Old Chestnuts: Criticism and 'anti-Americanism'

One of the most irritating elements on the Guardian's Comment Is Free discussion boards is the American troll. Typically, the troll has little or nothing to add to the debate: he simply lurks, waiting for the moment he can cry foul and bemoan a perceived 'anti-American' attitude or argument. This, in itself, is not wrong. It's good to be on the lookout for prejudice all the time, let alone during political debates.

The problem is that the accusation of 'anti-Americanism' is usually made incorrectly as a method with which the troll dismisses a perfectly sound and logical argument on the grounds that it's tainted by anti-American prejudice.

It's not difficult to predict when the troll will come out of his hole. Look for an article which is critical of United States foreign policy, human rights abuses, warmongering or callousness: the accusation will be made almost immediately. If a writer even thinks of analysing president Bush's disastrous time in office, this too is seen as 'anti-American'. I've even seen someone write that because half of Americans voted for Bush, any criticism of him is an insult to millions of people. Huh? Needless to say, this argument is completely fallacious and is employed more to stifle debate than to protect the American voter.

Prejudice must certainly be stamped out by all right-minded citizens in pursual of a better society. However, mindless accusations and trolling only make the problem worse: much like mis-naming people 'fascists', bandying about false accusations of 'anti-Americanism' is obtrusive and unhelpful. In the end, it's usually nothing more than a fallacy, employed to prevent the debate from getting off the ground.

tombcn.com - my blog posts about travel, books, food and music