Poll: What do other country think of america

[katsumoto03]

I'm Canadian and while our countries are quite similar (especially while Harper is in control), some of the shit you guys like to pull is fucking disgusting. (Lookin' at you, Republicans.)

 

[Thaluikhain]

Eh, no point hating the US, lots of it seems to do that much better than anyone else could already.

Seems very strange that people can be extremely proud of their country, while hating so much of it at the same time.

 

[unoleian]

America is the combination of South America and North America. I think it's funny that citizens of USA seem to believe their country spans two continents. I understand that this is just a colloquialism, and no one really believes it, but if a brit started talking about Europe being occupied solely by other brits people would look at him as if he was an imbecile

Should I start at the top?

Canadian, Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran, El Salvadorian, Nicaraguan, Costa Rican, Panamanian, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Brazilian, Bolivian...

I could go on, but that's not the point. Keep on going, and it becomes patently clear that every single country in the western hemisphere has perfectly fine national identities that are perfectly understood and used regularly and without hesitation throughout the continents, in their various languages and dialects. Whenever anyone, anywhere, at any time, in any place, refers to "American," it's pretty fucking obvious what they mean, and they know they know what they mean, and that's just the way it is. I can't say I've ever met anyone of any nationality who did not, of their own accord, refer to people of The United States of America (what a mouthful) as anything other than "Americans."

It shows as much insensitivity to the cultural climate on this side of the world that people are all too ready to accuse people over here for of having for the other. Granted, I'm making an assumption, there, but I've never met a Chilean ready to defend his right to be called an American, I've never heard a Canadian do the same, and so on. I don't deign to speak for others, but do feel comfortable stating that I'm making a pretty safe assumption this is a universal idea across most all (if not simply all) countries.

It's not so much as the people of The United States of America took ownership of the term "American," as it was both handed to us and naturally developed over time. Arrogance? No.

Go ahead. Change the world. I've never seen a Mexican get huffy when the French stereotype uttered, "Bah, zose Stupeed Americans!"

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

I think it's funny when the naive nationalists hate on other countries than theirs. I've been around the world, and while I favor my home of South Africa, I love America.

People are the same.

 

[Dense_Electric]

America is the combination of South America and North America. I think it's funny that citizens of USA seem to believe their country spans two continents.

Oh good lord, didn't we already have this conversation? "America," referring to the United States of America, is simply shorthand. Much as the People's Republic of China is just "China," or the Russian Federation is just "Russia." I don't know what you've been told, but I assure you that when we refer to ourselves as "Americans," it's not because we think we're superior to everyone else in North and South America (and for the record, there is no one continent called "America," since you're going to make such a big deal over semantics).

Oh, and by the way, did you know that the Commonwealth of Australia is not the only country on the Australian continent? Papua New Guinea and part of Indonesia also lie on the Australian continent. Does it irritate you when people from the Commonwealth of Australia refer to themselves as "Australians?"

EDIT: Since you mention it...

'The States' is a shortened version of the United States of America, also USA.

"The States?" Is that the United Mexican States? Or any one of about a dozen historical "United States" (such as the United States of Columbia, the United States of Belgium, etc.)

 

[revjor]

Thing you gotta remember about politics in the U.S. is that in a presidential election year we usually get about 55% turnout. Non presidential year is far below that. Not nearly enough people care enough to make U.S. politics sensible. It's why politicians get away with so much. Enough of us just don't give a fuck. We're barely taxed and the decisions they make usually get repealed soon enough anyways. You just don't have to care if you don't want to. You don't have to want to make the world a better place.

Thing about us you also remember is that much like a Scot is not a Welshman... A Californian is not a Nebraskan is not a Vermonter is not a Floridian. Hell, Nor Cal is not So Cal. We have a state that is majority Asian. We have a state that is majority Hispanic. We may have a state that is majority bovine. There are identities and cultures that are so drastically different it'd spin your head. If you say, "I've been to America and they are like this..." Wrong. You've been to Trenton, New Jersey and it's nothing like Santa Fe, New Mexico.

I love being American becuase it's so absurd living here. Nothing ever makes sense but it keeps on tickin.

 

[Robert Ewing]

You have no idea how bad America's reputation is in Britain. We see them as fat, arrogant, warmongering, overly-patriotic, redneck world police. Which is quite ironic when you realize it's British people saying all that shit, but oh well, water under the bridge, the sun has set on our empirish oppressive ways, and now it's America's turn to take all the abuse! And as I make a habit of going to other countries, and me being white, people often mistake me for being American (for some reason.)

So here is a run down of all the impressions I got about America from different countries that happened to mention it.

South Korea - Really not good.

Japan - America is a terrible place

Vietnam - America is a terrible place

Brazil - America is quite bad

France - America is okay sometimes

Germany - America is okay sometimes

Russia - Oh... god...

Israel - Aren't we America? Oh, we're not?

Syria - Down with democracy in general!

China - Don't... Even... Fucking... Go there. Serious malice against Americans there.

Really, I've been to a lot of countries, and I can tell you that popular opinion really isn't too hot. The public just plain don't really like Americans.

It's not so much that America is bad at being a country, it's the richest for a reason and most influential at the moment, it's just the bad eggs spoil the bunch, and there are quadrillions of bad eggs in America, and the entire world see's them quite clearly... As America is so quick to flash it's slightly obese and arrogant, high military spending, aluminum dong all over the world stage, without shame, and remaining in complete bliss about what the world thinks of them, and basic sums.

I think a quote I heard once sums it up somewhat. "America is terrible at everything, it's education system is worse than Syria's, health system is a hilarious mess, social system is awash with hatred and discrimination, it's history is as poor as the culture it's churned out, and the only thing worse than the obesity rate in the greatest country in the world, is the American guidance systems. But somehow they managed to take all those qualities that usually define third world countries, and make it work. They overcame the most powerful superpower in the world, and took it's place"

 

[Robert Ewing]

America is the combination of South America and North America. I think it's funny that citizens of USA seem to believe their country spans two continents.

Oh good lord, didn't we already have this conversation? "America," referring to the United States of America, is simply shorthand. Much as the People's Republic of China is just "China," or the Russian Federation is just "Russia." I don't know what you've been told, but I assure you that when we refer to ourselves as "Americans," it's not because we think we're superior to everyone else in North and South America (and for the record, there is no one continent called "America," since you're going to make such a big deal over semantics).

Oh, and by the way, did you know that the Commonwealth of Australia is not the only country on the Australian continent? Papua New Guinea and part of Indonesia also lie on the Australian continent. Does it irritate you when people from the Commonwealth of Australia refer to themselves as "Australians?"

EDIT: Since you mention it...

'The States' is a shortened version of the United States of America, also USA.

"The States?" Is that the United Mexican States? Or any one of about a dozen historical "United States" (such as the United States of Columbia, the United States of Belgium, etc.)

Not forgetting that the U.S.A is composed of 46 states, and 4 commonwealths. So referring to it as the states would leave 4 quite large chucks of it out.

 

[dyre]

China - Don't... Even... Fucking... Go there. Serious malice against Americans there.

Really? I've been to China three times, and from my impression of people there, most people dislike their own government more than they dislike the American government (despite newspaper rhetoric and the government-employed forum users), and think that the US is generally alright, if a bit full of itself.

 

[TaintedSaint]

I'm from the USA and I love my county. But sadly out government no longer fights for us its all about big mega corporations, oh and not to mention my congress now trying to take our rights away. I am getting the hell out of here as soon as I can. I have always loved British culture so I'm heading there, Not to mention I'm directly related to the York's from the war of the roses, so finding out more about my family history is important to me.


Time to get off the sinking ship

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

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

And why is that exactly?

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.

Even more hilarious because historically the British commander Montgomery was the one disliked for hogging the spotlight. Also speaking as someone who just passed through the rectum of public education (lol) every combatant in the war was mentioned. Even the extremely small amount of non german/italian/japanese axis forces. We only take the spotlight for the pacific theater; Where it was around 95% U.S. 3% Austrailian 2% British with scant forces from France and the Dutch.

We tended to focus on America's contributions, but we're in America. Did you learn more about George Patton or Henry Crerar? Yes I do know who that was.

About joing the war late... Well at that point we wanted to stay the hell out of everyone's business. (Hilariously large amount of irony)

 

[Pegghead]

You're alright in my eyes. I think the problem with a lot of this perceived hatred is that people take something like your government or aspects of your culture and use it judge you entirely, which is just stupid (like how everything about my country of Australia is dropped in favour of upholding the stereotype that our wildlife wants you dead). I can no less judge America than I can collectively judge a race.

Besides, most of the criticism I see regarding the US comes from proud Americans, which brings to mind this quote I've never forgotten from James Arthur Baldwin.

 

[Whitewillow]

My biggest problem is the American (and this is a generalisation) assumption that their way of life is the best and everyone else should have the same economic system, governance system, cultural content, and cultural values as America.

However, I deeply admire the vision and principals that the nation was founded on. The world could be revolutionised if any country, especially the United States, had the guts to actually try it.

 

[krection]

I'm from the U.S. and I don't mind how everyone thinks that we're just a bunch of redneck idiots. Since I live in the U.S. I know that only MOST of us are redneck retards. Truth be told, I'd rather be Irish but I'm proud to be who I am. I don't really hate other countries but I do hate people who hate us without reason. I know a few British people who stayed in the U.S. and they thought that it was a pretty decent place. Although I do hate most people here for giving us a bad name. So if you stay here, try to stay as far away from the inner states as you possibly can. That is where the stereotypes come to life.

 

[BNguyen]

While I admit that there are plenty of faults with this country that need to be fixed, I don't hate this country because of my freedoms and hos hard my father worked to come here and start a family. What I don't get is why other countries turn down their noses at this place and mostly look the other way at their own country's faults. Americans are not the worst people in the world, history has proved time and again that people everywhere are capable of truly terrible things, heck, the U.S. wasn't even the biggest slave holder, the Arabs had control over that before the Europeans stepped in and turned it into a business.
Political backstabbing and poor leadership - Nazi Germany and Stalin's Russia anybody?
While we're at it, even parts of India undertake child marriage and parts of Africa are more war torn than any other place on the planet. - I understand this is all common knowledge by now.
The point is, the people of the world need to fix their own mistakes and that of their country's before they can point fingers.

 

[rissr]

when i was younger an old cow used to come to England and rent the house next to my grandparents, I hated her and I think that i just got the impression that most Americans are fat, homophobic, morons but I learned that was just a minority.

 

[El Dwarfio]

Charge em to be born, charge em for their education, charge em to fill out tax forms, charge them the actual taxes, charge them for the license needed to get a gun license, charge em for the gun license, charge em for the gun, charge em when they shoot each other, charge em to get their bullet holes patched up, charge em for dying.

I'm sure it's a good system.

OT: In all seriousness I love americans and the physical country itself, but like many countries an awful lot of things are fucked up.

 

[Luca72]

Sounds like a lot of people are generally okay with individual US Americans, but skeptical of their government. Which is cool, because that seems how most of us feel in the US.

I honestly see my country as a ticking time bomb. It started with some beautiful ideas, and as is usually the case in history, power got accumulated by a small few. Now we have a country politically split over the direction we should be moving in (but that seems to be careening toward the same destination regardless) and completely inept politicians who can't or won't do anything to correct it.

I've got a question for the rest of you though. Are you aware of how much religion rules our politics? From what I understand, in most first world countries religion isn't a factor. How odd does that seem to you that in the US we still have arguments about God in the political theater?

 

[DirtyJunkieScum]

I've got a question for the rest of you though. Are you aware of how much religion rules our politics? From what I understand, in most first world countries religion isn't a factor. How odd does that seem to you that in the US we still have arguments about God in the political theater?

I've heard it is a big factor but have no idea what it is actually like. It doesn't seem "odd" exactly, I understand that people who are religious are going to do what they believe their religion calls for. For me it's just a case of "glad that doesn't happen over here".

UK is the opposite. For example the Labour party basically hid the fact that Tony Blair was a Christian as it was shown that the public didn't see that as a good thing, "we don't do god" as Alistair Campbell once said. It was only in his second term when he started getting unpopular that the fact that he was religious became widely known, the UK and most of Europe are very secular although the church does have some power in the House of Lords and Italy. Also on a related note he converted to Catholicism after he left office as it is still illegal for a Catholic to hold the position of PM.

 

[RedDeadFred]

I wouldn't say you are all idiots, just the South and some of the North.

There are of course exceptions to everyone in the South being dumb but well... ya.