Why the Left Hates America

October 1, 2002
Spurred on by what he sees as anti-American sentiment among leftists in the wake of September 11, Flynn, the executive director of Accuracy in Academia, a conservative watchdog group, seeks to "expose the strong undercurrent of reverse patriotism on the political Left." Unlike fellow conservative pundit Ann Coulter (Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right), Flynn draws a distinction between liberals, who are motivated by "love of country," and the real targets of his criticism, those who "view 'Amerika' as so inherently corrupt as to be beyond repair." He offers numerous examples of journalists, college students, professors and anonymous voices on the World Wide Web who are critical of the U.S. government; gives a thumbnail history of anti-Americanism in the U.S.; and argues against the "Five Big Lies" of the American Left (#5: "The rich get richer; the poor get poorer"). Flynn is particularly dismayed by the prevalence of leftism on college campuses and in academic curricula. Though some of his arguments are familiar, and his historical perspective arguably lacks rigor, Flynn will likely find grateful sympathizers.