Poll: American sentiment

[Charlie the Grenadier]

have a car?use light bulbs?have a pc or xbox?(and even though i hate apple) a mac or ipod?enjoying the internet?like ant comic from DC or MARVEL?stop bashing America cause we made those

That's some pretty shabby argumentation there, first: do you like, use, or experience the following: democracy, money, law, wheels, mathematical and physical laws, basic and advanced mechanisms, music, fire, drama, weapons, nice clothes and billions of other things, well the rest of the world made/discovered/found. That is not a good argument. It's bullshit.
Second: The rest of the world could say that we invented America, so unless your ancestors are pure native Americans, you're the property of Continents & Co. because most of the people in America have roots in Europe/Asia/Africa...

That's just not how you debate.

"Welcome to Continents & Co. Please take a seat over there."

I'm liking this image.

 

[michael87cn]

The american system is fine. The constitution, bill of rights and most of the voting system is just fine. I don't like the "first-past-the-post" style system, and I would prefer if the US adopted a preferences system like we have in Australia, but apart from that I've got no real problem with the American government, as it is supposed to theoretically operate.

What I have a problem with, and this goes for just about every single nation out there, is the people. I include myself in that group as well (so this is also self-criticism).

The US population could demand genuine bipartisanship. It could reward politicians for reaching across the aisle, for passionately pushing his or her principles, informing the general public as well as for making sensible legislation.

But no. That doesn't happen. If you reach across the aisle, you're a traitor. If you compromise, it means you're weak-willed. If you try to pass legislation that will hurt any group of people, even if it's unavoidable, they will complain.

But at the same time, if you TELL the people that you are doing what they want you to do, if you say the sound-bites and repeat the lines at the appropriate times, the vast majority of the American people will vote for you.

It's remarkable - you Americans have a wonderful system of government. The US government has to, by law, put forward all its policies for the people to scrutinize. You genuinely have the power to punish or reward officials for their behaviour. And you don't. You can't be bothered. It's too much EFFORT to drag yourself to the voting booth ONCE every FOUR YEARS (or once very two years if you count mid-terms). It's too much effort to actually do research on what your politicians are saying.

But its easy to demonize the opposition, so you do that. It's easy to make issues BLACK OR WHITE so you do that. It's easy to demand that politicians obey your every whim, even when it's impossible, because YOU don't have to make the policy. It's easy to demand, when you don't know, or don't CARE to know, the constraints your government works under.

The problem is with the People - loud, angry, ignorant, impatient, hyper-critical, and selfish. This isn't just Americans - this is the general population of every major nation.

But don't let this get you down - it's ALWAYS been like this. And despite it all, the US has thrived, and time and time again it's been your system that has saved you, you didn't save your system. I gather the majority of Americans, throughout your history, would eagerly elected a dictatorship if your laws allowed it. Thankfully, they don't. Your laws force you to be free and civil to each other, and you can thank your founding fathers for that. They made such a great system that even human nature has trouble destroying it.

You couldn't be more wrong. There is no such thing as a good government. People don't need to be governed. We're not animals. America was fine in the pioneering days and the days of the wild west. Once the government got its grips on things though, america became just like every other nation, and lost its freedom.

Having a military, army, police, laws are all fine, but a government will always be bad in my opinion. They exploit their positions to further their own agendas and their seek after 3 things, power, money, and war.

 

[Belated]

"Dislike both the people and the system".
And you guys call US the xenophobes. XD

What is "the system" anyway? You guys realize that we don't all believe the same things, right? We don't all support the wars we get into. We don't all eat cheeseburgers all day and get fat and shoot guns. We aren't all against gay marriage. And the smarter of us support National Health Care. It's not our fault our government takes better care of Capitalist monopolies than it does its own people.

 

[rokkolpo]

You are the guys we love to hate.

It's because we only see your ugly side ever.
That's media for you.

I'd probably like more people than I'd hate.

 

[CanHasDIY]

Dislike the people and the system. Now, there are lots of great American people but ON AVERAGE their population is waaay too ignorant. This is reflected in their government as well; corruption is rampant and many of their leaders choose inappropriate (re)actions out of ignorance or selfishness.

America has been on a downward slope for almost a decade, and unless the people and government are willing to admit that their own actions are causing their(and others') problems this trend is likely to continue.


Edit: Almost forgot about their freaking self-entitlement

"On average?" There are 360 million Americans - am I to believe that you have personally encountered every last one, and met with them long enough to make a valid assesment of their cognitive abilities? Don't make me laugh! Sounds to me like you watch entirely too much television (and most of it likely AMERICAN programming).

Being an American, who deals with other Americans daily, I can assure you that the "average American" is typically rather polite, well-mannered, and intellectual... on an individual basis. Like all humans, Americans do have a tendency to go all "mob mentality" when in large groups; however this is not a phenomenon exclusive to the states. Also, like humans in other countries, most Americans are rather.firm in their beliefs and bristle at the thought of their established beliefs being questioned - just. Like. Everyone. Else. I read all this anti-American sentiment as noting more than unabashed jealousy, considering what we as a people are able to achieve in spite of all the mechinations against us.

As for our political system, yea, it has some serious flaws, but all-in-all we Americans still enjoy far more freedom.than probably 99% of the rest of Earths populations. Every government, especially one of significant size, has a corruption problem; at least in America, thanks to our being a constitutional republic, we have an opportunity to change our leadership every few years. I will concede.that the 'bipartisan' system tends to give credence to extremists morsel than is prudent.

So go ahead, piss and moan about how horrible people you've never met are, and I'll continue enjoying life in the most free nation on the planet

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Don't care for a lot of America, the systems, the people, the general cultural attitude, but acknowledge that it is statistically likely there are a lot of people who I would like, who believe the same things I do, and who don't subscribe to the cultural stuff I don't like.

A country is made up of people, and people have differing opinions, it's just that the majority of my exposure to Americans has been the negative kind both in real life and through the media.

 

[Risingblade]

I like our people and our system so I'm quite happy living here.

 

[Drejer43]

Having a military, army, police, laws are all fine, but a government will always be bad in my opinion. They exploit their positions to further their own agendas and their seek after 3 things, power, money, and war.

The government only exploits because the people let them (well in democracy anyway).

 

[Sun Flash]

Like the people. I know there are assholes out there, but that can be said for every country. Plus in the past 18 years, I have yet to meet an American I do not like.

As for the system, pretty neutral except for their stance on healthcare.


I... I just don't get it.

 

[Dango]

America is dipshit. The only reason they even came to help us in WWII was because a Nazi Submarine was stupid enough to attack one of their vessels. And they were pissed as hell about that.

But before that they didnt care at all. Sounds pretty egocentric to me.

1. Incredibly idiotic stereotyping.
2. Know your history before you use it for said idiotic stereotyping.

 

[Canid117]

Hate the people, hate the system. The people because of their *cough* beliefs, wilful ignorance and sometimes outright stupidity, and the system, well, lobbyists, business interests and such are what's wrong.

America hates you back

way to call Americans stupid while misspelling will on a forum with spell check by the way.

 

[V8 Ninja]

I generally dislike most Americans, but I think the system is fine and works (even with the Health Care problem). And most of the time the idiotic Americans cause the stupid stuff to happen (see: George W. Bush).

 

[ninetails593]

Meh, most of the comments here are not true. And most never will be because most of the people answering do not live anywhere near America.

 

[Cmwissy]

Right now I like the people (because there's no reason to be a dick to 307,006,550 people) but dislike the system, because there's no reason to kill 108,856 civilians.

However, if one more citizen of the US calls the United Kingdom 'England', I will go insane.
Or if one more Americans thinks social healthcare is communism, for that matter.

Meh, most of the comments here are not true. And most never will be because most of the people answering do not live anywhere near America.

Even though I agree with you, that's horrible logic. That's like me saying "You can't go to war with Nazi Germany because you don't like in Nazi Germany, you don't understand man..."

 

[linwolf]

I find the system to be completely broken, almost no redeeming things about it. As for the people it's probably my least liked in the western world.

 

[Canid117]

Hate the people, hate the system. The people because of their *cough* beliefs, wilful ignorance and sometimes outright stupidity, and the system, well, lobbyists, business interests and such are what's wrong.

America hates you back
way to call Americans stupid while misspelling will on a forum with spell check by the way.

Agree! His post was so stereotypical "lol I h8 America." It's trendy to hate things you don't understand, apparently.

It's because people think they are "Edgy and cool" for disliking something that is extremely well established.

 

[El Poncho]

Your last paragraph is an open door into an insane mind.

Ah, so everyone who disagrees with you is insane. How lucky you are to be an island of reason and intellect in an ocean of ugly Americans, right?

Many European countries are in massive debt. The US debt is quantitatively larger, but per capita, it is actually on par with some of the more solvent European governments. Look at Ireland, Iceland, Greece, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Italy, and more. Do your research. Also, the US military makes up the vast majority of the clout of NATO and the UN, which represents a significant sphere of western political and military power. Thus, the lessened need for European defense spending.

Yet you have no real proof that America's mass over spending on the military has any effect on the decisions made in Europe, so maybe you should prove your 'research' first.