Eclecticist

'Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free' said the Statue of Liberty to the world, at least in the words of Emma Lazarus, a 19th century American poet. Let's also not forget those 'inalienable rights' from the Declaration of Independence 'Life, Liberty and pursuit of happiness'. The United States of America has, since its inception, been a refuge for the world's ravaged, a land of opportunity for those oppressed in war-torn and heavily statist regimes. Today, it has a larger influence than any other nation in the categories of food, science, culture, weaponry and democracy. So why all the hate? Why does the American in a pub feel the need to defend his own country from derision while his Belgian and Korean friends remain unaccosted? Eclecticist.co.uk.