“Down with America” reads the graffiti on the sidewalk wall on Hosur road. Somehow, this did not shock me. India’s media is full of anti American rhetoric and the bias is so prevalent it amounts to brainwashing. How quickly the new generation has forgotten history and shelved the lessons of history.
During the cold war (70s and 80s), when India was aligned with the evil communist Soviet Union, it was America that was providing all the money during the famines and the droughts. When India could not support it’s own people, American government and the American people were sending billions of dollars in aid (money, food, medicine,…) for the poor and the starving.
While India was aligned with the evil Soviets, for which country were millions of Indians trying to get Visas? Need I say the obvious. Soviet Union was not really on anyone’s mind. My own family immigrated to the States in 1975.
Granted anti Americanism is not that bad here compared to Europe or other countries around the globe. Of course, Middle East takes the top honors there. But still boggles the mind how Indians, who are one of the biggest beneficiaries of the outsourcing/offshoring phenomenon, of which majority is from USA, can develop and have any hatred of America.
For many here, maybe hatred is too strong a word. Resentment is more of their level. America is “too strong”, “too powerful” “too controlling” “too rich” “too arrogant”, are typical comments you hear. Yet the populous embraces American culture on a daily basis: from McDonalds to Intel, to Dell, to Ipods, to jeans, …
To legitimize their mantra, the local media will latch on to any anti-American sentiment from Americans themselves. Movie stars like Jolie, Clooney, Michael Moore, are quite popular. Democrats, Gore, Carter, Kerry, Clinton, are also quoted frequently. And the negative sentiment comes through loud and clear. Many tend to just believe what they read and see in the media rather that look at reality and history. Sad but true, “garbage in, garbage out.”
Where is the appreciation? Where is the gratitude for what America has done? what America has meant to the world? You won’t find it here. What makes it worse is the hypocracy. On the one hand, all the benefits are just taken for granted. On the other, the attitude to bash America and Americans.
I realize I am generalizing. And the level of hatred is far less here than Europe. Here is some research that tracks world opinion of Americas. Interesting chart from there shows India tracking close to Great Britain on the hate meter. 
Psychologists will tell you we all need to have an antagonist symbol. A global symbol to hate. America has become that symbol. A super-power with unmatched capacity of wealth and health. From East to West, and North to South. All have developed their own reasons to hate America. We’ll take up these various reasons in later articles.
Suffice it to say, if anyone should know not to bite the hand that feeds you, it should be Indians.
4 responses so far ↓
1 George W. Bush // Dec 4, 2006 at 12:54 pm
The United States like any other large countries have many different independent entities. The American people having achieved great standard of living are very generous in giving and helping out the rest of the world that are not as blessed as the Americans. However, the elite class in America under tremendous foreign pressure just wants to conquer the rest of the world through economical or colonial influences. It does not care about the people living in the third world. The root cause of the hatred of America is indeed exactly what the elite class is doing to the world. American military and paramilitary is hijacked to do the dirty work. The American public is misled and deceited time after time. Allow me to give some examples.
** Hitler started to print his own money during the early 30’s. An important country like Germany must be conquered. Thus, he was set up to start a war. Roosevelt under pressure from certain and obvious foreign elements wanted to go to war against Germany. He tried to entice Germany to do so, the Germans saw it coming. So, he found a back door. Japan had already engaged in a full out war in China for four years. Roosevelt all of a sudden demanded Japan to pull out of China. If not, the US would stop the supply of oil. Most of the oil consumed by Japan at that time came from the US. The rest is history.
** The oil companies wanted to build a pipeline through Afghanistan, but the Taliban government at that time did not accept the conditions imposed by the US. Thus, the country must be invaded. The American public must be convinced that the war is worth while.
** Saddam had proved to be so much unstable to the likings of its neighbors especially to the only state that is totally immune to any UN resolutions. After Saddam had started to give money to the families of the martyrs that blew themselves up, he had to be taken out. Again, another deceit was employed. The rest is history. With more people dead in four years of occupation than the whole of Saddam’s alleged atrocity, is there any doubt why the rest of the world hates the US (but not the Americans)?
Note: There are four classes of citizens in a given society. They are the elite class, the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. The elite class actually controls everything regardless what government or economy is currently implemented. The upper class runs the government or the economy. The middle class is employed by the upper class to run the government or the economy. The lower class is left out. In a stable society, the lower class must be kept satisfied. Because when it starts a revolution, it would go all out. It has nothing to lose. Technically, a successful coup occurs when the upper class is replaced in which the elite class remains. A revolution is successful when the elite class is replaced.
2 Lion // Jan 30, 2007 at 2:34 pm
George, you have said a lot. I’m not even sure where to begin. First, you said” America under tremendous foreign pressure just wants to conquer the rest of the world”. This doesn’t make any sense. Both parts of the statements are wrong. America does not want to conquer the world. That was the British empire, not American. Show me one country in the 200 years of American history where they have tried to conquer the world. Don’t you think with all the military might, that they, very easily could have done that by now or at least owned 1 or 2 countries?
Your second point about Americans being under foreign influence. In fact, all the left has criticized the powers to be for actually not listening to the foreigners and doing their own thing. So I’m not sure where you are getting that from.
Anyways, to cut to the chase, there are potentially multiple reasons for hating America, and they vary by region, race, and religion. Top ten reasons for hating America:
1. America is too powerful (I’m ok with that. Better America then some middle east wacko country)
2. America is too rich (yes, by working hard, and being productive)
3. America is too arrogant (maybe, but that comes with the territory)
4. America is too uncaring/selfish (false, America is the most giving nation on earth)
5. America is too controlling (false, America only controls American territories; America have only attacked countries which have proved to be threatening to America)
6. America is too WASP (yes this is historically, and what is wrong with that?)
7. America is too conservative (compared to Europeans, but so what?)
8. America is too liberal (true, cause of many problems in America; but not a reason to hate)
9. America is too racist (false. I see racism on a daily basis here in India. America doesn’t even come close)
10. Invent any reason to hate America
I find it ironic that America is the only country that has representation from every race, ethnicity, religion, nationality,etc…, yet the rest of the world can find reasons to hate it. It’s an obvious sign of envy and lack of self respect.
3 Anonymous // Jun 15, 2007 at 2:49 am
Every Indian knows all the stuff you have recently learnt about Bangalore and India.I can write an epic about problems in India, what puprose is it going to serve? Are you doing anything about it?
No matter how much you sing songs about America, you will remain an Indian, so please chill out. 80% Americans are white, rest dont matter that much to outsiders.
Grow up. No country feels ‘gratitude’for another. The power and influence that USA has enough gratitude for its good deeds. On top of that you want everyone to shed tears of gratitude.
Did u forget how USA sent its seventh fleet to intimidate India during the Bangladesh War, does it not arm our hideous neighbour Pakistan to maintain a balance of power? The point is that there are both positive and negatives, USA is not an angel for India, though people admire it enough but you can see only if you take off your ‘I am a proud American’ blinkers.
I hope you are not like a typical Indian turned American who is more loyal than the home grown American just to show how much he is ‘not Indian’. I just hope. Because we have seen many many such examples.
4 lionking // Jun 16, 2007 at 9:51 am
Anonymous,
my response to your comments as follows:
If every Indian knows all this stuff, why don’t they fix these problems already. After all, it’s caused by the same Indians, no?
Yes, I’m doing something about it. I discuss the problems with people everyday; I write about it on the blog, the good and the bad. However, I feel like the lone voice, since people like you just want to ignore the problems, and let it pass. Well, that’s certainly not going to work now is it?
What does race or color have to do with America? America is made up of all the nationalities in the world. Maybe you didn’t know that, but Americans are all immigrants from one place or another. Sure the British got there first, but later the Italians, Germans, Irish, Greeks, and other Europeans. The last century, the Chinese, Indians, Mexicans, and others. Basically, America represents every color, nationality and race on earth. Please learn the history before making naive statements. Does this mean that they “remain” Italians, or Greeks, or Germans? Your statements are ludicrous.
This statements really sum up the true feelings in your heart and mind. No one expects “tears of gratitude”, and my article did not say that. However, as a decency in humanity, I do expect appreciation for the help. If someone helps me in my time of need and provides for me, I am not going to forget that for the rest of my life. And why would I show hostility towards the same person that helped me in my most desperate time? It goes against all human civil and decency behavior. Your statement is exactly what my article is all about. The hatred sentiment towards America is unfounded and dumbfounded. It is a dis-respect for yourself. If a society and culture wants to improve, it needs to start respecting itself and others.
No one said that the USA is an angel for anyone. But the point is, that USA has probably done more than anyone else has done for India. At the very least, the Indians should not forget that, both politically, or socially. They need to show appreciation and certainly not vitriolic hatred.
Yes, I am proud to be an American. More importantly, I feel fortunate that a country like America does exist, and that my family was able to immigrate there. I thank God for it. A country that is not perfect by any means, but which allows and accepts people from all over the world to come, enjoy freedom, and prosper by working hard. Am I wrong to feel this way? I don’t think so. Only in your eyes, but then you’ve got your little blinkers on that are truely blocking your vision.
Not sure what you mean by that. Am I loyal to America? You bet I am. But not for the reasons you wrote. I don’t need to show how much I’m “not Indian”. I don’t even know what you are talking about here. By birth, I’m an Indian. I don’t need to hide that in anyway. If you have ‘typical’ friends that do that, then you need to discuss it with them. I don’t feel that way at all.
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