Anti-Amercianism around the world is a reaction to the imperialist nature of their cultural exports and belligerent foreign policy - hardly good adverts for a creative and vibrant culture that has so much to offer beyond gangsta rap, Hollywood bilge, Disney and junk food.

No kidding.

I'm not saying our pop culture doesn't suck (it does) but we wouldn't export it if it didn't sell. If these companies stopped making money abroad, they would go away. That's capitalism. STOP BUYING OUR CRAP. I live here and I don't even buy it.

I don't think anti-Americanism is always illegitimate; we've certainly earned our share of the mud slung at us. I also don't think, in turn, that any other country is universally represented by its government/faction in power (Iraq is not populated completely by terrorists, to make a rather extreme example).

And, right now, both of our political parties have their heads up their you-know-whats and are more concerned about badmouthing the other side and distracting voters with buzzwords than actually accomplishing anything for the rest of us. We also have this bizarre problem wherein people who, in economic terms, should be voting Democrat are voting Republican because of the "family values"/morality ploy. The Republicans think this is great and the Democrats don't know how to bridge the gap. We're all dyed-in-the-wool Democrats at my house and we're still completely disgusted with the apparent bunch of snobbish Northeasterners who seem to dominate the party. Hell, if *I* can't relate to you as a Democrat, you're sure not going to win over anyone else in the West or the South.