"The Atlantic" : Brits and Euros look at the GOP race as a way to demean Americans as racist hillbillies, intolerant religious fundamentalists listening to homophobic televangelists, Republicans as experts in Dog Whistling

.

My own Comment : The Republican Primaries would be a shame and embarrassment in the most backward country of this planet. These primaries are certainly a big fest of jingoism, chauvinism, hyper nationalism, racism, anti-ethnic prejudice, religious bigotry and hate for the Poor.

The Atlantic
How UK Coverage of the Presidential Race Feeds Anti-Americanism

British journalists seem determined to portray the Republican contest in oversimplified and distorted ways, reawakening familiar prejudices.

February 20, 2012

By Kiran Moodley - Kiran Moodley was born in London in 1987, to an English mother and a South African father. He attended a grammar school in north London, and then went up to Cambridge in 2006 to major in history. Kiran Moodley lives and works in London.

Current : Producer at Citywire Wealth Manager

Past : Campaign Intern at Labour Yes! to Fairer Votes, Desk Assistant at Public Broadcasting Service, Production Intern at Newsweek and The Daily Beast

Education : Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism, Clare College, University of Cambridge, The Latymer School

How UK Coverage of the Presidential Race Feeds Anti-Americanism


Some excerpts :

Countless articles and videos, from journalists like Matthew Norman of The Independent and Gary Younge of The Guardian, have portrayed the Tea Party as hillbillies who firmly believe that Obama is a native of Kenya. For many in their audience, this resonates with a deep-seated sense of superiority to Americans. It's a common problem across Europe, according to Joseph Joffe, editor of Die Zeit. He notes that Europeans believe "America is the land of intolerant, fundamentalist religion, with screaming televangelists calling homosexuals Satan's semen-drenched acolytes, while Europe is charting a path toward enlightened secularism."

Commentary from Michael White of The Guardian on the January 19 Republican debate in South Carolina seems to confirm Joffe's take:

I watched Thursday's CNN-sponsored debate at Charleston, all flag-waving and heart-on-sleeve patriotism, more brawn than brain.... In their self-absorbed American way, the word China barely featured... blissfully ignorant that the best EU healthcare -- including the NHS -- delivers so much more for less than America's unfair and inefficient system. Who pays out most but still wins the Obesity Cup? Why, they do!

...............

More often, however, it is race and political extremism that captivate the British press. Every article on American politics now includes an obligatory paragraph on the Tea Party, the strong influence of the religious right, and the fractious state of American politics.

...........

Indeed, even the most minor story is pounced upon if it confirms the stereotype. For example, British media outlets were keen to give traction to an interview Piers Morgan conducted with Jimmy Carter -- little noticed at home -- in which the former president argued that Newt Gingrich was practicing veiled racism in South Carolina. Even The Economist emphasized the race angle:

Mr Gingrich engaged in some expert racial dog-whistling. He called Barack Obama the "food-stamp president" and accused him of declaring war on religion and traditional American values. He was not merely condescending to Juan Williams, the lone black moderator in the most recent debate, but effectively called him lazy at a campaign event. He then used this tussle as a campaign ad arguing that he could most effectively beat Mr Obama, who just happens to share the same skin color as Mr Williams. These attacks seemed to go down well with primary voters, who were 99% white.

...........

Nonetheless, British journalists have delighted in portraying the Republican race as representing the disintegration of U.S. politics.

.................

The Guardian's Jonathan Freedland proclaims that America is moving "towards an anti-government fervor that recalls the militia movement of the 1990s, convinced that every Washington move... is motivated by wickedness and constitutes a step towards tyranny."

...............