Non-US Citizens Only Poll

Splint · Post by **Splint** » 18 May 2004 07:22

In light of a few recent threads I was interested in seeing what some of the non-US citizens think about us.
Recently in my private life I have met people from Russia and parts of Eastern Europe who had this "streets paved with gold" idea about the US or that the US felt it was above reproach and other things of that nature.

So what do you think?

Please feel free to be honest. I don't really intend to reply in defense to this thread or anything. Unless you get really nasty

Though I may respond with some questions if things are unclear.

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 18 May 2004 08:09

ive never been to europe, but ive always been told that a lot of people will treat you poorly if they think you are from the united states of america and that if you put a canadian flag on your backpack somewhere that people will treat you well beause they know youre from canada :p

Thom · Post by **Thom** » 18 May 2004 09:56

I'm not the biggest fan of the US's polictical strategies or what they stand for but I love America itself (well East TN anyway!). The countries so beaitiful and the people were awesome and I just love alot of things about the place. So i gotta go for the second option...The US is awesome

Splint · Post by **Splint** » 18 May 2004 10:01

Thom wrote: So i gotta go for the second option...The US is awesome

Ummm... you must have voted wrong or forgotten to vote altogether because right now the US sucks, is a bunch of hypocritical money grubbin'..., and other

.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » 18 May 2004 10:10

Woops, I was so enthuastic I forgot to vote

...There we go!

kaos · Post by **kaos** » 18 May 2004 10:27

I voted other - none of the pole options really describe my thoughts on the USA.

To me the USA is just another country, no different than say Yemen. Sure they play a bigger role in international politics, and their decisions do in some way affect my life, but I don't really worry about that to much. I must agree with Thom though that I don't care much for their politics.

I should add that I always had the impression that USAers are very arrogant (don't ask why), but since I started to read the forums, much of this impression disappeared. Now I only think that some USAers are very very arrogant, but for the most part they are a nice bunch of people (no different than say the people in Yemen).

I find also it strange that people in the USA know so little of what is going on in the rest of the world - what is up with that? Maybe you guys can explain it to me.

All in all, I think the country is not that bad, sortof like Yemen

Just don't get me started on Australia... ; - )

Splint · Post by **Splint** » 18 May 2004 11:33

kaos wrote:I find also it strange that people in the USA know so little of what is going on in the rest of the world - what is up with that? Maybe you guys can explain it to me.
All in all, I think the country is not that bad, sortof like Yemen
Just don't get me started on Australia... ; - )

Funny that you should bring that up. I think you'd find that most people in the US would think that Yemen is some eastern european delicacy sooner than know it was a country, much less even know it has nothing to do with Eastern Eruope.

Why we don't know jack about the rest of the world:
We are a McDonalds nation. Everything must come to us faster, hotter and better. We have no time for news and if we do it had better be bad news, news that directly affects us, or the weather forecast. Because the news is not as sensational as the script of "Friends" or "Sex in the City" they try their damndest to get our attention with whatever they can.
Ratings are everything in the US media. If it doesn't Blow UP, Die, or tank the Stock Market (or weather of course) then it doesn't sell. So we here about major disasters and such that happen overseas, or we catch snipets here and there about certain goings on, but they often fade away without any follow up story.

Zippo · Post by **Zippo** » 18 May 2004 12:15

Actually funny story about american's not knowing anything about the outside world.

I'm from windsor, ontario, Canada which is on the same latitude as Northern California (just not as warm cause there's no ocean to moderate our climate

, but anyways)

I was on a vacation in florida and i was talking to a person from arizona that i met on this tour thing, they were probably in their late 20's.... i had this person believeing that actually rode a snowmobile everywhere cause there was snow allyear around and that it was hard for me to go to the states because even though we speak and read english, we read from right to left rather than left to right..... and he actually believed me... i had a good chuckle!

That and i live in a border town (Detroit, MI is right across the river), it's funny to see people comes across the border (and u have to go SOUTH to come from detroit to windsor) with skies on the roof ogf their cars... *shakes head* hope they're expecting a looooooong drive to find snow.

also last point, a comedy show in canada has a sketch called 'talking to american's' it's gra=eat they take a camera crew to the states and see what outlandish sutff they can get the average american walking down the street to believe HAHAHA funnniest stuff ever.

Not trying to say that i hate americans.... some of the best people i've ever met are american in fact, although some are the most aweful jaskasses i've ever met, but i guess there's some like that in every country!! I just thought they were some funny stories i'd share

LameR · Post by **LameR** » 18 May 2004 13:48

We suck, we're going to get an atom bomb or two dropped on us one of these days.

FlexThis · Post by **FlexThis** » 18 May 2004 14:03

MegaFighter_X · Post by **MegaFighter_X** » 18 May 2004 14:11

LameR wrote:We suck, we're going to get an atom bomb or two dropped on us one of these days.

I hear that man... especially if we have that fuck bush in office.. but that part's my opinion...

Since I live in america, I can't vote... But I like what this country stands for.. I hate what it does (at some points at least)

Splint · Post by **Splint** » 18 May 2004 18:32

To quote Whoopie Goldberg...

"Where else can you live where you have a Bush, Dick, and a Colon running the country?"

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 18 May 2004 18:37

I think it's important to differentiate between politics and people. There are a number of people from the states who I like and would call a friend - including people here - I know there are nice americans out there - and having read "Dude, Where's My Country" by M Moore - I think most americans are nice.

However American politics is a different manner - and were this a vote only on US foreign policy you would see a much different vote. Of course there are issues like the US being the most obese nation in the world - but that doesn't make me dislike the US (and it doesn't make me happy in the knowledge that manner americans will die at an early age from heart disease or something similar).

Another thing that makes me dislike the US is the way we in Australia are swamped with American Culture - at least half the shows on tv any night are american - although I guess really I dislike the shows and the tv networks - not americans in general.

Spadrick · Post by **Spadrick** » 18 May 2004 20:34

I have had to talk to Americans 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for the past three years.

Saying Americans are stupid and ignorant would be harsh. I think there are quite a few under-read and less-worldly American souls. But for the most part, Americans are cool.

How it is run, and how politics seem to be do not define a nation of good willed people.

Even though I resent the actions taken by American leaders, wont prevent me from giving props to American shredders at worlds!

Go AMERICAns!

NotHisRealName · Post by **NotHisRealName** » 18 May 2004 21:17

kaos wrote: Just don't get me started on Australia... ; - ) [/color]

Funny.

Anyway, I voted that the US is an uptight, money hungery, etc.
But the big problem is that the USA is represented by it's government, and that's where my issue lays.

Americans, in general, are ok, but what the USA stands for... That's the problem.

Outsider · Post by **Outsider** » 18 May 2004 21:41

Jeremy said:

Another thing that makes me dislike the US is the way we in Australia are swamped with American Culture - at least half the shows on tv any night are american - although I guess really I dislike the shows and the tv networks - not americans in general.

Amen to that, and so much more. There are positive things to be said about my country, but I can't think of many good things to say about our biggest cultural establishments, like television. And if you think American TV is bad (not just bad, but really fucking embarrassing, except for the Simpsons, which can be pretty clever), then you're not thinking in broad enough terms. I find our contribution to cuisine to be virtually criminal and I believe that there must be some horrible evil conspiracy to destoy standards of good taste the whole world over when I think back to all the Kentuck Fried Chicken places I saw in Prague last summer, and the Coca-Cola bottling plant I saw in Turkey, etc. etc. I mean, to wage war on other countries is bad, but to then set up fast-food franchises there is just adding insult to injury. Its like someone said "lets think of the worst crap that we can think of to feed ourselves with, and then lets get everybody else to try it too!" Its tragic. Its like almost every kind of American cuisine is adopted from somewhere else, and its like the recipes have all been translated by first-year students of the that other country's language. I could go on, but its late here in America. Good night.

LameR · Post by **LameR** » 18 May 2004 22:24

MegaFighter_X wrote:
LameR wrote:We suck, we're going to get an atom bomb or two dropped on us one of these days.
I hear that man... especially if we have that fuck bush in office.. but that part's my opinion...

Since I live in america, I can't vote... But I like what this country stands for.. I hate what it does (at some points at least)

Preachin' to the choir! Ok, I suck at singing, nevermind.

MegaFighter_X · Post by **MegaFighter_X** » 18 May 2004 22:29

Kiser_Tobias wrote:Americans, in general, are ok, but what the USA stands for... That's the problem.

The US stands for being free, being able to go out on the street and not be killed for your opinion, and in fact, voice an unpopular opinion. We still have a part of that, but a lot of freedom of speech is has been taken away beacause of this "war on terror."

Like I said, I like what we stand for. But I hate what it does.

kaos · Post by **kaos** » 18 May 2004 23:23

FlexThis wrote: I think it's funny that you compare America to Yemen.

I wasn't really comparing the two. I meant that for me the US is just like any other random country (I choose Yemen because the word sounds cool).

The US has their good and their bad, just like any other country, but because they are so powerful, we tend to care more about them (especially their bad) than other countries. But when I have to pass judgement on whether I think they are cool or full of shit, I try to judge them the same way I would judge any other country.

I guess if South Africa was even halve as powerful as the US, the world would also critisize every movement our goverment makes (maybe that would be a Good Thing (the critisizing that is)) - it comes with the territory. You can't expect to be the most powerful nation in the world AND have everyone like you.

sPinko-Mania · Post by **sPinko-Mania** » 19 May 2004 00:04

Outsider wrote: Amen to that, and so much more. There are positive things to be said about my country, but I can't think of many good things to say about our biggest cultural establishments, like television. And if you think American TV is bad (not just bad, but really fucking embarrassing, except for the Simpsons, which can be pretty clever), then you're not thinking in broad enough terms. I find our contribution to cuisine to be virtually criminal and I believe that there must be some horrible evil conspiracy to destoy standards of good taste the whole world over when I think back to all the Kentuck Fried Chicken places I saw in Prague last summer, and the Coca-Cola bottling plant I saw in Turkey, etc. etc.

Agreed. Ironically, I'm wondering if anyone seen that movie 'Supersize me' yet? Seems pretty cool.

I voted Other. I think the founding political ideas of the US are great! The constitution is a fine idea, but the way it has been twisted about, and the current state of US politics is just sad. It really seems like a formal democracy, that is, the form of a democracy is there, but it's not exactly representative. It's this mish mash of plutocracy, nepotism and democracy all in one. The democracy here isn't perfect, but I think many other countries have a better system in that regard, and the high voter apathy over there is probably a reflection of that. The US needs a better voting system, I don't really know much about the electoral collage, it goes past what I've learnt, but something should change there I think.

My personal experience with Americans face to face has been good, most seem a bit apologetic about their government. The current amount of power the government has is definitely worrying, and the hegemony that's occurring because of that power, but I'm still glad it's the US not China or Russia or other potential super powers. I don't think they'd do a better job if they happened to be the sole world superpower.

Non-US Citizens Only Poll

How do you feel/what is your impression about the US?

Non-US Citizens Only Poll