How to Win Friends Around the World

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"You see, these nations, these new emerging nations, these new shining cities, we hope they will join us, but they can never replace us. Because their light is but a reflection of our own." -- Senator Marco Rubio

You see, you puny lesser nations, the very best you can hope for is to be a second-rate imitation of the United States.

(Hat tip to Daniel Larison.)

Comments

  1. Danny3:05 PM

    Someone needs a copy of Leonard Read's candle speech :-P

    ReplyDelete
  2. PH4:33 PM

    I actually don't view this as particularly insulting. It's just patriotic fluff, and meant to be taken as such.

    ReplyDelete
  3. gcallah4:39 PM

    The reason you think that, PSH, is that your light is but a reflection of my own. (I'm kidding, of course, but you don't think that would be a wee bit insulting of me if I meant it?)

    You also might consider that Rubio takes this "fluff" to be a reason to bomb the bejeesus out of lots of foreigners, so it's really not so fluffy after all.

    ReplyDelete
  4. PH11:21 PM

    But he's speaking to a U.S. audience, no? I think a better comparison would be, say, a senior staff member of the New York Times telling his fellow employees that "the light of other papers is but a reflection of our own." Too shallow to be sinister.

    ReplyDelete
  5. gcallah2:31 AM

    But how about the war part?

    ReplyDelete
  6. PH4:49 PM

    I agree that that is very objectionable. It seems we successfully imitate all of the vices, and none of the virtues, of the Roman conquerors.

    ReplyDelete

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