I don’t know where this belongs but two recent threads asked about overseas attitudes to America and to GWB. A program on TV last night provided very comprehensive answers to questions about international attitudes to American policy, economics, culture and life. For anyone interested the poll results are here on the ABC site. This may be of more value than a poll of overseas Dopers.
Well, I guess I’m with the majority opinion of Australians when it comes to most aspects. The only majority parts I disagree with is how Australians (barely) approve of America’s terrorism policy, America’s position in Iraq, and that America was right to invade Iraq.
And like the people of many other countries: I like Americans, on the whole, and I hate George Bush’s guts.
In the interest of full disclosure, I believe that the United States should work to coöperate with the rest of the world more, and I’m currently working on establishing an international career. Since I can’t stand those who intentionally piss off the world in respect to my own country, I have a built-in prejudice toward Bush.
At least the favorable attitude toward Bush in the poll shows that 43% of Americans hold him in esteem. That’s still too high, and it’s my patriotic duty to knock it down.
I only caught the last 15 minutes of the program.
Was anything said concerning the way American companies make America a threat to other countries and that this could be a major contributing factor to the almost universal dislike of America?
For instance, Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed producer (I believe) is attempting to spread genetically altered crops through third world nations that do not produce viable seed for next years crop. This means third world farmers must continually buy new seed from Monsanto in order to plant a crop. What happens when the crops are killed by pests or other natural disaster? You get starving masses who want to blow up Americans.
I am surprised to read from that poll that supposedly 45% of Australians have a favourable opinion of George Bush as I dont know anyone of that opinion. Anecdotal I know but still.
Maybe there’s a social stigma to expressing support for George W. Bush in public? Something like admitting you watch Jerry Springer? 
That is exactly why I posted the link. In a previous thread someone had asked whether people overseas like Bush. Nearly all the responses were negative. Mine even said that, like you, I don’t know anyone who likes Bush. Well obviously looking at the detail in those worldwide polls, Dopers and their friends are not representative of the whole population and may therefore offer very skewed opinions.
I really like the USA, its culture, and its people. I despise George Bush (and I sort of liked him at one point) but that’s a transient thing and doesn’t reflect on the country much. Every democracy has good and bad elected officials. I mean, we elected Joe Clark at one point, for God’s sake.
So…an American company provides seed which is more resistant to pests and drought to poor farmers, allowing them raise more crops and in exchange this evil corporation wants to be paid for it? THOSE BASTARDS!!!
And if these crops somehow fail, it is Americas fault?
Also, it’s not a good idea to allow genetically altered crops to germinate so they can crowd out indiginous plants.
Heck, I’m American and I know only about a dozen people (in real life, not on message boards) who have a favorable opinion of Bush – and most of them are people whom I didn’t choose to know, e.g. blood relatives. We tend to select friends and associates whose opinions resemble our own. Maybe the 45% of Australians are all hanging out with each other.
Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
Monsanto originally wanted to include the terminator gene in GM crops as a safeguard against GM strains hybridising with other crops. People whined, just as you are doing now.
So Monsanto didn’t install the terminator gene. People whined because “Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed producer (I believe) is attempting to spread genetically altered crops through third world nations that do produce viable seed that can contaminate next years crop. This wil reduce the country’s export capacity, and people will want to blow up America.”
So in the face of public pressure Mosanto has reinstated the terminator gene. And now people are back to whining about it being there again.
There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza.
It is never good enough. People want everything the US has, and then complain when they get it. There’s no winning with them. They need something to complain about and somebody to blame. It’s popular to blame the US for all the problems of the entire world and disregard any of the good.
Well i guess its just your turn to be disliked, every empire in history has had the same, and like it or not America is an empire.
Not maybe in the old traditional sense of colonising, but in terms of trade and influence.
Tekneek : It is never good enough. People want everything the US has, and then complain when they get it. There’s no winning with them.
Thats part of the problem, people dont allways want what the Americans have, Its the case that many Americans are quite shocked when you tell them this, there are many good things in the US and personaly i like America and American people, but they have a tendency to take it too hard when anyone critisises them for anything.
Well, I’m american, and I feel quite welcomed by everybody when I travel. People are always surprised at how well informed we are about other countries, cultures and geography. When they visit us they find we are a very kind and tolerant people. They also think we are very peaceful and tranquil and… oops, you meant US citizens? sorry.
Good point. “America” means everything from the Northwest Territories all the way south to the tippy-end of Argentina.
No one can ever have what we have. We consume 5, 6, 7 8x our natural carrying capacity resources.
Does this mean I want to give it back? No.
However, we cannot be surprised when 3rd world nations despise use.
Read Kaplan if you want some more information.
Not every country can be succesful as us, it is imposible given the finite number of resources in the world. Yes, technology can expand those resources, but there is always the ever-present zero-sum game.
Is it just me, or do the title and author of this thread say it all?
What is that based on? The US has more than sufficient resources to feed itself, provide for its energy needs etc. In what way does the US consume 8 times its natural carrying capacity? What is that carrying capacity figure based on?
Why is it impossible? What is this zero sum game?
Lissa:
Yes, those poor, exploited, resource-robbed third world countries. And none of their problems are of their own making, of course. None of their problems are a result of awe-inspiring corruption, fatuous oligarchies, non-existent economic rights, no adherence to rule of law, no property rights, poor education, no personal freedom, fucked up political systems, ethnic strife, religious zealotry, tribalism, xenophobia, or misogyny.
Nope, it’s all our fault.
“None of their problems are a result of awe-inspiring corruption, fatuous oligarchies, non-existent economic rights, no adherence to rule of law, no property rights, poor education, no personal freedom, fucked up political systems, ethnic strife, religious zealotry, tribalism, xenophobia, or misogyny.”
Geez, you’ve described the US to a tee…:eek:
Roland Saul:
Well, damn, how come the money and food aid and NGOs and various other busybodies aren’t flooding into the country?
Why aren’t the dispossessed refugees from Grosse Point pouring over the border into Windsor, Ontario to escape from our wretched soil?
Why won’t the European intelligentsia cry out over the injustice of those millions of poor girls from Westchester County and Kansas City and Seattle undergoing forced clitorectomies? Why won’t they rage against traditions like forced dowries or honor killings, which are, of course, widespread across the U.S.
When will the oppression of the Jews of Bel Air at the hands of murderous Christians from Brentwood end?
Why does the UN ignore our plight? Where’s our UN peacekeeping force to save us from our descent into civil war?
Why does the world turn a blind eye to our despair? Maybe we just don’t have enough oil.
I don’t know how we manage.
(although, Roland Saul, I will admit that I agree with you about the quality of public education in too many parts of the nation - it does suck, and it is embarrassing.)