Are Many American Pundits “Anti-American”?

20 comments

1. I reject the central premise that complaining about problems in the US is anti-American.

2. That YouTuber is one of the few conservatives I really like to listen to, because he gets that we aren’t supposed to be in teams competing against each other, but competing for the best ideas based on reality.

   That being said, criticizing real faults of America isn’t anti-American, so long as you have some kind of solution or idea to improve the country. Or if you are criticizing a fault to give modern context because of some historical event that has been white-washed. What is anti-American, is just blowing the faults out of proportion, lying about what’s happening, and then doing that to score points with your viewer base, thus sewing hatred and violence among Americans in order to drive clicks and ad money.

   So, it really depends on how and why people are criticizing America.

3. I agree with him on that we have extreme political rhetoric here. Lost interest in the video after that though. Can’t stand the guy honestly.

   Denouncing people for lack of patriotism is a very old tactic used to beat people into submission. It’s what Russia’s doing right now. Not sure why some random guy from Canada is using the same rhetoric as AM radio talkshow hosts.

4. Being critical of how things are is about the most American thing possible. I like JJ McCollough, but this title was definitely not the best. People like AOC and Tucker Carlson express what they think is wrong with America, and what we can do to change it for what they feel is the better. If it is not American to go against the grain of political orthodoxy, I don’t know what is

5. Not going to watch a YouTube video about politics of any length but no, there is no anti americanism in mainstream US political discourse

6. Everybody is anti-American compared to that Canadian

7. Don’t listen to J.J
   No one likes him and everything is BS

8. If you assume talking about problems with how things are or the direction they’re going qualifies as “anti-american” then sure, I guess they are. That’s not necessarily how Americans would view it, though. Can’t fix anything without admitting it’s broken, can’t protect from a threat you don’t admit was there. So if you want to improve or preserve the country you’ve got to talk about some negative stuff.

   As far as the specific examples:

   Media personalities thrive on controversy to maintain their place in the conversation, which applies to both the talking head types and politicians.

   Politicians, and anyone else with a political agenda which includes the talking heads, also survive on promising either change or to protection of the status quo from an imminent threat.

   So… both do well by talking shit, basically. Either about how bad things are now or how bad they will become if X action isn’t taken. So they spout a lot of inflammatory stuff. Whether that stuff is true, overblown, or outright lies will vary with who you talk to.

9. No, not really. Because I can assure you that most who complain won’t hesitate to get on the defense if someone from another country talked crap about America. We can do it. Not you other guys.

10. No

11. The real LPT is to never listen to advice about America from any Canadian…period.

12. Complaining about Americas problems and the things it’s government does is arguably THE MOST American thing one can do, if you’re an American. It’s actually part of your duty as a citizen to speak your mind, especially if it goes against the government’s actions or policies.

13. I love this country, and I see fixable problems not being fixed. Regardless of blame, I don’t think criticism of how the country operates and lack of solutions is anti-American. We should set a good example if we’re going to lead the world.

14. I strongly suspect this fellow is defining “true Americanism” as agreeing with all of his ideological positions, and then condemning most people as “not being American”.

15. People who oppose or undermine majority rule are in fact anti American

16. If I remember correctly, the video isn’t so much about anti-Americanism per se, but the hyperbolic way people, especially Americans, describe/misrepresent issues in the US. He comments on pundits, politicians, and activists as examples because they are the most easily identifiable groups that partake in this kind of speech. He actively states in the video that the US has problems, many of which are issues that are frequently discussed. However, instead of actually trying to solve the problems, people resort to demagoguery in public discourse.

17. He introduces his video by stating that notices Americans who have “pessimistic” outlooks of Americans institutions, policies, and future prospect. However, cynical would be more accurate.

    He laments that Americans self-deprecate their country as a means of displaying their knowledge. This is not bad thing in my book because psychological studies prove that ignorance is indeed bliss, and I am not pro-ignorance.

    He is unware that cynicism has been a part of American satire and political opinions since the prelude to the American Civil War. The late 19th century historical era of the Gilded Age was not coined by academic historians in the 20th century, but by satirist and novelist Mark Twain. That and *The Simpsons* and *South Park* are the top two longest running sitcoms partially due to cynical satire used for world-building.

    J.J. does not cite other issues that more than inconvenience upper middle class people (like himself), such as, you know, inflation almost doubling grocery bills, higher interest rates on loans that people have already (mis)-use to supplement income for transportation, healthcare issues (medical debt is the largest cause of personal bankruptcies), and financing education to get the career to have credit not be an issue. Gun-massacres have been treated as a “new normal”. Political dysfunction does include “bread and butter” issues that severely impact working people more than an over-paid Washington Post contributor who easily affords to cover the walls of his Vancouver (one of the most expensive cities in North America, which speaks volumes) apartment.

    Life expectancy is an average, so it is uncertain on how above-average outliers screw the trend.

    I am literally ticked off that he is referring to “richest” country as by GDP and GDP per capita, which have been criticism for not reflecting day to day standards of living. US freedom indexes drastically vary, in which it is not even close to the top on Freedom of the Press, partially due to outlets. The US is certainly better than 75% of other countries, but it is not on par with even Canada. That and violence tends to concentrated in certain areas (inner cities and the Mexican border), which explains why crime is a political issue since the 1990s.

    JJ is now becoming out of touch by citing “cultural, technological, and intellectual affairs” because they are not important factors in the day to day lives of most working Americans. Financial interests could taint perceived merits, such as shallow music videos.

    Frankly, he unaware that criticism of the US pertains to being mediocre amongst its peers instead of achieving aspirations of being number at everything.

    He is right that politicians portray opponents are irredeemably evil. However, he fails to point that this is the logical consequence of the US two party system and not just narrow elections.

    Regarding citing Trump’s inaugural speech. The point is that America real/perceived problems, e.g. rusted factories (which negatively impacts livelihoods for decades while J.J. never grew up anywhere near Canada’s equivalent: southern Ontario).

    Ironic that J.J. does not get that negativity bias is a thing that the media knows that works. Also, he does not get that conservatives and progressives just despise institutions and people that do not align with them instead of the whole country by citing their respective American parties as saving graces.

    Honestly, it is pretty pathetic to go after low hanging fruit: TikTokers.

    Biden is voted as a “lesser evil” so most do not care about his “optimistic tone”, in which most Dem voters regard as bs.

    Conspiracy theories in a way can act as a scapegoat, but they are hardly anti-American since they can blame foreign entities, e.g. my Mother blames Chinese espionage and funding for BLM, woke, trans activism, etc. to argue that they not domestic grassroots. Thus, she thinks subversive movements are a conspiracy in which coitizing them is being pro-saving America form evil.

    J.J. is just reveling his pro-establishment bias, in which any criticism of institutions, e.g. saying that corporations and government does not have the best interest of people in mind, a “well duh” statement, as on par with Pizza gate conspiracies. A Conspiracy is that these entitles purposefully inflict pain. I think that corporations and most governments are bad because the latter is just respecting the material interests of the former. Again, rising costs of living throughout our lives causes to seriously re-examine our institutions for letting this occur. Conspiracies are actually away to obfuscate systemic criticism and often blame foreign entities, so they are not “Anti-American”.

    Funny, how is unware that policy implementation among the highest incomers are more likely to get passed, despite not being a majority than other income demographics.

    He laments this for Americans yet he would give props to Russians for thinking that Putin and Russian institutions are undermining them.

    Foreigners have every right to criticism the greatest hegemon because many multi-national corporations that impact whole economies are American-based. That and the never-ending list of sanctions, diplomatic backing of coups (such as in Chile, in which tomorrow is going to be its 50th anniversary btw), and occasions of outright invasion has antagonist many in the third world. I find it appalling that J.J. cannot consider that Iraqis would despise the country that invaded them and, worse, a citizenry that overwhelming support their invasion until it no longer worked in their favor instead of by principle. How can he so out of touch, but I remember that he works for a paper that backed the Iraq War for years. Yeah, foreigners need to pay attention about the state of things going in the number one hegemonic power that owns cooperations, have diplomatic sway on sanctions and international credit, and military power.

    I know J.J. talks about culture, but liking certain cultural elements is dumb because nationality has nothing to do with creativity. Plus he uses a Tu Quoque fallacy, in which “my opponents are hypocrites, therefore their arguments are no merit, lol”, so his statement is rendered useless.

    Are you kidding, he has the gall to criticize propaganda when he himself is an opinion piece for a publication known to have a certain political leaning. That he is unaware that foreign propaganda can have some merit on other countries. Jesse Ventura, Abby Martin, and even Larry King had shows on RussiaToday (terrible on issues concerning Russia), they got to say rightful criticism of US policy and companies that would fly in an advertiser meeting in CNN, MSNBC, or FOX News. Seriously, does he imply that domestic propaganda.

    This where I will diverge from everyone else, but capitalism been a step forward from feudalism but the end all be all of human development. J.J. is a petite bourgeoise merchant (does merchandize and cartooning commission when freelancing, but not technically employed, for the Washington Post) who is not really proletarianized (bought by corporations to become an employee of said buy-out), so he is not critical of the system that has not gone against his self-employed interests. That and he lives in a city closer to the US than the Alberta border.

    Concerns of the US dollar is due to inflation. He is right that capitalisms commodifies polarizing fears and opposition, causing people to dislike it as insidious.

    Harliaous that J.J. says that Canadians lack self-criticism, in a different vid, he knowledge there tons of progressive Canadians eager to point that Canada is not progressive on every issue.

    Citing Noam Chomsky as an example is amusing because Chomsky, at the end of the day, advocates for lesser evilism, which is not strong criticism of the super US two party system.

    Critical trends are inspired by basis in reality, e.g. rising costs of living and military intervention, while blind “patriotism” is shallow since “triumphs” are the products of the individuals (inventors) and the working classes that built this country) instead some nebulous concept of “country”.

    Bruh, he is unaware that many countries, like the NATO countries, became allies of the US because of dependency on the US market, Marshall plan comes to mind, and military protection from a hegemon that would rival the US.

18. The opposition is always negative about the country.

    Republicans hate Biden’s America in 2023 just like Democrats hated Trump’s America in 2019 just like Republicans hated Obama’s America in 2011 just like Democrats hated Bush’s America in 2006

19. First, define ‘anti-American.’

    As in, an exhaustive operational definition, bullet points and all. There’s no point in proceeding if we don’t have that upfront.

20. Why are there so many questions here about this guy?