Cloud9 said:People feel Americans live in their own little world within the little world. Which you do. But trying to explain it is just too pathetic. To much an old story.
So, as it always is for all people with Americans, I'll just smile dumbly and say nothing.
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Expando1 said:The US is just barely over 200 years old and in effect still maturing. I see the US as an adolescent in terms of our development as a nation. Like any teenager we make impulsive decisions which are at times damaging to others. Like any teenager, our selfishness and the hurt and angst we cause our "world family" is really out of good intentions and a good heart. We just don't quite yet have the skills and experience to do better; just give us time, guidance, and patience to help us mature. It will happen but like the teenager in your house it may be a turbulent course.
Very astute, "anti-American" just becomes a shorthand banner for not liking what the current administration is doing. At least as far as recent upswing in Anti-American sentiment. There will always be something of an undercurrent among groups of the word population that dislikes the stereotypical ignorant, loud, and obnoxious American, but that is hardly a problem unique to the USA. Frenchmen, Britishers, and the Japanese amongst other have their own detractors. Need I remind anyone of "freedom" fries or "cheese eating surrender monkeys?"alex8 said:Is much of the world really "very anti-American" per se, or is "America" merely used in that formulation as a rather unfortunate shorthand for saying that one is against certain policies and political tendencies espoused by the current regime?
Well, perhaps the Aussies, but I suspect a significant number of Canadians take issue with our southern neighbour. It seems to develop with age, but it's truthfully mostly the pique of an often-ignored and dismissed spouse, whose opinion may be sought for form, but is quietly ignored with a few winks and nudges.lordpendragon said:I know the Canadians and Aussies love everyone.
yorksguyuk said:As some of you know. I was in Crete (which is an Island belonging to Greece) last week and there was loads of anti Amercan slogans all over the place. How can America improve it's worldwide image?
avalonjim said:My father recently returned from spending a whole month abroad at the world cup. He was originally born in Rumania, to a fairly typical Austro-Hungarian family. His family fled to Austria during the war, as German Nationals. After the war, due to his mother being Hungarian, his father being a German, and his birthplace being Rumania, he and his mother became displaced persons, eventually settling in the US in 1951. As a child we lived in Europe during the end of Reagan and beginning of Bush I. There was a RAMPANT dislike of American's, based more so on the dissapproval of our leaders, and the percieved values of the people. (They were after all the ones that elected the said leaders). He could not believe the amount of people that hate George Bush, and with such fervor. Neither myself, nor my father are supporters of the current administration. As Pro-Choice, Pro stem cell research, anti war, pro environment, supporters of an extreme seperation of church and state, yet believers in freedom of religion and the press, pro gay marriage, anti amending the constitution for ANY reason ex republicans. My mother has told off thier European friends as well as our family by reminding them that 49% of the population did not vote for the government currently in power And that we are included in that percentage.
I personally believe that this misunderstanding that all of America is allowing Bush to destroy the world, coupled with our insistence on NOT learning a foreign language, our inability show progress on waste and the environment, our driving need for more More MORE, the overall ignorance of "Joe and Jane Uhmerihkun" to not only our own history and culture prior to about 1950, but our utter lack of regard to other countries cultures, history and values is mainly what is driving Europeans to hate us.
I have personally contemplated moving back to Hungary, or to my fathers village in Austria for many years due to my absolute distaste for the direction that our government has taken our country, but I don't want to give up my rights that I am afforded as an American. I wish that 85% of the American people were more aware of the world, our actions and the repurcussions of said actions and attitudes. I am not attempting to slam anyone, I think that too many of us feel this way but never try and change. i wear my politics on my sleve, as does most of my family. We are not afraid to be the dissenters. I only wish that more of us would start speaking out, and louder. Look at the cross section of Americans that are giving intelligent answers and posing ideas in this thread, multiple ethnicities, all genders, urban and non urban. I wish more non Americans could see this side of us.
sunsetapisto said:I think a better question is - why is america the only country who obeys POW rules and other UN regulations and no one else does yet they all "hate us" and blame us for various world occurances.
transformer_99 said:When you're number 1 in the world for as long as America has been and still is, people take cheap shots at you and Bush doesn't make it any easier. There hasn't been a single nation that has ever been the most powerful on the planet that doesn't have it's share of shame. It's just that it's been so long since anyone else has been at the level America is at, if they were ever that powerful.
Giselle,Gisella said:Is crap from every side pressing the 'commom' people all over the place...![]()
DC_DEEP said:Attacking Hussein before Kim? Where's the logic in that? The deceit is obvious. It is not lost on other countries, and it is not appreciated when we invade, even under false pretenses. Or true pretenses.
yorksguyuk said:As some of you know. I was in Crete (which is an Island belonging to Greece) last week and there was loads of anti Amercan slogans all over the place. How can America improve it's worldwide image????? Do the American people and/or the Leadership not care about the rest of the world.......Unless oil is involved that is!!!! Most members on this site are American, so what do you guys think???? If you are from the rest of the world,reply also.