I will attempt to explain the phrase; “The American temptation is to believe that foreign policy is a subdivision of psychiatry.” Henry Kissinger quotes (American Political scientist. b.1923). Sadly, it is only my opinion and I must remind you that I am not a politician.

I believe that Mr. Kissinger was implying a common attitude among American citizens, and elected leaders, that assumes relationships with other countries require an understanding of Psychiatry which is a branch of medicine that studies and attempts to treat disorders of the mind (mental illness). The implication is that Americans see all foreign countries and people groups as needing analysis and treatment for their perceived disorders.

While I don’t believe that his assessment applies to all Americans, certainly not those who have travelled and met the people of other countries and traditions, I do understand His frustration. As a political scientist he is understands that foreign policy has more to do with building social structures and developing processes between differing groups of people or nations. An attitude which assumes “disorders” is a very detrimental to strong and lasting relationships. How can I build a trusting relationship with those I think are not normal?

I believe that this analogy might help. I understand that men in China see women in very different ways. When a man is pursuing a wife, he sees her beauty and desires her company and affection. Once a man has a wife, he sees her value for service and support. He sees her differently even though she is the same woman. She has not changed. Please forgive me if I am wrong, but if I am right wouldn’t be better to treat all women with respect? I believe that I should treat my wife better than all other people in my life. We will soon celebrate 33 years of marriage and we are both happy because we value each other.

So, Mr. Kissinger sees the relationships between countries in much the same way. If Americans will value other nations and peoples as much as they value themselves, they could develop and maintain stronger and longer lasting relationships with them.

Now I will add another opinion regarding the statement. The very term “foreign policy” is becoming very outdated in our language. The word “foreign” has begun to have a negative connotation. Who would want a “foreign” object in their head? Not me! It seems to magnify the differences. Another term that is similar is “alien” which can refer to creatures from other worlds or people from other countries. Not a nice group to be in, right? In much the same way the word “foreign” puts other people or nations in the same group as little green men from outer space! [No offence is intended for any little green.] I thing a better term would be “world policy.” That phrase seems to give us all equal status since we are all part of the world.

I hope I helped you. It is good to “hear” from you. I love the World Wide Web!

Stay tuned!

Take care,

Grady

I came cross a sentence from a website last week and I don’t understand, could you do me a favour, Grady?
“The American temptation is to believe that foreign policy is a subdivision of psychiatry.” Henry Kissinger quotes (American Political scientist. b.1923)

Thanks a million!

Best Regards

Grady

I believe your sense of humor—I can read it from your posts in your blog— adds color to your life and everyone around you. I have to give you a warning: Humor may be hazardous to illnesses and pressure.

Xiexie!

Jerry

I believe that Roosevelt was using the term to identify a great margin as in the phrase “far and away the greatest margin of victory.” It is possible today that the English meaning is changing. Roosevelt spoke those words decades ago. Although I am not old enough to remember that time, I do understand the term to mean a great margin or difference. For me the term does not invoke either a positive or negative connotation. The term is neutral. The use of the term would give it connotation. “He was, far and away, the best horse in the race” would be a positive statement. “It was, far and away, the worst night of my life” would be a negative connotation.

I would have to accept that your students might see this in a negative connotation due to some shared history or experience. They could have something of a colloquial or metaphorical understanding of the term. In America, for my generation, if something is bad then it possesses undesirable qualities. For younger generations, bad has taken a more metaphorical meaning giving it desirable qualities. When I say, “He was a bad musician” I mean that in the most negative way. Younger generations here could say make the same statement to mean that he is really a great musician. The listener must be able to discern the intent. That is the dilemma we face when we use metaphorical or colloquial terms. While they can be used to give great emphasis they can also be easily misunderstood.

Thankfully, not all words and phrases in English have such a variety of uses. It would be interesting to discover why your students sense the negative connotation.

I actually visited Wuhan and Beijing a few years ago with a church construction team. We built pews for a church in Wuhan. It was a great experience. I would have to say that it was “far and away” the greatest journey of my life and I mean that in the most positive way. (I couldn’t avoid the humor.) Seriously, I found the Chinese people to be friendly and receptive. I truly enjoyed the experience. Give my best regards to your students.

One of the most difficult barriers for me in China was the language barrier. Thankfully, I had plenty of folks around to help me communicate. While I do not remember very much of the Mandarin dialect, I can say to you for your kind statements and for your dedication to your profession and to your students for their interests in the English language –

Xiexie!

Grady Russell

I love my work very much! I was born in China and I am teaching English in China now. I began to read your blog weeks ago. Your life and words are fascinating and breathtaking. You see, if you take pains and learn in order to get a reward, the work will seem hard; but when you work… if you love your work, you will find your reward in that.

By the way, I have a question to ask:
how to understand “far and away” in the following sentence?
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
Most of my students think that “far and away” has some negative meanings, as in “far away from”, for example, “the best way to get far away from pressure in life is…”

Thanks a million!