Arrogant Americans

Are we arrogant? There is an arrogance of "we can help you and will and are proud to do so" and an arrogance of "we are too good to help you." Yes, Americans can be arrogant, but it's of the first kind. We are in a position to help and often think we know better than we do, but the motive is good. I really think we are more condescending than arrogant.

Does President Obama not know the fallacies of composition and division? Just because there are arrogant Americans in the country does not make the country arrogant; just because our foreign policy might seem arrogant does not mean that every single one of us is. For example, I can say Dalton State College is an excellent college, but that doesn't mean that every professor and every student is an excellent professor or student. And just because most of the professors and students are excellent at what they do, that doesn't make the college excellent.

Finally, I would humbly question the wisdom of overdoing the mea culpas. I'm not sure what he expects to gain from this penitence for trying to rid the world of HIV/AIDS, poverty, tyrants, ignorance, and oppression.

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