Poll: What do other country think of america

[Evilpigeon]

"I'd prefer that you'd tone down the overzealous patriotism as a nation. It's not simply people wishing the best for the place in which they reside,"

So, I'm an American, and have lived here all my life, but you think you know what it means and that I don't? cool.

If it were that simple it wouldn't be absolutely everywhere. Also see mortai's post for things I agree with.

You also seem to be totally ignoring the point of my post, I'll quote it for you because you didn't seem get that far in the paragraph.

"it's an ideal quote to represent general over the top US nationalism"

Which it is.

 

[TheVioletBandit]

You guys are the most brazenly patriotic nation I can think of. It's incredibly annoying. Then again I dislike any nationalism. We live in a world where I can chat daily with people living anywhere in the world, for the price of an internet connection. Countries are fast becoming obsolete concepts and everytime I hear "God bless America!" I cringe at the idea that there are still people who sincerely think like that.

Would you rather they say "G-d curse America."?

Yes, the only options are "God Bless America" or "God Curse America". If you're overzealously patriotic.

I don't understand your complaint. Do you not wish the best for your country? It really has little to do with patriotism, and is more just people wishing the best for the place they reside, which seems logical to me.

It's arrogant to call on God to bless your country as if it's special.

It's arrogant to judge, and criticize another culture based on generalizations and stereotypes.

 

[TheVioletBandit]

"I'd prefer that you'd tone down the overzealous patriotism as a nation. It's not simply people wishing the best for the place in which they reside,"

So, I'm an American, and have lived here all my life, but you think you know what it means and that I don't? cool.

If it were that simple it wouldn't be absolutely everywhere. Also see mortai's post for things I agree with.

You also seem to be totally ignoring the point of my post, I'll quote it for you because you didn't seem get that far in the paragraph.

"it's an ideal quote to represent general over the top US nationalism"

Which it is.

Of course it is. What was I thinking. It is the perfect quote, simply perfect. Your really good at this. God save the Queen.

 

[Luke3184]

Well here in Canada we don't really hate Americans, even if we do consider them to be an inferior culture in general.

A lot of us do take issue with America's portrayal of WW2 though, how they ignore every other country's contributions and even take credit for famous battles they didn't win. Also quite rich when you consider most of the world still looks down upon America for joining the war two years late.

Here in the UK we value Canadas contribution to WW2. I'm pretty sure it's taught in high school history classes.

As far as I can tell, it's not that high school history classes here in the US ignore Canada's contributions to WW2; rather the problem is that they just teach so little of the war that the only thing people learn is that the Nazis were involved and that Americans were fighting said Nazis. The rest of the average American's education on WW2 comes from movies and videogames.

I take it you ignore the whole war profiteering aspect of USA and the World Wars then?

OT: Looking at the kind of people Americans let run their country? I'll go for idiots. But then I think that about most people.

No, high schools don't teach that sort of thing. They don't even teach the Russian front.

But on the subject of war profiteering, we didn't start those damn wars, and you guys certainly benefited from our profiteering.

As did the other side, the only reason America entered the war was over the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Also there was a strong support for joining with the Nazis and the government had been considering it, from what I gather.

 

[dyre]

Well here in Canada we don't really hate Americans, even if we do consider them to be an inferior culture in general.

A lot of us do take issue with America's portrayal of WW2 though, how they ignore every other country's contributions and even take credit for famous battles they didn't win. Also quite rich when you consider most of the world still looks down upon America for joining the war two years late.

Here in the UK we value Canadas contribution to WW2. I'm pretty sure it's taught in high school history classes.

As far as I can tell, it's not that high school history classes here in the US ignore Canada's contributions to WW2; rather the problem is that they just teach so little of the war that the only thing people learn is that the Nazis were involved and that Americans were fighting said Nazis. The rest of the average American's education on WW2 comes from movies and videogames.

I take it you ignore the whole war profiteering aspect of USA and the World Wars then?

OT: Looking at the kind of people Americans let run their country? I'll go for idiots. But then I think that about most people.

No, high schools don't teach that sort of thing. They don't even teach the Russian front.

But on the subject of war profiteering, we didn't start those damn wars, and you guys certainly benefited from our profiteering.

As did the other side, the only reason America entered the war was over the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Also there was a strong support for joining with the Nazis and the government had been considering it, from what I gather.

That is incorrect. The part about joining the Nazis, that is. FDR was strongly pro-Allies, and especially pro-Britain, and had been pushing for entrance into the war long before Pearl Harbor (hence those conspiracy theorists who claim that FDR allowed them to bomb us just so we could have an excuse to go to war). The Japanese would not have bombed us if they thought we had a chance of joining their side.

As for the civilian population, there was a strong isolationist movement ("Look what happened when we joined that last European war in 1917. Nothing good came from that, and now they're at it again!") and also a significant anti-Soviet movement ("Yeah, those Nazis are pretty bad, but are we really going to side with the anti-Christian Soviets?"). Thus, it was difficult for the administration to convince the public that we had to go fight the Nazis and Japanese when they were both an ocean away from us. But FDR's government was strongly in the Allies' camp.

You may be confusing some pro-German sympathy during WW1 in the US (before we entered the war) with what you think is widespread pro-Nazi sympathy (which didn't exist). Still, even then it was pretty much decided that if we joined, we would be joining with the British and French.

I'm not aware of any profiteering towards Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan during WW2; in fact the Japanese were pretty miffed at the oil embargoes we enforced on them. There may have been some trade between the US and those nations, possibly much of it from private companies, but I'm not aware of any profiteering (that is, the mass sales of arms and war supplies to take advantage of the war) towards the Axis powers. There could be, but WW2 isn't really my preferred area of study.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

Well most of what we see of you across the pond is:
Terrible american versions of english shows. Eg the Office. Thus we think you collectively must have a terrible sense of humour.
Orange idiots getting attention on TV.
Judge judy and oprah and similar crap.
Deep South preachers and rednecks and similar.
Fat people who can barely drag themselves out of their greasy chairs to clean up their mountainous piles of Mc'Donalds wrappers.
People who can't spell.
Idiots on COD
Idiots with obvious plastic surgery and glowing white teeth. In England getting cosmetic surgery or tooth whitening is a sign of massive vanity. I understand that in America its more of a social symbol but we still judge you for it.

So yeah we pretty much think you must all be shallow morons.

 

[Evilpigeon]

Of course it is. What was I thinking. It is the perfect quote, simply perfect. Your really good at this. God save the Queen.

Now when was the last time you heard any from the Uk actually say God save the queen, outside of the royal wedding?

God bless america comes up in just about every speech to the nation. Do you think british politicians end their speeches with God save the queen? No, we don't. The phrase exists but when was the last time you had English patriotism shoved through the television at you. Now, to be fair you get far less english media than we get american but even proportionally... I can't think of anything apart from the royal wedding and all that did was bring on jokes about how the rest of the world cares more about it than we do

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh that overwhelming majority in the polls, that's exactly what I expected of you guys ^.^ And I have to agree, though not all people in the U.S are idiots, I'm inclined to say that your government are at least full of some of the biggest corrupt fucktards I've seen on this side of the hemisphere. And the number of voters seem to agree with me.

Sorry guys. You're innovative at times and have many moments of glory, but seriously... Get it together.

Captcha: Hot-blooded. Maaaaaaaaybe sometimes...

 

[RatRace123]

As an American I have to say, that I think we're OK.
We're just regular people like any others, and we have our fair share of idiots who say stupid things but so does every corner of the world. Idiots are global, though unfortunately in our case they often get into politics.

But us average citizens don't represent our government, which I personally think needs a good restructuring kick in the ass and a full cleaning session. But most of us don't think we're better than anyone else, and most of us have no interest in trying to dominate everyone else or force our culture upon anyone or that sort of thing.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Well, being Canadian and from Quebec, my society is basically America with a greater emphasis on multiculturalism, a slightly less pronounced obesity problem and a healthcare system that used to be decent and perfectly functional up until the aging baby-boomers started cramming up our retirement homes.

The usual running gags are to say that Canada is basically Communist America, and that Quebec is a friendly and non-stuck-up Negaverse twin of France. Personally, I couldn't possibly care. Some of my friends are American and apart from some of *their* dietary habits, there isn't much I disapprove of.

But honestly, I'd like this one to be explained to me, some day...

WHAT THE HELL IS IT WITH AMERICANS PUTTING BACON ON EVERYTHING?!

 

[Hazy992]

Eh, Americans are alright for the most part, but there's some aspects of American culture and the way things operate that just doesn't sit right with me. Also, you guys can't spell for shit

 

[TheVioletBandit]

Of course it is. What was I thinking. It is the perfect quote, simply perfect. Your really good at this. God save the Queen.

Now when was the last time you heard any from the Uk actually say God save the queen, outside of the royal wedding?

God bless america comes up in just about every speech to the nation. Do you think british politicians end their speeches with God save the queen? No, we don't. The phrase exists but when was the last time you had English patriotism shoved through the television at you. Now, to be fair you get far less english media than we get american but even proportionally... I can't think of anything apart from the royal wedding and all that did was bring on jokes about how the rest of the world cares more about it than we do

Whether it's still in use or not is irrelevant, your being overly judgmental about something your own country has done. And no one forces you to watch anything that comes from America. If you don't like it turn the fucking channel.

 

[Evilpigeon]

Whether it's still in use or not is irrelevant, your being overly judgmental about something your own country has done. And no one forces you to watch anything that comes from America. If you don't like it turn the fucking channel.

Did you miss what the original question of the thread was? Go have a look at the title, realise that you have not been able to refute my claim except to tell me that it's a claim I can't make because my country was similar over 50 years when we still had an empire. I like many american shows you guys being overly patriotic is annoying but it's not a big deal, the big deal is that scarily stupid people get into office in your country because they get to play on this and on religion and on family values and all the other shit that gets invoked to get stupid, low income people to vote against their interests and go republican. The most powerful country in the world should never be run by these idiots...

 

[TheVioletBandit]

Whether it's still in use or not is irrelevant, your being overly judgmental about something your own country has done. And no one forces you to watch anything that comes from America. If you don't like it turn the fucking channel.

Did you miss what the original question of the thread was? Go have a look at the title, realise that you have not been able to refute my claim except to tell me that it's a claim I can't make because my country was similar over 50 years when we still had an empire. I like many american shows you guys being overly patriotic is annoying but it's not a big deal, the big deal is that scarily stupid people get into office in your country because they get to play on this and on religion and on family values and all the other shit that gets invoked to get stupid, low income people to vote against their interests and go republican. The most powerful country in the world should never be run by these idiots...

I didn't actually read anything you wrote, but I am going to put you on my to ignore list. Don't get me wrong you've been hilarious, I just think it's for the best. Actually, I may just start avoiding this bigoted site altogether, because I as an American I no longer feel welcome here.

 

[aprildog18]

Well here in Canada we don't really hate Americans, even if we do consider them to be an inferior culture in general.

A lot of us do take issue with America's portrayal of WW2 though, how they ignore every other country's contributions and even take credit for famous battles they didn't win. Also quite rich when you consider most of the world still looks down upon America for joining the war two years late.

Here in the UK we value Canadas contribution to WW2. I'm pretty sure it's taught in high school history classes.

As far as I can tell, it's not that high school history classes here in the US ignore Canada's contributions to WW2; rather the problem is that they just teach so little of the war that the only thing people learn is that the Nazis were involved and that Americans were fighting said Nazis. The rest of the average American's education on WW2 comes from movies and videogames.

Yup. AP tests do not test about what happened during the war but instead the result of the war. Collegeboard said something about trying not to glorify war and something something, so teachers/historians don't really talk/write about the battles.

 

[Danzavare]

- I'm convinced that the vast majority of you are criminals.

The vast majority of 310 million+ people are criminals? Ok.

It's a big country. <.<

Edit: More seriously, a lot of what we see of your country has to do with criminal cases or some type of extremist. (Or da homies in da ghetto) The exaggeration is intentional because most of what my country sees is a caricature of America. Another side of it is that I did spend time in Houston so my personal experience of America is really coloured by that specific place. I live in a dangerous area here but it pales in comparison to what I saw there.

"What do other countries think of America" The truth of the matter is, as far as I can tell, that it's not a very popular place. A lot of the reasons why don't extend to a lot of Americans, but they're not so detached from reality that they can be completely dismissed.

In all fairness, I could probably do a list for my country too if I had to.

 

[Bat Vader]

America is the worst, first world, country in the world. Overly religious, overly patriotic, retarded use of guns and backward health care. Worst of all is that Bill O'Reilly, someone who wouldn't be allowed on television in other countries for being a dick, is succesful and highly watched.

Fox News in general is just plan terrible. I don't even acknowledge it as real news source. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is very good.

 

[Luke3184]

That is incorrect. The part about joining the Nazis, that is. FDR was strongly pro-Allies, and especially pro-Britain, and had been pushing for entrance into the war long before Pearl Harbor (hence those conspiracy theorists who claim that FDR allowed them to bomb us just so we could have an excuse to go to war). The Japanese would not have bombed us if they thought we had a chance of joining their side.

As for the civilian population, there was a strong isolationist movement ("Look what happened when we joined that last European war in 1917. Nothing good came from that, and now they're at it again!") and also a significant anti-Soviet movement ("Yeah, those Nazis are pretty bad, but are we really going to side with the anti-Christian Soviets?"). Thus, it was difficult for the administration to convince the public that we had to go fight the Nazis and Japanese when they were both an ocean away from us. But FDR's government was strongly in the Allies' camp.

You may be confusing some pro-German sympathy during WW1 in the US (before we entered the war) with what you think is widespread pro-Nazi sympathy (which didn't exist). Still, even then it was pretty much decided that if we joined, we would be joining with the British and French.

I'm not aware of any profiteering towards Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan during WW2; in fact the Japanese were pretty miffed at the oil embargoes we enforced on them. There may have been some trade between the US and those nations, possibly much of it from private companies, but I'm not aware of any profiteering (that is, the mass sales of arms and war supplies to take advantage of the war) towards the Axis powers. There could be, but WW2 isn't really my preferred area of study.

My apologies, I spoke too soon and too broadly. There were elements within the American government that supported the Nazi ideology, especially among the Southern states where the attitude to Jews was much the same as it was to African Americans. As for America and war profiteering in world war 2 I suggest you check out this book 'Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler', it will explain it a lot better than I could. But thank you for the civil and educated response, it always warms my heart cockles to see reasonable and intelligent people on the Internet.