Is it really that important what the rest of the world thinks of the United States? Should Americans

As a German, I just don't know what "Americans " you are talking about.

In my younger days(late 1970's), I had the privilege to spend 9 months in West Virginia just outside of Norfolk.

All people I have meet there are;

Honest

Hard working

Heard warming

and

Intelligent.

Those people would never condone the actions or attitudes of your elected leaders.

The America I know has very little to do with Paris Hilton style tarts, or Desperate House Wife antics.

Agreed, it might be different in cities like New York but America is so much more than that.

best regards

reply to post by quackers
You should go back and check Nazi history for yourself. My senario has been about the U.S. closing out the world, and telling everyone to kiss off. When did I ever suggest a senario where the U.S. changes our government into a facist dictatorship, claim to the world that we are the master race, then attack and invade other countries because we want their land, then murder innocent people via consentration camps in the attempt to exterminate a certain group, and basically break every moral code of ethics and common decency known to human kind? Show me the post where I used that type of senario. I think you are getting a little angry and fearful when you come to realize that if we, the American people, actually did renege on our debts and tell the rest of the world to kiss our ass no one could stop us. The world counts on the fact that we Americans, despite our shortcomings, are a fair, honest and just people. I know it's real popular to bash the United States these days, but if we ever decided to throw out our code of conduct and curtailed our generosity, the rest of you would be in VERY deep trouble, indeed.

reply to post by FarFromEden


You want to be very careful when using that expression "billions and billions of dollars of foreign aid" because in essence it's actually not true at all. The USA gives nothing away to froeign lands unless there's a profit to make from it. Like it or not, but thats the cold hard truth.

reply to post by FarFromEden


I don't think you thought this one through.

reply to post by FarFromEden


Before someone knocks that big chip off of your shoulder, I'd like to ask an important question: say your country DOES renege upon its near 14 trillion dollar debt to foreign nations- and at least one of them (say, Communist China, to which the U.S. owes over 2 trillion dollars alone), decides to give trouble back? China has already begun to do so. Just one example: rare earths, the scarce radioactive elemental substances that enable crucial things people can't live without today to be built (x-ray machines, computers, monitor screens, etc.), are found in few places upon this planet; China has most of the world's supply. The supply available for mining in the U.S. was pretty much played out years ago. China decided last year that it will no longer sell rare earths to the United States. Treasury bills, which your country sells at auction to raise money, are no longer being bought by many countries that used to invest in them- and for the last two years China, the world's biggest investor in Treasury bills, has abstained from buying any more. The U.S. has had to buy its own T-bills for the most part (what with, I can't imagine).

When U.S. companies want their goods made at bargain prices, they go to China. When they want their clothes made at affordable rates, for the most part, they go to China. Even the U.S.'s pet foods and medicines are made,
most of them, in China. China's ruler just visited the U.S. this week, and no progress was made by the U.S. with him and his country over many matters, especially those regarding money.

Think carefully about these and other things, before thinking that your nation has nothing to lose by pursuing such a serious course of action as defaulting. America has a lot to lose- EVERYTHING.

i care very much about what the rest of the world thinks of the US, especially when i travel abroad. i am one of those latinas whose "look" is hard to pin down (ethnically), and i get by ok until i have to speak.

when i was in south america a few years back, i was there competing at a marital arts tournament. afterwards, a few of my hosts took me and my friends out for nite of fun. since we "passed" as locals, things were going well for a while. then it got out that we were americans. the guys started getting hassled and yelled at, and things were getting rowdy (rich americans here to take advantage, get out, blah blah blah). then they found out we were martial artists and things calmed down.

it was at that moment that i realized how important the image of america was to travelers. the rest of my time in that country was great. the people who "hosted" us were friendly; the food was delicious; the sights were beautiful. however, i wont forget that ugly night i became a "filthy american".

I really want to know what FarFromEden's true opinions and the intention of this thread. I have one request FFE: please disclose what you truly think.

Originally posted by FarFromEden
reply to post by Vicky32

 

My question remains.... After all the decades of foreign aid paid out, and after all of the unpopular things the U.S. is blamed for, what is the final accounting?? DOES THE AMERICAN PEOPLE OWE THE WORLD, OR DOES THE WORLD OWE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?? And why should the American people, the most powerful nation EVER KNOWN in world history to date, care what the world thinks??

Well, obviously the American people don't care!
Just a word to the wise. Up until the 5th century, the Romans were the most powerful nation ever known in world history to date. Depending on what authority you accept, lead poisoning (no, they weren't shot!), barbarians at the gate or the fact that in their eternal desire for conquest, they over-extended themselves, did for them. (IMO, it wasd a combination of all three factors.)
Then there's the 3rd Reich, and - need I go on?
The "the most powerful nation EVER KNOWN in world history to date, never does care what the world thinks". But they all go down, sooner or later.
Vicky

Originally posted by Golf66

Originally posted by Vicky32Travel advisories for the world? Seems a tad paranoid to me...
The American foreign policy, with its tendency to start wars, and make everyone fairly unhappy means that might well be wise!
Vicky

Yeah, travel advisories make your nation sound paranoid right?

www.safetravel.govt.nz

All nations have them...

Without our "wars" the world would have dissolved into chaos many times over in the past 50 years.

We do way more good than bad when we go somewhere - I have fought in those wars for 24 years now. Ask the little Afghani girl who is going to read for the first time, or the people with cataracts we removed or the Haitians how many meals they had yesterday.
.

Yes, but when NZ issues travel advisories, it's not because we've pissed everyone off so badly that we're in danger of being retaliated against!
As for thinking you're doing good by your wars, how naive! How heart-rendingly gullible of you. That little Afghani girl would not be in any danger of not being taught to read, if the CIA hadn't created and armed the Taliban in the first place.
Tell me, why did the US send 50 000 troops to Haiti? Other countries sent medical aid, the US sent men with guns. Sick, predictable but sick.
I notice you don't have the chutzpah to claim you're doing "good" in Iraq!
Vicky

With the US printing more and more monolopy money and borrowing money from the Saudis, Japanese and Chinese, foregin aid$ sent abroad is done with borrowed money

Article Dated 2006 UK Settles WW2 Debts to Allies

Britain will settle its World War II debts to the US and Canada when it pays two final instalments before the close of 2006, the Treasury has said.

The payments of $83.25m (£42.5m) to the US and US$22.7m (£11.6m) to Canada are the last of 50 instalments since 1950.

The amount paid back is nearly double that loaned in 1945 and 1946. "This week we finally honour in full our commitments to the US and Canada for the support they gave us 60 years ago," said Treasury Minister Ed Balls.

"It was vital support which helped Britain defeat Nazi Germany and secure peace and prosperity in the post-war period. We honour our commitments to them now as they honoured their commitments to us all those years ago," he added.

The last payments will be made on Friday, the final working day of the year

The US loaned $4.33bn (£2.2bn) to Britain in 1945, while Canada loaned US$1.19 bn (£607m) in 1946, at a rate of 2% annual interest.

Upon the final payments, the UK will have paid back a total of $7.5bn (£3.8bn) to the US and US$2 bn (£1bn) to Canada.

Originally posted by FarFromEden
reply to post by quackers

 

When did I ever suggest a senario where the U.S. changes our government into a facist dictatorship, claim to the world that we are the master race, then attack and invade other countries because we want their land, then murder innocent people via consentration camps in the attempt to exterminate a certain group, and basically break every moral code of ethics and common decency known to human kind? Show me the post where I used that type of senario.

Originally posted by FarFromEden
What if we used our economic / military power to close off your country like we are starving out North Korea? We have the power to take what ever we want, why should we not use it?

I think you are getting a little angry and fearful when you come to realize that if we, the American people, actually did renege on our debts and tell the rest of the world to kiss our ass no one could stop us. The world counts on the fact that we Americans, despite our shortcomings, are a fair, honest and just people. I know it's real popular to bash the United States these days, but if we ever decided to throw out our code of conduct and curtailed our generosity, the rest of you would be in VERY deep trouble, indeed.

The world would get along just fine without the United States meddling in the affairs of other countries and manipulating them into debt, war, ect. Your code of conduct is a sham. It exists for little other reason than to allow people like yourself to reside of some mythical moral high horse all the while playing the hypocrite. Fortunately, those of us not brainwashed by your nationalism, can see you for what you are, a bully and a thug who would perhaps be better off doing us all a favour and finding a rock to crawl under. You are not nearly as needed as you think you are.

reply to post by Ellen15
OK, HOW WILL EUROPE, INCLUDING BRITAIN, PAY BACK THE AMERICAN LIVES THAT WERE LOST FIGHTING BOTH OF THEIR WARS??? IS THERE A PLAN FOR THAT ONE???

reply to post by quackers
It looks like you are using the British form of english so I will assume you are British. WHY DON'T YOU LOOK UP HOW YOUR COUNTRYMEN MURDERED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN INDIA BEFORE YOU START CALLING OTHERS THUGS. BRITAIN RULED INDIA WITH AN IRON FIST, AS IT DID ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES IT INVADED AND EXPLOITED FOR PROFIT. YOUR PEOPLE FORCED CHINA TO ACCEPT THE IMPORTATION OF OPIUM AT THE POINT OF A GUN, AND ALL NON-WHITES WERE TREATED AS NON-PERSONS. Does the name Ghandi mean anything to you?? NOW THAT IS HYPOCRISY!!!!!

reply to post by Ellen15
Yes, borrowed money we, the American people, are on the hook for. We even have to pay interest on foreign aid we give out around the world. Aint that a kick in the chicklets...

Nope. Could care less what the reset of the world thinks of us.

reply to post by FarFromEden


ok ...not sure if i should take this personally or not, but you have taken the time to reply to several posts with retaliatory remarks and pompous attidude, all the while i have waited for a reasonable responce to the post i made.

It seems that you have created this thread with malice in mind and unless you can respond to my remarks i wish that no one else would waste thier time reading through this as you have made no effort to make a point in this thread other than the fact that you are angry and biligerent...

On second thought dont respond to my post as i (as an Amercan) do not find it "really important what you think of the rest of the world", it is my hope that people with attidudes like yours in our society will soon see the interior of our governments newest "fusion centers", where you will be subject to treatment such as that found in the movie "A Clockwork Orange".

reply to post by Ellen15
This isn't the same playing field as centuries ago, plus the Romans didn't invent the telephone, the light bulb, the airplane, the micro computer, organ transplant surgery, cure for polio, penicillin, television, the cotton gin, microwave ovens, nuclear weapons ( I wish that never happened ), or land human beings on the moon, etc,etc. The world thought we would never become independent from the British, or survive the war of 1812, or survive our own civil war in the 1860's, or the stock market crash in 1929. The world has thought the U.S. was finished a 1000 times, but we come back stronger. What ever happens, the American people can and will over-come. Our forefathers carved out a superpower from a backwater wilderness in less than 200 years....we will always be here, like it or not.

reply to post by RadicalRebel
My fellow American; don't have a spaz attack. I'm only playing devils advocate to get responses for the time being. My true politics are VERY middle of the road. I'm only acting like a hard-liner, I want people to come at me in order to gage the tone of people's thoughts.

Originally posted by FarFromEden
reply to post by Ellen15

 

This isn't the same playing field as centuries ago, plus the Romans didn't invent the telephone, the light bulb, the airplane, penicillin, television,( I wish that never happened ), or land human beings on the moon, etc,etc. The world thought we would never become independent from the British, or survive the war of 1812, or survive our own civil war in the 1860's, or the stock market crash in 1929. The world has thought the U.S. was finished a 1000 times, but we come back stronger. What ever happens, the American people can and will over-come. Our forefathers carved out a superpower from a backwater wilderness in less than 200 years....we will always be here, like it or not.

Neither did the Americans invent these things!
Telephone - a Scot, Alexander Graham Bell.
Light bulb - British men, three of them, the first of them being William de la Rue in 1820. Edison did his usual theft thing - although I believe he did do one or two refinements.
Airplane (sic) - Richard Pearse - New Zealander.
Penicillin - Alexander Fleming - British
Television - another Scot, John Logie Baird.
As for landing human beings on the Moon, the Russians beat you into space, and to the Moon - the only thing they didn't do first was land people there.
Also, btw y'all did not win WW2! You arrived late, declared victory and then used your money to try to run the world since.
Vicky