Once again, another reason why everyone hates us...

Damn straight. I don't get it - my friend's relatives from the US during christmas, and some of them seemed to have the opinion that we'd all go to work in the US in a flash if we could get green cards. Yeah... *sure*...

I'm not saying it's the worst country ever, but it's not exactly the best either. And you can actually get a job in Ireland nowadays, unlike... er... any time before the mid-90s. God this country used to be such a dump!

 

I think it's both funny and sad at the same time how certain people repsond to any negativity towards their country (not just America).

During my paternity leave, I have been subjected to a *lot* of imported US TV, and I see a trend that is borderline "social engineering"

Why does anything and everything have to have a US flag in it? all the schools have big and mini flags dotted everywhere, houses have flagpoles on them, etc etc

This isn't an "anti US people" thing, but when you look at almost every other civilisation/country the only times you really see this weird "pro country X" type of stuff is in instances of large social engineering. Things like the Nazi's and their flooding of Germany with the Swastika motif, Parts of China and Russia and their... ur... Chinese and Russian socialist/communist/whateverist devices.

If you look at the US education system, the biggest part of it is US history, and a very small part dedicated to the rest of the worlds past. Most other countries have a more varied spread of information. I think the US government is playing the "be patriotic" card a little too much, yeah it works, hell you just gotta see some of these people on TV/news/whatever.

This aint a knock on the American people (even though I know some will go "fuck you man, U-S-A is A-OK") it's more an observation from an outside party.

 

Yeah, if I was all patriotic and had flags and shit everywhere, people would think I was in the IRA! And that's not really a good thing to associate oneself with, unless you're a complete retard who likes killing innocent by-standers and making everything worse for everyone...

 

Whee, as expected in this sort of topic, the tempers start flaring up and the anti-US sentiment starts slipping out. Yeah, this is going to sound like a "fuck you man, U-S-A-is-A-O-K-A-Y" but seriously people, it gets tiring.

Why is the United States the only country that people on this board love to gather around the bonfire and fling shit at, huh? Why is this lens of introspection never used on other places? I can list off a good 5 or 6 countries just off the top of my head that are really downright horrible - wars, oppression, places where the common citizen cannont feel secure - but you never see this kind of thing around those places, or even on the countries inhabited by members here. There are no bad things about England? Holland? Japan? Brazil? At all?? Of course US members get overly defensive about these things - wouldn't you, if every other week there was another topic going up about how awful your government/country is?

And moreover, who the fuck are about half of you to say what a rotten place this is anyways?? You live in Europe, for Christ's sakes! Have you ever been here? Seen what it's like? Seen what the common citizen looks and acts like rather than the ones you see on international news??

You are absolutely right. Of our nation's 9,158,918 square kilometers, every single bit is miserably polluted, and our consumption of products leaves stacks of garbage just lying around. You've seen Blade Runner, right? Yeah, it's a lot like that.

Yeah. We've been in "be patriotic" mode since I was a little kid, where American history and World History were both taught in schools and still are in the same capacity. What's the reason behind it? It could be that there are a lot more nations and a lot more landmass OUTSIDE the nation than in, which could explain why we don't go into such extensive detail about the world around, but as a graduate of the American public school system, I can definately say that world history/geography are taught extensively.
As far as a whole lot of American history, you're right - it's ridiculous to teach the nations youth about the basis of our government, they way it's run, and the laws behind it. How silly.

And let me just put it this way - I hardly doubt there is some secret organization holding a gun to government officials' heads saying "import our cultural icons or die!" You've got your own people and their wants to blame for that.

So basically... it gets old when it's a bi-weekly topic on here. You may think I'm overreacting, but basically, but yourself in my shoes. What if everyone decided to chime in about England, or Holland, or Germany on a regular basis? How would you feel then?

 

Bravo GSL.

Every country has its own shit bag that stinks.

 

I'm with GSL in saying that I am sick and tired of this stupid "Yay, lets hate the US, talk shit about the US, and ask the US members not to get mad when we are talking about them because we really are not talking bad about them but instead we are talking bad about their country and government" bull shit. I have been sick of it for a while. A lot of you have not been here, and yet you know everyting about us and how we love to kill. Hell, I kill someone every day just for the fun of it... oh wait, no I don't. And where the hell did that stupid ass pollution comment come from? Maybe in the big cities, but It's like that all over the world. Come To Arkansas, or Oregon where GSL lives, and see the country for what it really is. We don't have pollution problems where I live. I am just about tired of all this damn bull shit.

Gaijin Punch, why the hell do you post this shit? You know what's going to happen.

Oh, BTW "fuck you man, U-S-A-is-A-O-K-A-Y"!

 

What did Gaijinpunch do now? I can still be patriotic and be disgusted with that man/the administration, still you go GSL.

 

*sigh* and here we go aggain

Just to give my oppinion before this topic get's closed, maybe if the usa were to listnen a bit more to the rest of the world and stopped trying to force "democracy and the american way" down peoples throats maybe people would stop complaining.

I have nothing aggainst the usa members of this board i have issues with their retarded goverment that starts useles wars, keeps ignoring serious things like the kyoto agreements and so on.

The usa isn't a bad country hell i can name worse ones in europe (france anyone ? ) but it would do the usa's image a lot of good if they stopped igonring the rest of the world.

 

GSL and Alien do have a point, there is an awful lot of anti-American sentiment out there.

So, as an American, I'll try to defuse the tension a little bit here.

It's been my experience that people all over the world don't hold the American people to the actions of our government, nor do they "Blame all Americans" for thier problems.

But what we have to realize is that the effects of our govenment's policy are largely invisible to us in the United States. It's not just our government either, a lot of it has to do with American based corporations expanding into forgien markets. While people in Mexico in the Machilodoras (hope I spelled that right) are protesting for fair wages and humane working conditions, nobody who buys their cheap t-shirts and sweaters here notices.

However, it goes both ways. While we here complain about all our technology jobs being outsourced abroad, nobody in India is complaining.

You have to ask yourself why is it exactly that millions of people come here every year illegally to work in our resturants and fields when they should be at home improving their own countries. Is it just the quality of life here? Is it that they just love America?

More than likely, it's because they can make more money here picking oranges than with even a more highly skilled job back home.

But we don't see that side of it; All we see is some guy who doesn't speak the language, someone we can blame all our problems on. Kind of makes it easier to drop bombs on forgieners when the only forgieners in your country do all the menial work. If the only middle easterners you see drive taxi cabs or work at 7-11, it makes it hard to imagine an entire country of these people who are just as human as you are.

For the most part I like to think my country is lead by intelligent, caring people. But the truth is they are just people, after thier own intrests. Doesn't mean I don't love my country, I'm just not romanticizing about it.

 

and i don´t hope i am one to fuel the hatred between the americans and the europeans

because i am always trying to be very openminded all the way and seeing the needle in my own eye and not just the pin in my brothers eye

come on people lighten up

those peole who has issues and hates the american people can go take a hike and remove themselfs from the board and those people who likes the american people can stay

sorry for being the one who has to draw a line.

damn it we are all humans split in two genders
and that is it and we need to listen to eachother when we hear some facts of life and be open minded .

Peace over and out from WolverineDK.

 

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/globalwarming/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1028090,00.html
Right there.

Be my guest - it's the country I live in you'd be insulting, not me. There are some things I like about the UK, and some things I don't. I won't get offended if you point them out; why would I? I'd actually be more concerned if people felt they couldn't post about my country in case I got offended.

It's nice to see this hasn't been closed yet :smt023

 

I think the point is being missed and validated here. It's not the American people that are being hated, it's the fucked up administration(s). The fact that anything negative towards anything even remotely to do with the US provokes "OMG w3 4r3 t3h v1ct1/\/\5!"

You say what if people took the piss out of our countries, go for it, doesn't bother me in the slightest, which is kinda the point. I am Welsh, and as I have pointed out before in these knee-jerk reaction topics, the Welsh have had the shit put on them for the last few thousand years by the English.

 

And i say ...


note: this reply wasn't sensored nor edited, what you should see is three dots, nothing else (oh, and that note). What i try to say here is peace (or a gentle way to say ''SHUT UP EVERYBODY !)'' :smt043 c'mon, no one here want another flamewar in this place, but everyone contribute to this. c'mon, it's time to hug everyone, and say that we are sorry, no mather what's our opinion on this delicate debate.

 

Sorry if it seems like I agree with the guy who likes to kill, I don't and I think he is a sick man. It's the political links he,Gaijinpunch, posts to. They always seem to start confrontations among members.

 

There's my horrible antiamerican sentiment.

Yes, the US has done horrible things. So have a lot of other countries. People in power are to blame, not directly countries.

So if people are offended by my post... really, I have no intention to offend. I love the american people as much as I love all other peoples of the world.

But my good american friends, your government sucks and people will hate it if it keeps screwing with everybody else. Which is unfair to you and to the world.

Also, maybe it's out of line, mister GSL, but Who am I to say anything about the US?
My government takes orders from yours. I should have something to say about the policies.

Hawanja - almost got it right. It's "Maquiladora" like the Radiohead song. And it's illegal but multinationas can do it if they hold your government hostage.

Geez, I didn't really expect americans in the board would take it personal. I wasn't hoping to insult any of you people. But reality is also hard. If "Antiamerican sentiment" offends you, you're not going to enjoy the world very much during the next few years.
I'm very sorry for that.


/end rant mode.

 

I'm with Cahaz.

We're all citizens of the world and we're all human and we're supposed to love and help each other.

That's what I'd do.

Peace all.

 

I could complain how my country's also shit in many ways - how tax is rediculously high, how some ex-communist Eastern European countries have better infrastructure than here, how everything's a complete rip-off, how pollution's also a problem here (though nowhere near as bad as the US)... - but who cares about the 117th largest country in the world (and a neutral country at that)?

 

B/c of morons like the one I linked in the original thread, and we have the Everything Japan forum to go off on Japan in. :smt043 I've never lived in any other country than these two, but point me in the right direction and I'll talk shit about Canada any day.

I think it's REALLY easy to make fun of the American system now b/c George has done such a great job of pissing off all of our allies except for England. Decades were spent befrending them and setting up protocols.... yet, here we are! I love my American friends, and I love my MTV. I just hate going abroad and people asking me, "Dude -- WTF is your President doing?!" I've met people in bars that say this to me after I admit I'm from Texas.

 

Have you guys come here and couldn't breathe or something? America has it's areas but you must understand, we have pieces of untounced land that some of your countries can fit into. With clean air. Be specific when you talk about America if you can because every state is very different, people are very different and yes in some places air quality can be poor. When I think of poor air quality, I think of Mexico City which sadly has some of if not the worst air in the world. I don't know how we even got to talking about air quality.

I don't know about other Americans here but I'm sure tired of people complaining about our country especially on issues they've only experienced secondhand (air quality?!) I too don't like our administration, I can't relate to it either. I was brought up with very different ideals, I'm from the birthplace of the hippie/gay rights movement, a place where people of every color get along, a place where today "white" people aren't the majority, where women are free to choose etc. I like that kind of place but obviously most of America doesn't, they're scared of terrorists, are nationalistic and are conservative and can relate to Bush, the way he talks, the way he thinks, the way he does things. I know that many of you hold the same values as I do but you don't need to put down our government, I live here I know what's going on, I voted and I see the changes. I'm tired of people putting so much focus on this country because somewhere inside I'm ashamed.

Maybe if the world wasn't fixated on America, interested in our market or immersed in our culture that we originally adopted from yours, I wouldn't have to hear it.

 

Kyuusaku:

i hate Denmark when people says that the danish language is a fuckedup language

so i love USA and i love Denmark but i do not when people pisses eachother off because the person in front of them have pimples and the likes.