If you haven’t read through them, there are some pretty interesting comments following the post, America the… popular?

One, in particular, caught my attention because of the way its author poo-pooed anti-Americanism as ignorant, and then chastised some of us for not having pride in our country.

To anyone who doesn’t have pride in their country - I really wonder why you don’t move. I would never not tell someone proudly I was an American no matter who is in the White House. France is a country that is essentially an aristocracy where the poor cannot get ahead due to their laws which enforce lifetime employment. For any country that bashes us, I would ask you to compare our two countries on economics, quality of life, opportunity for its citizens, etc… and tell me whether any of them does better. Just a hint, they don’t. Maybe that’s where the resentment comes from.

Interrrresting.

I’m not a very political person, and I fully recognize that my ideas about government and politics are neither sophisticated nor enlightened, and they almost always end up in more questions than brilliant answers. Maybe it’s because I tend to see things in black-and-white. Either you are using your position for good or you are not. Either you treat folks well, or you do not. The current government, in my mind, gets a whole bunch of nots. I think other people see that, too.

So, what makes a country great? America is a land of opportunity, true. It is (or tries to be) a land of equality. Also true. The American government protects its citizens from threats both foreign an domestic. Yes, true, too. But America has been all those things for a long, long time. Can it coast on the glory of its former achievements while it flounders in bad decisions? (Can you see me shrugging my shoulders?) And are we supposed to be satisfied - even proud - while it does?

I’m not entirely convinced that national pride is something that’s supposed to be unwavering, or else, why would change ever occur? And I’m not going to say one way or the other - because, the truth is, I just don’t know. But I might be inclined to see blind allegiance as a touch on the ignorant side, and anti-Americanism the result of folks questioning a country whose actions (and misdeeds) have huge, global ramifications. You know, as opposed to the other way around.

What about you? What do you think makes a country great?

(I swear, after this, we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming. The contest winner, coming up!)

Monday, March 24, 2008 | opinion