Stefanie wrote:

Decius wrote:
This is sending gobs of young people into the welcoming arms of various totalitarian ideologies.

Really? In America? Who? Which ideologies? Communism? Fascism?

With the exception of the ultra-left in the US I'm talking about globally rather than in America.

Decius wrote:
And in the broader world, the end of the Cold War puts America in a position where "critical thinking" is automatically equated with disdain for what America represents.

I'm not seeing that, either. I think criticism of the government's actions (and/or lack thereof) is as popular a pastime in this country as it ever has been, and given our current President, Congress, and Supreme Court, rightly so. We'll always have a few fanboys who frown on any criticism (no matter how valid) of our own country, but I certainly don't see a general attitude among Americans that automatically equates any such criticism with disdain for what America represents.

You read that opposite how I meant it... I'm not talking about domestic opinions. The end of the Cold War puts America in the position of being the man. People who want to fight the man are often opposed to US foreign policy. This can lead them to concluding that they ought to be against what America represents -- representative democracy, civil liberties, capitalism.

RE: Letter from China: Angry Youth: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker