# America, the good, the bad, etc



## mzsweeett

From reading many threads/posts here, I get the general idea that not many of you like the American way of doing things...Food Industry, Government, Family Values, etc. 

As an American myself, I am confused and concerned here. I personally have no totally formed opinion on any other country or its ways really; other than to say that they are different than mine. I may say that "well, I would not want to live there" due to this or that. But opinions change with knowledge and learning.  It just seems that there are an AWFUL lot of harsh criticizms for the US. 

Is my country so awful?? I have to wonder. Everyone comes here to "have a better life", etc and so on. If we are so bad, then why do so many foreigners come here to live and work?? In many countries, American women are thought of as prostitutes. I was actually asked if _I _was from a foreigner....and *I am married*!!! 

Truly I need some genuine answers from those abroad. I appreciate honesty. I am partial to brutal honesty than sugar-coated half truths. Please enlighten me.

Thank you,

Sweet T.


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## cuchuflete

Sweet T,

The U.S. has great military and economic power, so that the actions of the government of this country affect people living elsewhere.  That's a big piece, I think, of the attention directed at Americans.

Lots of people have trouble distinguishing between American government, and the population, many of whom disagree with their own government.

Try thinking of all Italians as if they were one and the same as Silvio Berlusconi!  That would be absurd and false...yet...many people from other countries think of the average American in terms of their views of the policies of G. Bush.  That's also absurd, but rather common, even in these forums.  

Simplistic thinking is quick and easy, and frequently wrong.

Whenever someone starts a statement to me with, "You Americans...." I interrupt them and ask what that phrase means.  I could say, "You Spaniards who elected Aznar..." or "You Spaniards who elected Zapatero" and both would be meaningless unless I were speaking at a party convention.  

It is difficult, but you can elevate conversations to a meaningful level by demanding more precision.  We recently had some posts discussing the actions and recipes of 
American beverage companies.  The writer extrapolated from this "American industry".  That was a ridiculous assertion.  It lumped Coca Cola together with John Deere and IBM and Fairchild Semiconductor.  

I wouldn't characterize Spanish people by the actions of El Corte Inglés and Repsol, but it's not uncommon for others to make assumptions about Americans based on the business of Coke and Pepsi.  Does Nestlè define the Swiss?  Of course not.

You have an interesting project ahead of you.

Saludos,
Cuchu


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## Artrella

Hi T!!  
I don't think Americans are gringos, or are bad people....  My Dad has been living there for 21 years now,  he is a Spaniard, and now an American.
I think that sometimes we confuse people with their politicians.  Once,  a Southamerican president said that Argentinians were thieves, because some politician did something wrong... but ....all of us???
I know we have MANY MANY thieves here, mostly in the government... and we pay the consequences of that. 
When the Malvinas' war... English people were constantly attacked by some people here.... when the Beagle Channel conflict, Chileans were the worst ones  the world.... NEVER have I thought like that, because that kind of thought corresponds to a narrow minded person... one who does not see things beyond his own nose.  Peoples are not the same as their governments.  We cannot judge a whole people just for the powers.  Sometimes we mix things, economy, politics... when a country and its people is poor, like mine, we tend to blame others for our own situation... but who is "guilty"? ... the citizens living in "that country we blame"? .... No!... they suffer the same things we suffer here...they are just people like me... 
I insist in considering differences, not as something worse or better than something else.... they are just different... People who don't understand this... well... they are the ones who are to blame...
I love meeting people from all over the world, and know about them, their problems, their joys.... and when you talk to them, you understand that they are like you, no more, no less... they are exactly like you... and they live in Filipinas, in Ireland, in England, Spain, Chile.... When YOU KNOW PEOPLE...DEEPLY...LISTENING TO THEM... you realize that all those prejudices, are just that: prejudices.  It takes so little to understand people, 
to get to know them... but if at first you say "you are different, you are worse than me, you have another culture, and we don't like this around"...mmmmhhh!!! ... this is a terrible beginning, you won't ever understand that this person is only different, but human and with the same passions as you have.
I hate being attacked because I'm a "sudaca" because I'm not a "sudaca", I'm a person... and I have two legs, two arms, a heart and a brain, just like everybody else...
If you see American/European movies, you will see that generally the actors who play the role of maids, drug-dealers, are hispanic... and when some character -usually one that is fleeing the country because is a fugitive- where does he go? To South America, the criminal's paradise.
This is so sad!!  We live here, I live here, my kids....
I understand you T.... It would take so little time to reverse this situation....


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## weird

Hola, permíteme que te conteste en español, creo que así seré capaz de expresar mis ideas con más precisión.

Considero que EEUU es el país de las oportunidades. Aunque suene a tópico, la idea del "sueño americano" es envidiable. Os veo como un país "joven", con mucha ilusión. Por algo es la potencia más importante del mundo. (Y todo el mundo os sigue e imita)

Mi opinión acerca del pueblo americano es muy positiva. 

Tengo una "profe" de inglés que es de Arkansas y es una chica encantadora, educada, con una familia muy unida y unos valores éticos admirables. Yo, personalmente la adoro. Me encanta ver sus fotos con sus amigos y que me cuente a qué dedica su tiempo libre.

Acerca de tu frase:  _In many countries, American women are thought of as prostitutes._  ¡¡¡Dios mío, en mi vida he oido nada similar entre las personas que conozco!!!  ¡¡¡No puedo entenderlo, de verdad!!!

Conozco a otra chica americana, casada con un español, que es maravillosa.

Al revés, en España la idea acerca del pueblo americano es más bien que tenéis un carácter afable e infantil (en el buen sentido de la palabra)

Aún no he tenido la oportunidad de ir a tu país, pero me encantaría conocerlo.

Te aseguro que no pretendo "hacerte la pelota", es un sentimiento verdadero.

Sobre política, prefiero no hablar.    

Hay países con DICTADORES, REYES, FASCISTAS, REPUBLICANOS, DEMÓCRATAS, etc. Pero, ¡lo importante son las personas, la cultura, los paisajes, la gastronomia, las costumbres, el folclore! Y estoy segura que no sólo coméis hamburguesas...    

Saludos cordiales.   weird.-


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## beatrizg

Hola Sweet T.!
Como sabes el tema que has planteado es muy complicado y espinoso. 

A nivel personal te quiero asegurar que estoy de acuerdo con lo que han dicho otros foreros respecto a que no se debe poner en un mismo canasto a todos los habitantes de un pais, ni culpar a los ciudadanos por las acciones de su gobierno. 

Es cierto que en muchos paises del mundo (aunque mucho mas en oriente medio que en Lationoamerica) hay un resentimiento hacia la politica internacional de los Estados Unidos. Hay quienes transfieren este sentimiento a cualquier ciudadano de tu pais. Esto para mi es lamentable. 
Al igual que considero lamentable calificar a los colombianos de narcotraficantes o violentos porque hay una minoria que lo es. Desafortunadamente hay gente que juzga a la ligera y de ahi surgen malentendidos.

Yo abogo por tratar de entendernos mejor y luchar contra los prejuicios. 

Un saludo!


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## JLanguage

Any kind soul want to translate those two Spanish posts? I feel like my automatic translator will mangle them.
Thanks,
-Jonathan.


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## Ulisse

Ciao mzsweeet,

Best greetings from the *Old Wise Europe* *!*
( which still likes you don't worry ! )

*First things .. first* 

I am re-quoting myself to put things in the right perspective :

_Here in Italy most of us still like to think of America with gratitude _
_as 'liberators' from the nazis, __my personal idea of the 'good-america' is _
_related __to idealism and selflessness, to the honest, young, open face _
_of John F. Kennedy, the civil rights movements and the idea of a big _
_land of opportunities and not opportunism._


I would like very much to see the US put itself together, build on its 
inner positive forces and be again a beacon of democracy as it was once.

I can also tell the difference between the present US administration 
and the US people, or maybe better, the single individuals... of course !

Did u voted for Mr. G.W.Bush my dear mzsweeet ? 

As for myself I have NOT voted for Mr.Berlusconi !

And most of us in Italy ( even those who voted for him previously ) 
are quite fed up now with this idiot, incompetent
and lunatic _clown_... next presidential election will be 2006 .. 

*Second things .. second*

_There is something terribly wrong in the present condition of US ! _
_In a few decades you have systematically diminished yourself ... _
_taking wrong decisions both on domestic and international issues : _
_see education (very important) but also health care, environment, _
_elderly people, tax and financial policy, foreign policies and so on .._
_and coming to very present days .. how was it possible that you _
_re-elected one who has been labeled as _
_THE WORST US PRESIDENT OF THE WHOLE US HISTORY. _
_Believe me that in EU we are growing more and more concerned about _
_all this._


I would honestly like to have an answer ( or at least an opinion ) from you
about what's going on in the US and why things are going worse and worse !

Best Regards.

P.S.: 

About US women being 'prostitutes' .. never heard that ! For sure not down
here in Italy but I am pretty certain in the whole of EU no-one thinks like
that, don't u worry ! I personally respect and like very much US girls! bye : )


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## Lancel0t

mzsweeett said:
			
		

> Is my country so awful?? I have to wonder. Everyone comes here to "have a better life", etc and so on. If we are so bad, then why do so many foreigners come here to live and work??


 Of course not! For your information, Many Filipinos want to go there because majority knows that America is a country full of opportunity, a place that has a greener pasteur. A place wherein political corruption is minimal - unlike here in the Philippines. (I'm not sure about the last sentence if it is true but that's the information we know)




			
				mzsweeett said:
			
		

> In many countries, American women are thought of as prostitutes.


 Well, not here in the Philippines though the common mentality of the Filipinos towards American women is the fact that they are liberated in many ways (way of living and thinking, decision making, sex, etc.).

I hope this helps you T.


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## jniec

It's not just American's political system that deserves criticism, our people have not been particularly stellar world citizens.

Americans are arrogant, monolingual, and unenlightened

While other countries have embraced a woman as Prime Minister, the metric system, being bilingual, and gays in the military, the U.S. fails to embrace what makes sense to reasonable, thinking people.

We have unilaterally declared ourselves world police.  Yet, our media barely covers world events.

Ask your average Joe what’s the per capita income in any foreign country, particularly a country that exports athletic shoes that sell in the U.S. for $150.  He doesn’t want to know.

There are slogans from Teddy Roosevelt’s day to today’s bumper stickers that demonstrate what we think of the rest of the world:

Walk softly and carry a big stick
God Bless America
We are a shining beacon on a hill

We have a lot of work to do. Our citizens need to explore their heritage. Most of our ancestors came from someplace else speaking languages other than English.  I have 18 cousins.  Only three of us have ever been to Europe, and none to Asia. 
We need to redefine ourselves as “A” leader in the world, not “THE” leader in the world.


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## te gato

Hey MZ;

I agree with Art and everyone...unfortunatly..some people can not and will not look beyond the Government screwups..OF ANY PLACE...to see what the PEOPLE are really like...Their minds are closed as tight as their hearts...

Do I not like you because you are American and because of the American Government....NO..that would be insane...

I judge a person on how they treat me..as a person...cut me I bleed red blood just like you do...hurt me..I cry the same tears as you do...befriend me..and I will offer you all I have...treat me with the respect any HUMAN deserves..and I will be your friend for life...

I don't care what color you are..brown, white, black, pink with purple pokadots...you are a human first..you were made the same way I was...

I don't care what language you speak..we all in our own way are communicating..trying to understand each other...

I don't care how much money you have..things are just things..it is the human contact that matters..in the end..when your life is done..you can't take the things with you... but you will allways have the special people you have met along your travels in your heart...

Does being born and living in different places make us so different..not in my eyes...

I need some chocolate...

te gato


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## jmx

There are some points that I'd like to comment on :

- I think that most people have a tendency to develop a love/hate relationship to anything that is powerful, a man, company, country, whatever. And the USA is a very powerful country indeed, in many ways : military, economic, media, movies, software... So I think that you americans are doomed to hearing radical opinions about your country and people, either good or bad. And having George W. Bush as president certainly won't help, as Cuchuflete has noted.

- About the 'prostitutes' thing, that sounds to me as typical of radical muslims. And not limited to americans, by the way. I hope they are a minority in their own countries.

- About people migrating to the USA, I think poor people will go wherever they expect to earn more money, even if they dislike the country (an example of that is people from Spain migrating to France in the 1950-1960's). If I were in their place, I would do the same; being poor is not easy.


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## Artrella

> In many countries, American women are thought of as prostitutes. I was actually asked if I was from a foreigner....and I am married!!!




Well, T, it seems that men (*some of them of course*)think that women are prostitutes or at least _hot  women_ everywhere.
I was asked by an American citizen, if it was true that we Argentinian women were hot... he said that word has it that we are hot and dishinibited... because we wear thongs to go to the beach...    ..blah yadda (  as my friend would say    ) yadda blah...


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## cuchuflete

Hi Ulisse,

If you would like some company in discussing your points further, I'll be happy to join you in a new thread.  You set the topic, and all are welcome to share their thoughts.  OK?

ciao,
Cuchu

PS- whether GB was *re*-elected or not could also be debated!  The first round may, in the view of millions, have been a *s*election!



			
				Ulisse said:
			
		

> Ciao mzsweeet,
> 
> Best greetings from the *Old Wise Europe* *!*
> ( which still likes you don't worry ! )
> 
> *First things .. first*
> 
> I am re-quoting myself to put things in the right perspective :
> 
> _Here in Italy most of us still like to think of America with gratitude _
> _as 'liberators' from the nazis, __my personal idea of the 'good-america' is _
> _related __to idealism and selflessness, to the honest, young, open face _
> _of John F. Kennedy, the civil rights movements and the idea of a big _
> _land of opportunities and not opportunism._
> 
> 
> I would like very much to see the US put itself together, build on its
> inner positive forces and be again a beacon of democracy as it was once.
> 
> I can also tell the difference between the present US administration
> and the US people, or maybe better, the single individuals... of course !
> 
> Did u voted for Mr. G.W.Bush my dear mzsweeet ?
> 
> As for myself I have NOT voted for Mr.Berlusconi !
> 
> And most of us in Italy ( even those who voted for him previously )
> are quite fed up now with this idiot, incompetent
> and lunatic _clown_... next presidential election will be 2006 ..
> 
> *Second things .. second*
> 
> _There is something terribly wrong in the present condition of US ! _
> _In a few decades you have systematically diminished yourself ... _
> _taking wrong decisions both on domestic and international issues : _
> _see education (very important) but also health care, environment, _
> _elderly people, tax and financial policy, foreign policies and so on .._
> _and coming to very present days .. how was it possible that you _
> _re-elected one who has been labeled as _
> _THE WORST US PRESIDENT OF THE WHOLE US HISTORY. _
> _Believe me that in EU we are growing more and more concerned about _
> _all this._
> 
> 
> I would honestly like to have an answer ( or at least an opinion ) from you
> about what's going on in the US and why things are going worse and worse !
> 
> Best Regards.
> 
> P.S.:
> 
> About US women being 'prostitutes' .. never heard that ! For sure not down
> here in Italy but I am pretty certain in the whole of EU no-one thinks like
> that, don't u worry ! I personally respect and like very much US girls! bye : )


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## ITA

Veo que hay mensajes que hablan por un lado del pueblo,de los ciudadanos de un país y por otro de sus gobernantes (fachos,dictadores,democráticos) como si fueran independientes uno del otro.Ahora yo me pregunto estos gobernantes ¿llegan por arte de magia a gobernar? Vamoooooosssss!!!!!


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## mzsweeett

I am glad to have seen the honest replies here. I did not want to state the nationality of the _people_ who said the statement about american women being _as_ prostitutes. No it was not anyone either South American, Canadian, or Western European. That narrows it down a bit. I do not want to offend any one person here who may be that nationality. I was told that we were such, given our free sexual nature, the fact that many women (me included) often times have children before getting married, we "compete" with men in the workplace, etc and so on. The thing that perplexed me is how we tend to be so looked down on and then you see sooo many people from those same critical countries living here. They dislike America _so _much that they come here, do not even _try_ to learn English, and if they do understand or speak a little they play stupid. Then they are critical yet again...OK so why the heck did you come here? To mock?? It perplexes me so. 
I personally love my country, with all of its faults. I can start a new thread on my political views, but not just yet. Really what I was looking for was some cut-throat honesty about America in general and then in specific on the items I had mentioned.
Spanish natives, please forgive me as my spanish is but preschool level and I need help from a friend to translate it. I cannot reply here to what you stated until she helps me. 
I think America is a land where if you have the determination to succeed, then you can. I was brought up with the phrase "Ignorance is your own damn fault and no excuse for anything." Truly I wish many more moms had this philosophy. 
I shudder at the illiteracy rate here, these poor souls in this generation. Yes, it is laziness that drives this. For that I am ashamed. 
I am eager to see as many more responses as possible.  Thank you for all so far.

Sweet T.


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## cuchuflete

ITA said:
			
		

> Veo que hay mensajes que hablan por un lado del pueblo,de los ciudadanos de un país y por otro de sus gobernantes (fachos,dictadores,democráticos) como si fueran independientes uno del otro.Ahora yo me pregunto estos gobernantes ¿llegan por arte de magia a gobernar? Vamoooooosssss!!!!!



Claro que tienes razón.  A veces llegan por la magia de un porcentaje mínimo de los habitantes..una muy pequeña mayoría digamos...y otras veces llegan como resultado del poder militar, sin que intervengan los habitantes. 

¿hacemos una lista de ejemplos?

cuchu


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## weird

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Claro que tienes razón.  A veces llegan por la magia de un porcentaje mínimo de los habitantes..una muy pequeña mayoría digamos...y otras veces llegan como resultado del poder militar, sin que intervengan los habitantes.
> 
> ¿hacemos una lista de ejemplos?
> 
> cuchu




Desde España, podríamos hablar de los 40 años de sufrimiento de un pueblo oprimido por una dictadura que destrozó nuestra existencia.

Como decía ANTONIO MACHADO:  

españolito que vienes al mundo, 
te guarde Dios,
una de los dos españas
ha de helarte el corazón 

Saludos cordiales.-


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## Phryne

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Claro que tienes razón. A veces llegan por la magia de un porcentaje mínimo de los habitantes..una muy pequeña mayoría digamos...y otras veces llegan como resultado del poder militar, sin que intervengan los habitantes.
> 
> ¿hacemos una lista de ejemplos?
> 
> cuchu


 
That's not the story with my country, Argentina. We had many decades of terrible governments, dictatorial and democratic, one worse than the other and most of the times they were pretty much accepted by the vast majority. You should know that many of those dictatorships were blessed by many. 
Our history tells us that nobody learned from those mistakes. So, I know why ITA said "Vamosssssss..."


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## Phryne

Vamossss = C'mon! - tell the truth - don't be in denial.


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## Ulisse

*For Chuchuflete* 



> Hi Ulisse,
> 
> If you would like some company in discussing your points further, I'll be happy to join you in a new thread. You set the topic, and all are welcome to share their thoughts. OK?


 
I am not sure what do you mean by this ... 

What new thread should I start ??? I'm just trying to express my point exactly as all the others do ..


*For mszweett*

Hi ! I noticed you have a new avatar in 'Artrella style' .. it's nice !

I think that u should give us some more info about the nationalities/ethnic/religious group you are talking about with reference 
to the 'prostitute' thing . 

I think ( if, say , for example you are talking about arabs ) that possibly this phenomenon together with _other elements of culture clash_ may very well converge in one analysis.


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## cuchuflete

Ulisse said:
			
		

> For Chuchuflete
> 
> 
> 
> I am not sure what do you mean by this ...
> 
> What new thread should I start ??? I'm just trying to express my point exactly as all the others do ..



Hola Ulisse,
You had a lot of specific topics in the post I replied to.  I think they merit very serious discussion, and I would like you and me and others to examine them, without derailing the topic of this particular thread.

So, please, open a new thread so we can give those topics the serious attention they deserve.

Cuchu


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## cuchuflete

I'll try to point at a few of the possible points to discuss, from your earlier comments:



> _Here in Italy most of us still like to think of America with gratitude _
> _as 'liberators' from the nazis, __my personal idea of the 'good-america' is _
> _related __to idealism and selflessness, to the honest, young, open face _
> _of John F. Kennedy, the civil rights movements and the idea of a big _
> _land of opportunities and not opportunism.  we could examine whether this is, in fact, a true premise, or if the idealism is really dead, or if it is no more dead then in France--comparing that country in 1968 and today._
> 
> 
> I would like very much to see the US put itself together, build on its
> inner positive forces and be again a beacon of democracy as it was once.
> Half of Americans want things to keep moving to the right, and believe that this is the essence of democracy.  The other half forcefully disagree.  and when the US was a "beacon of democracy" it supported many dictatorships: Chaing Kai Shek, Trujillo, Stroessner, Marcos, Videla...
> 
> I can also tell the difference between the present US administration
> and the US people, or maybe better, the single individuals... of course !
> 
> Did u voted for Mr. G.W.Bush my dear mzsweeet ?
> 
> As for myself I have NOT voted for Mr.Berlusconi !
> 
> And most of us in Italy ( even those who voted for him previously )
> are quite fed up now with this idiot, incompetent
> and lunatic _clown_... next presidential election will be 2006 ..
> 
> *Second things .. second*
> 
> _There is something terribly wrong in the present condition of US ! _
> _In a few decades you have systematically diminished yourself ... _
> _taking wrong decisions both on domestic and international issues : _
> _see education (very important) but also health care, environment, _
> _elderly people, tax and financial policy, foreign policies and so on .._
> _and coming to very present days .. how was it possible that you _
> _re-elected one who has been labeled as _
> _THE WORST US PRESIDENT OF THE WHOLE US HISTORY. _
> _Believe me that in EU we are growing more and more concerned about _
> _all this._
> We could discuss whether US leadership in Yugoslavia was much to little and too late, and why European nations did even less... and so on for each of the policy areas you list.
> Example: VAT as a consumption tax, is more 'regressive' than the US Income tax.
> 
> I would honestly like to have an answer ( or at least an opinion ) from you
> about what's going on in the US and why things are going worse and worse !



Pick three or four or fifteen of these, and let's begin to discuss them.

ciao,
C.


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## timpeac

I think that any anti-American feeling comes from a sense of impotence. What I mean by that is that American actions in business, war, economics, conservation etc have a huge impact on the world as a whole, because the US economy is so large. So when the rest of the world sees things that it doesn't like it has no vote to change what is happening.

In recent times the US has given a big 2 fingered salute (eg f@*+ you) to the general opinion of the rest of the world on many issues. The war in Iraq is of course the obvious one, and others that spring to mind are the refusal to sign up to the Kyoto agreement on global warming and various protectionist trade policies.

I'm not saying the US is alone in doing these things - my country is far from innocent in such things - but the US actions are so far reaching, and as I say, in recent times again and again they have done things that suit the US against general world opinion.

I think the final nail in the coffin was the re-election of good old dubya. He is incredibly hated here in England for example (which is supposedly one of the most pro-US places) and I suppose when people see the American people re-elect him (yes I know you didn't all vote for him, but at the end of the day he's back in the Whitehouse) it underlines the impotence since he is so powerful on a world scale and affects our lives directly, yet we have no input into the process that gives him that power.

So I would say - don't take it personally (only idiots would think that all Americans are pro Bush, McD munching coca-cola drinking war-mongerers), but while the US continues to act as a law unto itself it will not gain popularity in the world, and it is probably this more than anything - in my opinion - that leads people to feel they can freely, and perhaps over-harshly, criticise the US on any old cultural issue.


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## te gato

I guess the only other tidbit of advice I can give...'Look in your own back-yard first'...before you judge people on just where they live....*no* 'Place' is free of sin..

te gato


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## cuchuflete

Hi Tim,

Very well stated.  I agree with the great majority of what you have written.  Re protectionist trade policies...him, which dark cooking implement is naming another by the color they share?

If the US were truly 'protectionist' in its trade policy, why does it have such an enormous and growing current account deficit?

C.



			
				timpeac said:
			
		

> I think that any anti-American feeling comes from a sense of impotence. What I mean by that is that American actions in business, war, economics, conservation etc have a huge impact on the world as a whole, because the US economy is so large. So when the rest of the world sees things that it doesn't like it has no vote to change what is happening.
> 
> In recent times the US has given a big 2 fingered salute (eg f@*+ you) to the general opinion of the rest of the world on many issues. The war in Iraq is of course the obvious one, and others that spring to mind are the refusal to sign up to the Kyoto agreement on global warming and various protectionist trade policies.
> 
> I'm not saying the US is alone in doing these things - my country is far from innocent in such things - but the US actions are so far reaching, and as I say, in recent times again and again they have done things that suit the US against general world opinion.
> 
> I think the final nail in the coffin was the re-election of good old dubya. He is incredibly hated here in England for example (which is supposedly one of the most pro-US places) and I suppose when people see the American people re-elect him (yes I know you didn't all vote for him, but at the end of the day he's back in the Whitehouse) it underlines the impotence since he is so powerful on a world scale and affects our lives directly, yet we have no input into the process that gives him that power.
> 
> So I would say - don't take it personally (only idiots would think that all Americans are pro Bush, McD munching coca-cola drinking war-mongerers), but while the US continues to act as a law unto itself it will not gain popularity in the world, and it is probably this more than anything - in my opinion - that leads people to feel they can freely, and perhaps over-harshly, criticise the US on any old cultural issue.


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## timpeac

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Hi Tim,
> 
> Very well stated. I agree with the great majority of what you have written. Re protectionist trade policies...him, which dark cooking implement is naming another by the color they share?
> 
> If the US were truly 'protectionist' in its trade policy, why does it have such an enormous and growing current account deficit?
> 
> C.


 
Haha. I admit that absolutely Cuchu. 

I know you're just ribbing me, but I would like to make this clear - I _did_ say that my own country was far from innocent. I don't necessarily believe the opinions in my post, I am just trying to explain why there is a growing anti-US feeling in the world because I don't think Sweet is being paranoid I think there really is. When so many big foreign policy errors make a country as unpopular as some of the US's have, it becomes "fair game" to criticise it for everything. Particularly because it _is_ so powerful that any perceived "errors" affect us all. The UK just isn't that powerful on its own. As Ricky Gervais said so well, you run the world now, not us .

It's a real shame, because 10 years ago the US was really popular with younger Europeans (at least the ones I met). I can't see the rest of the world being tolerant of anything that the US does to annoy them as long as Dubbers is in power.


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