Why do people find it necessary to defend/excuse/deny US imperialism?

[joshcryer]

42. Not really, it's more that imperialism is used as kind of a "Two Minutes Hate."

An Emmanuel Goldstein, if you will. If commentary cannot be more substantiative than "the US has its own interests at heart and therefore I am against it" then it doesn't merit discussion. Of course the US, and all countries for that matter, has its own interests in mind when it does anything. That is rudimentary civics.

But you point it out that other countries, China, Russia, etc, have their own interests, it somehow takes a backseat to the fact that the US has interests. And the underlying conflict being discussed is basically dismissed or diminished by supposed well-meaning progressives. It doesn't matter if the US's motives aren't altruistic (they never are, ever), it matters what the people involved in the conflict want and what moral and ethical position you will take that recognizes those people.