Anti Americanism Abroad Summary

In the article “That’s Entertainment? Hollywood’s Contribution to Anti-Americanism Abroad” (2002), author Michael Medved argues about the histrionic representation of American values in its pop culture and ensuing global antagonism towards the nation. The author’s alma mater includes Yale University, from where he obtained a degree in American History. His career encompasses three decades as a talk show host, author, political commentator and film critic. Moreover, he has participated in political campaigning and screenwriting for film and TV productions. His notable works include The 10 Big Lies about America: Combating Destructive Distortions about Our Nation, The Fifty Worst Films of All Time and The Hollywood Hall of Shame: The Most Expensive
He resorts to ad hominem in paragraph 1, exemplified by the usage of the term ‘glib’ to describe those who hold contradictory interpretations of anti-Americanism. The author then proceeds to commit another logical sin in paragraph 2, as he attempts to establish negative imagery as the prime cause of animosity towards America without providing substantial evidence. In addition, he pursues confirmation of his theory through an ineffective amalgamation of a mob violence incident and President Bush’s commentary. Albeit the use of support strategies through paragraphs 3 and 4 is appreciable, the subjective nature of presented evidence makes it inept at verifying the argument’s accuracy. In like manner, the author commences powerful rebuttals against renowned film director Paul Verhoeven’s controversial remark on movie violence in paragraph 7. Yet again, thirty years of ground-breaking research by media analyst George Gerbner falls apart in the face of the author’s hasty generalization of statistics, as depicted by the phrase in line one of the same paragraph “...every statistical analysis of the past...”. Furthermore, in paragraph 9, the author formulates a clause in his argument that describes the inherent correlation of violence and American entertainment. This section offers an engrossing read but was poorly aided by anecdotal evidence. On the other hand, an account of the disproportionate representation of homosexuality in American productions was strongly supported by experimental data from the highly credible Center for Media and Public Affairs. The momentum thus gathered takes a leap of faith when Medved expands his concept with actress Kim Cattrall’s exposition rather than expert opinion. Consequently, this trivial example distracts audience away from paragraph 13 which contains relevant