Obama Cannot Stop Global Sentiment Against Americans
Aby December 1st, 2008
Lately, a popular belief among Americans is that since Obama has been elected President, all forms of ‘anti-Americanism’ around the world should disappear. They appear to hold on to the belief that anti-Americanism is a direct and isolated consquence of the Bush administration as foreigners “can’t seperate the American people from their government”. The very implication that foreigners are incapable of making such a simple judgement is one of the reflectors of American arrogance - they very thing that foreigners dispise (rather than the Bush administration).
Americans try to explain why they are hated around the world.
However, instead of trying to understand that it takes two hands to clap, Americans have taken to blaming all anti-Americanisms on the rest of the world, once they realised that Bush’s demise didn’t change the scene. They have come up with rather simplistic explanation to blanket global anti-American sentiments attributing it to jealousy, hatred, insecurity and a myriad of other ‘problems’.
Like the erstwhile Nazis or Islamists, these people have caught on an ‘victim complex’, believing that since they are vicitimised, extreme nationalism is the only way to go. One of such groups is run by a 40-year old blogger who calls herself virgomonkey, who apparently lost her job to an offshored Indian call center worker. Her writings mostly consist of posts that show how America is better than every other nation some way or the other and how Americans are hated because they are ‘more honest, self-critical, open minded and free’ than all other peoples. A lot of her articles crosslink to her own previous posts as evidence or on facebook satire groups to show ‘how the entire world hates America for no fault of ours”. She came to my notice after a series of insulting comments and spam emails asking me to check out her site, before starting an attention seeking ‘blog war’ claiming that we are in some sort of ‘conspiracy’ to malign her. She has her share of supporters and sympathisers - other frustrated American nationalists like her. And yet she wonders why some Europeans take unkindly towards her.
While most of these people have an understandable reason to feel frustrated, what most of these people fail to realise is that there is no simplified ’cause’ for someone to dislike Americans. Anti-Americanisn is not a comprehensive or coherent belief system or ideology that people hold on to, but rather a series of criticisms and prejudices regarding America that have haphazardly been labelled ‘anti-Americanism’.
A person might dislike United States or Americans for numerous reasons - ranging from irrational phobia of American people or a dislike of American policies or even a general aversion to American behaviours (like the one mentioned above). While the former might be a discriminatory reflex of cultural stereotypes against Americans, the latter is often a consquence of the “ugly American syndrome” - a term given for unpleasant experiences with American people. (A previous article gives a few examples of such negative experiences.)
By sticking to nationalism and preaching extreme nationalist ideals amongst themselves, all they are doing is fuelling the very fire for which Americans are disliked - their blind nationalism. Rather, they could try to connect to foreign people like we all do, by being genuinely appreciating their cultures, life and all that they have achieved. If I were to tell an Angolan farmer that that eating cassava instead of bread is savage and they are too stupid to speak French, I can’t blame him to start being unkindly to me (or to my countrymen either).
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- Comments(10)
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You couldn’t be more correct. It didn’t start with George Bush and it won’t end with Obama. It’s quite a pancake. The only appropriate response by the U.S. is to simply disconnect itself from external opinion (which for the most part, we do already). It’s a perpetual “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. If suddenly your debts were paid, your wars ended, your economy fully revitalized, there would always be one more reason.
European anti-americanism has been around since this country was founded. And now the US is the world’s only superpower and Europe is more jealous than ever. The US is the only superpower not just because of wealth and military power, but primarily because of culture. American media (movies, music, internet, technology) reaches every corner of the globe and the people of the world can’t get enough of it.
What u mean by obama…
no one on this earth can stop!
its impossible to change hearts of people….i know obama is kool he is good at so much stuff..hes not a magician!
The gap between America and the rest of the world has widened. While China is closing in, in terms with economic growth and military might, on the international stage, China is often silent. American influence cannot be understated in the international arena. They lead the world. They make things happen. Good or bad. So long as it is within their best interests. That is what all countries want for themselves. The might, power and the riches are aspirations for all countries. Domination is what people like to do. It shines the ego. Only time will tell in reference to all the hype about Obama, that he will in fact be any better than ol’boy Georgie.
Anti-Americanism is the spawn of Americans’ own behaviour with foreigners in their country. As a high schooler in US, I learnt that its not easy being a foreigner in America.
As the son of a Brazilian diplomat when I first moved to the US I was immediately branded a worthless spic. I never felt so humiliated in my life since where I went I was treated like a moron in high school even though I spoke four languages fluently and lived in several different countries, posessing an insight to humanity that few people in that school had. Not even the guidance counselor could see through this, since he insisted in putting me in ESL classes (english as a second language) even after I demonstrated an excellent grasp of English. To add insult to injury, he tried to steer me into a career in manual labour (woodshop, metal shop) rather than something that would nurture my intellect. The kids in there treated me no differently. Despite all this my parents still don’t understand why I burnt my yearbooks a few years after graduation.
All that Obama can change is the political perception of America. The actual perception of American people can’t be changed, until Americans learn to respect people outside the Anglophone world.
The arrogance of americans as the only superpower is tolerated only becaue the world also perceived it to be the world’s economic driver. The current global financial crisis created by the US is a sound reminder to the world that USA is nothing more than a nation that continue to spend more than it can afford. America is in fact BANKRUPT and the world is now paying for the grave mistake for trusting USA and it’s grossly corrupted financial institutions. America and americans will soon be seen like the “has-been” british colonialists of the 19th century.
I have lost whatever little respect I had of America.
THE DUDES IN THE MIDDLE EAST HATES THE U.S. AND WE DO NOT GET ALONG WITH THE EUROPEANS. THE ASIA IS MAD ST THE U.S 2. WE CAN NOT EVEN MAKE CANADA AND MEXICO GET ALONG WITH US!
I will agree that global sentiment toward America is not the best. I imagine it is actually better than some Americans deserve. Like Aranez, I too had a terrible time in high school, though I am American myself. I imagine that such a self-destructive attitude toward education in this country, not the least of which the pitiful stipend upon which public schools subsist, has breeded a kind of apathy from the young, and allowed outside influences (drugs, teenage pregnancy) to gain a foothold.
I am sorry America presents such a dangerous and insipid face to the rest of the world. I live in Texas, where politicians are currently raping and pillaging more and more natural resources for fruitless gain. To what end? Any militant conservative will tell you.
We are divided, I say, between the people who think they know what to do, and the people who are a) too afraid b)too brainwashed or c) too ignorant to decide what to do. We as a population have perfectly played into the corporation’s hands, and we resist but can’t break through.
My philosophy teacher asked our class why we Americans do not revolutionize as the French did recently when American corporations pulled jobs from their cities. It is because we are too fat, complacent, or ignorant. I hate the people around me. No one will stand up!
I am sorry for America. I feel more sorry for the rest of the world, however, because like an illness, some parts of capitalism (and all that that entails) , have spread to the rest of the world. Krispy Kreme donuts in Tokyo?
However, knowing what I do, being here, knowing this, I am one person. In America, that is a lot. If we can mobilize, fix the world’s problems, not the least of which being global warming, we can solve humanity’s problems as well. I am optimistic, but what is optimism but hope in times of trial?
Obamas greatest accoplishments could occur internatinonally. However, most presidents do not get invloved in international politics until their elections final phases. Obama can not change the preception of millions of people around the world. However, he can provide individuals with sterotypes of America an alternative perspecitve we know exist in America. Globalization is no longer an optional agenda for presidents of America. Many countires around the world seek Americas leadership, however, we should not let thier concerns become more important then our own needs in this country. Americans also should realize as much of Europe already has, America really has become part of a global community, while at the same time retaining American concepts and confidence. What an exciting historical age for America and the world. We will have to wait to see how well he does with the many challenges facing America internationally.
I heard some reports on the news that some Americans were angry because in the videos coming out of Iraq showing their people dancing and celebrating the departure of the American troops, no Iraqis were thanking them. The London-based Opinion Research Business has calculated the total number of Iraqi deaths from the U.S. led invasion to now be at 1,220,000. The population of Iraq is 31,000,000, and therefore the percentage of the entire population killed is 3.94%. The total population of the U.S. is 306,000,000, of which 3.94% would be 12,000,000. If the Iraqi government invaded the U.S. and killed 12 million Americans, do you think Americans would be lining up to thank them as they pulled out?