imo, a lot of it has to do with attitude, not solely opposing views on specific topics. i think you can tell over a period of time if someone has an anti-american bias or not. do they jump in every chance they get to add their negative two cents about the latest controversy involving america? do they scream just as loud about similar actions by other countries? what is their general tone when discussing a topic that centers around the u.s.? are they always quick to criticize, or do they approach the subject with objectivity? do they look for things to criticize? are they just as quick to praise a good act as they are to criticize what they deem to be a wrong act? maybe this is too simplistic, i just think that attitudes (toward the u.s.) come accross over and beyond what the specific criticism may be.
opposing the war doesnt make you anti-american, and even though many try to paint the picture that this accusation has been tossed around left and right, i really dont think there is a large number (if any) of posters on this forum that actually believe opposing the war makes you anti-american. but can a poster come accross as anti-american while opposing the war? i think so.....attitudes show through. for example, i remember a poster stating something to the affect that he opposed the war completely, but at least the british gave their missions more pc titles than the americans did (inferring that the british were still somehow on a higher plane). how ridiculous is that? whats the point of turning everything into a pissing contest? how picky do you have to be in your criticisms before it goes beyond simple policy opposition?
i personally think its easy to tell the difference between someone simply opposing some american policies, and someone making it a point to oppose and criticize damn near everything america has done, is doing, and will do. do we really need a definition to spot these patterns?
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