. On the other hand, this tendency to relentlessly cast people in the Third World as passive recipients of economic oppression pissed me off when I was a card-carrying member of the antiglobalization movement, and it pisses me off more now. (This is also why I tend to resist the tendency of US-ian leftists to cast their own country as a literal global supervillian that is Worse Than Anything Ever in The History of the World. I mean, yes, we can suck pretty bad, and we have more power with which to suck than anyone else, and we should try to quit being such jerks - but acting like everyone else is helpless before our super-special magical never-before-seen evilness is in its own way super-narcissistic and casts us - in my view - as somehow realer and specialer than everyone else on the planet.)

Yeah, exactly, I think I pretty much agree, even if I'm more wary of the imperialism apologists, but yeah, I don't like those Westerners who think their countries are the Big bad and only them are Worthy of take it down, because clearly it all focuses on them and their needs.

Hm. I think my main problem with this whole "let's anthropomorphize Imperialism and Imperialistic Powers" is that it forgets the main reason people should be supporting and fighting these battles is because people lives and dignity are being stepped upon. It's all about what Western importance, and what Imperialism represents, and how you aren't liberal enough if you don't fight the Man, and how Capitalism is a treat for western freedom, and how you... arg. Oh, you will be saving those poor Third World People meanwhile.