Poll: American sentiment

[Seneschal]

golden snip

A great post though it's a shame it will be buried in the mass, it feels to me that the post contains more truth in it then most of the nonsense people have spouted in this thread (me included of course). I raise my drink to thee!

Thank you! I was worried that I had been a bit too harsh. I'm actually the only one of my friends that expressed a wish to visit America, the others merely stating something along the lines of: "I have a really hard time coming up with anything appealing about living there."

Most people are just frightened by the ruthless economy and those long working hours. I mean, the American public was looking at the French protesting against a longer work-week, and thinking "lazy Europeans." I don't get that mentality - if you're happy with a work week that leaves ample space for cultural and social endeavours, how does not wanting to sacrifice yourself to become filthy rich make you "lazy"? Why is the US collective consciousness still so ridiculously phobic of socialist values, when the whole Red Menace thing was obviously a case of paranoid nightmarish government terrorism? Or was that not made clear to them? How is the image of the "all-American conservative patriotic Christian sexist homophobic middle-aged businessman father" still glorified when it was created in that era as misguided government anti-Soviet propaganda, and should be condemned and tossed aside in these enlightened aughties?

And above all, why aren't American stereotypes funny? Among all the tea-sipping, vodka-drinking, cheese-eating, wurstel-snacking, the bad teeth, the pansy fashion, the hot blonde chicks and the latin lovers, America stands out as an intimidating, ruthless, forceful, stupid, unhealthy, intolerant, opportunistic armed-to-the-teeth bully. That's not funny. O_O It genuinely scares people more than anything else. And, Jesus, the bad teeth are just a myth, while everything about America is (I assume and hope) true for a horrifying and very loud minority. And the most nightmare-inducing thing of all is that this bright young nation with VERY prominent bad apples is the major military force in the world, and not exactly known for its pacifism (unlike the entire other developed western world that should be an example to the rest of the planet). I can understand why people feel threatened.

 

[godofallu]

My gut reaction as an American was that I love the people, but dislike the system.

After reading through a few pages I started to think more and more about that mindset, and I came to a stunning realization.

I like the system more than I thought, and I like other systems less than I thought.

As far as the people of this forum go i'm honestly surprised by how many childish, ignorant, over judging foreigners there are. Americans are fat, Americans are too rich, Americans are trying to run the world, Americans are selfish, Americans are hypocritical. Add all of these chants to the people misquoting history and other "facts" and it's enough to make me want to spank you ignorant children until you open your eyes.

I live in America let me explain how it is in my local area. I live in Oshkosh, WI, which is basically a small college city. Our students are some of the smartest people in the world. As far as standards of living goes people here are generally middle income to high income. We're a kind group of people, and our entire city is one of the "greenest" citys in the world.

The town I am from is Verona, WI, which was a small secluded rich suburb of the capital city Madison. There were 9 thousand people when I grew up there, everyone was happy and nice, and well mannered. Murder basically did not exist, and there was no such thing as drugs.

Our political system currently feels to be "owned" or bought up my the rich. That said we still have a great Bill of rights and legal system that frankly no other country can compete with. Our GAAP is the best accounting rules, and our patent law is was better than other countries. We have no real censorship or turncoats either.

I don't see the murder or the obesity, and the blowhards at fox don't scare me. Noone I know takes them seriously. The fact that they exist today is a tribute to our freedom of speech, and lack of censorship. If we didn't have either of those things they wouldn't exist.

We might not know what to do about our current systems troubles, but if we were given videogame censorship like the Australians have we would be up in arms. Arms that we are allowed to own, because we are humans and have that right. It's the right to defend our homes and families, and the right to not let the government push us around unchecked.

 

[Drake_Dercon]

Some people can be awful, some people can be fantastic. They're people.
And it's all absolutely hilarious how everything works together. Even if I don't consider the system to be exactly utopian (to hyperbolize) and that some of the people are complete idiots, I love to watch what seems to be a constant implosion of culture, media and corporation. I don't know, maybe I'm a psychopath, but people's problems are a whole hell of a lot more interesting when they're sewn into the nation itself. Up where I live, it's no nearly so mangled. Then again, that might have to do with me being accustomed to it all, as well as the lower population density.

 

[renegade7]

Being an American, I like the people (we're not all fat and lazy, or too skinny and superficial-at least some of us are decent). I dislike the system for 2 main reasons: 1.) to almost all of our leaders, politics is just another career. They're not leading, just doing a job. If we were on the brink of nuclear holocaust, our politicians would gladly ignore it if it would help their careers.

The other issue is that 2.) the system of citizens being able to influence the government has been corrupted into nothing but lobbyists and interest groups trying to force their way on everyone else (ie aetheists trying to get "Under God" out of the Pledge of Alliegence, Christians trying to ban teaching of evolution in school, PETA trying to get fur coats banned, etc.)

 

[jaketheripper]

Ah the sweet smell of watching people crash and burn for saying stupid shit.

i hate living here lol

And why my good sir do you hate living here?

in all honesty id probably hate living anywhere, stupid people >_> <_<

idk, i get the impression that i might like it somewhere else, other places sound so nice... 'cept for Egypt. XP

 

[Ridley the Violator]

Yeah, as a lot of other people are saying, it seems bigoted to suggest that it's possible to say whether or not you like 'the people' of America, as if we're some sort of monolithic collective of fat mother fuckers. I am American, and I have ambivalent feelings about our system and most other systems, mostly because I'm too busy playing video games to understand them. No matter my feelings on capitalism though, I can't say with certainty that I like or dislike this or any other country's 'people.'

 

[FaithorFire]

I have to flag this entire post. I don't see anything more emerging from this than ignorant nationalistic pissing contests between Americans and non-Americans

 

[lumenadducere]

Our system is borked, I'll give you that...but seriously, how many of you that dislike the people have ever actually met an American, let alone been to our country? Or are you all assuming that what you see on TV is accurate for a country that's as large and as populated as ours is? We have different cultures and viewpoints within a single state, let alone the entire country. New England, the southern states, the heartland, the midwest, the Pacific northwest...each one is different from one another, and within each of those lie a dozen different beliefs across the spectrum. It's sheer idiocy and ignorance to think that what you see on the media is going to accurately capture all of that and be representative of the entire nation.

I mean Jesus freaking Christ, my own uncle in France wouldn't come to my university graduation (and he had the means) because he was afraid of what would happen to him if he came. I love the guy, but what the hell? And the few times I've been to Europe, everyone I talked to had similar sentiments - "Oh, you guys are cool, but the rest of your country...man, I don't know." And when I ask them where they got their information on what Americans were like, what was their answer? "We see it on the news all the time."

The "I saw it on TV, it must be true!" idea is so ridiculous I can't even begin to express it. You want an actual informed opinion on the American people from a non-American? Ask someone who's actually been there and met some people. That person then has an informed opinion on the people who live in that region. Anything else is someone who thinks they they have knowledge of something that they don't.

And y'know what's hilarious? To those that dislike the people based on media reports, if you made a similar generalization or assumption about their country, they'd be the first to talk about how it's not accurate, it's uninformed, etc. But they have no hesitation when it comes to doing the same to others. Since when is diversity and a range of opinions limited only to one's home country and yet somehow nonexistent elsewhere?

 

[Austin Howe]

Well, I'd love to see more prominent Socialist, Libertarian, and aggresively centristic parties get attention, or better, direct democracy, but otherwise I like it here. Especially Maryland, we're really getting it together.

 

[Dr Snakeman]

It always amazes me:

1. How much stock the rest of the world, despite understanding the non-representational format of their own governments RELIES ON and TRUSTS IN their government controlled media sources.

2. How easily such people, when exposed to the internet, are willing to believe anything they read...ESPECIALLY when such material espouses a negative view of something or some-one they know nothing about and, possibly, hold some small amount of fear towards.

3. How the average 'world citizen' has the stones to declare THEIR country 'the end all be all greatest thing since sliced bread' and then, in the next breath, berate the United States for espousing the same sentiment.

FACTS:

1. You are not an American. You are not privy to the nuances of our politics, our social mores, or anything else that makes an American what they are, therefore you cannot truly understand us or apply your own polarized views of societal norms to us. We are NOT you. We are NOT a mirror of you. Our thought processes are as different from your own, despite sharing a language, as any other countries.

2. The United States is a country in a constant state of flux. Small changes in our social and governmental sectors occur constantly and this makes us a bit confusing to 'get to know' even to the short-sighted extent that a person from another country ever CAN truly be said to 'know us'.

3. The United States is an amalgam formed of many people from many civilizations and our unique viewpoints and sentiments are based, largely, on a consensus of 'what is right' by ALL those people..and yes, that holds water despite a sad history of racism, classism sexism, moneyism and ageism.

4. There is not enough space here, nor would you read it if there was, for me to conduct a proper lesson on American Government, civics, and economics, nor do I feel obligated to give you one. If you are truly interested, hunt down almost any professor of Government and Economics at an American University and speak to them. While in classes, they tend to follow the books, for fear of being fired, their personal viewpoints on the USA as a whole will be a lot less....cookie cutter, tend to be more critical, be more unbiased, and can give you a better insight into our society than the internet or your government controlled media ever could.

5. Admit it...about 90% of you either do not actually 'hate' America or Americans, or you are 'jumping on the bandwagon' because it makes you feel like you are part of a group of 'enlightened individuals' to talk crap about a country you have never visited, never lived in, have little concrete knowledge of, and do not understand.

Is my country perfect? HELL NO! We have so very MANY faults I cannot even think of where to start ranting and raving...but as far as I'm concerned, we still enjoy the most freedoms, the best physical and social environment, and the most pleasant topography of anyplace in the world...and I've spent time in more than 30 countries and STILL believe that.

I perfectly agree with many of the sentiments expressed about particular 'problematic' aspects of the USA, such as our insistence on often armed interference in other countries, our economic system, et al, but as a citizen, I can tell you, things are not 'QUITE' as baldly evil and self centered here as you seem to believe.

Again, unless you have lived here for at least two or three years, and can balance your personal views with a healthy dose of pragmatism, you honestly cannot claim to know enough about us to 'talk crap'.

Hell. Yeah.

Are you me? Because if I were inclined to make a massive post like this one, it's pretty much what I'd say.

But, to reiterate, HELL YEAH!

You win so hard at life, and I tip my hat to you. Or, I would, if I were wearing a hat.

 

[Tennou486]

Hate the SHIT out of the driving thing. Seriously, why can't we just have public transportation like everyone else so licenses aren't required? But that's all my personal problem because driving is becoming a near-phobia with me. I think I'll move to somewhere without driving, like... England?

I agree. Unless they can figure out how to get bullet trains running in this country, I will focus on finding a job in Japan, which is where I'm going in September.

 

[Arkley]

Like the people, like the system for lack of a superior alternative.

I'm British born and raised, and I love my country. I also have a great number of friends and family in the USA, and I've spent a lot of time there, in numerous states and cities. I did not meet unfriendly or stupid people with any greater frequency than I do at home.

As for the system...well, there's something I'd like to say about that to my fellow Britons and our friends in Canada and Australia:

Stop with all the moronic complaining about America playing "world police". You have no idea how stupid and ill-informed it makes you sound to those of us who have even the vaguest notion of how the world actually works. Let me break it down for you:

It is America's responsibility, as the world's foremost power, to keep and preserve peace on the world stage to the best of its ability, much like the British Empire before it. America must aggressively defend and promote its ideals all over the world to preserve them for its allies and nations with similar ideals. Do you realise what would happen if the USA actually ceased its interventionist policies and isolated itself?

There is no Western power large enough or with a single, unified military powerful enough to fill the power vacuum and keep the world's balance of power tilted westwards. Do you think the nations that could and would scramble to fill the power vacuum would be any better than the USA? Would you rather have China or Russia - two nations that regard human rights as something that happens to other people - become the world's foremost powers?

I guarantee you, the United State's position in the world and general foreign policy are necessary for the continued freedoms of not only Americans, but for any free nation.

 

[dj Facchiano]

esh alot of yalls are judging us not on the the majority of our people, but of the majority of our loudest people, I'm sure you have a bunch of stupid attention whores in your country to
Like the people, don't like how our system works as there is quite alot of corruption, but hey that's everywhere.

 

[dj Facchiano]

Do you have a car, use light bulbs, have a pc, an Xbox(and even though I hate Apple) a Mac or Ipod, or enjoying the internet? Do you like any comic from DC or MARVEL? Stop bashing America cause we made those.

Germany invented the car, and your grammar needs improvement.

ohhhhh god...... OH GOD....... come on...... don't do it..... DO NOT DO IT......... GRAMMAR NAZI!!!! oh god forgive me, I COULDN'T STOP MYSELF, I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH.... I'M SORRY GOD, I'M SORRY

 

[Death God]

Since I live in America, I'd have to say, hate the system but love the people. Though many of us are REALLY stupid, we aren't all that bad. It's the way our government and legal systems work that irk me.

 

[Canid117]

snip

Sweet Christ my head hurts and I will need a new desk by tomorrow. Way to A) overgeneralize over 300 million people B) assume that the most radical part of a group is the entire part of a group C) still ignore this websites spell checker (I still get a red squiggly line under wilful and my writing professor would take off points). A vast majority of religious people do not believe that the earth is six thousand years old. The age of the earth is never actually stated in the bible. Six thousand was a number cooked up by a couple of loons using numerology and some people who can not be bothered to actually read the bible believe it. Would you like to know a secret? There are people like that in every country. People who are willing to believe whatever rhetoric they latch on to and refuse to let go no matter what (You are a good example). Would you like me to show you some other statistics?
Oh look the United States and Lithuania have an equal average IQ!(actually the US is slightly higher but it is such a marginal difference that it is negligible)
http://mt.iq-test.eu/stats/
How funny! And look! A higher percentage of people in the united states recognize the existence of global warming as well!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_opinion_by_country
Oh gosh that is interesting! What about acceptance of homosexuals?
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2008/aug/08082002
Ooh that is nasty! I'm sure it was an iso-
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2008/aug/08082002
never mind...


Whats that pot? I'm black? Gee good to know!
-Kettle

 

[Saulkar]

I have no real problem with people from the States (though I personally find it amusing they call themselves American as if it was the only country on the continent) except the ones I find on the internet, but you cannot really judge the population as a whole when it is so vastly diverse. On the other hand the government, health care system, gun control laws, and foreign policies really need to be debugged or destroyed.

 

[Jenkins]

Hate the people, hate the system. The people[footnote]Read: most, not everyone.[/footnote] because of their *cough* beliefs, wilful ignorance and sometimes outright stupidity, and the system, well, lobbyists, business interests and such are what's wrong.

I feel so hated now D:

 

[Do4600]

I live in the United States and quite honestly we have a lot of insane people, who are quite proud to be insane.

For instance, we have a religious denomination that is expanding rapidly that believes the Earth was created 6000 years ago(as the bible explains) and they lobby to teach that version of history in our schools every year as a "scientific theory", and they're WINNING in some parts of the country.

I feel like there is a tide of ignorance and paranoia in this country that is threatening to send us back to the dark ages.

 

[Jonabob87]

I said 'other', because while most of my experience with Americans has been online or on TV, and these have been bad experiences for the mostpart, the ones I've met in real life have been generally quite nice.

I'm not getting in to the American system, I think it devalues human life.