i think en mass you are a bunch or fucktards; and i readily admit that may be biased due to your *ahem* news & media. singular or in small groups, you are quite pleasant and engaging... at least the ones that i interact are.
Non-Americans: How do you view us?
- Thread starter retyopy
- Start date
I really don't like the "British" people who fill the Escapist! to be honest, mainly because they mirror the own stupidity they claim to see see in America over the internet. They're loud, annoying dickbags who worship a boring sport and drink pansy tea....BUT in person I'm sure most Europeans would be just fine.
For instance, I think most British Internet posters are snobbish pricks with their nose held up higher than the clouds, but in this thread I see people actually calling Americans arrogant...does it mean that maybe, just maybe, all we have are stupid misconceptions of each others nations just because of a few shitheads in the media? Maybe neither nation's popualtions are as bad as they seem?
--Also, just something to nibble on, America is much bigger than Britain. That equals more idiots to advertise America's apparent stupidity.
For instance, I think most British Internet posters are snobbish pricks with their nose held up higher than the clouds, but in this thread I see people actually calling Americans arrogant...does it mean that maybe, just maybe, all we have are stupid misconceptions of each others nations just because of a few shitheads in the media? Maybe neither nation's popualtions are as bad as they seem?
--Also, just something to nibble on, America is much bigger than Britain. That equals more idiots to advertise America's apparent stupidity.
A little late on the reply here but as a matter of fact quite of few of them actually did, yes. One in particular took great pride in disparaging any other country besides his own.chstens said:
The point is that bravado, regardless of whatever completely insular belief or worldview you have about it, is not exclusive to any one nation or people. I can't judge based on your personal experiences, mind you. But my own have shown this to be true.
Any mindset which doesn't look at individuals as individuals is a mindset which should be reexamined, regardless of who holds it. Look at some of the comments in this thread that are going back and forth. Many of them say "You did X.." or "You did Y..."; some even say "We did.."
There's something off in that, for numerous reasons. And there's something of a large irony and hypocrisy at play in decrying arrogance while being equally arrogant as well. But somehow, this is mostly lost in the exchange. And everyone's doing it right now. Which is almost funny in a twisted sort of way.
Think about it: by virtue of where certain individuals live, plenty of people in this thread are willing to assume all sort of "facts" about them. Oh, you're American? Well, you must be fat and stupid. Oh? You're British? Well, you must be boorish and ugly. Oh, you're such and such...?
You get the point. It is disheartening, really, to see such a large, globally diverse display of insipid thinking.
I'm Australian and I have a fairly negative view of Americans. I absolutely DESPISE American-English, it is not a form of English and should be banned. Screw "Mom", it's "Mum", idiots. I'm also a firm Democrat, and I despise the Republican-Christian fanatics like Westboro Baptist Church. I am however fine with the individual people are rather fine. I hate the food as well, it isn't real and if you have seen "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" you will know what I mean. I also find the people rather uneducated and thick, but lovable.
You haven't been to Australia or Puerto Rico then. Those women are AMAZING!gallaetha_matt said:
So that's how many topics discussing the same old topic? Does anyone REALLY care how others feel about the country as a whole? Unless your in politics, I don't see why anyone would care.
OT: America is aight. Those who put America as the best are ignorant. Those who call America scum are ALSO ignorant.
OT: America is aight. Those who put America as the best are ignorant. Those who call America scum are ALSO ignorant.
canadians are no different http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Canada back off the religous folk scott pilgrimjeremysaint said:
I'm from the U.S and I have come up with a metaphor. Say that the world is one big family. They all share a house and or live next to each other as neighbors. There are parents and children and grandparents based on the age of their country. America is the mutant baby country that was born with two hearts. He is able to do and does do much of the crazy "chores" that the other family members refuse to do whether it be good, or just plain stupid. Because of the two hearts, he has aged rapidly and even though he is only a teen or young adult, he already looks like a grampa. And he is mentally unstable and continuing to De-stabilize over time.
He, in his advanced and incapacitated age, still thinks that he is the strongest coolest and most deserving of an ego member of the family. Because of how crazy and strong he is, the rest of the family is too afraid to get anywhere near him or upset him. All of the other family members just stare at him silently hating the little old-man-child and occasionally leaving hurtful anonymous notes under his room door and occasionally breaking some stuff in his room because they dislike him. He lately ignores his conscience and does whatever he thinks should be done and instead of doing things like washing the dishes or taking out the trash, he burns the trash inside the house and breaks into the other family member's rooms and takes what he thinks is rightfully his. He sometimes may forcefully sleep in their rooms to their dismay.
They all hate him and are slowly awaiting the day when he dies in his young age. He grew up too fast and didn't have enough time to mature like the other family members. He found one set of personal guidelines and refused to modify them. They used to work, but now they are out-dated yet he still sticks with them. And he will carry them into the grave unaware of how they were his undoing and also the fact that they will probably not have a funeral for him, but instead bury him in the backyard beside Fido or donate his body to science so that it may serve a purpose rather than just be a corpse. (BTW the conscience would be the voice of the citizens who actually inhabit the country and guidelines would be the government style). In other words, our country does have a fair amount of good people, but they get drowned out by the idiots in power and this hurts both of us.
And it magnifies the stupidity of our country leading people to think of us in whole as a bunch of idiots and psychos. And we need to stop enforcing (forcing) our ideals and governments onto other countries. If they ask for help specifically, then maybe consider it. But do so when you can actually afford it. Make sure that the economy isn't in a downward spiral or the shitter before you send troops out and start funding war costs. We need to stop jumping into other country's business for a second and take a moment to look at ourselves and say, "Hey, we are fucked unless we start putting the money we put towards the military towards the well-being of our country." And I do think that the democrats and republicans are fucking foolish.
There should never be two major parties. All parties should be on equal footing and the party that offers the best plans to fix the country and lead it should be the one to win presidency. We seem to say "Oh, this new political party seems to offer a valid way out of the great recession and I see no downsides to the way that they plan to conduct themselves in office. They could probably help raise our credit rating back to AAA and rid us of our national debt and make all countries love us and make all of us thin sexy and intelligent(wouldn't that be great?). But, they aren't a Republican and they aren't a Democrat. I vote for those two all the time. Why can't this party be one of the popular parties that I vote for along with everyone else?
Sure, this party is flawless and offers to basically make our country almost perfect, but... It's not democratic or republican. Those two parties are the only ones that matter so I'm gonna turn down all of that prosperity and choose to suffer for 4 more years because I don't feel comfortable choosing a different party". We should choose what party is BEST, not the ones that we are familiar with regardless of whether or not their candidate is a moron. With all of the shit that we do, it is understandable that many people hate us as a country. I don't mind that, and I don't feel any pride in being American.
I feel like I need to wear a bag over my face just because I was born here with this media and this govt. But I still think that people are people and anyone who says that they hate all Americans or that every single American is an idiot is fucktarded and does not deserve to be taken seriously. If out of the hundreds of millions of people living here, you think that not even one of us has an ounce of intelligence and that we all watch fox news and jersey shore all the time and that we are all obese, then you have some screws loose and you need to go to the mental hospital and check yourself in.
He, in his advanced and incapacitated age, still thinks that he is the strongest coolest and most deserving of an ego member of the family. Because of how crazy and strong he is, the rest of the family is too afraid to get anywhere near him or upset him. All of the other family members just stare at him silently hating the little old-man-child and occasionally leaving hurtful anonymous notes under his room door and occasionally breaking some stuff in his room because they dislike him. He lately ignores his conscience and does whatever he thinks should be done and instead of doing things like washing the dishes or taking out the trash, he burns the trash inside the house and breaks into the other family member's rooms and takes what he thinks is rightfully his. He sometimes may forcefully sleep in their rooms to their dismay.
They all hate him and are slowly awaiting the day when he dies in his young age. He grew up too fast and didn't have enough time to mature like the other family members. He found one set of personal guidelines and refused to modify them. They used to work, but now they are out-dated yet he still sticks with them. And he will carry them into the grave unaware of how they were his undoing and also the fact that they will probably not have a funeral for him, but instead bury him in the backyard beside Fido or donate his body to science so that it may serve a purpose rather than just be a corpse. (BTW the conscience would be the voice of the citizens who actually inhabit the country and guidelines would be the government style). In other words, our country does have a fair amount of good people, but they get drowned out by the idiots in power and this hurts both of us.
And it magnifies the stupidity of our country leading people to think of us in whole as a bunch of idiots and psychos. And we need to stop enforcing (forcing) our ideals and governments onto other countries. If they ask for help specifically, then maybe consider it. But do so when you can actually afford it. Make sure that the economy isn't in a downward spiral or the shitter before you send troops out and start funding war costs. We need to stop jumping into other country's business for a second and take a moment to look at ourselves and say, "Hey, we are fucked unless we start putting the money we put towards the military towards the well-being of our country." And I do think that the democrats and republicans are fucking foolish.
There should never be two major parties. All parties should be on equal footing and the party that offers the best plans to fix the country and lead it should be the one to win presidency. We seem to say "Oh, this new political party seems to offer a valid way out of the great recession and I see no downsides to the way that they plan to conduct themselves in office. They could probably help raise our credit rating back to AAA and rid us of our national debt and make all countries love us and make all of us thin sexy and intelligent(wouldn't that be great?). But, they aren't a Republican and they aren't a Democrat. I vote for those two all the time. Why can't this party be one of the popular parties that I vote for along with everyone else?
Sure, this party is flawless and offers to basically make our country almost perfect, but... It's not democratic or republican. Those two parties are the only ones that matter so I'm gonna turn down all of that prosperity and choose to suffer for 4 more years because I don't feel comfortable choosing a different party". We should choose what party is BEST, not the ones that we are familiar with regardless of whether or not their candidate is a moron. With all of the shit that we do, it is understandable that many people hate us as a country. I don't mind that, and I don't feel any pride in being American.
I feel like I need to wear a bag over my face just because I was born here with this media and this govt. But I still think that people are people and anyone who says that they hate all Americans or that every single American is an idiot is fucktarded and does not deserve to be taken seriously. If out of the hundreds of millions of people living here, you think that not even one of us has an ounce of intelligence and that we all watch fox news and jersey shore all the time and that we are all obese, then you have some screws loose and you need to go to the mental hospital and check yourself in.
Indeed it seems the the majority of the media over represents the crazy, uneducated, ignorant and religiously fantics but that probably because they control the majority of power in america whether it be in politics, industry etclithium.jelly said:
I more concerned about america as an entity and its current ideals/plans than the individual people
Anyone whose gone through 8th grade does. It's simply a system to measure if you possess healthy weight.9Darksoul6 said:
On a side note America isn't fat because Americans are lazy, they're fat because their jobs are much tougher than in Europe and have far less vacation days thus they have little to no time to go out exercising.
[/quote]
That is the most retarded thing I have read all day. That is NOT why Americans are obese. It is because the food they eat is full of corn and other additives, and food is advertised EVERYWHERE. And you can exercise whenever you damn well please, I sure do. I am a full time Uni student and I still manage to fit in time to go for a run or do a workout. Stop excusing yourselves.
As an American (and one from that Scary Religious South, even!), I like to think we're just as screwed up as -- and no more than -- anyone else. Really, everyone else sucks too, so let's all get over ourselves. I know people who mouth off about wanting to go to Europe because of how "clearly better" it is, but I figure they're just not paying attention to everyone else's issues. I mean, for every "you had a Vietnam War" people bring up, I can haul out all kinds of things from World War II to slave trading to thousands of years of murdering various people because you can. Every country has had its nasty moments, and people everywhere are capable of great stupidity.
My summary of this entire thread: "pot, kettle, black."
My summary of this entire thread: "pot, kettle, black."
New Zealander here.
I'd say my opinion on Americans is generally favourable, but probably less than most other countries I'm familiar with. There's an American tendency to hype and support really strange things.
Some things I generally think are good:
- Good sense of national pride
- Being a large market means technology (internet, mobile, computing) are very well priced
- Produce a very large amount of good games, film and TV. Music is a bit less concentrated there now
- Strong constitutional document protecting freedoms of individuals
- Very strong tertiary education sector, especially at a post-graduate level
- Good diplomatic and (mostly) good economic relations with NZ
- Volunteer military, good community support
Some things I generally think are bad:
- National pride often at the expense of others.
- Tendency to have an over-centralised USA-centric worldview.
- Tendency to hold on way too hard to the past. So often I see Americans going on about how they've "never lost a war." Any time something horrible happens in Japan there are always outburts of "they deserve it because of Pearl Harbour" and a similar kind of attitude towards the September 11th attacks, using them as a justification for enormous collateral damage in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Government spends far, far too much on military and not nearly enough on healthcare or supporting public education (which I realise is largely a state issue)
- Political system is broken, argumentative and poorly representative due to being stuck with a 2-party system. It allows very little freedom for moderate or unusual views.
- Imperial system of measurement is not only used, but from what I've experienced, actually supported in favour of the SI metric system. The farenheit temperature scale is the worst offender IMO and really, really needs to go. If people didn't grow up with it there's no way they would support it.
- Complaining about things like fuel prices which are actually very low
- Complaining about tax rates which are very low, and are certainly not high enough to maintain the size of government spending (military in particular is a huge money sink)
- Support of the army (which I like) seems to become synonymous with support of war, which isn't cool.
- Football is considered to mean American football only, no exceptions. Lack of interest in other field sports e.g. football (soccer), rugby, Australian rules football, rugby league.
Can't think of more right now.
I'd say my opinion on Americans is generally favourable, but probably less than most other countries I'm familiar with. There's an American tendency to hype and support really strange things.
Some things I generally think are good:
- Good sense of national pride
- Being a large market means technology (internet, mobile, computing) are very well priced
- Produce a very large amount of good games, film and TV. Music is a bit less concentrated there now
- Strong constitutional document protecting freedoms of individuals
- Very strong tertiary education sector, especially at a post-graduate level
- Good diplomatic and (mostly) good economic relations with NZ
- Volunteer military, good community support
Some things I generally think are bad:
- National pride often at the expense of others.
- Tendency to have an over-centralised USA-centric worldview.
- Tendency to hold on way too hard to the past. So often I see Americans going on about how they've "never lost a war." Any time something horrible happens in Japan there are always outburts of "they deserve it because of Pearl Harbour" and a similar kind of attitude towards the September 11th attacks, using them as a justification for enormous collateral damage in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Government spends far, far too much on military and not nearly enough on healthcare or supporting public education (which I realise is largely a state issue)
- Political system is broken, argumentative and poorly representative due to being stuck with a 2-party system. It allows very little freedom for moderate or unusual views.
- Imperial system of measurement is not only used, but from what I've experienced, actually supported in favour of the SI metric system. The farenheit temperature scale is the worst offender IMO and really, really needs to go. If people didn't grow up with it there's no way they would support it.
- Complaining about things like fuel prices which are actually very low
- Complaining about tax rates which are very low, and are certainly not high enough to maintain the size of government spending (military in particular is a huge money sink)
- Support of the army (which I like) seems to become synonymous with support of war, which isn't cool.
- Football is considered to mean American football only, no exceptions. Lack of interest in other field sports e.g. football (soccer), rugby, Australian rules football, rugby league.
Can't think of more right now.
I hear this all of the time. You shouldn't take the faults of a few bad apples and place it on the entire nation. As far as soccer goes, chill, it's just a trivial sport that no one of substance could ever care about. You should be lucky we let you guys have a half way cool sounding name, so quit using football, it's taken.Rayken15 said:
As a whole, the country is just like any other: hard working men and women trying to make their way in life. As for the people who run the country, and the big corporations... well, most of them are greedy, immoral bastards who won't save a baby from starvation if their isn't a profit in it.
We just have so many things to point out and say "Wow you people are messed up". The sad part is these things probably don't provide a very accurate depiction of the USA but it's what you're known for.
Things such as...
Toddlers and Tiaras (or any reality TV show for that matter
Fox News
Republicans
Crazier than normal evangelical christians
NRA
Anti-abortion laws
The War on drugs (or anything else starting with "The War on....)
Obesity rate
etc.
My opinion of your country would improve if you just kept the more insane people from appearing on TV. As it is now, that's basically all I see.
Things such as...
Toddlers and Tiaras (or any reality TV show for that matter
Fox News
Republicans
Crazier than normal evangelical christians
NRA
Anti-abortion laws
The War on drugs (or anything else starting with "The War on....)
Obesity rate
etc.
My opinion of your country would improve if you just kept the more insane people from appearing on TV. As it is now, that's basically all I see.
I am going to be honest here.
What I think of America (as does most of my peers in gymnasium) is that you government is bad, you culture is bad and your people - in general - are stupid. Your education system is horrible (Unless you can afford private), your healthcare system asks for a lot of improvement, which majority of American's rebelled against. Your general attitude sucks, you think you are the most important and you don't give flying fuck about UN or the international community, you do as how you please.
You live in a dream of instant promises, lose weight now, get rich now. The American dream - get money and do jack shit.
Your legal system is insane, it has no common sense in it: "MY coffee was to hot, I sue you for 5billion dollars - and win!". Compared to Finland's in which you can get fined for wasting court's time if you try to go trough with that shit.
When you travel and come to foreign cultures you instantly assume that they are there to serve you. After I had to work with my father in hes charter service and I had to withstand a bus full of Americans I was not impressed (I worked as translator since my fathers abilities to speak English are horrid). And why it is so hard for you guys to understand Brit English or just plain English? Also, you have to remember when you go to other countries you obey their laws and customs, not yours, and I promise you they are different to yours. I had to spend hours explaining to them that the fact that I the coffee I served was supposed to be hot and not supposed to be drank instantly and that you can't sue me for it.
Ok. Maybe I am getting bit too angry here, emotional and such, I can not withstand illogical people... Maybe I just got stuck with a shipment from American Association of Stupid. But there were few sane one's in there also, some people who understand other cultures and manners. There was few nice lady's n the crowd that were able to tell their peers not to enrage of things that can not be controlled by us, or to understand our manners.
I am not saying everyone in America is stupid, arrogant and over-patriotic, what I am saying is that the way America is behaving as one being (counting people and the government) is insulting to others, you do not care what others think, you do as you wish and everyone is supposed to go with that, you simply don't care of others. This should change and the only way for it to change is if the people want it to, force the change in the people not in the government, since government is a picture of their country, it is a fresco that is painted by the people, for the people.
Also your understanding of your own history is horrible. You didn't liberate Europe, you came in when your own interests were being attacked. You didn't do a nice gesture you covered your own asses. You have caused more harm than good. Just look at your brilliant attempts with Agent Orange and the aftermath. Or just look how well your "liberation" of Iraq went.
In general it is not the America "non-American's" hate, it is your people and their ways. I would love to go to America and go there as see how wonderful that country can be, but you make it so hard. Example, how I am supposed to survive 20hr flight if I am not allowed to take my pain- and other medication that I use to treat my severe neurological condition if you mark me as a terrorist for carrying them? They are pills not bombs and I got legal papers to have them!
I would love to like America, I don't like hating other people, but you make it so hard for me.
Sorry for the rant, but I had to get it out.
What I think of America (as does most of my peers in gymnasium) is that you government is bad, you culture is bad and your people - in general - are stupid. Your education system is horrible (Unless you can afford private), your healthcare system asks for a lot of improvement, which majority of American's rebelled against. Your general attitude sucks, you think you are the most important and you don't give flying fuck about UN or the international community, you do as how you please.
You live in a dream of instant promises, lose weight now, get rich now. The American dream - get money and do jack shit.
Your legal system is insane, it has no common sense in it: "MY coffee was to hot, I sue you for 5billion dollars - and win!". Compared to Finland's in which you can get fined for wasting court's time if you try to go trough with that shit.
When you travel and come to foreign cultures you instantly assume that they are there to serve you. After I had to work with my father in hes charter service and I had to withstand a bus full of Americans I was not impressed (I worked as translator since my fathers abilities to speak English are horrid). And why it is so hard for you guys to understand Brit English or just plain English? Also, you have to remember when you go to other countries you obey their laws and customs, not yours, and I promise you they are different to yours. I had to spend hours explaining to them that the fact that I the coffee I served was supposed to be hot and not supposed to be drank instantly and that you can't sue me for it.
Ok. Maybe I am getting bit too angry here, emotional and such, I can not withstand illogical people... Maybe I just got stuck with a shipment from American Association of Stupid. But there were few sane one's in there also, some people who understand other cultures and manners. There was few nice lady's n the crowd that were able to tell their peers not to enrage of things that can not be controlled by us, or to understand our manners.
I am not saying everyone in America is stupid, arrogant and over-patriotic, what I am saying is that the way America is behaving as one being (counting people and the government) is insulting to others, you do not care what others think, you do as you wish and everyone is supposed to go with that, you simply don't care of others. This should change and the only way for it to change is if the people want it to, force the change in the people not in the government, since government is a picture of their country, it is a fresco that is painted by the people, for the people.
Also your understanding of your own history is horrible. You didn't liberate Europe, you came in when your own interests were being attacked. You didn't do a nice gesture you covered your own asses. You have caused more harm than good. Just look at your brilliant attempts with Agent Orange and the aftermath. Or just look how well your "liberation" of Iraq went.
In general it is not the America "non-American's" hate, it is your people and their ways. I would love to go to America and go there as see how wonderful that country can be, but you make it so hard. Example, how I am supposed to survive 20hr flight if I am not allowed to take my pain- and other medication that I use to treat my severe neurological condition if you mark me as a terrorist for carrying them? They are pills not bombs and I got legal papers to have them!
I would love to like America, I don't like hating other people, but you make it so hard for me.
Sorry for the rant, but I had to get it out.
You say we think we act superior to you, but in doing so you declare your belief that you are superior to all the hundreds of millions of us here in America. But that makes sense, because you admitted with the soccer thing that youare a psychopath.Rayken15 said: