Anti-Americanism

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Roger Hicks

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I have received a private post taking me to task for my lighthearted comment that mercifully, I do not have a Walgreens anywhere near where I live, because I am in rural France. This was taken as America-bashing and executing a 'French superiority dance'.

I am in two minds about whether to apologize. On the one hand, I did not mean to offend anyone (at least, apart from big chain stores, and I can't get excited about their sensibilities). I simply meant that I don't like big chain stores. I'd have said the same about Tesco (an English chain) or Leclerc (a French chain). In fact I find Leclerc more unpleasant than either Tesco or Walgreens. ...

On the other hand, I find it hard to apologize for something I didn't mean, and which, on re-reading, I do not believe should be capable of offending anyone of averagely robust constitution. This is an international forum, and one of its great strengths is that we don't all think the same way.

Besides, anyone who knows me or my writing knows that if I start bashing anything, I do it properly.

Cheers,

Roger
 
Roger Hicks said:
This is an international forum, and one of its great strengths is that we don't all think the same way.

Roger
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That is a big reason why I keep coming back. We may not think alike, nor should we, but we sure have a lot in common too.
 
I read your post and did not take it as a criticism of the US. I wish there were no MacDonalds restaurants arround me, and while it is a company with American origins, I do not equate businesses or governments with a people.

best,
 
Roger:

Some of us red-blooded Americans patronize Walgreen's regularly and still hold the same sentiments as you do about Walgreen's as well as other chain retailers. I don't think you should worry about it.

For anyone who hasn't travelled in the US recently, Walgreen's is on a huge expansion move and has stores popping up on virtually every corner not already occupied by a McDonald's. Considering how few products they sell that are made in the US, I don't know how anyone could consider disparegement of them to be "America-bashing".

-Paul
 
Roger Hicks said:
I have received a private post taking me to task for my lighthearted comment that mercifully, I do not have a Walgreens anywhere near where I live, because I am in rural France. This was taken as America-bashing and executing a 'French superiority dance'.
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As an American who also dislikes large chain stores (although I still do shop in them from time to time) I don't see anything particularly Anti-American about the sentiment. Besides, Americans don't have a monopoly on the concept of large chain stores (Carrefour anyone?).

Oops -- was that last comment an example of Anti-French sentiment? I hope not. 🙂

Scott
 
Roger,

For what it's worth, I interpreted your comment yesterday exactly as you describe, namely lighthearted. We could debate the merits of Walgreens all day. I shop there regularly, or at the CVS literally across the street. At the same time, I find it ashame that so many American towns like mine are downright ugly because of a tangle of cheaply constructed, neon-lighted stores and chain restaurants and strip malls. Yet they are close, convenient, open all the time, and offer unbelievably low prices. In any event, in my opinion you don't need to apologize for an opinion or implication of one, so long as it is made with some civility and no personal attacks or unassailable cynicism. For what it's worth....
 
I buy most of my film at Ritz. The tip about the film at Walgreens looked like a good one. Its nice that members give good tips about buying film at good prices.

The first reply back to this tip was not Anti-American.
It was unnecessary.
 
Roger:
No offense taken. As others have pointed out, a lot of Americans have a love-hate relationship with the corporate giants that dominate here.
When I was a kid growing up in the 1950s, one of the exciting things about traveling to another state or even another town was shopping in stores different from those in our town. Nowadays it doesn't matter whether you are in Billings, Boise, Puyallup, Logan, Council Bluffs or Boca Raton. The Wallmarts, Kmarts, Targets and Wallgreens are identical -- have the same products arranged the same way. And they only carry items that move fast and many can only be found during a particular season of the year.

It's boring as hell!
 
98 cracker barrels between Rochester and New Orleans was, I believe, was my count on a long drive some years ago.

I think you need not apologize: chain stores are part of a economic shift happening across national boundaries--corporatization of pretty much everything, if you will. They can attack you perhaps for being somewhat anti-globalization, but not really anti-American.

And anyway you wouldn't be in bad company: plenty of Americans are attacked with the charge of "anti-Americanism" because they disagree with this policy or that. Is it the only country where this happens? Does anyone ever accuse a French person of not being French because they are right or left or pro this or anti-that? Seems to me like "American" is still something being defined, which is either exciting, or terryfying, depending on where you sit...

cheers
doug
 
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One may have made a private comment because RFF is too fine a place to call someone a fathead in public, regardless of how fat their head actually is.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
We could take this as an opportunity to document this theme throughout the RFF world in rangefinder camera photographs! Tackiness, or beauty as the beholder may see it, is surely diverse throughout the world. Shouldn't we, as photographers express outrselves in photographs rather than words?

Or should I just ease back on the coffee?

-Paul
 
Too bad most stores frown on interior photographs. I'm going to Seattle via Spokane soon. I could take a photo in every Wallmart along the way of the same aisle--or I could take 10 photos of the aisle in one Wallmart---same difference.
 
I just dropped in on this one and I think it is very interesting because what I am seeing is an out pouring of sentiment about the wiping out of smaller independent retail concerns by the overwhelming purchasing power of national and international chain retailers. I try and avoid all large chains even ones from Canada where I live. Still I’ll default to chain retailers when there is no independent alternative easily available.

In Canada we have a chain of automotive retailers with Canada in the name who also sell household goods, plumbing, electrical etc. I prefer to go to local retailers who don’t have me line up for hours to check out, and have staff that are on the floor who are helpful and knowledgeable. I think an independent it is better and the cost is very marginally higher and often the same. These retailers know what the big boys are posting on price, they have to.

I don’t know what the answer is to all our apparent mutual concerns regarding Nationals but it is interesting to see how independent minded we are on the matter of independents and nationals and you can include me.
 
Roger Hicks said:
Besides, anyone who knows me or my writing knows that if I start bashing anything, I do it properly.

Cheers,

Roger
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I know your writings and agree, you can "bash" properly 😀.

BTW Roger, your book "Rangefinder" answered alot of questions for me when I started my quest into RF cameras, good read and I recommend it to all.

Todd
 
Around me in my county for a while you could see a CVS an Eckerds AND a Walgreens..
On the same corner! My county also thought it was a good idea to have 4 gas stations on one corner too! I guess I will just bash my own county!
 
Regardless of how you feel about chain stores, I don't see how expressing an opinion for or against Walgreens is anti-American. They are a private business existing for their own profit. What has it got to do with nationalism or anything along those lines? Surely, when people make equations of this kind, they are misplacing their sense of patriotism?

From what I can gather of Roger's previous posts, he would have said the same had he been in rural Mexico.
 
Andy K said:
The identical towns problem is not just an American issue, see the headline at the following link.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4602953.stm

I too remember when going to a new place was a chance to discover new shops and products, now all high streets are the same.
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It's sad to see that's happening in GB, too. And just when I was thinking about visiting my brother-in-law over there and looking forward to browsing through all the unique shops.

I'm sure the "colsolidation" hasn't reach the level there that it has here but believe me, once it starts, things change very fast.

The sad thing here are instances where chains like Wallmart have opened a store in a small community and killed virtually every mom and pop store in the area, leaving downtown empty. Then WM beancounters decide the new store isn't profitable enough, shut it down and just walk away, leaving the community with no place to shop.
 
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