Today there was an interesting blurb on the AOL website, a video clip from an interview with Celize Theron by a CNN reporter, focused on the phenomenon of rap music in countries other than America, most specifically, in Cuba. In the course of the discussion, it came out that the composers had to submit their lyrics to Cuban government officials for approval before they could be performed in public, and that there were severe penalties for anyone who defied the rules and presented anything the government found somehow inappropriate.
The reporter at one point said, casually, something like "So, you found there are controls on free speech in Cuba?" To which Theron replied instantly to the effect that after all, the same thing exists in the USA. The reporter, clearly taken aback a bit by this, went on to question her basis for such a statement, and she referred to having heard that some people in media jobs had been fired for expressing antiwar views. The reporter then went on to ask if she really saw such alleged incidents as being equivalent to the type of controls in Cuba (and to be fair, the tone of his voice and his delivery clearly expressed his own feeling that this seemed a bit over the top). She replied without hesitation that yes, she sees no difference.
This is one more example among so many of assorted public figures, mostly Hollywood/media/academic types, freely opining that whatever defect any other society has, the USA is no better (and in some cases, worse). It is also an example of real obtuseness, if there is no difference between a government policy of official censorship of performing artists and some individual employer imposing (fairly or unfairly) restrictions on what employees can say in public, then every society now and in history has always been equally repressive. Ms. Theron may be quite intelligent and talented, and certainly impressively beautiful, but she's still incapable of objective, reasoned thought on some issues.
What she doesn't see, what none of the social critics seem to see, is that whether they intend it or not, they play directly into the hands of those who hate and despise us, and intend to do as much harm to us as they possibly can. Every time any public figure criticizes this country, that gets picked up and added to the massive propaganda that washes over all of Islam and much of the rest of the world. It's proclaimed far and wide as rock solid confirmation by enlightened Americans of the total corruption and decadence of the society, which of course fans the enthusiasm of those who want to see us and present us as the Great Satan.
When Lt. Watada makes statements that if he went to Iraq at all, he'd automatically be guilty of partaking in war crimes, Bin Laden et al. jump for joy and it makes headlines all over the Moslem world, and elsewhere. When Micheal Moore and others say the war is only about stealing Arab oil and persecuting Moslems, the flames of hatred and fanaticism get fanned wonderfully.
No, we aren't perfect, then again, who the hell is or ever was? No, that doesn't excuse our flaws and mistakes, but it does call for some kind of balanced view rather than the orgy of self-recrimination and general ignoring of the evils of those with whom we are in conflict. The West can self-destruct, and too much of what we see going on in the USA and other Western societies seems to indicate we're sliding in that direction.
God knows I hope I'm wrong.
Del