You just proved this blogger’s point about Americans being stupid.
USA is not the richest country in the world, Luxembourg is. And yeah, our stupidity has made me ashamed to be an American. It’s ridiculous. Many high school students can’t even find New York on a map or globe. If I could move to France or Spain, I would.

At home, Americans are incredibly open-minded and tolerant towards guests. They respect both the individual immigrants and immigrant communities. In this, as in many other respects, this is a country of unique greatness.

I have seen tourists from many countries - Germany, UK, Australia to name a few - make complete idiots of themselves in the presence of the local population. I’ve witnessed a German guy chastising an English guy about England’s quest for superiority in the world; an English guy burning his rubber shoes and dancing around the smelly fire in Israel; German teenagers spitting, jumping, and dancing to Euro-pop while visiting Auschwitz; and Canadians discussing their superior intelligence and education to make them appear more acceptable than the USA population to their European acquaintances (these same Canadians were unable to locate the Netherlands on a map I provided, were unable to name more than 7 of the 50 US States, or tell me who the president of France was). So, obviously, Americans are not the only stupid tourists. That said, I know many Americans travel abroad without any knowledge of or respect for the country they are visiting, and that is pathetic. But those are the Americans everyone notices. The Americans who are more considerate likely go completely unnoticed.

The citizenry not only accepts, but welcomes, blatant violations of there constitutional rights in bills passed such as the patriot act. From a young age, there is a very strong societal influence of not only military dominance, but ethical superiority as well. Ever since Woodrow Wilson, the people of the united states have not only been very ethnocentric, but believe that it is our divine duty to spread our democracy and freedom throughout the world. This facilitates blind support to such needless conflicts as the one we are experiencing right now in Iraq. The average citizen does not look at the war in Iraq as securing oil interests for the future but rather, a protection of democratic freedom that everyone should enjoy (which if that were the case, darfur would be looking at a much different scenario presently). Wilsonianism justifies every conflict we enter now, just as raison d’etat did for Richilieu and France in the 1600’s.

The problem then can be deduced to a lack of critical thought in America’s populace. On every account, there is none. With state run media filtering all sentiments detrimental to the ruling parties interests, it is no wonder that citizens stationed on the bottom level of the socio-economic strata support whatever the current administrations goals are.

Although there are many factors as to why so many americans are not only seen as ignorant, but are in realty very much so, there is still strong anti-war sentiments in the country. Not everyone is for the war, and not everyone is happy with our foreign policy, and you can be damned sure not everyone is pleased with George W. Bush.

On to my stance pertaining to this article, I disagree. There is no biological difference between me and a frenchman, or a citizen of Japan or Singapore, although there are many different social and environmental factors. Therefore, Americans cannot be inherently stupid, the problem is societal. Blind nationalism with a heaping scoop of ethnocentrism and a lack of educational opportunities and support will create the people you see in that video.

Despite all this, as an American I have pride in my country. My heroes are Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Roosevelt. These are men of my history, not bonaparte or sun-tsu, or Han-fei-tzu, or Talleyrand and Richelieu. So if the world has the opinion that I and my countrymen are fools ready to fall, in the end, it doesn’t matter. They cant prove it and I cant convince them otherwise.

The American group wasn’t loud, annoying or boisterous. However, their business practice was, shall we say, aggressive, telling the Europeans what to do, rather than accepting suggestions the other way.

There was also the embarrassing moment when they all showed up at the last meeting dressed in pleather jackets make to look like the American flag was wrapped around them. In the meantime, I could only tell from skin tones and accents which person was from what European country.

Outside in the street, I also encountered Americans who walked up to me, thinking I was a local (I never travel like a stereotypical-gawking tourist) and shouted at me loudy “DO… YOU… SPEAK… ANY… ENGLISH?” “Yes, I’m Canadian, and shouting loudly at anyone in any language isn’t going to help. What do you need help?” and that led into a very painful discussion about how confusing it is to travel here because nothing is in English, blah, blah, blah.

I also experienced a black American celebrity who just couldn’t understand that the black people in Brussels were not like the black people in Detroit or the American Deep South, that the entirely different culture of Europe makes that different too.

Last, the concept of “old”. Neither Americans nor Canadians have a sense of the ancientness in Europe and how long cultures have grown there. Our histories as nations go back only 200 years at most, so everything for us is immediate like a brightly-lit fire that goes out quickly, rather than the slowly smoldering pot that is Europe. A person above mentioned the American’s power in the last several wars, as if that was any more important than the many wars that raged all over Europe and Asia before the “New World” was even discovered. I’m sure life in America would have been different if the Spanish Armada had smashed Britain. How often we forget the consequences of history.

Many Americans are good people with good intentions. They believe what they are told by a censored media and are sheltered by what I would consider to be “big brother.” It is really hard to find a good news station that does not just report on the latest celebrity drama.

One day the most interesting thing reported on my local news station was that a family had their pet deer taken away because it is illegal for deer to be domesticated as pets. Honestly, this is the news most people get!!! We cannot tell you about what went on in China today, but we can sure tell you what happened to little “Snowball” the deer. It’s sad, really.

My personal theory is that the United States government wants to keep its citizens uninformed. We are much easier to control this way. If we are stupid, we will not venture outside of our “American” bubble and question the staus quo.

I believe that most Americans could not handle the truth about our dealings in world affairs. We choose to stay in our little bubbles, because things have gotten so far out of our control that we do not know how to cope. We want and need change in our country, but its almost like an addiction that we cannot face yet.

We hide behind the cloak of religion to justify our actions. I often feel the only sane person in the room, with regard to this. However, it is what it is. Either conform to some degree or be burned at the stake as a witch.

I guess my point is, I understand the concept that Americans are perceived as idiots. We are! Just understand that not all of us chose this for ourselves, we were just born here. If you had a terrible president like Bush, little to no help for health care costs, a chronic addition to McDonalds, a failing public education system and religious fanatics sponsoring every gig in your town, not only would you be drugged up with the latest anti-depression medication, you would also be an idiot with regard to international affairs too.

Just my two cents.

@Peacekeeper
Educate yourself with economics that Richest country in the world is Luxembourg $ 68,800 GDP - per capita.
USA ranks 6th with $ 43,500 GDP - per capita.
I think guys like you are the main cause why Americans are notorious as Idiots.

@nofal
Hey… you are the Pakistani guy who gone crazy in India Vs Pakistan Military Strength right?
brother at least you shouldn’t nag Americans…they pour billions of $ every year on your country to feed you. don’t they? of course not for charity, but to have wars. & they do.

The US is richest, and maybe the most powerfull?
does’nt mean a mojoraty of americans aren’t stupid.

and the US dont rule the world, explains everything about America aint it, a bit like Nazi Germany and you know what they lost.

Haven’t americans learn’t there lessons by now……………… Stalingrad,Korea,Veatnam(twice),Iraq (twice) and know powerfull Iran.

US is a bit like a Barbarian cant live without a war or invading another country.