How to upset the American ruling class

Barry Rubin has a funny satire about the leaders of Islam (Muhammad, his son-in-law Ali, etc.) getting together to think up an insulting video that will upset the Americans. The problem is, they can’t think of any way to insult Americans, because American culture already systematically insults Americans in the gravest way, and the Americans don’t mind. Then they come up with a brilliant idea.

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September 26

Wanda S. writes:

Rubin’s satire reminds me of a story I read in either National Review or The American Spectator. Back in the ’70s, a group of Americans went on a tour of the Soviet Union, which eventually took them to Yekaterinburg. Their Soviet tour guide agreed to their request to see the house where the last Tsar and his family were imprisoned and executed. As the Americans stood outside, busily snapping photographs, the tour guide became upset at their insensitivity to this awkward episode in her country’s past. Indignantly, she asked how they would like it if some Russians tourists were to go to America and start taking pictures of the Bowery! The Americans were very amused, and answered that the tourists could probably get a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts if their pictures were good enough.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at September 24, 2012 10:50 PM | Send