What We Are Dealing With, Part 3

In previous entries I have discussed the proliferation of anti-American sentiments in the religious and political domains of German life. Now we have an entrant from the world of German entertainment.

In a recent episode of Tatort (Scene of the Crime) on TV channel ARD, the American government's responsibility for the 9/11 attacks is the backdrop for the weekly murder mystery. Is it any wonder, then, that many Germans believe this to actually be the case? Moreover, are we surprised that in an atmosphere which lends credence to such urban legends that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and the SPD tap into anti-American sentiment in their political campaigns? And if this is happening in Germany, what do we think is happening in places like...France? Egypt? Saudi Arabia? Allies all. Allies in name only?

One need only look at the Pew Reports to see that anti-Americanism is on the rise worldwide. Of course, newspapers and commentators want to tell us that this is the result of indiscriminate bombing in Afghanistan and Iraq or that it is driven by Bush's unilateralism on Kyoto or the International Criminal Court. Certainly, perceptions around those issues aided by uninformed or traductive commentators or pols may play a role. But is any of that as resonant, immediate and tangible as local governments and medias perpetuating the ugliest of conspiracy theories, urban legends and outright lies in order to defuse scrutiny of their own actions? Did President Bush really squander international goodwill after 9/11 or was it only a mirage? Did the US exploit 9/11 to steal Iraqi oil or did global rivals exploit the tragedy to enhance their own relative political positions in the global order? When viewed through this lens, one has to seriously question if the Conventional Wisdom that we are being spoonfed by our Mainstream Media bears any relation to reality whatsoever.

Stay tuned. Part 4 to come this weekend.