Bad News, America: World Doesn't Like 'We the People'

The Newhouse News Service via The Seattle Times ^ | May 17, 2006 | David Wood

[quidnunc]

The United States long has been a source of irritation for the rest of the world, but the news is worse this year.

While Europeans and Asians and Arabs increasingly have disliked U.S. policies or specific U.S. leaders in recent years, Americans were liked and admired.

Polls show an ominous turn. Majorities around the world think Americans are greedy, violent and rude, and fewer than half in countries such as Poland, Spain, Canada, China and Russia think Americans are honest.

"We found a rising antipathy toward Americans," said Bruce Stokes of the Pew Global Attitudes Project, which interviewed 93,000 people in 50 countries over four years.

Few analysts expect more than marginal improvements, short of another Sept. 11.

"In my judgment, you're going to see a lot of this hostility disappear only when various countries really feel they need friendly relations with the United States, probably for their own security," said Richard Solomon, a veteran diplomat and negotiator who is president of the U.S. Institute of Peace, a federally funded nonpartisan think tank. "It will probably take some major event for that to take place."

The dislike is accelerating among youth, Stokes said. For example, 20 percent of Britons younger than 30 have an unfavorable opinion of Americans, double the percentage of 2002.

-snip-

[L98Fiero]

"We found a rising antipathy toward Americans," said Bruce Stokes of the Pew Global Attitudes Project, which interviewed 93,000 people in 50 countries over four years.

Is this one of those polls where over half the people they interview say they hate America but almost all say they would live here if given the opportunity? These seem to come out every year or so. Since it's Pew, I don't expect the "would you live in America?" question, though.

[Sgt. Stryker]

Here's some Good News. "We the People" have gotten to the point where we don't give a flying F#@% how the rest of you third world A#$wipes feel and you also have us confused with someone that gives a crap what you think too!

[nascarnation]

Memo to world:

next time you have an (insert natural disaster name here)
go ask somebody else for "aid"

[varon]

Then why do they keep coming here.

Right, we can't be all bad. After all, 20 million Mexicans can't all be wrong ;-)

[dead]

Europeans are used to cursing the fates, cowering and crying for help when evil kicks in their doors.

The fact that we respond forcefully, with or without assistance from other nations, makes them feel like little girls.

They react to their own feelings of pathetic inadequacy by lashing out and calling names. Ignore them.

[newcthem]

I don't like them either.
At least we have common ground.....

Followed closely by: I don't give a rat's @ss what "they" think, one way or the other.

[RetiredArmy]

AND THIS SOUTHERN BORN, SOUTHERN BRED, AMERICAN PATRIOT HAS ONE THING TO SAY TO ALL THESE FOLKS: Kiss my RED, WHITE, AND BLUE ASS!

[wally-balls]

Sure, but these skanks will take our money and medicine

[Liberty Valance]

Apparently the rest of the world watches way too much American TeeVee.

[heights]

A country, person or institution thats best at what he ,she or it does,will always be attacked. JEALOUSY

[mysterio]

Good. Let's stop sending tons of our money to all of these countries and then we can really give them a reason to hate us.

The funny thing is these countries all hate us, but next time they get invaded by their neighbors, we will be right there to defend them.

But we should end the yearly welfare payments to foreign countries.

[Ben Mugged]

The view the world gets of the USA is from our MSM. In it's dying throes, liberalism is trashing the USA and using the MSM collaborators to help. No wonder the world opinion is bad. Our own media are telling them over and over just how bad we really are.

It's just sad......

[trashcanbred]

Everyone thinks this until they actually come here. My friends from the Netherlands said they never thought Americans were nice but felt right at home being here.

I think they plan to stay.

[Codeflier]

PollTV

Although you are joking. I bet it will happen.

[Echo Talon]

Jealousy.

Yep.

[redhead]

Ho. Hum. These are the same people who get in line to get the A.N.S.W.E.R. and WWP signs at all the anti-American rallies around the world? Coincidence?? I think not.

[tigtog]

I was wondering if Pew Global Attitudes Project has done an indepth poll on what Americans think of (1) Arabs, (2) Europeans, (3) and Asia as a whole? I would really like to see a comprehensive poll of Americans regarding their takes on these people. Lets see, Arabs are always bombing someone based on their interpretation of the Koran but expect us to protect them, Europeans are scared sh#tless and bad mouth America but expect us to protect them, and Asia can barely feed itself but also expect us to protect them. Lets take a poll of Americans and find out who we really want to protect.

[Logophile]

Polls show an ominous turn. Majorities around the world think Americans are greedy, violent and rude, and fewer than half in countries such as Poland, Spain, Canada, China and Russia think Americans are honest.

Should this surprise anyone? Majorities in the U.S. media, university faculties, and the Democrat party think the same way.

[nikos1121]

This posting is a total waste. It's nothing more than mental masturbation. Oh and BTW, what Americans are the rude ones? The white anglo saxon males born here, or the many American immigrants?

[Obadiah]

Majorities around the world think Americans are greedy, violent and rude, and fewer than half in countries such as Poland, Spain, Canada, China and Russia think Americans are honest.

I do not doubt this poll. However, I attribute this growing sentiment directly to two things, the MSM and Hollywood.

The MSM is doing all it can to foster hatred of President Bush and America abroad. We are also exporting massive quantities of pop culture abroad in the form of movies and TV shows. My gosh, look at the stench of garbage called TV programming. Is there any wonder for such sentiments?