Britain has long been a reliable ally of the United States, but Britons are far from immune to the anti-Americanism that pervades Europe. Many patriotic Americans are likely to think that this attitude must come from some combination of envy and wrongheaded ideology, but a poll commissioned by America in the World suggests that, at least in Britain, simple ignorance may have something to do with it.
I think they go too far in claiming that anti-Americanism is based on misconceptions, which are probably neither necessary nor sufficient to explain the fierce hostility so many bear towards the US. But such misconceptions certainly do their share of mischief; it seems worthwhile to try to correct them.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…