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April 02, 2004

Jean-Francois Revel, "Anti-Americanism"

The Asia Times has a wonderful book review of “Anti-Americanism” by Jean-Francois Revel

Indeed, anti-Americanism has ascended from its former status as the preoccupation of a relative handful of Jurassic Marxists, professional victims, Third World whiners, and Islamo-fascist troglodytes to the level of a major new global religion. Like any religion, it has its saints (which include the likes of Che Guevara and Ho Chi Minh), its martyrs (the Rosenbergs, the Guantanamo Bay detainees and Saddam Hussein's sons), its high priests (Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore and Abu Bakar Ba'asyir), and its desperately over-eager wanna-bes (eg, Asia Times Online's very own Pepe Escobar, whose viewpoint on any issue can be predicted with absolute accuracy by simply asking "what interpretation of this situation will put the United States in the worst light?").

I’ve Fisked Escobar on numerous occassions. He’s a piece of work.

Curiously, however, while the religion has a hell (America), and a devil (George W Bush), it lacks both a heaven (the collectivist pipe dream having been found wanting) and a god (since the anti-Americans consider themselves as having evolved beyond the need for a deity - save their Islamist faction, which wants to impose its religion forcibly on everyone else). Still, the anti-American cult provides its legions of drooling adherents with the crucial element of any faith: the illusion of meaning in an otherwise meaningless existence. That priceless psychological salve, in this case, is the comforting delusion that, no matter how hypocritical, backward, bigoted, ignorant, corrupt or cowardly the cult's followers might otherwise be, at least they are better than those awful Americans.

That pretty much nails them. I may have to find a copy of the book.

The most notable characteristic of Anti-Americanism, as a text, is the blistering, take-no-prisoners quality of its prose. Even those diametrically opposed to Revel's views would be forced to acknowledge his skills as a pugnacious rhetorician who does not eschew sarcasm as a weapon.

A few examples will suffice: referring to anti-war banners that proclaimed "No to terrorism. No to war", Revel scoffs that this "is about as intelligent as 'No to illness. No to medicine'." Responding to the indictment of the United States as a "materialistic civilization", he says: "Everyone knows that the purest unselfishness reigns in Africa and Asia, especially in the Muslim nations, and that the universal corruption that is ravaging them is the expression of a high spirituality."

Nice! It sounds like he wields the clue-bat with an awesome degree of skill.

It is hardly surprising that this pattern was repeated with Anti-Americanism, which has topped the French best-seller list. (Curiously, and completely contrary to what foreign stereotypes would lead one to expect, the book has been much less successful in the US - this is primarily because the anti-American obsession is entirely one-way; most Americans are barely even aware the cult exists.) The book's success shows conclusively that at least some Europeans sense the hypocrisy and intellectual vacuity of the anti-Americanists, and are once again developing an appetite for a balanced, truthful depiction of the US, as opposed to the spurious fiction they have largely been spoon-fed thus far.

Damn! I book that bashes French anti-Americanism hits the top of the French best seller lists! That means that at least some of them aren’t being sucked in by the European press. Ok, I definitely have to order a copy. Amazon has it here, but even reading the review of it linked above was refreshing.

April 2, 2004 in Politics | Permalink

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Comments

More of us are smart than stupid. Why don't we see? None of is want war. If this is false we deserve to die!!

Posted by: Battedelune at Apr 3, 2004 3:44:58 AM

The book is, indeed, marvelous. Revel is a brilliant, clearsighted, and incorruptibly honest man. Try his earlier work The Flight From Truth for a really mind-expanding experience.

Unfortunately, this great Frenchman's work is little respected by his countrymen, and little known outside France, despite his years as the editor-in-chief of L'Express and his tireless efforts at illuminating the hazards of socialism and communism to the rest of Europe.

Posted by: Francis W. Porretto at Apr 3, 2004 6:29:37 AM

Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I really enjoyed reading about a French citizen that will defend America. Now all we need are less Americans attacking America.

Posted by: joekujo at Apr 3, 2004 4:03:19 PM

Reading Revel, it's worth it to go all the way back to The Totalitarian Temptation (English title, I don't know the French one). He hadn't found his voice yet, and the translation I have sucks, because flowery educated French that's just transliterated sounds overbearing and ornate -- precisely the opposite of what English writers strive for -- but the message is one that his later work builds on; well worth slogging through some fairly turgid prose.

Regards,
Ric

Posted by: Ric Locke at Apr 3, 2004 8:45:07 PM

You stated: "Damn! I book that bashes French anti-Americanism hits the top of the French best seller lists! That means that at least some of them aren’t being sucked in by the European press."

I think you may be giving the French too much credit. They probably all ran out and bought the book thinking, because of the title, it would be anti-American and were all severely disappointed.

Posted by: twalsh at Apr 3, 2004 11:46:01 PM

I highly recommend this book. There is a treat for the reader on every page. Revel is a terrific writer.

Posted by: Melissa at Apr 5, 2004 2:55:57 AM

I'll try to pick up a copy tomorrow!

Posted by: George Turner at Apr 5, 2004 3:46:44 AM