media compare Washington to ancient Rome. It is a permissable fantasy, but they should remember that (a) the Romans never expected to be loved and (b) that Rome, too, fell.'" (page 70)

There is truth in that statement, as Gibson points out, much as we hate to hear it. Americans want to be loved. When the Brits ruled the world, they never expected to be admired--only obeyed and, perhaps, feared. We, on the other hand, want desperately to be liked. But the hand that holds out the food, and rules, is usually hated, and often bitten. That is just a fact of life that one must expect.

John Gibson has written an awesome compilation of facts here supporting his thesis that we, the most powerful nation on earth, are vastly despised, despite all of the sacrifices we have made in blood and money in the last century to make the world better. Are we surprised then, that France, whom we have saved from the despotism and horror of two world wars, is among our most ardent foes? Or the Palestinians, whom we have striven to achieve justice for during a couple of generations, holds an abiding hatred for us? Or the Germans, Belgians, South Koreans, Spanish, Italians--all of Europe (for whom we have bled copiously), in fact, hold us in contempt or, at least distrust us?

Even the Brits, our most trusted allies, look down on us as springing from an inferior civilization.

As they said in the Second World War, while we were bleeding for their sake, it was said that the greatest fault of the Yanks were that we were, "Overfed, overpaid, oversexed and over here." No gratitude, even then in the midst of battle.

But, when all is said and done, at least for the moment (which is about as long as any political system lasts in the overall scheme of things), as Gibson points out we are the most powerfful nation on earth, militarily and economically. We have, at least for now, achieved that status while France, Spain, Italy and Russia have declined until they are no longer the masters of their own fate: the victims of socialism. Even the proud British Empire, upon which it was once said that "the sun never sets," is now a mere shadow of its former glory.

The United States of America may not be far behind, as the ugly head of socialism rears its head, replacing our constitutional freedoms to a greater and greater extent. But for now, at least, we are the force with which to be reckoned--the one of which to be jealous--we are the source of power.

It is not, therefore, ours to be loved. Rather, it is ours to be respected, if for no other reason than our strength. That must be enough, for now. They will, no doubt, gloat when we fall, and perhaps when and if we are as weak as they, then they will love us. Doubtful? Who knows?

This is a fine book, psychoanalyzing our avowed enemies. and explaining how they got to be that way. I recommend it. John Gibson is the host of Fox News Channel's The Big Story.

God Bless America.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

John Gibson, Fox News personality, has written a book that should resonate with anyone who grew up thinking the U.S. a "friend to the world" as I did. It was quite a shock through my formulative years for me to find out that were countries/individuals out there that just plain did NOT like us. In the wake of 9/11 and Iraq, we as a nation have suffered a popularity hit. We are told we are arrogant, bloodthirsty, ignorant, and criminalistic. But just how far does this hate go? Is it for valid reasons, or some emotional byproduct? Is it really about Iraq, or was that just an excuse? You probably have your own opinions, but Gibson's book will show you what other nations and groups see when they look at America.

Gibson goes into almost loving detail of every slight and insult offered to us by French, Belgians, Aussies, Arabs, and even our dear friends in the United Kingdom. Some of the entries, like the Egyptian newspaper suggesting Americans were cannibals, were funny. Others, like the Belgian officals trying to bring U.S. officials up on war crime charges, manage to be absurd but retain their seriousness. People finding this troubling should be engrossed in Gibson's book the same as those finding the phenomenon simply amusing. His style, earnestly forward and uncomplicated, won't win any awards, but keeps things moving at an interesting place.

By mixing the preposterous with the plausible, Gibson steers his book towards a look back at the cultures despising our own, and why that may be so. Although readers may disagree with his interpretations of Arab and Euro culture, he nevertheless succeeds in pointing out that there a LOT of reasons people decide to depsise us--and you should be careful who your bedfellows are.

I understand that it is very chic to hate the U.S. right now, but hopefully a person picking up this book will realize that there are two sides to every story. What Gibson has done here is try to show both. An interesting read, perhaps too simplistic in areas, but definitely reccomended for the ultra-patriot and Chomsky iconoclast alike.

First I would like to say that the book is great. John Gibson is clearly as talented a journalist as he is a writer. If you find yourself thinking , "why does everyone hate America?", this book has all the answers. Believe me, the hatred of America by the rest of the world, especially among our 'friends' stems far before the Iraq War and the War on Terror, as Gibson clearly lays out.

And to 'a reader in Seattle (first review at current time of posting)', why don't you READ the book, before you give a hatchet review of it?

It's funny, but imagine the differences in the world if everyone who spent their time condemning America, condemned terrorism instead.

I've just about finished the book and I've found it to be quite interesting, if not necessarily cutting edge. It does a good job of collecting anecdotal examples of what really seems to be a new paradigm through which many people beyond our borders (and many within)see the United States as somehow the source of all evil in the world.

The biggest problem I had with this book is the lack of footnotes. In one specefic example I found that lack particularly troubling. On page 69 Gibson writes "In 2001 alone, the Saudi kingdom contributed over $4 billion to the Palestinian intifada." To anyone who does not live with his head in the sand, the fact that the Saudis have openly supported the intifada is nothing new. My problem with this statement is one of degree. $4 billion is more than the US provides to Israel and Egypt combined each year. Even for the Saudi's $4 billion is a lot of money. I can't imagine even Arafat could squander $4 billion without someone seeing it. When I contacted the publisher they told me that Gibson stated that the figures came from "the Official Saudi website". Well, it might be there, but I couldn't find it, heck, on the official Saudi information site http://www.saudinf.com/main/index1.htm, I couldn't even find a heading for Palestinians, nevermind intifada. (Frankly I'm somewhat skeptical that even the Saudis would be dumb enough to put something like that on their website.)

For what it's worth, I thought this book was well worth reading. Many of the quotes are fairly easy to substantiate, but without footnotes it is probably prudent to take it with a grain or two of salt.

"Hating America" by John Gibson details Anti-Americanism throughout the world. It's a generally good overview, and he reports on some truly alarming sentiments from all over the globe, including many from our closest "allies." Margaret Drabble, the noxious British writer said "I loathe America...and what it has done to Iraq and the rest of the helpless world," the quote from Canadian parliament member Carolyn Parrish is too vulgar to be reprinted, while Mahmoud Shazil, member of the Egyptian parliament said, in part, "The message is, we really hate you." (Remind me again why the US gives billions of dollars in foreign aid to Egypt.)

Gibson devotes chapters to America-bashing in France, Britain, Germany, the Arab world (a big surprise there,) and the "Axis of Envy," Belgium, South Korea, and Canada. The US would have no problem making a go of it without South Korea or Belgium in particular. The US needs them for what again? Cheap cars and chocolate? I found the chapter on France the most interesting because France is one of my favorite places in the world, and I have universally had good experiences in France and with the French. In stark contrast to my personal travels in France, the cultural elite there are in a league of their own. I was especially pleased with the job Gibson does in this chapter, especially as it relates to Jacques Chirac and Dominique de Villepin, who is now deservedly disgraced and resigned to the litterbin of history.

The chapter on the Arab world's hatred is likewise excellent, although less surprising. Perhaps my favorite quote in the chapter came from a Saudi woman who emailed a political opinion show on US cable television "Why don't you all stay home? Stay in America. We don't need you, we don't want you. We don't need you to tell us what to do or where we want to live or why we should want to live in your land of the free." Here's my question: if it's so bad in the land of the free, why don't all the Arabs stay home instead of immigrating to America? They can't have it both ways, although they certainly expect it when it suits their purposes.

The chapter on British intelligentsia is good, particularly in the discussion of Margaret Drabble who said, amongst other things "I detest American imperialism, American infantilism, and American triumphalism about victories it didn't even win." Gibson correctly notes that she never explained which victories America didn't win, but it certainly wasn't said regarding World War One or Two, where in both cases American soldiers willingly sacrificed themselves to save the lives and lifestyles of innumerable British subjects. He also astutely mentions that when she came to the United States six months later on a book tour she toned down the rhetoric. Don't want to hurt sales, you know.

Gibson goes through other countries in several other chapters, and all are interesting, although I think the best reporting is in the chapters on Britain, France, and the Arab world. The material on South Korea surprised me a bit, as that is one country that is almost completely dependant on US sponsorship for its continued existence. The details of the South Korean section are more trivial: apparently there is continued resentment of the US for an incident in which an American beat a South Korean skater in the 2002 winter Olympics, "The Ohno Affair." Still the South Koreans are increasingly desirous of reunification with North Korea and see the US as an obstacle to that "progress." Since there's really no strategic interests to the US in South Korea, perhaps it would behoove America to save the money being spent there for sixty years and let the people have their reunification.

Gibson offers a chapter on the personal hatred of George W. Bush, which is well done, but not especially groundbreaking, and concludes with a strong chapter summarizing his beliefs about the US and its policies under George W. Bush. In the discussion of the second Iraq war, I was particularly taken with a quote from Bill Clinton, which voices the widespread belief in the US and intelligence shops all over the globe that Saddam Hussein still had WMD ambitions: "People can quarrel with whether we should have more troops in Afghanistan or internationalize Iraq or whatever, but it is incontestable that on the day I left office, there were unaccounted-for stocks of biological and chemical weapons [in Iraq]. We might have destroyed them in '98. We tried to, but we sure as heck didn't know because we never got back in there."

This book was written during the George W. Bush administration, and as such is somewhat dated. Bush was a polarizing figure and could be very divisive. Certainly Obama is much more conscious of international sensitivities, although how much safer or less safe that makes the world is quite debatable. On balance I liked this book and think it's worth reading to grasp sentiment toward America from outsider's perspectives. It's actually quite alarming, and some criticize it as alarmist; it certainly isn't falsely alarmist unless it's wrong, and on balance it certainly seems that the content is quite accurate. I prefer a less shrill tone personally, and on that basis particularly recommend the late Jean-Francois Revel's brilliant "Anti-Americanism" wholeheartedly. While I found the information in "Hating America" interesting and generally well-presented, I recommend reading the Revel book first, and the Gibson book second.

In this well written book you will find example after example of the outrageous thinking of the Hate American crowds. Most, if not all of the countries that come out with this spiteful, hateful rhetoric owe a debt of money and lives to the very nation that they would lie about and distort. I just wonder who they will turn to in times of trouble if they have their way and destroy our standing in the world? Who else will (or can) protect them? You have probably heard it said, "The friend of my friend is not necessarily my friend." That can be said of enemies also. As a young woman my Air Force husband and I were stationed for 3 yrs in France (62-65) and later 1 1/2 in Germany(66-68). Even then the French hated Americans and had a very superior attitude. You could cut it with a knife. Germany was beautiful and at that time very cordigal to U.S. military. But I suppose over the years their enemies of old have now become their best friends. Too bad that the many many honorable service men and women during the two World Wars, could not look into the future to see how their country would be despised and loathed in this day and age. Perhaps they would have made different decisions, like these Europeans were really not worth the blood bath of Americans. I love this country, and although I know that it is not perfect, it is closer than any other country. Why oh why do so many escape their own countries to come to the U.S.A.? And then of course they have to be the dash Americans (i.e. Asian-American, French-American, etc). We are ONE America, and the divisive attitude helps no one. But I dare say that if you don't like what this country and our leaders do with honor (not all leaders of America have honor, to be sure) then have the decency to express you opinions in a honest way not spewing hatred. America does have the right to defend and protect ourself no matter what the rest of the world thinks.