What does the world think of US citizens?

[CoffeeCat]

Do other governments--and people who live outside the United States--understand
the distinction between George Bush and the American people?

I really hope so.

Does the outside world understand that the majority of American citizens are good
and decent people--and that we are saddened and sickened by Bush's failed policies?

I hate (and am frightened by) what they do in our name--and with our money. I'm
hoping that the outside world understands that all Americans aren't warmongering,
amoral, murdering, selfish thugs.

I feel like I need to apologize to the entire world for the actions of my government.

[Demobrat]

1. Well I just got back from Costa Rica.

They're not crazy about Bush supporters - but dis him and they love you!

[raccoon]

2. I wonder about that myself. And then I think about this:

"Does/did the outside world understand that the majority of German citizens were good and decent people--and that they were saddened and sickened by Nazi Germany's policies?"

[CoffeeCat]

6. Wow...that's powerful...

...and spot on.

It's not enough to be "saddened and sickened".

We must speak out and try to change things.

[bdamomma]

delete

[bdamomma]

3. delete

[bdamomma]

4. one comment I got which was hard to take but could be true

is the American people are weak, and our bellies are full, and we have too many toys. :shrug:

[Double T]

8. Agreed; some American people are MEEK, our bellies are TOO FULL......

and we have way too many toys. NOT a great image.

[Forrest Greene]

21. Frightened

...of the possibility of being weak, are you?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. there was a study done on this.

i think the world this americans are industrious and hardworking

but NOT honest or sexy.

[Solo_in_MD]

7. They tend to like us as individuals and not like what the country is doing.

which is very similar to how we treat foreign visitors in this country.

[bdamomma]

27. or they like us and not our policies.

but after this last presidential election I think they are questioning our motives too.

[BlooInBloo]

9. Well-educated Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, and Indians seem to think...

... we're a bunch of fucking idiots. It's hard to argue with (thankfully I'm not inclined to try).

(I work in finance, so they're pretty much all I see and talk to all day, everyday.)


EDIT: Hyphenation can change meaning.

[GliderGuider]

10. Of course we understand the distinction between * and the people

What we don't understand is why so many Americans supported the bozo - twice! - and why it's taking you all so long to get off your asses and do something about him now that his lizard persona has been revealed.

We all realize that Pinky and the Brain are insane. Americans don't need to apologize for their actions, they will ultimately be held accountable. What you may need to apologize for is letting their stranglehold on a once-great nation get this tight.

[SharonAnn]

18. Thank you. My Candian relatives are dumbfounded about electing him twice!

They even understand that he stole the 2000 election, but can't believe there wasn't a groundswell against him in 2004 that would have driven him from office ignominiously.

I explained that most Americans don't have access to real news, like that from Canada or the UK. We're inundated with tabloid journalism and reality TV.

[treestar]

20. Since we elected * we are responsible for him and we make such

a big deal of being a Democracy that the world is a bit entitled to say we are responsible for Chimpy's actions.

I am relatively ignorant regarding Canada, but do know enough to perceive however, that Canada (and Australia) seems to have, at least on the surface, a rather similar post 911 approach - Canada even has an equivalent to the Patriot Act. And John Smith, I think it is, in Australia is very hawkish about the Iraq War. The U.K. too seems similar along this path. So in a way it seems all of a piece.

But tell us more if that seems wrong to you.

Has Canada sent troops to Iraq, too?

[laundry_queen]

24. No, Canada has not.

We have not sent troops to Iraq. We have troops in Afghanistan but that is unpopular right now as well.

[treestar]

31. Thanks, that is interesting.

Do you think Canada has lurched to the right, too, at least on "national security" issues? Since 911, that is.

[Toucano]

11. The American people have their problems and the American government has its problems.

The American people are (in my experience) viewed as pushy, arrogant, loud (the loudest are the Americans, the Dutch, and the Australians), greedy, materialistic, obese, and most damning, IGNORANT. And don't blame the media for that. There are books in libraries still and the television has an off button.

Generally, there is an understanding that the VIOLENCE of this government is not the will of the American people, but, with a few exceptions, there's not much the people are willing to do, risk, or sacrifice, to stop it, other than marching with signs on a sunny Saturday afternoon and venting their frustrations on an internet discussion board.

There is a distinction made, but there are still problems that aren't about the government.

[PhilipShore]

12. Generally yes --- they see us as ethical....

but the Repuke media constantly pushes --- tabloid news and tabloid TV --- programs, and more and more people see us a morons.

Most people around the world don't know ---- that the average American could care less what goes on the in Middle East --- but one would not think that, if they watch the Repuke war propaganda news.

A majority around the world --- probably don't even know that Bin Laden is a product of the West and the Repuke CIA Military-Industrial-Complex; and that the Repuke CIA created Bin Laden, and that 9/11 was simply blowback.

________________________________________

Blowback (intelligence)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowback_%28intelligence%29

Blowback is a term now broadly used in espionage to describe the unintended consequences of covert operations. Blowback typically appears as a surprise, apparently random and without cause, because the public generally is unaware of secret operations that caused it.

In its strictest terms, blowback was originally informational only and referred to consequences that resulted when an intelligence agency participated in foreign media manipulation, which was then reported by domestic news sources in other countries as accepted facts. In looser terms, it can encompass all operational aspects. In this context, it can thus mean retaliation as the result of actions undertaken by nations. The phrase is believed to have been coined by the CIA, in reference to the shrapnel that often flies back when shooting an automatic firearm.

In the 1980s, blowback became a central focus of the debate over the Reagan Doctrine, which advocated militarily supporting resistance movements opposing Soviet-supported, communist governments. In one case, covert funding of the Contras in Nicaragua would lead to the Iran-Contra Affair, while overt support led to a World Court ruling against the United States in Nicaragua v. United States.

Critics of the Reagan Doctrine argued that blowback was unavoidable, and that, through the doctrine, the United States was inflaming wars in the Third World. Doctrine advocates, principally at the conservative Heritage Foundation, responded that support for anti-communist resistance movements would lead to a "correlation of forces," which would topple communist regimes without significant retaliatory consequence to the United States, while simultaneously altering the global balance of power in the Cold War.

[WritersBlock]

13. Was chatting with a colleague at work a few weeks back...

... I don't remember how the subject came up, but he said something about my being Canadian.


"No, I'm not Canadian," I said. "I'm from the States."


"Oh." Pause. "I didn't know that. I've gone off you now."


I'm pretty sure he was kidding, but on the other hand, it's also common to receive glares from people standing nearby in shops & restaurants, etc., as soon as they hear my accent.


Of course, it could be that I've just got an annoying voice.

[BlameCanada12]

14. Sorry. This Canuck thinks more and more that there really were

50 million + Americans who voted for Bush, and still want Bush in power. I sum it up as the 'winning team' mentality. Same as these giant mega-churches you have - these are SHEEP, being LED by shepherds - no more no less. These people WANT to be led around by the nose. They WANT to be on the majority's side, at all costs. It's all about appearance over substance. I see more and more Americans who do not have the courage to step out of the line and think for themselves - letting Rush and Hannity and all the other loudmouth bigots DECIDE WHAT THEY SHOULD THINK, and HOW THEY SHOULD LIVE.

It's true - there are 'leaders' and there are 'followers'. I see a nation of 'followers' to the south of me - and it's truly frightening.

Have a gander at this thread (from a US website I frequent - yes, ATV'ing is my hobby) - these are the types who will always, always vote for the 'winning team':

http://www.highlifter.com/forum/next_president/m_1769394/tm.htm

Partial Quote: "i don't like The fact her husband had 13 chances to take out binladen and prevent 911 and he didnt do it... so i will vote for the side that has protected us from terrorism over 5 yrs now"

Jeezus. Help us all.

[formerrepuke]

16. True- but remember that 50+ million of us voted AGAINST dumbya

..which is more people than in all of Canada. Its an ongoing struggle in getting enough people to think for themselves..sometimes it succeeds- hopefully so in '08.

[PhilipShore]

17. They are brainwashed...

Most of the sheep that blindly follow the Repukes, cannot think for themselves. They are part of a systematic campaign by the Military, to make people into functional cogs in a machine, a War machine.

The average American Democrat does not have a clue --- about what the Military-Industrial-Complex is, so don't blame them. Technically, the Liberal Democrats should know what the MIC is --- but frankly after the 60s anti-war generation all the hippies left the peace movement-- because of the lunatics that started to show up at demos.

[formerrepuke]

15. They think we're uninformed about the world outside the US.. which,

unfortunately, is generally true- to the extent that it sometimes impacts our foreign policy. (Understatement, anyone?)

[Jim Warren]

19. Let's put it this way

In my experience, if you travel it can be wise at times to have a quick response ready in the language of the country you are in of the following: I'm Canadian

[AspenRose]

25. My friends in Ottawa and Montreal actually gave me Maple Leaf pins

to wear should I go abroad (Europe or Asia). I didn't ask for them but they were concerned for my safety.

I used to date this guy from Greece and he was amazed that I didn't fit the stereotypical American idiot. It's like he wanted to know: "Well, YOU turned out ok....what happened to your peers?"

[bdamomma]

28. talking about your friend in Greece these people hold their

governments accountable for their actions, we lack in that.

[irislake]

22. Of course they do

They hate Cheney/Bush and know they stole two elections, probably were complicit in 9/11 and that your MSM is not free but is corporate propaganda. America's "free" press ranks 47th in the world. I only wonder why so many Democrats think Liberal is a dirty word and why so many of you swallow the propaganda about "socialized medicine" being bad and all that jazz.

I sometimes feel disgusted by the teary-eyed hyper-patriotism of even the most decent Americans. I know you were fed the American fairytale history from infancy but it seems kinda embarrassing to a Canadian who always knew Canada was small pototoes in the world and didn't mind a bit. My mother was American and she was quite emotional about her country whereas my father and the rest of us just thought Canada was where we happened to be born. However, I feel pretty lucky now. Though if I had my druthers I would prefer to live in a European country. (Far from you guys. Sorry, but you do have more influence on our country than I feel comfortable with. Hope your fundamentalists don't leak over the border or your attempts to privatize our water and health care succeed.)

[irislake]

23. I have to add though

that if my country was guilty of stealing the Iraqi people's oil and of torture and rendition I would be outta there (as my American relatives were at the time of the revolution and later) or I would be marching in the streets. I would move heaven and earth to stop such corruption. See what Canada did for one of our Canadian citizens, Meyer Arar, who was shipped off to Syria by the U.S. to be tortured. We had a huge inquiry, cleared his name, paid him over 10 million dollars compensation for our part in it and demanded an apology from your government. Our government apologized to him. Your Ambassador Wilkens was pretty snotty and Arar is still on your "no fly" list. Even if proven innocent your government says he's guilty! We won't get an apology until your corrupt government is replaced.

I am happy to see that other countries (Spain and Germany) are now mobilizing to protest the renditions. I think you Americans should be putting more pressure on the Democrats.

Also dismayed that Hillary and some Dems are going along with the Iran bit. I think far too many Democratic politicians are owned by the corporate funders. But obviously there is a big difference between the two parties no matter what Nader says.

You do turn a blind eye to a lot of stuff that surprises me --- from the beginning of your history to the present day. However, Canada is not perfect. Our treatment of First Nations people, while not nearly as bad as yours, is still very shameful

[AspenRose]

26. They (the government) are making it more difficult to "be outta here"

....evidenced by the recent passport rules.

And it's not like other places in the world are ready to welcome American expatriots with open arms, either.

So...what to do....:shrug: Stay and fight.

[SmokingJacket]

29. "You have a TV culture."

So said a German woman to me once. I tried to explain that since she got her info from TV, it was a little biased, but oh well.

My British acquaintances think we're loud, unrestrained, large, and lots of fun.

[NewJeffCT]

30. I've only been to mainland China these past 6 years

and, that was in the months prior to the 2004 election.

The people there that I met certainly didn't hate Americans, though they wondered how we could have elected such a stupid person as president. They were often anxious to show me that they also had a lot of the amenities that Americans have - big screen TVs, new computers, home theater systems, digital cameras... (heck, one of my wife's cousins had driven over to meet us in her new Buick!) and, everybody seems to have at least 1 cellphone on them.

I will qualify that by saying I only spent time in major cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou & Hangzhou.

Chinese have long memories, though. When Bush labeled them a "strategic competitor" back in 2000 (I think during one of the debates?) - that stuck with them. And, I bet they could all give you details of the spy plane incident from 2001 if you asked them about it today.

[madokie]

32. I want to too

and to make it right with them I think we should impeach the bastard, sorry for the use of that word in your post but there is no other word for me to use to get the point I want to make made

[Karenina]

33. The contempt factor

is definitely ascending...