Posted on 07/03/2006 9:56:09 AM PDT by Mazi83
Britons have never had such a low opinion of the leadership of the United States, a YouGov poll shows.
As Americans prepare to celebrate the 230th anniversary of their independence tomorrow, the poll found that only 12 per cent of Britons trust them to act wisely on the global stage. This is half the number who had faith in the Vietnam-scarred White House of 1975.
Most Britons see America as a cruel, vulgar, arrogant society, riven by class and racism, crime-ridden, obsessed with money and led by an incompetent hypocrite.
American troops are failing either to win "hearts and minds" in Iraq or bring democracy to that country.
More than two-thirds who offered an opinion said America is essentially an imperial power seeking world domination. And 81 per cent of those who took a view said President George W Bush hypocritically championed democracy as a cover for the pursuit of American self-interests.
A spokesman for the American embassy said that the poll's findings were contradicted by its own surveys.
"We question the judgment of anyone who asserts the world would be a better place with Saddam still terrorizing his own nation and threatening people well beyond Iraq's borders.
"With respect to the poll's assertions about American society, we bear some of the blame for not successfully communicating America's extraordinary dynamism.
"But frankly, so do you [the British press]."
The left controls the press in EnglandNonsense. The Telegraph is and always has been conservative, for instance, and is the biggest selling broadsheet.
How does the average American view the European countries:
1.Their socialist system of government should be emulated.
2.They are more sophisticated in the intricacies of diplomacy
3.Their propensity to wink at terrorism against Israel is to be admired.
4.They have been giving weasels a bad name for a long time.
Takes one to know one.
a once-great nation now reduced to sidekick and overrun by the Asian/Arabic population they once ruled.The first part is undoubtedly true, the second not. Those ethnicities are broadly in line percentage wise in both the US and UK. It is not the case that Asians/Arabs exert a control or influence greater than their small proportion of the British population, if anything it is less than you would expect.
The only people saying otherwise are the mouthbreathers in the BNP.
#54. Glad to Hear it, from You!!!!:-)
Happy fourth of July, to You, vimto!!!!:-)
They dumped Mark Steyn and have been falling fast ever since.....They even giveaway a small version of the New York Slimes every week.......
This poll was a shamefull thing to do in front of July 4th and I would like to apologise on behalf of the many Brits who still think the US is great.
The British regard vulgar as equivalent to common, low-class; sounds like the same old, same old to me.
Britain has gall to make a statement about vulgar Americans.
If the British (and the rest of Europe) hadn't played empire and divided the world into countries and regions that should not have been created, we wouldn't be out there trying to fix their mess.
Frankly, I'd rather not clean up anyone else's feces, but look at Africa and look at the ME and look at the Balkans and then tell me who is vulgar; the ones who left the mess or the ones who have to sweep up?
I guess it takes one to tell one. The "British Empire" did more than enough to set up the strange groupings of native clans into "nations" of today. Why do you think Iraq is so screwed up ethenic group wise.
Yes, they are certainly in a position to critize "empire building"; they ceratinly screwed theirs up all by themselves!
(Apologies to Mad Ivan, of course!)
they are trying to pander to the soft left on behalf of the cretin who is running the ex-tory party, David "Call me Dave" Cameron.
That's where he thinks he will get his votes, but so far he is just loseing all his traditional voters like me.
I will never vote for him and as of now, the Telegraph will no longer be in my house....
I can see how an old decadent culture could misinterpret competitiveness for cruelty and self-confidence as arrogance. We look people straight in the eye and shake their hands as an equal. Many cultures don't. American have historically been known for their passion, curiosity, vigor and robust enthusiasm. The Brits seem a reserved, "pinched" and whiney in comparison.
As far as vulgarity - have they never heard of Benny Hill and Carry On Theater? Talk about baudy. I would say that, in comparison, Americans have chucked the art of Victorian innuendo. We are right out there in a matter of fact way, thanks to Hollywood. I will agree, it is not as funny an approach as oblique references to "naughty bits." I personally prefer the Victorian style.
I will agree that money is the prominent American measure of success. Perhaps because it is a competitive measure and does not drag up historic memories of privileged classes with inherited wealth and power. Entrenched class structures would appear to be far more a British than an American thing. I would think Americans would think that Brits are far more aware of institutional class strata than Americans. (Think Queens, Dukes, Duchesses and Sirs.)
I think the perception of racism and crime comes from the MSM. I don't see it as a prominent reality out in Red State America. Is this a by-product of pictures of Katrina?
The Right hates the US as much. It was the right--the Tories--who would have cut a deal with Hitler in 1940.
England is still a class-ridden society, suprisingly so.
I was thinking of the
Western Mail, Guardian, BBC - some of the most prejudiced news organizations in the world.
I dont consider the "conservative" party to be conservative - at least not since Thatcher.
They and the Labor party are ready to sell out the entire country to the PC. London will be mostly "minority" by 2010.
Dont confuse the Brits "conservatives" with real conservatism.
Tough.
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