Dirty Hipsters said:
Oh, you don't like America? Get in line, most of the world hates us, and we give zero fucks. We can't hear your butt hurt over the sound of our buying power and economic influence.
Hey, how's that housing crisis and economic recession you guys are responsible for?
OT: BTW OP, I think "The Right to Never Have to Grow Up" is probably somewhere in the American Constitution, since that seems to be the end-all and be all excuse that half their government makes when their obnoxious behavior is put on the world stage. "Blah blah blah Constitution!"
Now, to be fair, America is a diverse country. It's just that we never hear from the rational Americans because, like rational people, they're not up on the world stage pretending they rule the world. No, what us International people (and I apply that term very loosely since I'm Canadian) see of American Culture is simply one (albeit a monolithic one, but still only one) portion of their culture.
The overly patriotic, Christian Right Wing Republican crusaders who demand a moral standard that other MDC nations have delcared deplorable and scream out paranoid delusions that Gun Control will lead them straight into a dictatorship and that Free Speech applies to everything (except Natives, Muslims, gay people and women).
The only objective thing you could say about American Culture is that it's schitzophrenic. Every time you turn around, the nation's attitude changes. This is both a result of cultural perception and media coverage, but also the bizzare, convoluted manner with which they do politics. For example, it's possible in the US to have a Democrat president yet the entire Congress be Republican, whereas here in the Great White North such a thing is impossible.
The US is also split into multiple different cultural territories that constantly conflict with eachother. That and the fact that us in other countries see only what we want to see. And I can understand that. It's not very fun to watch a progressive guy in California being a decent person. But do you know what is fun? Watching some delusional jackass in the Bible Belt screaming to an audience that his imaginary friend told him to set his neighbour on fire.
It's more fun to watch Alex Jones or Glenn Beck shout out paranoid delusions that they need assault rifles in case the government comes a knocking than it is to watch Barack Obama give a reasonable speech. When they elect Jon Stewart President, then we'll get somewhere in that regard.
And all countries have this. Canada has a stereotype of touques and Tim Horton's. Japan has a stereotype of Tentacle Sex and crappy animation. Britain has a reputation for Harry Potter and Pip Pip Cheerio. Ireland is full of drunks. Scotland is full of skirts and bagpipes. China is nothing but rice and commiunism. France are cowards. Mexico Ci Senior! And these stereotypes wouldn't exist if we didn't adhere to them.
And that's okay. That's great in fact. It's GOOD that we mock one another and take it in return. It's GOOD that we have these stereotypes to knock us down a peg. Because if we didn't have the overblown stereotypes to playfully (or sometimes not so playfully) mock eachother with, this world would be a boring BORING place.
