America Bashing is getting a bit out of hand.....

In SA at the moment there's this kind of US/China dichotomy as far as domination is concerned.

I think hatred against Americans as individuals is very low, however the majority support the ANC who come from a Cold War history of being the "Marxist enemy", and despite gradual disinvestment in apartheid, Reagan and Thatcher actually allowed the support of both the ANC and the Nationalist government.

We hear and see and hear a lot propaganda regarding Israel, and so-called American "neo-colonialism" in the Middle East.
The ANC have strong bonds with socialist dictatorships and the Palestinian liberation movements (they were also once funded by Gaddafi).
Last year they refused a visa to the Dalai Lama, so as not to upset China.
Although the US took the ANC off its terrorist list in 2008, many of their ideologues remain critical of US policies.

I think there are two other factors that influence current perceptions:
- the US is over-represented in news material, when other emerging powers like China don't allow much of a free press.
- the US is seen as heavily influenced by Christian fundamentalism and Christian Zionism, and considering the power of religious broadcasting and hardcore missionaries they are not seen as a secular state, but rather on a Christian Jihad. It seems that because one faction in the US has appropriated national symbols and arrives with funding, it comes across like they represent the US officially.

However, it's very difficult to gauge actual anti-Americanism in a peace-time situation.
It's also up to Americans how they want to discuss things.
For example, on gay issues I'm very curious to find out what's going on in the US, but mostly it's just about being pro- or anti-homosexuality as a singular opinion.
Nobody cares what's happening here, and the refugees from Uganda where US fundamentalists have contributed to the suffering of gay people.
It's that or the "evil Muslims", when the US actually has a significant Muslim population.
It's like writing to a center, but getting very little back.