I suppose the potential reasons for much of the world having a bias against Americans are legion, even if many of them may be unfounded. In any case, what would the world look like if there was no anti-American bias? What would we need to have this happen?
No Anti-American Bias
- Thread starter Hannibal.Caesar
- Start date
MrP
Banned
A weak, inconsequential, impotent, ineffective, inward-looking stagnant America that fails to interact with the outside world? No, that'd get rid of the dislike of America for being the strong country, but wouldn't deal with the disdain for America for lacking thousand-year old cathedrals.
America's probably stuck with it unless you have Yellowstone explode about 1901.
America's probably stuck with it unless you have Yellowstone explode about 1901.
Markus
Banned
Easy, the USA either needs to change it´s actions or it´s rethoric.
Seriously, hearing US politicians refer to the USA in this bombastic "we are the hope of the free world"-rethoric makes me laugh my ass of. That stuff might play well domestically, but to me it sounds inadvertandly funny, to a Chilean its outright offensive I imagine.
Exactly.
If a president I did not elect says that he is the leader of the free world, goes then on a bombing run and thus makes the "free world" responsible for what he does in the light of other nations..
Well, that just makes me dislike the administration (Not the people).
It's just outright false to just unilaterally declare yourself the leader of a group of nations who have absolutely different interests, merely because you've got the military presence. Wohoo, it may have worked in the cold war, but that shit is over for nearly 20 years.
And with less US military in Europe, less attacks would occur, that's not an oxymoron. Terrorists care little about military presence except for more recruits and large targets with "KILL ME" signs.
Its pretty much impossible - anti-Americanism actually predates the Declaration of Independence; I think examples of such date at least as far back as the 1760s. There was a belief that animals and people from the Americas were less healthy or otherwise inferior to European animals and people (which is absurd on its face, even ignoring genetic arguments. In that time period, practically the only people on Earth who were noticably better fed and healthier than Americans from the thirteen colonies were French Canadiens... as for animals, do you really think a bison or a polar bear is inferior to many/most European animals?). And there was plenty of disdain for the thirteen colonies in Britain at that time (though less universal than some Americans would paint it - we Americans had supporters and friends, they merely were in the minority in Parliament).
Firstly this depends upon what exactly you mean by an anti-armerican bias.Do mean the current administration or the country's entire citizenry? Are you referring to the minority of people who hate Americans outright or are we including those who thinks its an alright place, but for example are irritated by it having a checkered history in international politics than some of its citizens would care to admit? Its the slight difference between changing the last few administrations and completely rewriting the last three or four centuries of history in North America.
A little more detail regarding on the specifics are required, please.
To answer your question I'd imagine that such a world would probably have involved America having not been discovered or colonised yet. No one person or nation is ever fully able to escape critisism, which is essentially what you're suggesting
One person's bias is another person's truth. Americans only have to look at their news programs to see how the same basic facts can appear completely different. One thing that strikes a non-US citizen is the sincerity of the belief of many US citizens in the inherent goodness of the actions of the US government abroad. I think certainly in the UK and France (from my experience) there is an awful lot more cynicism about the motives of the our governments' foreign policies.
As a sideline, I thought that most of the surveys around the world showed that most people liked Americans, just didn't like the foreign policy of the US government.
As a sideline, I thought that most of the surveys around the world showed that most people liked Americans, just didn't like the foreign policy of the US government.
I would have thought that was obvious. I think the US Government are a bunch of useless morons, but I have a lot of respect and warmth for American people. They don't deserve the shitty governments they always seem to have.
Yep, that first part really strucked me as well when I was able to watch US 'news' broadcasts in Canada. There even was one frightening "report" about the anti-american EU superstate .. which.. erm.. doesn't even exist now. o_Ô
And I'm not sure the argument "because America's the boss" fits too well here. Anti-America bias has grown after 9/11, and that's exactly because America is ceding to be the world's sole superpower.
So it's more like the boss is showing his cracks and faults near to retirement, and now everybodies picking on him.
Yep, that first part really strucked me as well when I was able to watch US 'news' broadcasts in Canada. There even was one frightening "report" about the anti-american EU superstate .. which.. erm.. doesn't even exist now. o_Ô
And I'm not sure the argument "because America's the boss" fits too well here. Anti-America bias has grown after 9/11, and that's exactly because America is ceding to be the world's sole superpower.
So it's more like the boss is showing his cracks and faults near to retirement, and now everybodies picking on him.
Hrm, you're probably thinking of China, but I'm not so sure here. Many economic analysts believe it is nothing but a paper tiger. So I doubt the US is going to be unseated anytime soon, unless Europe decides to suddenly and spontaneously centralize, and even then they'll be more or less equal.
Thing is, the US's rather interventionist foreign policy was seen as a necessary evil during the Cold War. But following the collapse of the USSR, people started resenting the US because it wouldn't go back into isolation I guess.
Riain
Banned
If there wasn't such an pro-American bias to push against anti-American biases would be less. American cultural imperialism is strong and is bound to have some significant pushback. US TV and Movies, business' as well as the activities of the US Govt are very visible in my day to day existence ad I for one am prone to do my bit to reject it's pervasiveness, if only by using non-US spelling and watching as much Australian TV as possible.