Take a Lesson from Richard Gere

Palomar · 2005-03-08 07:07:36

*A few months ago, during the Palestinian elections, TV ads featuring American (and liberal -- perhaps ultraliberal) actor Richard Gere were broadcast. Gere encouraged the Palestinians to get out and vote, because the election was particularly important, etc.

What was the response? Besides hardly anyone recognizing him as a famous celebrity, the general reaction was "Don't tell us how to vote when you Americans voted in a stupid President."

They didn't differentiate Gere from anyone else: He too is an American and therefore voted for President Bush.

My point is: Yep, America has done bad things. America has made mistakes.

But Americans of the incredibly self-loathing variety (not implying Gere is one of them; I don't know much about his personal politics nor do I care) could take a cue from Gere's experience.

I was recently accused (privately) by someone -- not an American -- here at New Mars of becoming "hawkish" in my political views. :laugh: Yes, that MUST be true; it couldn't have been a misunderstanding of something I said on his part, nope. I tried to sort out the situation, which was met with a cold shoulder (yet his own nation's indigenous people have the highest suicide rate of any nation on Earth; I doubt he cares, nor that his nation is "hawkish" towards its Natives...that's "okay" I suppose).

No matter how clearly you try to define your POV, someone else might still condemn or hate you for it just on the basis of "guilt by association" alone.

So probably a lot of groveling and self-loathing and all sorts of contortions trying to PROVE you are a good global citizen who at least very greatly dislikes your nation won't mean a thing.

And besides, who really enjoys or respects a spectacle like that?

--Cindy

dicktice · 2005-03-08 13:31:50

Dont be coy, Cindy--what nation?

Palomar · 2005-03-08 14:28:43

Dont be coy, Cindy--what nation?

*Hi dicktice:

http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=855]This thread

The 2nd of my posts dated March 7, at 10:59. My maternal great-great grandmother was a Native American.

I can own up to and admit the mistakes of my nation. I sure expect others to as well.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-03-09 08:20:37

*I'm glad I have a good memory. I thought this article had originally been posted in the "Guardian":

Whats]http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,969786,00.html]What's wrong with this picture?

1. The accusation that all members of the Mars Society who are in favor of terraforming are Americans (not true; there are non-U.S. members who are "green" AND there are U.S. members who are "red").

2.

There are hundreds of societies and organisations in the US devoted to blundering on to other planets and turning them into hideous replicas of the worst parts of our own planet. And while they used to be regarded as nutters, this no longer seems to be the case.
What they want to do, these people, and people like them, is take the place over. Their mission statement contains the following: "The settling of the Martian New World is an opportunity for a noble experiment in which humanity has another chance to shed old baggage ..." To which those of us who have witnessed previous, recent, noble American colonialist experiments may be tempted to reply: "Uh-oh, not again."

He seems to have "conveniently forgotten" all those "noble" English colonialist experiments (of which the U.S. was one). You know -- all that blundering on to other peoples' lands and turning them into hideous replicas of England.

Mr. Liddle's article is one of the worst and most hypocritical of anti-American articles I've yet encountered.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

I suppose that moron would also like the world to believe all those slave ships traveling from Africa to America's shores were, for many decades prior to 1776, not England's slave ships.

Once again: I can own up to and admit the mistakes of my nation. I sure expect others to as well.

--Cindy

P.S.: I did write this clown a letter, when the article first came out. He never responded.

Cobra Commander · 2005-03-09 08:41:15

P.S.: I did write this clown a letter, when the article first came out. He never responded.

Of course not. An American and a member of the Mars Society? It would be like writing back to the devil himself. :;):

Grypd · 2005-03-09 14:31:51

I always Knew I liked Mars now I have a reason.

Mars, like Inverness, is bitterly cold and almost entirely devoid of atmosphere

I live in Britains fastest growing and could well be Europe's city it is called Inverness. But what should be noted about Rod Liddle is two things 1) That he is a comedian first and a journalist second. He has I believed lived in London most of his life and though commented for a Welsh paper never actually left London to do it. Im also sure he has never been to Inverness and im also sure that he probably never thought about Mars until he had to do an article and decided lets poke fun at these strange Martian enthusiasts. And 2) Mr Riddle is one really anti anyhting person and has been sacked from both the Times and BBC for his tripe that he writes or speaks. I suspect that having sent him a letter of protest would have just ended in the Bin as Im sure he gets a lot or used too when he had a job and since he just got chucked out of his marital home as he was cheating on his wife. Who really cares about him.

Palomar · 2005-03-09 15:03:32

*Ah. Well, I didn't know that about Mr. Liddell. I'd never heard of him before and I have read 1 or 2 other articles by him. He is unknown "over here" mostly, I'm sure...unless (for whatever reason I wouldn't know) he has a familiarity with folks in the New England states.

Seems I'm just now recalling someone mentioning "The Guardian" shouldn't be taken seriously either. :hm:

It's been a while.

Perhaps it's a cultural miscommunication as dark humor goes, but he does seem rather vicious. I thought he was a journalist.

--Cindy

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#1 2005-03-08 07:07:36

Re: Take a Lesson from Richard Gere

#2 2005-03-08 13:31:50

Re: Take a Lesson from Richard Gere

#3 2005-03-08 14:28:43

Re: Take a Lesson from Richard Gere

#4 2005-03-09 08:20:37

Re: Take a Lesson from Richard Gere

#5 2005-03-09 08:41:15

Re: Take a Lesson from Richard Gere

#6 2005-03-09 14:31:51

Re: Take a Lesson from Richard Gere

#7 2005-03-09 15:03:32

Re: Take a Lesson from Richard Gere

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