[S.T.]

Why does it seem like every other country in the world hates Americans? Are we really all that horrible? I see this especially in the Middle East and some places in Asia. I've also heard of France really hating us. Why? Anyone who lives in America knows that most of us aren't as bad as everyone else makes us out to be.

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Name : S.T., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 15, City : Anderson, State : SC Country : United States, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, 

[J.C.]

I lived in the United States for a decade, and think I can look at your question from multiple perspectives. When people in the rest of the world look at the United States, most hate your government, but not the people. They separate the two. Certainly, some can't. In my opinion, Americans are nice in general, and I don't think people in other countries, generally speaking, hate Americans.

However, we do think many Americans are quite naive about the world and are too eccentric. That's perhaps because America is so rich, advanced and powerful. However, with as much resources that they have, they don't really make good use of them to learn more about the rest of the world. I'm very surprised that many students don't even know basic geography and world history.

Another point is the United States' short history compared with most countries. For you guys, JFK is ancient history, and most buildings in your towns are probably less than 100 years old. But in the rest of the world, you can easily find things that are centuries old. That's why Americans easily forget history and can't handle historical issues well. So, when the U.S. government screws up other countries, people there suffer, and they remember. But Americans forget. Then, when someone wants to do some payback, they can't do much against the U.S. government, so they take it out on innocent Americans.

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[Seamus28214]

There is a large amount of prejudice against people in other countries, especially Middle Easterners and the French, in America as well. The same reasons we dislike them can be applied to their situations as well. Part of it is political differences like differing sides in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and support for the odious Saudi royal family for Middle Easterners and support for the death penalty, drug war, and an aggressive foreign policy for the French and many other Europeans. Part of it is also cultural, as some Middle Easterners look at Americans as too secular and hedonistic while the French and other Europeans don't feel Americans are secular or hedonistic enough! But a common thread runs through both American and non-American dislike: ignorance. Most people expressing such views either know few, if any, people of the offending culture, or came into their relationships with biases that overwhelm the positive interactions with people of said cultures.

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Name : Seamus28214, Gender : M, Age : 23, City : Charlestown, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : Construction, Social class : Lower class, 

[Karim]

No one I know here hates Americans. You can ask Americans living in or visiting Egypt. We actually like you, think you are kind, smart, simple and usually motivated by good stimuli. Do we hate America? Definitely. Why? Because it is nothing it ever claims to be. It claims it's a democracy and then imprisons people without trial in animal cages on a tropical island. It says it supports democracy and then pours money and /or support on the apartheid of Israel, the autocracy of Saudi Arabia or the right wingers of South Korea. The United States claims it's secular and then its president stands by and watches Sharon proclaim that Jerusalem was given to his people by God.

We hate the United States because it claims it has no race-related ideology and then employs racial profiling against Arabs at airports or at INS lines. I often hear your 'free media' claiming we hate you because you are rich and we envy your democracy. Well no one in Egypt hates Switzerland, or Belgium, or Japan, or France, and believe me, they have much more democracy and money than you!

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Name : Karim, Gender : M, Age : 23, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kent26459]

The January 3 issue of The Economist has an excellent article based on three major international surveys. It shows the complex nature of dislike of the way America acts, but not of Americans themselves. Americans are divided about their role in the world and so are the people of Europe and Asia. Muslim nations are mostly very concerned about America's influence...but read the article yourself!

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[Noneofyabusiness]

Actually we ARE that bad. I'd hate us too if I weren't from here. We take sooooo much for granted that others not of american decent would take pride in having. Like waking up everyday of our lives being free and able to do anything we wanted. Being able to walk around and gripe about anything we disliked. Most of them also hate how hateful we are towards each other. We are so quick to point the finger and blame someone instead of looking at issues deeper, Like the reasoning behind someones deviant actions or how we bully and don't help each other. Americans are people of 'self' everything is self self self. Sure, some people help out at community centers and hospitals or donate 1/8 of their millions to some charity but if we were all commited to working towards building a better economy and a better lifestyle for ALL, we wouldn't have people in those situations to pity. No one cares about anyone but themself in america. I don't even know my next door neighbors and I've lived in the same house for 19 years??? We aren't equal. We have equality but we aren't equal. Non-americans see us on tv and hear about us in their papers and they laugh at us. I laugh at us everyday, the movies we make, the leaders we choose, the things some people have the nerve to complain about and the lives we choose to live. The only time people WILL come together is when someone has to die and there is no reason for that at all. We forget whats important and only want what makes up happy, a big house, nice car, family, good job, and people out of our business.

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[Marko-Saarinen]

I don't think every other country in the world hates you. And no, you are not that horrible. I certainly don't hate you guys - you have never bothered me or my people, and you are also so far away ;-) It's _individual people_ around the world that seem to hate _specifically_ the actions of the United States _government_ in or near their home countries/regions in the past decades. A person is usually angry for a specific reason, but these reasons are also pretty complex webs weaved out of regional history, geopolitics, global economy etc. I think many people outside U.S. likes the ordinary American folks, and really wants to be like them. Most are indifferent about you, others resent you for various reasons, some even hate you, but only rarely that hate turns into brutal violence, as in 9/11. Below are web addresses for a few interesting articles about the subject. It's useless for me to repeat here what others have said better (I tried my best to select the most balanced ones). You can find more articles - some fairly 'edgy' - with search engines. I hope you find at least some kind of answers to your questions. How the world sees Americans http://www.salon.com/books/int/2002/11/06/hertsgaard/ Why Do They Hate Us So Much? http://www.bidstrup.com/hate.htm In Many Forms, Places, Hatred of America Lives http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0928-02.htm

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[Jon]

There are 3 main factors, as I see it, which contribute to the hostility towards Americans. Firstly these is the perception is that Americans as a whole are unwilling to look outside their country, learn about and accept other cutlers or take any interest in foreign affairs. (Evidence often cited to back this is up includes low passport ownership rates, low levels of international reporting in your media) Secondly, there is the your governments foreign policy, including a gross disregard for international treaties (international criminal court, Kyoto, missile test ban treaties etc), coupled with a warmongering approach that often defies logic, a lack of consistency and a tendency to fund vicious dictators and/ or terrorists (the US government has in the past funded both Saddam Hussian, and Osaka Bin Laden). Now, no government is perfect, most if not all practice hypocrisy, but non act with the arrogance that the USA tends to. Which brings me to my third point. Americans may perceive hostility everywhere because they don't really expect it. You are taught that you have a fine, democratic system of government, which is a force for good in the world and that every nation should strive to be more like you. You don't expect people to be hostile and so when they are, the shock makes the criticism seem even worse. The rest of the world does not hate Americans (although there are obviously some fanatics out there) and even if there was mass hatred (rather that more well founded criticism) of America, this is much more to do with foreign policy than attributes of individual Americans. Lets face it where on the brink of world war three here because George Bush needs a handy focus for his 'war against terror', if we are about to be dragged into a pointless and misguided war just to win a few votes/ secure some lucrative oil/ natural gas deals, I think that those of us who don't have US citizenship have the right to be mildly miffed at the very least. Oh and in short, Americans aren't really 'that evil', your government just tends to make some very unpopular decisions on the international stage.

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[Netta]

I think it's not American individuals as such, but rather the pervasiveness of American culture and the way it does and has taken over in a lot of countries...I personally have met a lot of nice Americans and only a few idiots, which is what you get with any nationality. I think people are often also put off by the stereotypes of Americans - overbearing, confronting, and with a general idea that America is the world, the world's police and that there isn't another way to do it besides 'the American way' that's worthy of consideration. Ok, Americans aren't all like that, but it's a stereotype - they're not usually fantastic.

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[Dave25986]

Having traveled in a few different parts of France, I never got the sense that the French 'hate' us. I think they're more bemused by us than anything. By the way, I think the French get a bad rap. If you go with an open mind and a humble attitude, you will find the French quite charming and pretty witty. Actually, that's pretty much true everywhere. I do think by comparison most Americans are much more simplistic and naive than most French people. Most Europeans travel much more than most Americans. Only 20 percent of Americans have passports, something like that. Having seen many 'ugly Americans' abroad, I sometimes am thankful so few of us travel, but on the other hand, traveling really is the only way to understand others as well as yourself.

There are many places in the world where Americans are despised. I think by far the biggest source of this resentment has to do with our government's history of shallow, duplicitous, self-serving and arrogant foreign policy. I wish so much that we could have an administration brave enough and honorable enough to hold ourselves to the same standard we try to hold everyone else to. Until this changes, many people around the globe will rightfully resent being on the short end of our big stick diplomacy.

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[Ronald-V29457]

America is hated by people because America has tried to impose their world view on cultures using the guise of helping other people as a smokescreen for their own political/economic agenda. i.e. Birth control to overpopulated nations without even examining the pardigms of that culture and working within that culture. The Viet Nam war was considered American interference in a war that was not its own. The American government chooses in what wars to involve itself for its own political/economic interests whether it was anti-communist, or interested in preserving the oil supply to America. Americans tend to push their weight and money around influencing politics and policies which is supposed to be outside their sphere of influence, beyond its borders. Individual Americans have to face the reputation that the US government has created.

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[Landon]

Excellent question, and one that really needs to be addressed. To put it simply, it's a combination of jealousy, misperception and disagreement. The vast majority of the countries that dislike us are envious of our position as the most overall powerful nation in the world, though they will never admit to it. Face it people, whether you like or dislike us, we are pretty much the center of everything and anything major that goes on throughout the world. The ball is in our court to make the big decisions that create the most substantial impact. Other countries want this opportunity, and consequently, are jealous. Secondly, many nations perceive Americans as being selfish, spoiled, and ill-moraled. The majority of this stems from jealousy. They observe the more difficult life that they have had to endure, and the more (but not much more) prosperous life the average American has lived and, in bitterness and misperception, stereotype Americans extremely inaccurately. Last of all, various nations of the world just don't agree on very many issues as a whole. We come from so many diverse religions and races and cultures and backgrounds that we are going to always differ on something. America is put on a pedestool for everything, including its beliefs and methods, so more people are going a chance to disagree and, consequently, dislike us. All in all though, other countries have a right to disagree but little reason to dislike or hate us. We serve and protect those who seek freedom, and/or are being killed for their religion/race/sex. There are twisted and careless Americans who give us a negative reputation and act senselessly just like in any other culture. So I challenge those who hold disdain for America to give me 1 GOOD reason why we are evil, unethical, not to be trusted etc. And by the way, this is a misperception among many Americans. The number of countries that really hate us and don't just hold some miniscule closet dislike for us that originates from jealousy is relatively small.

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[JerryS]

Americans have an urge to 'fix' things, and they have applied this with much zeal and a great deal of insensitivity to other societies. Part of this is allied with the missionary movement, which we inherited from the British: going around the world bearing the Good News about Jesus and long trousers to people who had done for centuries without either. Add to that our periodic bouts of isolationism, which means that we just as periodically burst onto the international scene and try to take charge. And, of course, we make an easy target.

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[Kitt]

I know you asked this of those in the international community, but from what I've had explained to me, may Americans tend to be VERY arrogant and openly consider other nations and customs to be inferior to ours. They also report that we seem ignorant of other languages and demand special treatment because of our 'status' as American citizens. Naturally this makes other people feel extremely insulted and contemptuous of us. Given this latest debacle with Bush essentially IGNORING most members of international community on critical issues, this negative perception will only grow stronger.

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[Amanda31506]

It does seem like much of the global community is currently harboring a resentment toward America (and by default, most Americans) based on our foreign policies and actions on an international scale. To an extent, this true. You can't deny the footage on t.v. of our flag being burned by crowds of protestors. But there are several points to take into consideration. First, our media can be accused of many things. Including the idea that they are perhaps more compelled to release news that is, for a majority, controvercial and alarming because it will gain more viewers/listeners/readers than a report that things really are peachy. Also, many Middle-Eastern and Asian countries are indeed threatened by American policies. North Korea's government for instance, is opposed to UN regulations regarding nuclear weapon/missile production because their wealth relies heavily on the sale of these weapons to other nations/groups. And if the UN were to restrict this source of income, the country would tend toward a more capitalist economy, which would eventually destroy the dictatorship in power. But the North Korean government can't admit that their way of doing things isn't the best way (for the general economy), so their state news agency says 'the UN is the cat's paw.' (With the US being the cat.) It isn't necessarily that all the people of Korea believe you and your family are evil and incorrect, but there are a lot of posturing and threats that occur in politics that would incline us to believe such things. Ditto for many middle eastern nations. As for France's position toward US policies, specifically the potential war with Iraq, it's potentially a matter of pride. After World War II, France chose not to create a solid military. i believe only three percent of their national budget goes into the military. This creates an uncomfortable situation. Essentially, France knows they're military influence is nil, and therefore really say 'Yes, war is necessary, we'll send you two troops.' There are so many economic, social, political, and personal ties between countries, that I'm sure no generalizations can be made with any sort of real accuracy. However, it's really important to wrestle with these ideas and their ramifications. We've got to THINK.

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