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The return of the ugly American
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We Americans are often lectured about the boorishness of our behavior when in the company of foreigners, particularly in contrast to our European cousins. The "Ugly American" is probably as much fact as myth, because, let's face it: wealth and power breed conceit.
Up or down, high or low, we're still holding much of the wealth and most of the power, if only because Europeans are racing even faster to the bottom (though we've now elected some stiff competition.)
It should be noted that there are some exceptions - or perhaps corollaries - to this rule. That Europeans travel from London to Berlin to go on techno-booze-and-heroin benders and riot at football matches is hardly a sign of civility or good manners.
We consign that sort of behavior to Chicago Bulls' victories and college town football rivalries - there's that youth vote, again - and even then, only rarely. Well, OK: Progressives pillage and burn whenever there's something they feel an urge to protest, but they're citizens of the world, so it hardly counts as American behavior.
What is this thing cosmopolitan Americans and Europeans call "the ugly American?" In short, s/he is arrogant, pushy, dismissive of people from other countries, self-centered, flashy and entitled. They demand much and give little, and show almost no respect for the unspoken rules of their surroundings.
AN EXAMPLE OF UGLY AMERICANISM
With that description in mind, let's take a look at some of the gifts exchanged on UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown's recent visit to The Obama White House.
This matters for the obvious reason - the exchange of gifts is good manners (duh) - but also because a) it's the first official visit to The Obama White House by a Head of State, and b) because Mrs and Mr Brown are coming to us from the UK. If there are any countries in this world that will back up their "ally" status with lives, honor and treasure, it's the UK and her other children, Australia and Canada. (The Aussies actually have been the most steadfast, to their eternal credit.)
The way it usually works is that the Heads of State present gifts to one another, and their spouses (generally wives, yes) present gifts to one another and any children still under their roofs.
What Mrs Brown brought: Top Shop dresses with matching necklaces (Top Shop is a popular UK women's and girl's apparel retailer) and a collection of books by UK authors.
And what did Michelle Obama - who has great biceps and fashion sense, I hear - give in return?
Toy models of Marine One, the Presidential helicopter. Which can be had at the White House gift shop.
One wonders if Mrs Obama leaned over and whispered, "Barry rides in that... because he won."
Even the single press photo the White House released is more about Mrs Obama than the State visitor.
How very ugly.
LET'S TURN TO THE HEADS OF STATE
First, a little history. The desk the President of the United States (generally) sits behind is called the Resolute Desk, because it was carved from the timbers of Her Majesty's Ship Resolute.
The Resolute was one of two ships from a party of four that were abandoned in arctic ice. American fishermen rescued the ship after it had been freed the following summer (The! Global! Warming!) and towed it to port. Congress purchased The Resolute and had it refitted, then presented it to Queen Victoria as a gesture of peace. After 23 more years of service, it was decommissioned and salvaged. The Queen then presented the desk to President Rutherford B. Hayes and his facial hair.
So, impressive stuff. Classy on all sides, and something we should look back upon with pride and admiration.
One of The Resolute's sister ships was the HMS Gannet, once called the HMS President. It served as an anti-slave ship when the British, in a unilateral campaign of imperialistic warmongering(erism), set for themselves the task of hunting down and killing slave traders.
(Not a blemish, really.)
As his State Gift, Mr Brown presented The Obama with an ornamental pen holder from the timbers of that ship. Wonderful. So many layers, and so much thought put into that gesture.
In return, The Light and the Truth and the Word-Made-Flesh gave Mr Brown a 25 DVD collection of American movies chosen by the American Film Institute.
I'm going to bet, just to be pedantic, that it wasn't even Blu-ray.
And here, I thought Europeans were never supposed to be impressed with American cinema. But, then, what did they expect from the Hollywood President — something that wasn't a cheap, steaming pile of narcissism?
We are talking about a "leader" who had no objections to a $170 million taxpayer party in his honor at what was, until he got his economic plan in motion, the peak of a recession.
Our President was created in the pits of Chicago politics - the land of pay for play. So Mrs and Mr Brown should hold themselves grateful, really, that they were even given an audience. (It's not like they're from Al-Arabiya).
At least our own small Obymandias isn't demanding tribute.
Yet.
FOR MORE:
Baldilocks has more, though I'm not quite ready to buy into it. "Revenge isn't that complicated a motive." No, it's not. That's one of the pillars of Progressivism. More on that another time.
Want a Presidential helicopter like the one Barack "I Won" Obama rides in?
$15 and the bitter taste of buyer's remorse is all it takes.
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