Posted on 05/17/2006 10:16:33 AM PDT by 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-
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Too effin' bad.
Good question!.!.!. I can anticipate the answer.
jealousy breeds contempt.
"We, the People" don't like the World much, either.
And why do we keep going there? I say we all do our vacations in the U.S. We have great vacation places and tons of history right here at home. We know we affected the French economy by not buying French.
"We can wash our big American balls in the warm shower of their tears of dislike."
Can i swipe that?
I find that to be good news, because I JUST DON'T CARE WHAT THE WORLD THINKS.
Same old, same old. The idiots of the world badmouth us even as they greedily emulate our culture, take up seats in our colleges and universities, and violate our laws to come here.
It's yours.
An Iranian nuclear missile on Paris might accomplish that.
I've read/heard so many libs talking about how "we were together, Bush tore us apart". You put it perfectly here: They loved us when we were no longer up on our pedestal as the shining city on the hill, we were dirt-covered victims like they've been. THAT is why they liked us--because we were in no position to give them anything and they didn't have to ask for anything, for one day--we needed something.
The rest of the world loved us as long as we were on the skids. As soon as we picked ourselves up and said "Oh, you thought we were going to STAY down? Here we come, Afghanistan!" we were what they hate and worse NEED: The Superpower, again.
That's what it takes for them to like us. Thus, they are not friends. Friends don't "like" you when you've been kneed in the groin, and hate you when they're jealous that you're powerful and on top.
I sometimes wonder what this world would be like if America didn't exist--if this country was just another 3rd world hellhole or something like Europe. I think between our robust economy and our military deterrent, the absence of this country would result in one seriously crappy world, where tyrants and socialists/communists ruled the day. Of course the libs would love that...until they get thrown in jail by their despotic government for being "educated."
We can also withdraw all foreign aid. If they don't like us, they must not want our money, right?
Yep! They don't need our money.
Yeah, and I'm getting irritated with the rest of the world.
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