A lot of things were different in the US and in the world in 1973, when Gordon made that rant. Although at that time a lot of the criticism leveled at the US from other countries had to do with our illegal war of aggression in Vietnam, and it was well deserved criticism, in my opinion, we also still looked like we were the most altruistic country to a lot of people. But at that point in time, most people didn't know about our many (often violent) interferences in other countries' democracies, and the other self-serving things we have done around the world that have harmed a lot of people and a lot of societies. Now that we know about those kinds of things, it does kind of make Gordon's rant look a little ridiculous.