Yes it is fashionable to hate the United States, but to be honest I could care less what the haters think (Is that #11)

The part that gets me is that when a Frenchman, et al. expresses nationalistic pride its okay, but god forbid that a citizen of the United States does the same thing Then it gets a lable.

I wouldnt go so far as to lable it a trash culture, but US culture is a pervasive one. Why? Because fo the melting pot thing. A mixture of many cultures, its easy to see elements of you own within the US's so adopting it is really easy. Also we hold the monopoly on "cool" and thats game, set, match AFAIK

I remember in the history books, about all the dialogue that occurred before WWII. Should we, should we not participate in this war.
There were factions who strongly rose up in opposition to US involvement.

But then, after it was over, we were critized for not intervening more quickly; that is, that we waited too long to stop the travesties that were occurring.

So, with being a superpower, comes responsibilities which are enormous.
and "damned if you do and damned if you don't" comes to mind.

I do think sometimes we do the wrong things. But I think, on some level, we do them for the right reasons. (Except for George Bush. I'm out
on his way of dealing with things.)

But I do hope we are back on the right track. And all of you who have so much anger directed at our country....I hope you will have reason to change your minds. I sincerely hope that changes, with good cause.

Maybe Americans are becoming just a little fragile and sensitive when it comes to foreigners critiscising their country? I don't think anyone honestly hates America it's just that sometimes, especially at times of war, it tends to parody itself. You just get the feeling when you see an American general telling the mass media how the battle is going that he is secretly pretending to be John Wayne! Even now, I watch Barack Obama and can't help feeling that he's watched every film of John F kennedy he could get hold of and has based his style on him. You watch the American movies, you watch how they are depicted on the news, and you don't know whether to laugh or cry. Then you go there (go to Vegas and New York every year) and you find, to your amazement, that Americans are some of the nicest most hospitable people on the planet especially the New Yorkers. Your big problem is you don't let foreigners know it! As soon as a camera turns your way you all become either John Wayne or Bruce Willis.

All nations now and then put on a show of national pride , it's just that it is an event when an american isn't up to some sickly practice of waving a flag or singing some pledge type song . It is ok for you , you are used to it . But to the outside viewer , they are thinking .. what is all this mad flag business all about , it is confusing and disrupting to their sense of normality . People don't wave their flags about , except when they are going to war.. so I don't see why you have to ...keep... doing.....it .. err never mind .

I wouldnt say i hate Americans. I hate a lot of things about America, it just seems so alien to me.
Although all the Americans i have ever encounted have all been nice people.

Oh,and unlucky about Bolton Wanderers

Originally posted by ladyinwaiting
I remember in the history books, about all the dialogue that occurred before WWII. Should we, should we not participate in this war.
There were factions who strongly rose up in opposition to US involvement.

But then, after it was over, we were critized for not intervening more quickly; that is, that we waited too long to stop the travesties that were occurring.

So, with being a superpower, comes responsibilities which are enormous.
and "damned if you do and damned if you don't" comes to mind.

But I do hope we are back on the right track. And all of you who have so much anger directed at our country....I hope you will have reason to change your minds. I sincerely hope that changes, with good cause.

But this is what I mean Lady In Waiting, that Americans dont "get" it.
Nobody really hates America ( unless America are bombing them, America has bombed many of countries after WW2 ).

We dont have anger towards you, we are indifferant. Nobody in England blames America for getting involved in the war too late or too early, we just dont like the fact that Americans have the audacity to come out with the classic "we saved your ass in WW2", and I have heard this from Americans online and in person.

You could liken England's affair with America's attitude to patriotism to be like a an TV advertisment that was great at first, and we were completely taken in by it. But by now the advert is getting old and we have found out the company is a bit more shady than we first thought.

I think the reason people hate America is because our culture is invasive.

second line

This a view from an Englishman who doesn't hate america, just dislikes its ways and understanding of the world!

No offence intended here, just a response to the OP interest in the subject and a view which might help in the understanding of yourselves feeling this hate resonating!

1) Guns...WTF! This has got to me for a very long time, until Americans can understand how wrong they are in their understanding of the impact of these things I cant respect them!
2) Hollywood ...WTF! Disgraceful rubbish! Poisons the minds of our children, absolutely no merit here!
3) Evangelistic Preachers!...WTF! Hilarious to watch but very painful also, Why is your nation obsessed with these con men and charlatans?. Why are you so gullible to that crap?
4) World Saviours!...WTF! Who do you think you are? get over yourselves! Why is it your business anyway?...oh yer..Oil, land control..blah blah blah ..nice!
5) Obesity!... WTF!!!...McDonald's, KFC and pizza hut should be banned around the world not endorsed!...It makes me sick to think you lot think it is acceptable to eat this crap!
Ignoramouses around the world are now catching up to your average waist band now thanks to that crap!
6) SUV ...WTF! Why you lot cant drive modest vehicles i don't know! Hummers, Dodge, v12's and 4 x4's or nothing!...I mean "Muscle car" WTF?
7) EGO...Why? Why have you got to go on about how your the best at everything? which I personally don't believe, What is it with being the best at something automatically gives you the right to be loved?
8) Politics...HAHAHA!...Now this does make me laugh!...Watching you lot at voting time is as comical as it gets, you embarrass yourselves without even realising it!
How in gods name do you vote for any of them corrupt muppets?...You wave flags and banners around as if your life depends on it and you haven't got a clue who is in power and who is not, why your voting for who you are or who in fact they really are!
9) Geography...Now when I was at school we were taught this subject which I embraced and inturn it inspired me to travel the world and experience many many cultures!...Hmm.. I do believe that some Americans are guilty of not knowing or understanding other cultures or countries as they are not in America so don't figure in their lives to warrant interest...not a good trait!
10) now i could put a 10, 11, 12 and so on...I don't think 10 is the be all and end all for sure, I feel that America is in the faces of every country in the World with satellite TV and the impression they force is despised by pretty much all!...I can not see the animosity towards America ever lift unless your people wake up from your stupor and re-educate your nation!

Originally posted by Majestic23
Nobody in England blames America for getting involved in the war too late or too early......

Really? That's why the English that I ran into in Germany always called Americans, "Late", as in, "Hey, Late". I found out it was because we entered WW2 "late".

It was easy to shut them up. All it took was one word.

Arnhem

I think those who truly despise us are looking at the never-ending frivolity of ths USA. That would be my biggest complaint as a US citizen. Hollywood, sports, fads, etc. In light of what goes on in the rest of the world, in many cases we do come off as overindulgent and frivolous, and personally, in many cases I have to agree. Just looking at our media shows a blatant degredation of our originality and spirit (as a whole package). It is sad because there are alot of great things but they are few and far between when you look at everything as a whole.

Originally posted by jerico65

Originally posted by Majestic23
Nobody in England blames America for getting involved in the war too late or too early......

Really? That's why the English that I ran into in Germany always called Americans, "Late", as in, "Hey, Late". I found out it was because we entered WW2 "late".

It was easy to shut them up. All it took was one word.

Arnhem

I guess as LadyInWaiting said, sometimes people just say that stuff for a bit of banter. I was trying to get across the point that it isnt anything in particular that Americans do that annoys the people in other countries (that you havent bombed in the last 20 years) . Its the mindset that Americans have, now personally I would argue that it is part of what makes America the country that it is (and indeed I love America, as one poster said, they have the monopoly in cool). But it is annoying.

Let me put it in another way, please do not take offence, I am doing this in the interest of good communications.
The mindset of an American to a European is like the mindset of a sheep person to a conspiracy theorist. Its like you have the blinkers on, you cant see any other way of looking at the world except through American eyes.

In everyday life you have people who you consider selfish, selfish because they can only see things from their perspective, they are not a bad person. But they make life hard for the rest of the room because they can never see eye to eye. They are so confident in themselves that they almost manifest their will into reality. And even though this might make a person (or country ) powerful in certain ways at first, it leads to the rest of the room (or world) getting seriously narked off in the long run.

As above so below. The relationships between countries are mimicked by relationships in people and vice versa. Its why stereotypes can often be so accurate even though its a generalisation. If England is an old school military man with a stiff upper lip then America is a mad Texan oil baron firing his shootin irons into the air, whoopin and a hollerin.