On Wednesday's New Day show, viewers were treated to a dose of America-bashing as CNN counterterrorism analyst Phil Mudd derided the country as the "United States of Arrogance" while complaining that the U.S. will not imitate other countries on issues like gun control and health care.
During a discussion of the mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, co-host John Berman read a quote of family members of the gunman recalling that they had observed him exhibiting mental problems for years.
Mudd began his reaction by arguing that it is unrealistic for law enforcement to investigate everyone with a mental illness:
Well, I have two views. The first is, be careful. Do we want people who are friends or family calling federal authorities or state authorities and saying, "My friend or family member shouldn't have a weapon." How are you supposed to investigate this at the state and local or federal level? Well, that's, you know, there's 330 million people.
Without giving specifics, although he presumably was referring to the existence of more gun control in other countries, he then added:
I think people who say that are saying things that are appropriate, but there's a simpler answer. Look, this will offend you, but I'm an American, I'm a proud American, but we live in the "United States of Arrogance." If you look at educational standards in this country, they are mediocre because we cannot look to Asia and Europe and say, "Somebody has a better way."
Mudd seemed oblivious to studies finding that the U.S., on a per capita basis, has less of a problem with mass shootings than other countries while the media tends to ignore mass shootings when they occur in other countries.
He then complained that the U.S. does not imitate Europe and Asia on other issues, including health care, presumably referring to government-run health systems:
If you look at access to health care in this country, we're mediocre because we cannot look to Asia and Europe and say, "Other people have better access -- we should learn." If you look at violent crime and suicide by weapon, and you look at Asia and Europe, we simply look at Americans and say we're exceptional. We cannot look at other countries and say we can learn.
It was not mentioned that the U.S. has been one of the top three countries in distributing the new anti-COVID vaccines.
The CNN analyst concluded by reiterating his charge that America's "arrogance" is keeping the country from solving problems: "This country has a problem with arrogance, John, and you're seeing it in spades when we're dealing with these violent crimes."
This America-bashing episode of CNN's New Day was sponsored in part by Dove. Their contact information is linked. Let them know how you feel about CNN promoting such misinformation that short-changes the country.
CNN
New Day
March 24, 2021
7:21 a.m. Eastern
JOHN BERMAN: You keep talking about mental health, Phil, here, and I want to read you what the brother of the suspect told CNN. "He always felt someone was behind him -- someone was chasing him. We kept a close eye on him when he was in high school. He would say, 'Someone is chasing me -- someone is investigating me.' And we're like, 'Come on, man, there's nothing.' He was just closing into himself."
So if you hear that and you're investigating this, what do you think? What do you do?
PHIL MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM: Well, I have two views. The first is, be careful. Do we want people who are friends or family calling federal authorities or state authorities and saying, "My friend or family member shouldn't have a weapon." How are you supposed to investigate this at the state and local or federal level? Well, that's, you know, there's 330 million people.
I think people who say that are saying things that are appropriate, but there's a simpler answer.
Look, this will offend you, but I'm an American, I'm a proud American, but we live in the "United States of Arrogance." If you look at educational standards in this country, they are mediocre because we cannot look to Asia and Europe and say, "Somebody has a better way."
If you look at access to health care in this country, we're mediocre because we cannot look to Asia and Europe and say, "Other people have better access -- we should learn." If you look at violent crime and suicide by weapon, and you look at Asia and Europe, we simply look at Americans and say we're exceptional. We cannot look at other countries and say we can learn.
This country has a problem with arrogance, John, and you're seeing it in spades when we're dealing with these violent crimes.
