Do Americans Really Lack The Ability to Have a Global Perpective?

reply to post by freedomwv


Americans see themselves as individuals for the most part. It inhibits us from looking at things from a community perspective. It challenges us in the educational realm, especially compared to some other countries. On the other hand it gives us an advantage when it comes to creative thinking. I think there is some kind of balance in this. The real problem with America is that there is no real science based policy within our gov't. Once we get on that path, the media and then the public will soon follow.

I've been to Europe twice, Mexico and Canada. The last time I was in Europe I went to Moldova (former Soviet block country).

The OP is correct in his initial assesment.

Americans are self-centered. We've been raised to think, "America is no. 1!" -- complete with a sports team mentality. Americans also tend to be ignorant of social mores and nuances in other countries.

I remember enjoying a cigarette outside my hotel in Barcelona, Spain talking to one of the staff members. It turns out he was a Muslim from Egypt. Having just completed an upper-division course titled, "Classical Islamic History" we had quite a bit to talk about.

In the end, he told me I was not like other Americans he had met. We also agreed that the people in power in the USA and the Muslim world are the ones causing most of the violence. We have "radical politicians", and they have "radical clerics".

Moldova was an interesting experience. Being a former soviet/communist country, the people were very suspicious of Americans. They love everything "American" but not so much the actual people. Americans were seen as loud, rude and selfish -- almost a "Cowboy" image.

I also encoutered quite a bit of anti-semitism in Moldova. I was asked if I was Jewish a few times and I said, "No". Then they jokingly asked me to drop my pants and "prove it" . Well, being a male born in the USA in the 80's, I am circumcised so I told them it wouldn't work.

If anyone thinks that Israel has a big influence on America -- it's the people overseas. They actually have to live with the fallout of our decision to support Israel. In contrast, we sit back in our own continent and watch on CNN how things go down.

In the end I guess Americans need to get over themselves. I realize many Americans can't have opportunities to travel abroad, but a good solid higher education can certainly make a person more "worldly".

This is probably the reason the top 10 states with the worst education are red states. I saw a recent study that showed that conservative-minded people also have a more "American-Centric" mindset.

To me, this indicates that better educated people tend to be more "worldly".

Now, many conservative people will argue, "Who the hell cares about being worldly? This is 'Merica and we're No.1 -- you don't like it then get the hell out!"

This is how the rest of the world sees us, unfortunatley. The conservative/right shouts the loudest, and thus Americans are viewed as stupid ignorant rednecks (which nice clothes and good music).

reply to post by freedomwv


Great post, well written and to the point

I am not American but have lived there for five years and now live elsewhere, and I can confirm the sentiment you expressed in your OP. Not all Americans are like this but there are a bunch, my country also has an equal percentage of people who think the same way of those you explained in your OP so I'm not standing on a soap box as my country is equally as ignorant when it comes to these things.

Star, flag, and bump!

Hmm... I have clients from all over the world, still with accents and speaking their native tongue, which exhibit the same exact behavior described in the thread. Wow, 'Murica must be rubbing off on these poor souls, or some people just don't give two #'s about anything but themselves

reply to post by freedomwv


You need to be telling this to our crooked government, not we the people. We have no control over our war mongering government. Yes we have free elections, but they're little more than a sham. Our choices always end up a choice between a millionaire commie leftest, or a millionaire right wing fascist. The corrupt msm is all propaganda all the time. Most people as so worried about getting, or keeping their jobs, they have little time to wonder about what our government is doing to the rest of the world. There's not much hope of it changing any time soon either.

As a french canadian (yes, some canadians speak french as a first language!), the major first thing that I remember of my vacation in Florida is the "news at six": first the president. His dog and where it pissed. Then the troops. How a good job they were doing bombing democracy down their throats, in that foreign country that hate our freedom.
...And the dead dog, on the corner of that street.

THAT'S IT. The news at six. No real news there. No "world" news either. Just ...dumbed down and cheap entertainment. (can we spell Pro-pa-gan-da?)

Really. So, what do you expect?

Did it ever occur to you that this may be a product of America being a nation of immigrants? The Irish, the German, the English, the French, the Mexican, they all came to this country with a very strong sense of who they were based on where they came from. The pledge and the focus on national history instead of international is to foster a sense of unity among groups of people who's ancestors may have raped, hunted, persecuted or killed attach other. European nations, Japan, all these places you talk about have a culture that goes back thousands of years and that cultural sense is ingrained into the way their societies work. American culture is so young in comparison, it's evolving and changing the way those other countries did in feudal times. Perhaps the world needs a better perspective on America, it's culture and their own cultural history.

reply to post by freedomwv


Speak for yourself OP. American here, not one who is going to blindly label all 350 million people in my country as a bunch of jingoist self-centered pigs, like you seem to think of your neighbors and fgellow countrymen. Did a goodly portion of my college years overseas in Europe actually. And when times were better and I had a job commensurate with my education and experience, did quite a bit more travel for both business and the fact I love seeing the world. And guess what OP? You find people with smaller worldviews in ....(wait for it)...every country in the world! (insert rimshots here) Wow! What a revelation! I mean I guess since the propietor of a place I stayed at for a week south of the Thames just a few tube stops from Wimbeldon knew nothing about where I lived in Vienna, Aus at the time, I mean for crying out loud he didn't even know it was divided into 23 districts! What an anglo-centric dufus! And my landlord in Vienna? He couldn't have named the British PM if you paid him! Gads, he must be blind to anything that doesn't speak German! Or perhaps those crazy Scotsmen I met in a pub in the West End that would not drink anything that wasn't real Scotch whiskey and had not one of them had ever left Scotland before travelling to that match. One of my clients in Argentina, you won't believe this, had never left Argentina in his whole life! Nor had anyone in his family! ZOMG!!! But here's the real killer, I have a couple Canadian friends, who will only follow Canadian Hockey teams! How grossly narrow minded of them, with all those talented players in Europe and a few of us here in the USA. (I'd apologize for the sarcasm, but I was born this way and no longer feel the need to)

Pretty easy to cherry pick. I'm sure China is full of cosmopolitan villagers, philosophizing away about the troubles in the Parisian banlieus while harvesting their grains. And I'm certain most Russian miners are positively riveted by the stated goals of the Basque separatists in Spain. We getting the idea here?

Perhaps, just perhaps, someone might point out to you that the US is, in both size and population, not a whole lot smaller that Europe in total. So someone living in oh, say, Bern, is less than 5 hours train ride from over a dozen countries speaking 6 different native languages. The distance from Indianapolis to Kansas City exceeds that, and that ride only spans 3 states.

Just because the rest of world seems so riveted on what the US does (mostly the bad, which I admit there's plenty of, but the good gets largely ignored lo these last few decades) does not mean the US citizenry is any more or any less self-centered than an Italian from Milan, who scorns his more rustic fellow Italians in the south and despises the Austrians for the sins of their Great-Great Grandfathers. Or...well I think at this point, one either gets my point by now or just refuses to consider that maybe being a US citizen could possibly entail a whole vast array of potential types of people, some of whom need nothing outside their hometown, some of whom are more adventurous ---> Just like everyone else.

Originally posted by zonetripper2065
reply to post by NysgjerrigDame

 

Once again our government calls the shots on war. They do what they want when they want. We didn't want to go Iraq but the president did. The president has 100% control of the military and what he says they MUST do or they or jailed or killed. Many people have a great idea on what the politicians are up to, that doesn't stop it they command the US military who will squash whatever gets in its way. They own the voting system, its corrupt and there is nothing that can be done about it.

The president can not do what they damn well please to do. We have three branches of government. To go to war it must be paid for through the congress and aproved through the congress. So your opinion about America is warped.

reply to post by guitarplayer


Hello! are you alive? is your brain functioning? where the hell have you been for the last 50 years?
Oh your a christian no wonder you think the government works

Originally posted by lovizall

THAT'S IT. The news at six. No real news there. No "world" news either. Just ...dumbed down and cheap entertainment. (can we spell Pro-pa-gan-da?)

Television is a drug that deters and distracts reality from most Americans.

Originally posted by Kapablanka
Dana White, ''Canadian are just like Americans, without being massive douche bags''

America breeds world class douche bags, big ones, how you all turned in to massive fking douche bags no one really knows . All that matters is that you need to stop stitching our Canadian flag on your shirt so you don't get robbed overseas - remember, if you get attacked or robbed overseas, it's not because your rich, its because you're a fking douche bag.

Everyone hates Americans except for Americans, you're like a 10 foot tall kid brother with autism and muscles that punches his mom for dinner (Good analogy may I say). Global disrespect for a nation of people is epic and goes to show just how many of you are actually real live fking idiots, engaging in a wide array of mind blowing debauchery.

While you are stereotyping an entire country that is as/more diverse than some continents would you like to include some other outlandish and untrue statements? Perhaps comment on how much vodka Russians drink? The intelligence of the Polish community? The work ethic of the Mexican laborer? How about the courage and battle prowess of the French or the eye sight of the Japanese? There are a thousand and one stereotypes out there and each and every one has a single purpose. They make insecure people feel better about themselves by demonizing and dehumanizing someone they perceive as a threat to their self esteem. I'm sorry you seem to actually believe that we are all "douche bags" but how would you like it if someone thought Ren and Stimpy was a documentary about life in Canada and based their whole outlook on you from that POV?

There have been multiple studies done comparing the knowledge different countries have about global affairs, global politics, geography etc

Guess what...?

Of all the countries in the developed world Americans (from the US that is) almost always score the lowest. It is a simple fact. There's no denying that a very large percentage of you guys know very little about anything that happens outside of your own borders, unless (of course) it is happening to an American.

Maybe it's your media, maybe it's your government, maybe its the fact your education system seems to be seriously lacking (Americans seem to score far lower than the average in almost every area) but face it, you guys are pretty dumb when compared with any other developed nation out there. And this is why the average American citizen is viewed by the rest of the world as pretty much a joke.

Maybe if your government minded its own business and funnelled those trillions of $$$ it's currently spending on increasing global instability, killing innocent citizens and basically being a global pain in the bum back into its own country things might be different. But it's not and doesn't look like it will be for a very long time. Essentially you government is doing a better job at screwing up your reputation than any terrorist propaganda. It's an Al Qaida PR reps wet dream...

reply to post by freedomwv


People from other countries have the same problem. it is not exclusive to americans. why do you feel that you need to isolate americans and believe they are the only ones like this.

Or maybe you have proved your point by only seeing this problem in americans... because you too lack a global perspective view.

reply to post by freedomwv


Baseball's "World Series" is a good indicator how messed up the American perspective really is ...

Originally posted by votan
reply to post by freedomwv

 

People from other countries have the same problem. it is not exclusive to americans. why do you feel that you need to isolate americans and believe they are the only ones like this.

Or maybe you have proved your point by only seeing this problem in americans... because you too lack a global perspective view.

Nice ad hominem attack without addressing the issue at hand

Do you know the % of Americans holding a passport for international travel? When you find out compare that number to other countries. Case closed.

What does global mean?


On a serious note though, its not the people or America, its the establishment that runs it. Not to mention a lot of world news/culture is blocked from us, so when some redneck(black white poor white trash ghetto, what ever) sees something on tv they don't understand and its backwards to them. Its really funny though especially around voting season. People jump up and down all day screaming their views on abortion, the right to live, feeding the hungry, health care for all, and yet almost every year we are I some sort of war or skirmish or theatre of war around this "globe" thingy you call it, killing , raping, destroying peoples right to life, freedom , justice, and happiness. Killing kids everywhere, starving people, and destroying infrastructures so they can't live correctly. But lets all freaking cry whether a woman should have the right to abort a child or two guys having a sausage fest getting married. And yet I don't see anyone not going to work to with hold taxes in support of not going to war? Where is it.... Nowhere, so that means since we gave money to the cause whether we liked it or not, we helped kill rape murder ect ect and somehow no one gives a
$%^&

So, not so much no global perspective, but more that our government breeds ignorance, and teaches hypocrisy to the point its become a sport. Well that and 90% of this country and the world has no real principles anymore. Oh its happening over there, I can't be concerned with that, I have kids, family, food on the table blah blah blah. Fact remains probably half the world could gives a rats ass about the other side of the world.

It the few individuals that rise up and stand out of the crowed and try to convince us we need to care for more people, have better principles and help one another out. That's what makes those people special, we call them revolutionaries, saints, angels, sometimes even aliens. Why because they stand out and go against the norm. So I wouldn't just pin it on America.

I think the better question is, why do world governments breed ignorance, hate, prejudice, racism, hypocrisy and greed. Then you will have the answer you seek. ^^

reply to post by MystikMushroom


Americans are self-centered. We've been raised to think, "America is no. 1!" -- complete with a sports team mentality. Americans also tend to be ignorant of social mores and nuances in other countries.

while i agree this statement is true, it doesn not give anyone the right to act like it when visiting another country. and when visiting other countries, i have seen other people from different countries act the same as some of the americans i've traveled with,,,,,,, "i came here to spend money treat me like a king/queen." (is not exclusive to america but anyone with $$$$) lol