One More Angry Rant
OK, I’m making another angry post. I know I should try to be more fair and open-minded, but I just can’t help it.
It’s not just a stereotype any more. Apparently most Pakistanis really do despise America. And opinion is turning against Americans in general, not just certain figures in the government.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20081001/wl_csm/opakviews;_ylt=AntKMNqfr5NdXWZf071OK7X9xg8F
www.examiner.com/a1451329~Poll_finds_Pakistanis_favor_talks_with_militants.html
I’ve noticed that many Pakistanis act though Americans are not just human beings. Americans are either considered magical angels, or demonic djinn disguised in suits, military uniforms, or trendy clothes. White skin is considered amazing, and American accents are increasingly praised (it used to be British accents were the mark of sophistication). But for many, anything “American” appears as a threat. This all feeds the cause of phony American exceptionalism.
It cuts two ways. One is a sort of manifest destiny ideology. America can’t really do wrong in the world because it is destined, by God’s will, to some higher destiny to lead everyone to salvation.
Obviously America’s strength and power has to do with a combination of historical contingencies, cross-cultural pollination, political-economic developments, bold social experimentation, and plenty of nasty realities true of any imperial power. Like any world power, it’s a mixed bag. There’s a lot to be proud of, and a lot to be ashamed of (and I truly believe most Americans are honest and will admit that what is wrong is wrong).
The second flawed idea of exceptionalism is the notion, propagated by some on the radical Left, and used to good effect by Islamic imperialists, that America is exceptionally bad. But the arguments about how uniquely awful America is whither away with a dash of objectivity and historical reflection.
Pakistan’s view of America which, historically speaking, is rather short in the greater scheme of things, is shaped both by that relationship, and Pakistan’s history as a colonized Muslim land under the British Empire. America and Pakistan seem to have little in common except that they were both once part of that empire, and both are, in theory, republics. Now that America has replaced Britain as the major world power, the one Pakistan depends on most (China not withstanding) the projection has shifted. There is either indulgent fawning, or anger and contempt. Whereas many Americans (though not all) might want to see Pakistan, despite its weaker status, as not only a partner but an equal, Pakistani culture is hierarchical and locates relationships in terms of superiors and inferiors. Only in a few social situations – older Muslim men (of the same sect) together at some function like a wedding or religious event – is there any sense of real equality.
I know I’ve written about this before, and I do understand it cognitively, yet I’m still frustrated by the fact that the Taliban/Al Qaeda can attack Pakistani civilians, and still earn sympathy. Their strategy is working! Many Pakistanis blame the instability caused in neighboring Afghanistan on the U.S. military presence, or the increased dips into Pakistani territory. Some Pakistanis even think all these terrorist attacks are actually being secretly done by Americans themselves.
But there are strange contradictions. First, many of these militants, or their descendents, benefited from U.S. support against the Soviets and then turned on America. Of course, if you view unbelievers as morally/spiritually inferior to begin with, then you owe them no gratitude or loyalty. But Pakistani critics of U.S. foreign policy blame America for supporting radicals and giving them power in the first place (along with the military regime in Islamabad). But that implies that these critics are against the militants. And yet, these same critics seem to agree with the anti-American ideology of the radicals.
Even though many of the terrorists not native Pakistani citizens, and some of them despise and abuse Pakistanis, particularly Arabs, they are still seen as Muslims. They are considered members of the Umma – the universal brotherhood of Islam that transcends national boundaries and command ultimate loyalty under Allah. If Muslims are attacked, even in self-defense, then they must be avenged at all costs. Any attack on the Taliban are now considered attacks on Pakistani sovereignty. There is no call for Muslims to put themselves in the shoes of Americans, imagining whether if they were attacked, might they also retaliate.
Maybe democracy will work. I just don’t know when.
