Kurai Tsuki
17th March 2004, 02:00
(A book written by by Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wyn Davies)
When I found this book I had recently finished reading William Blum's book Rogue State, and was looking for a way to build upon my newfound knowledge about the negative, "aspects," of American policy/thought, and indeed this book gave me what I was searching for.
This is a book which analyzes America through its actions and the metaphors shown in its media and its corporations' marketing campaigns. McDonalds, Alias, The West Wing, Shane and Rules of Engagement, to name a few, are picked apart by the writers and their relationships to American thought and policy are revealed. But media that shows reality is also analyzed in this book, such as the French movie, La Haine, which revolves around three protagonists who are Arabic, Jewish and Negro. The metaphors of the film are carefully cut out for the viewer to see.
For leftists and dissidents, or people who simply hate America, this book is not likely to reveal a great amount of information that they did not already know, but rather analyze the rubbish that comes out of America to give insights into its culture. This is more of a philosophical book than a fact revealing one, but readers are still very likely to learn some interesting things from reading it. For example, the American television show, "All in the Family," was actually based on the British show about a conservative who has to live with a socialist. Apparently the U.S. studios simply Americanized it and made it a show about a man who yearns for the good old days and his hippie son-in-law.
There are those who would say that this book is one-sided. I would defend it in the same way that I would Rogue State, Killing Hope, No Logo and Branded, by saying that the demographic at which this book is targeted knows the, "other side of the story," and are simply sick of; therefore looking for some new insights.
Why Do People Hate America is a great book for those who want to know how the American media and its mythology reflect itself.
When I found this book I had recently finished reading William Blum's book Rogue State, and was looking for a way to build upon my newfound knowledge about the negative, "aspects," of American policy/thought, and indeed this book gave me what I was searching for.
This is a book which analyzes America through its actions and the metaphors shown in its media and its corporations' marketing campaigns. McDonalds, Alias, The West Wing, Shane and Rules of Engagement, to name a few, are picked apart by the writers and their relationships to American thought and policy are revealed. But media that shows reality is also analyzed in this book, such as the French movie, La Haine, which revolves around three protagonists who are Arabic, Jewish and Negro. The metaphors of the film are carefully cut out for the viewer to see.
For leftists and dissidents, or people who simply hate America, this book is not likely to reveal a great amount of information that they did not already know, but rather analyze the rubbish that comes out of America to give insights into its culture. This is more of a philosophical book than a fact revealing one, but readers are still very likely to learn some interesting things from reading it. For example, the American television show, "All in the Family," was actually based on the British show about a conservative who has to live with a socialist. Apparently the U.S. studios simply Americanized it and made it a show about a man who yearns for the good old days and his hippie son-in-law.
There are those who would say that this book is one-sided. I would defend it in the same way that I would Rogue State, Killing Hope, No Logo and Branded, by saying that the demographic at which this book is targeted knows the, "other side of the story," and are simply sick of; therefore looking for some new insights.
Why Do People Hate America is a great book for those who want to know how the American media and its mythology reflect itself.