In this thread, a poster claims that in just 2 1/2 years, the United States has gone from being “the most loved and respected nation on earth” to one almost universally despised.
While I find both ends of that proposition less than compelling, it set me to wondering.
If America is out of the running for Most Loved, what nation now holds the crown?
England? Nah, with “Little Satan” Tony Blair running the show and the distant legacy of Empire weighing it down, can’t be England.
Germany? Probably still a bit too much historical baggage.
France? (chuckle)
Russia? (see entry for Germany)
China? Warm and fuzzy feelings don’t seem to abound.
Canada? Too far north.
Sweden? Too blonde.
So which nation is it that we love and respect, that we desire to emigrate to (or at least emulate), the country that stirs our admiration and brings a song to our hearts?
Naah. We were cute in the 80s, but now we’re bigger, better-known, and therefore much more boring. Also we’re in the Coalition of the Willing (I support it, but many don’t).
I think New Zealand. It’s small and inoffensive, yet stands up for itself. It’s multicultural and industrialised, and it’s geographically beautiful. It’s got its problems too (the Kiwis, like the Aussies and British don’t like being seen as “quaint”), but essentially it seems like nobody is overcome by NZ hatred. And there’s the whole LOTR stuff too.
I was going to say New Zealand. All the Kiwi’s I’ve met ( online) are righteous dudes and dudettes.
I guess I’ll say Pitcairn Island…with their very dense population (44 peoples) and rampant child molestation charges that have come to light recently, they have a shot at being the most depraved as of late.
Depends on what you are in to. The Netherlands for some, the Swiss for others. New Zealand is not a bad bet for the English speaking world. Any world election, though, would probably be slanted towards China or India.
And a third.
So they’ve had a few hiccups in modern goverment. Any place that doesn’t isn’t trying. They seem to weather it all so gracefully, and somehow quietly come out for decency. I loved Denmark, and could live there gratefully.
But that’s my bias, which begs the question. I don’t think any nation has ever been all that unanimously loved and admired. Aspects? Sure. More than that? Uh…no.
I still love America, because it’s home and for so many better reasons, but much of the post-9/11 hyperbole was just that.
If you go by sitcoms alone, Sweden is a country full of bikini models and stewardesses. How can you really hate a country like that?
Seriously though, it’s a good question and I’m a little stuck for an answer. Scandanavia in general seems to be a well liked place. I’ve met loads of people from any one of the countries and have liked all of them.
The Netherlands is loved very deeply by druggies. I’m not sure about respected, though. Canada’s probably up there by virtue of never offending anyone and not being America.
Australia IMO even if of late there have been several incidents that made me think twice. get rid of that government you have there lads will ya. Go on be a sport.
I was going to say that SA went through a patch of being the country everyone loved in the early to mid 90’s - after years of being the country everyone loved to hate. That lustre seems to have worn off, thanks in no small part to Thabo Mbeki’s stance on AIDS and his relationship with Zimbabwe.
Canada’s probably up there by virtue of never offending anyone and not being America.