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I'm convinced that a big part of the anti-American sentiment of Europeans comes from the poor representation they see from our various entertainers as well as those travelers who can afford to visit Europe. Both groups, professional entertainers and wealthy tourists, are providing only a marginal representation of America. It's likely that representation is a negative one.

Am I completely off base, or is this thinking in the right direction?

No doubt we Brits have some big problems with the way Hollywood portrays America..... 'U571' an example....so it was the Americans who captured that Enigma code machine and saved us from the Uboats...It never happened it was the Royal Navy.... and more recently and even worse.. the 2 American pilots that saved us from the nazis and won the Battle of Britain .... having met Battle of Britain pilot Robert Stanford Tuck, 'Fly for your Life' (recommended reading) in the early 1980s and having a father who was a WWII pilot B24s and Lancasters its difficult to respond to such drivel.
You guys don't need to claim our victories for gawds sake you have enough of your own heroes.We here know well of the 8th Army Air Force and the part they played over nazi Gemany, Omaha beach and the courage shown there and the fight to retake the pacific islands. Best thing the US could do to improve relations with more of us Brits is to stop Hollywood presenting your history with so many untruths for no other reason than the need for a quick buck. Nothing wrong with making a quick buck unless you undermine your countries credibility by doing so.
Going to watch Blackhawk Down over the weekend excellent film portraying some very courageous actions Gary and Randy earning Postum CMoHs. Its a fair balanced film politically right and it makes you think.No credibility Lost there thank god .

"I'm convinced that a big part of the anti-American sentiment of Europeans comes from the poor representation they see from our various entertainers as well as those travelers who can afford to visit Europe. "

A lot of it is simply media bias. The media is leftwing, and is reflexively anti-American. When the media treats Bush as a dangerous cowboy, etc. and our own Hollywood nitwits confirm that prejudice with their own expressions, it influences the Europeans.

Having once lived in France for a decade, I can confirm that their view of America is 50 years out of date.

There IS the problem of American toursists, though. Since Americans are far richer than the French, relatively "low-class" Americans can travel abroad... to the detriment of relations between our two countries.

I lived on the French Riviera and was constantly humiliated by being associated with low-class, ignorant American tourists.

Hell, I hated them too...