how does the world currently view the US?

[CaptnKirk]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Awwwww look, Southerners don't like having the truth about them shown in a documentary:

5-2-2005 Kentucky Town Demands Apology From A&E

"Obviously, being labeled the town from hell can not be interpreted in any way as positive," City Manager Donovan Blackburn wrote in a letter to the network.

Blackburn said he watched the show when it aired on March 26 and was shocked that Pikeville was portrayed as a hillbilly haven, a stereotype people throughout the region have fought vigorously to overcome.

"You start the piece by showing a rebel flag on Julius Avenue, an overweight man without a shirt smoking a cigarette and an old pickup with a few women in the back," Blackburn said.

"As I am sure you would agree, you can go to almost any city in America and find the same."

Mayor Frank Justice II and city commissioners have passed a resolution demanding a public apology.

Justice said he fears the show has put Pikeville in such an unfavorable light that industrial recruiters will find it more difficult to convince companies to move into the town.

"We're a progressive town," he said.
=================================================

"We're a progressive town"

Bahahahaha , this guy thinks he's W.

I bet because they all voted Republican that they think they are "progressive".

What a Tool, you're not going to find Rebel Flags flying in Northern States.

Not likely to see shirtless smoking fat men driving a old pick-up with women in the back either.

Don't forget that the pick-up most likely has Jesus stickers and Bush 04 stickers on the bumper too.

God, love 'em

 

[Czar]

dave, what has that have to do with this thread??

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Awwwww look, Southerners don't like having the truth about them shown in a documentary:

5-2-2005 Kentucky Town Demands Apology From A&E

"Obviously, being labeled the town from hell can not be interpreted in any way as positive," City Manager Donovan Blackburn wrote in a letter to the network.

Blackburn said he watched the show when it aired on March 26 and was shocked that Pikeville was portrayed as a hillbilly haven, a stereotype people throughout the region have fought vigorously to overcome.

"You start the piece by showing a rebel flag on Julius Avenue, an overweight man without a shirt smoking a cigarette and an old pickup with a few women in the back," Blackburn said.

Hahaa! Well, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck . . .
But what point are you trying to make about the OP's topic?

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: irwincur
The best answer: WHO F*CKING CARES...

Do you always live your life asking others for their opinions, or really caring what they may think of you? I sure hope not, that is a life of slavery to the opinions of others.

Well then if you go through life with this attitude and just doing whatever you damn well please, then don't be surprised when somebody you pissed off comes along and flies a jet-liner into your house. Maybe you should move to an uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific where your "I am the center of the universe" attitude will not infect other rational people. Maybe Bush will move there with you and you can be neighbors.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: ahurtt

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Awwwww look, Southerners don't like having the truth about them shown in a documentary:

5-2-2005 Kentucky Town Demands Apology From A&E

"Obviously, being labeled the town from hell can not be interpreted in any way as positive," City Manager Donovan Blackburn wrote in a letter to the network.

Blackburn said he watched the show when it aired on March 26 and was shocked that Pikeville was portrayed as a hillbilly haven, a stereotype people throughout the region have fought vigorously to overcome.

"You start the piece by showing a rebel flag on Julius Avenue, an overweight man without a shirt smoking a cigarette and an old pickup with a few women in the back," Blackburn said.

Originally posted by: Czar
dave, what has that have to do with this thread??

Hahaa! Well, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck . . .
But what point are you trying to make about the OP's topic?

Unlike many P&N posters I don't start a gazillion threads on similar topics. This is certainly appropriate as it shows how many in the U.S. view themselves and don't like it when outsiders don't agree with their view to the point of demanding changes and an Apology in a documentary.

Like I've said we'll see the same thing happen with History books, if the Republicans lose control of the current mind control they have on 51% of the population and they start getting written in History books in a bad light they will be demanding that History books be re-written and changed.

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: aidanjm
51% of them are stupid

I'd say the number is closer to 97%. You forgot to add in those who voted for Kerry.

 

[GTKeeper]

Originally posted by: piasabird
Many countries are so left wing that they are deluded about the real world. The USA has helped to create an atmosphere in Europe where peace could flourish since the WWII. So Europe does not really know what it means to have to fight a war. The present generation has had it good for so long that they probably have no concept of what it means to have to fight a war. Without the US and Great Britian and France to some extent, most of Europe is not even protected. If Europe had to fight a war right now they could not do it without the Help of the US. As much as some people hate us, they need us very bad even if they dont realize it.

The UN keeps appointing the people with the worst records to sit on boards like human right abuses and the security council. They can lull themselves into a sense of security but they are quite deluded if they think they could defend Europe in any meaningfull way without our help. The UN depends on the support of the US. They just dont get it.

There are probably many people in Europe that do like the US. I dont hate Europe, and I have lived in Italy for 3 years before. However there does seem to be a US-Them mentality in certain circles. Some of the problem is a Liberal Left wing press that influences many countries. If no conservative voices ever see the light of day then they dont ever hear a conservative message. I think the best thing would be for the US to just pull out all our troops from Europe and just keep a few airstrips and bases maintiained for emergency use. Only then would Europe understand their own situation.

I think you are delusional yourself. Of course Europe knows what it means to fight a war. Are you stupid or just closed minded? That is probably the dumbest comment I have read in a while.

World War IIs blood was spilled all over Europe. Every country fought to defeat the axis (except the Swiss). WTF are you talking about?

I don't think the U.S knows what it is to experience a war. Until one is fought on your own soil (and this has not happend in the U.S since the Civil War, and don't give me Pearl Harbor as an example) you don't know what war really is.

The reason Europe is so against war today is because it knows what it does to people and countries when it does happen. They don't care about fighting. And currently the U.S is protecting Europe from nothing since the Soviet threat no longer exists.

 

[StageLeft]

They despise US foreign policy and only hate our culture.

Yes, pretty much the case. In regards to the culture although so many countries hate it, they continue to mimic it. The US culture is essentially to consume, consume, consume and other countries are increasingly embracing it.

Regarding foreign policy, the larger a country gets the more involved it is in other people's business, so it's natural that a behemoth like the US would have a greater FP footprint than Sweden.

 

[imported_Tango]

I think the word "hate" is beeing used way too much in this topic. Most people around the world don't agree with the current US administration foreign policy, and dislike the Bush... but this is far from "hate" for the whole country.
The world is big, and you cannot really ask about the sentiment "other countries have for the US". People in Zambia have a different opinion from those living in Europe, or Asia, or South-America.
The US too are a huge country, and people living in NYC have very different values, culture, lifestyle than those living in Idaho.

Personally, my biggest concern about the american people is the lack of knowledge of what happens outside the US borders. Most people rely on a very narrow media diet to form an opinion about international affairs, wich is not so good in order to have an unbiased opinion.

 

[f95toli]

I can honestly say I have never meet anyone who "hated US culture".
I mean, there is very little difference between most of US and western Europe, we listen to the same music, watch the same TV-shows and celebrate the same holidays.

Sweden (where I live) is much nore similar to USA than e.g. Romania, Greece or some of the other countries in the south- and southwest of Europe and it would definitly be more difficult for me to adapt to a life in e.g. Italy than in USA.

It seems to be a common misconception that people in Europe "hate" the US; many people dislike american foreign policy but most of us are clever enough to understand that there is a difference between american politics and american culture.

 

[RabidMongoose]

The US is the most powerful nation so that would naturally breed envy and hatred, some of which is justified. I think much of the world uses the US as a scapegoat while ignoring their own horrible governments (cough* the Australians in this thread*cough) or their own neighbors.

As for US culture..the US could probably make a show about babies pooping their diapers and the rest of the world would eat it up. Nobody cares about an insignificant country like Denmark, which has almost no global culture. Much of the world tries to focus on the US society while despising its government. Seems OK to me.

 

[RabidMongoose]

Originally posted by: Forsythe
Americans are viewed as paranoid en masse, come on, you are hella paranoid. There's no argument against that. Paranoia coupled with the biggest military power in the world (because of the paranoia naturally) is not a thing i like. Add some stupidity to that and you've got a world that dislikes you.

That's because you people (Europeans) raped the world a million times over. You've proved that you can't be left alone without trying to commit another genocide somewhere.

In the end I'd rather be important, significant, but hated instead of insecure, genocidal, insignificant, and ignored due to irrelevance.

 

[Stunt]

I think most of the world is thankful, friendly, and look up to the american people and way of life. (minor exceptions)
The problem comes with the leadership of the country, which comes and goes, so this should be a minor issue on the grand scheme of things.

 

[CanOWorms]

The dislike of foreign policy isn't something that it exclusive to the US. People like to focus on the big guy though.

 

[Stunt]

Very true CanOWorms...

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose

Originally posted by: Forsythe
Americans are viewed as paranoid en masse, come on, you are hella paranoid. There's no argument against that. Paranoia coupled with the biggest military power in the world (because of the paranoia naturally) is not a thing i like. Add some stupidity to that and you've got a world that dislikes you.

That's because you people (Europeans) raped the world a million times over. You've proved that you can't be left alone without trying to commit another genocide somewhere.

In the end I'd rather be important, significant, but hated instead of insecure, genocidal, insignificant, and ignored due to irrelevance.

It's people like you with mentalities like this that make ALL of us Americans look bad. "You people??" Please crawl back under whatever rock you slithered out from under. Where exactly are your roots sown where nobody ever committed any attrocity? Hateful statements like yours only beget more hate and misunderstanding in a world desperately in need of some order and human compassion. There is nothing productive that can be accomplished by engaging in this kind of finger pointing game. Saying ingnorant things like this pretty much ensures that you will be, at least as far as I'm concerened, insignificant and ignored due to irrelevance.

 

[Beowulf]

I don't know every countries view but when I was in Cuba(and from what I still hear from friends and family there) people would kill to get over here.Tourist would come all the time from Europe(mostly Italians/Spanish) with nice electronics and would leave us with envy cause we'd be decades behind others in such stuff.All my friends wanted to come over of course none of us were going to launch into the sea so slowly some of them got student visa's to Bogota,Columbia or to places in Europe mostly Spain(some to France).Eventually they found their way here and like me they personally love it here the chance to make something of yourself instead of rotting away and be forced to go to stupid rallies is great.

It also doesn't hurt that Miami,FL is filled with Cubans so its like being with family.

 

[RabidMongoose]

Originally posted by: ahurtt

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose

Originally posted by: Forsythe
Americans are viewed as paranoid en masse, come on, you are hella paranoid. There's no argument against that. Paranoia coupled with the biggest military power in the world (because of the paranoia naturally) is not a thing i like. Add some stupidity to that and you've got a world that dislikes you.

That's because you people (Europeans) raped the world a million times over. You've proved that you can't be left alone without trying to commit another genocide somewhere.

In the end I'd rather be important, significant, but hated instead of insecure, genocidal, insignificant, and ignored due to irrelevance.

It's people like you with mentalities like this that make ALL of us Americans look bad. "You people??" Please crawl back under whatever rock you slithered out from under. Where exactly are your roots sown where nobody ever committed any attrocity? Hateful statements like yours only beget more hate and misunderstanding in a world desperately in need of some order and human compassion. There is nothing productive that can be accomplished by engaging in this kind of finger pointing game. Saying ingnorant things like this pretty much ensures that you will be, at least as far as I'm concerened, insignificant and ignored due to irrelevance.

Yes, history is very annoying. :roll:

 

[Proletariat]

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: aidanjm
51% of them are stupid

I'd say the number is closer to 97%. You forgot to add in those who voted for Kerry.

Haha.. what? You voted for a third party? Or maybe your one of those neutral types.

Go kill yourself :Q

 

[GTKeeper]

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose

Originally posted by: Forsythe
Americans are viewed as paranoid en masse, come on, you are hella paranoid. There's no argument against that. Paranoia coupled with the biggest military power in the world (because of the paranoia naturally) is not a thing i like. Add some stupidity to that and you've got a world that dislikes you.

That's because you people (Europeans) raped the world a million times over. You've proved that you can't be left alone without trying to commit another genocide somewhere.

In the end I'd rather be important, significant, but hated instead of insecure, genocidal, insignificant, and ignored due to irrelevance.

WTF are you talking about? What did 'you' americans do with the indians that lived here, with the slaves you brough to the U.S with the thousands of people you killed in the Middle East, Asia?

Oh wait, I forgot you represent everything that is holy and right.

LOL give me a break. You put the human race to shame. The saddest part is that it took America until the late 1960s to make everyone 'equal' within its own borders.

 

[RabidMongoose]

Originally posted by: GTKeeper

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose

Originally posted by: Forsythe
Americans are viewed as paranoid en masse, come on, you are hella paranoid. There's no argument against that. Paranoia coupled with the biggest military power in the world (because of the paranoia naturally) is not a thing i like. Add some stupidity to that and you've got a world that dislikes you.

That's because you people (Europeans) raped the world a million times over. You've proved that you can't be left alone without trying to commit another genocide somewhere.

In the end I'd rather be important, significant, but hated instead of insecure, genocidal, insignificant, and ignored due to irrelevance.

WTF are you talking about? What did 'you' americans do with the indians that lived here, with the slaves you brough to the U.S with the thousands of people you killed in the Middle East, Asia?

Oh wait, I forgot you represent everything that is holy and right.

LOL give me a break. You put the human race to shame. The saddest part is that it took America until the late 1960s to make everyone 'equal' within its own borders.

Are you talking about the natives in the Americas, the same ones that the Europeans slaughtered and killed over 90% of?

Are you talking about the slaves that the Europeans brought over, too?

I'm guessing that you are. Let's just pretend that Europe doesn't have oceans of blood on its hands. :disgust:

 

[imported_Tango]

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose

Originally posted by: Forsythe
Americans are viewed as paranoid en masse, come on, you are hella paranoid. There's no argument against that. Paranoia coupled with the biggest military power in the world (because of the paranoia naturally) is not a thing i like. Add some stupidity to that and you've got a world that dislikes you.

That's because you people (Europeans) raped the world a million times over. You've proved that you can't be left alone without trying to commit another genocide somewhere.

In the end I'd rather be important, significant, but hated instead of insecure, genocidal, insignificant, and ignored due to irrelevance.

Curious that you don't understand that during those time the USA didn't even exist... it was a matter of culture, not a metter of geographical provenience. In the 17th and 18th centuries for sure the europeans did terrible things, but at the time the US were just a colony... you lacked the possibility of doing the exact same thing, not the will... what about the middle-ages? Had the native-americans a role in the geopolitics of the time?

Luckily, the western culture evolved, and now war and colonialism are completely banned from our intellectual work(too bad not equally banned from our politicians thinking), so that right now we have built different values. The work is not yet complete, sadly, but we are on the right way comparing to what was happening a couple of centuries ago.

Personally when I think of Europe I prefer to focus on the fact that it created a good 90% of all the work of art, philosophy, literature, music, architecture of the world, instead of thinking about the colonialism in Africa. Real Culture and education are the keys to change the world.

 

[CanOWorms]

Originally posted by: Tango

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose

Originally posted by: Forsythe
Americans are viewed as paranoid en masse, come on, you are hella paranoid. There's no argument against that. Paranoia coupled with the biggest military power in the world (because of the paranoia naturally) is not a thing i like. Add some stupidity to that and you've got a world that dislikes you.

That's because you people (Europeans) raped the world a million times over. You've proved that you can't be left alone without trying to commit another genocide somewhere.

In the end I'd rather be important, significant, but hated instead of insecure, genocidal, insignificant, and ignored due to irrelevance.

Curious that you don't understand that during those time the USA didn't even exist... it was a matter of culture, not a metter of geographical provenience. In the 17th and 18th centuries for sure the europeans did terrible things, but at the time the US were just a colony... you lacked the possibility of doing the exact same thing, not the will... what about the middle-ages? Had the native-americans a role in the geopolitics of the time?

Colonialism existed well into the 20th century. In fact, many European powers practiced slavery in 20th century. It's quite obvious that many had the possibility to do the same and indeed did.

Luckily, the western culture evolved, and now war and colonialism are completely banned from our intellectual work(too bad not equally banned from our politicians thinking), so that right now we have built different values. The work is not yet complete, sadly, but we are on the right way comparing to what was happening a couple of centuries ago.

Personally when I think of Europe I prefer to focus on the fact that it created a good 90% of all the work of art, philosophy, literature, music, architecture of the world, instead of thinking about the colonialism in Africa. Real Culture and education are the keys to change the world.

Sorry, but Europe did not create a good 90% of the "work of art, philosophy, literature, music, architecture of the world." Deflate that ego. Perhaps if you said Europe was responsible for the destruction of a good 90% you may have been right. Colonialism was practiced all around the world, not only in Africa, too.

 

[imported_Tango]

Originally posted by: CanOWorms

Originally posted by: Tango

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose

Originally posted by: Forsythe
Americans are viewed as paranoid en masse, come on, you are hella paranoid. There's no argument against that. Paranoia coupled with the biggest military power in the world (because of the paranoia naturally) is not a thing i like. Add some stupidity to that and you've got a world that dislikes you.

That's because you people (Europeans) raped the world a million times over. You've proved that you can't be left alone without trying to commit another genocide somewhere.

In the end I'd rather be important, significant, but hated instead of insecure, genocidal, insignificant, and ignored due to irrelevance.

Curious that you don't understand that during those time the USA didn't even exist... it was a matter of culture, not a metter of geographical provenience. In the 17th and 18th centuries for sure the europeans did terrible things, but at the time the US were just a colony... you lacked the possibility of doing the exact same thing, not the will... what about the middle-ages? Had the native-americans a role in the geopolitics of the time?

Colonialism existed well into the 20th century. In fact, many European powers practiced slavery in 20th century. It's quite obvious that many had the possibility to do the same and indeed did.

Luckily, the western culture evolved, and now war and colonialism are completely banned from our intellectual work(too bad not equally banned from our politicians thinking), so that right now we have built different values. The work is not yet complete, sadly, but we are on the right way comparing to what was happening a couple of centuries ago.

Personally when I think of Europe I prefer to focus on the fact that it created a good 90% of all the work of art, philosophy, literature, music, architecture of the world, instead of thinking about the colonialism in Africa. Real Culture and education are the keys to change the world.

Sorry, but Europe did not create a good 90% of the "work of art, philosophy, literature, music, architecture of the world." Deflate that ego. Perhaps if you said Europe was responsible for the destruction of a good 90% you may have been right. Colonialism was practiced all around the world, not only in Africa, too.

In fact probably more than 90%... and it's not a matter of ego, obviously I am not Michelangelo, nor Mozart, nor Plato. It's just a fact.. go to any library and do the math.
From ancient Greece, to Rome the concepts themself of our law systems, economy, politics have been forged in Europe. What about art? Classical music? The western taste is based on greek estetics ratios.

Personally I am more interested in different cultures, but we simply cannot deny the numbers.

I used Africa as an example, european colonial powers did a mess on a global scale.

 

[RabidMongoose]

Originally posted by: Tango
Curious that you don't understand that during those time the USA didn't even exist... it was a matter of culture, not a metter of geographical provenience. In the 17th and 18th centuries for sure the europeans did terrible things, but at the time the US were just a colony... you lacked the possibility of doing the exact same thing, not the will... what about the middle-ages? Had the native-americans a role in the geopolitics of the time?

Of course it didn't exist, but you can't use that as an excuse for the oceans of blood that Europe has on its hands. I know that you would like to excuse the most murderous countries to ever exist, but that's never going to happen.

Luckily, the western culture evolved, and now war and colonialism are completely banned from our intellectual work(too bad not equally banned from our politicians thinking), so that right now we have built different values. The work is not yet complete, sadly, but we are on the right way comparing to what was happening a couple of centuries ago.

But people should still be paranoid of Europe, IMO.

Personally when I think of Europe I prefer to focus on the fact that it created a good 90% of all the work of art, philosophy, literature, music, architecture of the world, instead of thinking about the colonialism in Africa. Real Culture and education are the keys to change the world.

I guess if you aren't white then you're not contributing much to culture, huh? Typical European white-centric view you've got there.

But anyways, that doesn't even nearly make up for what Europe has done, especially since Europeans set back many cultures hundreds of years.