The adversarial tone of international vs. domestic manufacturing was probably due to compassion for the "Maddies" of the US. True, there seemed to be no care for the "Maddies" outside of the US giving it an "us vs. them" feel. Not necessarily racist, but overly patriotic perhaps?
If anything this phrase caused me a furrowing of the brow "the Gildemeisters and their ilk".
If anything this phrase caused me a furrowing of the brow "the Gildemeisters and their ilk".