What does the world have against America?

[WanderingFool]

As an American, I would say our biggest problem is that many Americans are decent and nice folks, but are completely ignored for the loud, annoying assholes. Which makes perfect sense, really, as who are most people in a crowd (the world) going to pay attention to more? The quite, mild mannered person, or the asshole with his dick in the air shouting "LOOK AT ME, IM AWESOME!"...

Of course, the government is another problem with our country, but thats an entirely different discussion...

 

[Thaluikhain]

Something I don't get, how can you like the people, but hate the government? I mean, the government is voted for by the people, it acts the way it does to get the most support...surely that means it's a good reflection of the people in many ways?

the American culture is practically empirical,

Imperial (well, political analysts and the like use the term "hegemon", not "empire").

Empirical means you can measure or observe it.

Yes, and the IJN would have been destroyed by whose navy? Not America's in this scenario, and certainly not Britain's given what happened in real life. If there is no fleet to defend at Coral Sea Australia is up the creek.

I'd disagree there. Japan had realised that there was no point trying to invade Australia, their plan was merely to blockade it. The Japanese forces had already over-reached themselves trying to hold bits of China the Guomintang didn't care about, they weren't eager to do the same somewhere else as well.

Without American help the Soviets would have never had a chance to destroy Germany. Sure they might not have lost per se but they never would have had the ability to march across Europe as fast as they did. The Soviets simply didn't have enough trucks and trains on their own, and they never would have gained the strategic initiative.

I'd also disagree with that. Yes, it would have been a long(er) and bloody(er) business, but they would eventually overcome the Germans.

 

[Malty Milk Whistle]

Something I don't get, how can you like the people, but hate the government? I mean, the government is voted for by the people, it acts the way it does to get the most support...surely that means it's a good reflection of the people in many ways?

the American culture is practically empirical,

Imperial (well, political analysts and the like use the term "hegemon", not "empire").

Empirical means you can measure or observe it.

Ok...yea i fudged that word up, i admit it..but for you first 2 lines...are you actually serious? people will hate their own and other governments for any mistakes made, human nature to blame things on the people in charge. and its all to easy to like individuals and not governments, look at mob rule, people are just funny like that.

 

[Zach of Fables]

Americans come from all over the world, so when you think about it, aren't Americans just a microcosm of the planet as whole? Except that maybe certain races are under/over represented?

 

[Thaluikhain]

but for you first 2 lines...are you actually serious? people will hate their own and other governments for any mistakes made, human nature to blame things on the people in charge. and its all to easy to like individuals and not governments, look at mob rule, people are just funny like that.

That's true, yes, but surely similar things are said about the people who voted for them, who were too stupid to see how bad they obviously were etc?

 

[rutger5000]

I myself love Americans, they are social, open, fun to be around and speak English reasonably well. (I somewhat dislike anyone who doesn't speak/understands any English).
As for American as a country, well they screwed up with Bush then Bush again and then seriously considering Mc Cain (who himself might not have been a bad president, but there was a very likely chance he would die in his term, leaving the dumbest woman alive president.) Any other hate isn't really fair. Sure Viatnam was a general crime to humanity (singing 'napalm sticks to children' doesn't make you a popular bunch), and the usage of atomic bombs against Japan was morally deplorable (though I personally believe it prevented WII progressing in WIII (the Russians would have no reason to stop marching westwards after they had captured Berlin) but then against the Russians)/ But they deserve no less hate for those things then most European countries for their military actions during the 20th century.
Personally I think most people hate America for the same reason most people hate France. Just because it's fun to hate something that everybody seems to hate. That and their extreme national pride (If you don't understand that's a bad thing look at Europa's history, and you'll understand that it is), which is properly again the same reason most people hate France.

 

[rob_simple]

I don't hate Americans, just the stereotypical Americans who, as I understand it, make up only a very small percentage of the population.

I'm also kind of upset about the whole butchering of the English language thing.

 

[Mau95]

They just look like dicks, it's a stereotype. They tend to do a lot to propagate stereotypes too (see French, Dutch, Muslim, bimbo,...)

 

[JasonKaotic]

A lot of people do because America has a lot more of them than most, I guess. And America is generally a very patriotic country, and not many people elsewhere like patriotism.
I don't hate America, I just see why a lot of other people do. And the patriots can get very annoying.
Except the people that hate every single American. They're dicks.

EDIT: Whoops, clarification, I mean the people who hate every American are dicks.

 

[Okysho]

I'm a Canadian as well, and I don't hate America.

I am just really, really terrified of their particular brand of ultra-Neo Conservative wing rhetoric and the slavish worship from said political wing to the concept of American Exceptionalism/Just World mentality. And unfortunately, this group also tends to be the most obnoxious and vocal of all Americans in your media and foreign affairs..

Pretty much this.

Canadian living in a boarder city. It also bugs me how everyone here THINKS they're american when they aren't...

Also their patriotic pride bugs me to no end. I find people who recognize and accept their countries flaws are generally nicer people. This applies to everyone, not just US.

and again, right-wing conservative gun-waking religious fanatics!! ARGH!

 

[Captain Chemosh]

To us in England, a lot of us are personally jaded towards the US, since they act like the spokesperson for the English-speaking West, and we do not like that. But for some reason, our leaders insist on sucking up to the States, even if we're well aware it makes no sense. Now we end up with Muslim extremists on our own soil, lumping us in with the Americans, despite the fact we're only in their countries because our leaders weren't man enough to tell the US to stop being such dicks.

I mean, really. Shooting Pakistani soldiers? Encroaching on Pakistani sovereign soil, and the moment they tell you to fuck off, you suddenly find ibn-Laden there? America, you ARE disgusting. You've imposed a sanction on buying Iranian oil, because Iran are supposedly developing nukes.
Well. You have nukes. I wouldn't be surprised if Iran is worried about a joint Israeli/American invasion. Wouldn't put it past you.
Oh, and the Iranian caught with radioactive contraband and Moscow International - what exactly are you trying to pull here? I'm fairly sure that if Iran wanted nuclear supplies, they wouldn't need to send a civilian via commercial airline.

And of course there's the Lockerbie bomber incident in the past. Scotland had no evidence with which to try the suspect, but did the Americans care? Nope. They wanted to put somebody away so they could swing their dicks at the public and say "Look what good anti-terrorists we are."

I feel so bad for the American people. In the Middle East, there are people that would happily burn you and rape your family due to the actions of your government. I know a lot of you are stupid, a lot of you are ignorant, and a few are completely insane, but you're really not bad people. 99% of the Americans on this site certainly don't fit into the above groups, but thanks to your leaders, you're the Infidel now.

* Applauds* I have to say... that's the best bit of literature I've ever read sir. Every single american should read this, information like this should be brought up in schools, this is truly impressive. (No, I'm not being sarcastic, I'm just in awe)

 

[Descalon]

A lot of people do because America has a lot more of them than most, I guess. And America is generally a very patriotic country, and not many people elsewhere like patriotism.

I've never really understood patriotism. In earlier days I could've seen the whole point. The world being an open and scary place, foreigners don't get you nor your values. But I actually hoped we'd outgrow that in the 21st century.

 

[iRevanchist]

America was half of the reason the whole world could have been fucked by nukes in the 60s.

Could? that's why people hate us? because something bad could have happened because we were fighting a communist dictatorship? wow.

 

[Alistar]

I'm actually scared to post my real feelings on this I just hope the various agencies don't mark me down as some subversive (sigh). Aristotle criticised the state he asked for his punishment to be a wage and free dinners for the rest of his life but he got poison, I think that's likely to be my fate.
I don't hate America, whatever you can say, they're not boring. Americans are humans like humans everywhere else and do the same bad things as humans elsewhere, but they definately have an interesting style to go about it. I think, - at the heart of the matter in any country , is the social contract- this is a secular form of a covenant with God, it's basically an agreement made between the citizens/people of a country and it's ruler/state.
The social contract is basically- we can't trust humans to be good humans but we can create rules called laws to rule fairly over everyone and if not create a utopia(perfect country) then as close to the idea as possible- the judge and executor of this is "state" the government-that statement I will paraphrase "for the people by the people for the people".
In the States but not uniquely so, the government has failed due to self-interest/greed, paranoia, putting their own group before the people, stupidity, politiking for it's own sake, slowly but surely the system is failing , the discipline is failing. The government of America is , if not deliberately then turning a blind eye to making it's own people poorer, more scared, less educated, more exploited, less cared for. It's forgotten it's mission statement, image and lies have been used to make America look good, it's wealth used to bribe the people with cheap debt , the fear increased to make the defence industry so important to control the people through fear and to NEED the security of having the best weapons. If I were the state I would want my children to be mentally strong enough to overcome any obstacle, able to stand on their own feet, not be naieve but nevertheless extend the hand of friendship to other peoples and be an example to others.
It is easy to criticise the government, the responsibility rest not solely with the state but also with the people, and as people in the "Arab Spring" have demonstrated- the people and citizens can also effect change and wipe out the rot.
The social contract was created to protect the weak from the bullies, because the majority of us are weaker than the few elite, now the elite are calling the shots, if you want your country to be better, gather the collective will and effect change- and afterwards make sure the replacements do the job they're supposed to do and maintain the vigilance.
WE are our own worst enemies.

 

[DarkArk]

Yes, and the IJN would have been destroyed by whose navy? Not America's in this scenario, and certainly not Britain's given what happened in real life. If there is no fleet to defend at Coral Sea Australia is up the creek.

I'd disagree there. Japan had realised that there was no point trying to invade Australia, their plan was merely to blockade it. The Japanese forces had already over-reached themselves trying to hold bits of China the Guomintang didn't care about, they weren't eager to do the same somewhere else as well.

Without American help the Soviets would have never had a chance to destroy Germany. Sure they might not have lost per se but they never would have had the ability to march across Europe as fast as they did. The Soviets simply didn't have enough trucks and trains on their own, and they never would have gained the strategic initiative.

I'd also disagree with that. Yes, it would have been a long(er) and bloody(er) business, but they would eventually overcome the Germans.

Way to dodge the question. How would Japan have fallen if there was no US military fighting them? The Pacific Campaign was the largest naval campaign in the history of the world, pray tell how one of those factions would have been defeated without its primary adversary. How are Australia, the Chinese, and the Brits going to sink 9 fleet carriers? The fact that Japan overextended itself means nothing if there's no one with the ability to make them pay for that mistake. And if Japan isn't fighting the US they'll be less overextended then they were in real history.

The fact that you say the Soviets would have overcome the Germans does not make it so. The Soviets were hurting badly and the West gave them the tools they needed to overcome the Germans. They received 4,000 locomotive engines from the West, crucial for offensive advances and resupplying armies. Half of all Soviet trucks were imported, as was 12% of their air force. The Soviets had very little skill in producing complex electronics like radios, which they imported in vast numbers. You see, the Germans don't have to win, they just have to not lose. Which a Red Army without crucial logistical support is not going to be able to do like at Kursk.

 

[JasonKaotic]

A lot of people do because America has a lot more of them than most, I guess. And America is generally a very patriotic country, and not many people elsewhere like patriotism.

I've never really understood patriotism. In earlier days I could've seen the whole point. The world being an open and scary place, foreigners don't get you nor your values. But I actually hoped we'd outgrow that in the 21st century.

Yeah. A country's just a big patch of ground with people on it, there's no need to get obsessive over it. And hate every other patch of ground whose people don't live the same way your patch of ground's people do.
(I really don't understand the hate for communism)

 

[jawakiller]

Jealous. They see that we get all the fast food, guns and laziness. They want to be like us. Also, this song.
They be jealous. You can't write a like that song about France or the other european countries.

 

[Descalon]

(I really don't understand the hate for communism)

It's an idea that directly stands against capitalism. So when the west decided that capitalism was the way forward, communism suddenly got quite dangerous. It's the exact same with religion, you don't believe what I believe; so I'ma bash yo face in! Only then on an ideological level.

 

[LordFisheh]

Every country has its ignorant masses, and sometimes they gain the upper hand. The problem is that America is so powerful when it's controlled by idiots, is makes the rest of us suffer too, like with SOPA. But when a tiny country starts doing far worse, it barely touches the rest of us.

 

[instantbenz]

"Hata's gone hate!" Just joking. It's a nice place but it's on center stage. It's in HD. Even Erin Burnett has wrinkles in HD -- yet I still wanna be OutFront. I don't believe in the principle of American Exceptionalism but I believe in the historical reality of it. At least when we're ugly the cause is clever manipulation of social opinion ... as opposed to some edict of Kim Jong Il's kid. (You could -- almost [incredibly nearly]-- paint the "Mona Lisa" on his double chin).

you're talking about the frog, jong-un. quite the canvas of a neck ... i agree

i don't think the anti-americanism spreads quite as wide and thick as people think ... there are pockets all over and most of it is understandable ... we have been asses

money runs things in such a pathetic manner that i'm fuckin ashamed to be here most times. i doubt we'll get thru to ol' frogger there in the nk, but we can only hope that the shit doesn't hit the fan.