Philosophy Why does it seem like the rest of the world hates Americans so much?

Arch Dornan

Oh, lovely. They've sent me a mo-ron.
The past interventions over the world would do that. You get the easy ones where survivors or those related to the victim had bombs dropped on them and they develop a grudge or saw what they perceive to be an act of aggression and violation on their sovereignty.
 

LordsFire

Internet Wizard
This does seem to cover it. However, if you want a strictly philosophical answer, it would probably be this.

...No, that'd be Russia and China.

America is the one that doesn't need to constantly boast about his job, his house, his car, because they're already visibly the biggest and most expensive. He's also more likely to bitch about his job than boast about it.
 

edgeworthy

Well-known member
...No, that'd be Russia and China.

America is the one that doesn't need to constantly boast about his job, his house, his car, because they're already visibly the biggest and most expensive. He's also more likely to bitch about his job than boast about it.
Except that that is what people think of America! Regardless of what Americans think. America may believe that it's not boastful, arrogant and irritating, however the rest of the world is rolling its eyes.
 

Cherico

Well-known member
Except that that is what people think of America! Regardless of what Americans think. America may believe that it's not boastful, arrogant and irritating, however the rest of the world is rolling its eyes.

We are cocky,

As are the chinese, Russian's, english, and oh god we have fucking nothing on the french when it comes to ego. When your country accomplishes big things you tend to have pride in it. This is normal, we also have a tendency to critisize ourselves when we fuck up.

If every country has a mental disability america is bi polar.
 

LordsFire

Internet Wizard
Except that that is what people think of America! Regardless of what Americans think. America may believe that it's not boastful, arrogant and irritating, however the rest of the world is rolling its eyes.

As Cherico said, plenty of other nations and people groups tend to think they're 'all that.'

What makes Americans intolerable to a lot of people, especially from others with a lot of national pride, is the fact that right now it is the 'all that.' It's the world hegemon, and even now in decline, it's still more prosperous and powerful than any other nation in the history of the world.

I've seen Americans who don't make a big deal out of that get shit for being 'arrogant Americans' from people who are really just salty that it isn't their nation anymore.

In fifty years, the US will probably be roughly on par with some other rising power, and in a hundred, probably in a similar relative position to where the UK is now. Then it'll get less crap, and whoever the new hegemon is will get a lot of crap.

Alternately, maybe the US will be the 'new Rome' people sometimes talk about it being, and it'll take centuries of steady decline before it gets torn down or replaced. Kinda hard to tell, honestly.
 

Aldarion

Neoreactionary Monarchist



So, I've been following a British political Youtuber named Spoons. I like him and don't agree with everything he says (no surprise me being a yank and all) and I came across the video above. Now I'm fully aware that America and the British are always going to have a rivalry, we are essentially the estranged son that had a fight with Mother Britain, screamed "I hate you" and smashed a lot of Mum's things on the way out of the house. Whether the estranged son was in the right to do so or not depends on who you ask.

but one thing that struck me above all else about the video was when Spoon, to summarize said "The only reason why the world "Cares" so much about us Americans (IE hates our guts and curses our kind every chance it gets) is because of how our economic and military might is horribly handled on the world stage. I'm not sure if this needs to be said or if I'm just showing my dumb yank ignorance here, but I get the impression at times that the world thinks that the majority of Americans are "Team America: World Police" war hawks

I can tell you that memes aside, most of us at least on the "Conservative and Libertarian" front do not. Woodrow Wilson is probably the most cursed president behind Biden and FDR, and I've noticed that there is a growing number of people on my side that says we should have stayed out of WWI and allowed the chips in Europe to fall where they may regardless of who would ultimately win. Nothing would please people like me more than for America to ride off the global stage and into the sunset of a return to Isolationism, but it's an ongoing uphill battle and as we've seen with trump, all attempts at a populist America First movement is met with heavy resistance but it's a battle being fought none the less.

Am I right in my perceptions here or is this one of those forms of cultural humor that I just don't understand due to lack of experience? This is a question that I can really use non-American input or at least from people that understand the cultures outside the US better than I do,

And feel free to roast me for being a dumb American. I'm aware I'm showing vulnerability here.


I think the main reason why people dislike the US is the hypocrisy.

I mean, when Russia invaded Ukraine, they did it with the excuse of "Russian minority being threatened". Which is bullshit, but at least somewhat acceptable bullshit. Personally, I would have much preferred honesty, but hey, appearances matter.

But US have what is called "American Exceptionalism". Basically, United States have prospered because they are an extremely resource-rich and large country with excellent internal interconnectivity (thank you, Mississippi), no serious external enemies (any enemy US might have is literally an ocean away at the very least) and, until recently, culturally and biologically relatively homogenous population that was nonetheless very numerous (being a mix of European ethnicites). No other country, ever, had such a laundry list of strategic advantages.

And then Americans go and act as if US becoming great power and then a superpower is somehow solely or mostly because of the US culture, values and political system, and that therefore everybody else should just accept the American way. It is literally "you are idiots, we know better, here is how it is done". And the US have succeeded in enforcing this due to their success in the Second World War - which again happened because of things in the previous paragraph first and foremost. All this bullshit of "democracy and human rights" that has me regularly wanting to barf? Imported from the US (and Western Europe - I hate both of them equally).

So when it comes to US military interventions, hypocrisy is on the full display. A lot of Americans I had talked to act - basically stereotypically about these issues. "Iraq was invaded to topple an evil dictator", "bombardment of Yugoslavia was done to stop the war"... Like, Wikipedia outright says that "NATO's intervention was prompted by Yugoslavia's bloodshed and ethnic cleansing of Albanians, which drove the Albanians into neighbouring countries and had the potential to destabilize the region. Yugoslavia's actions had already provoked condemnation by international organisations and agencies such as the UN, NATO, and various INGOs. ". Which is bullshit. Literally every time military intervention is justified by humanitarian or ethical reasons, you can discard it as bullshit. Nevertheless, that is a typical narrative - and many people don't like it.

So it is not that most people think Americans are war hawks. It is that most people think Americans are hypocritical idiots.
 

Marduk

Well-known member
Moderator
Staff Member
And then Americans go and act as if US becoming great power and then a superpower is somehow solely or mostly because of the US culture, values and political system, and that therefore everybody else should just accept the American way. It is literally "you are idiots, we know better, here is how it is done". And the US have succeeded in enforcing this due to their success in the Second World War - which again happened because of things in the previous paragraph first and foremost. All this bullshit of "democracy and human rights" that has me regularly wanting to barf? Imported from the US (and Western Europe - I hate both of them equally).
When it comes to self serving "democracy and human rights" bullshit, USA right now struggles to compete with Western Europe.
So when it comes to US military interventions, hypocrisy is on the full display. A lot of Americans I had talked to act - basically stereotypically about these issues. "Iraq was invaded to topple an evil dictator", "bombardment of Yugoslavia was done to stop the war"... Like, Wikipedia outright says that "NATO's intervention was prompted by Yugoslavia's bloodshed and ethnic cleansing of Albanians, which drove the Albanians into neighbouring countries and had the potential to destabilize the region. Yugoslavia's actions had already provoked condemnation by international organisations and agencies such as the UN, NATO, and various INGOs. ". Which is bullshit. Literally every time military intervention is justified by humanitarian or ethical reasons, you can discard it as bullshit. Nevertheless, that is a typical narrative - and many people don't like it.

So it is not that most people think Americans are war hawks. It is that most people think Americans are hypocritical idiots.

Fallout of modern western culture's internal flaws. What do you think would happen in the media and chattering classes if a western politician went "we're invading country X because its dictator is screwing with our interests in the region, and country Y because those assholes are messing with our allies"? The same people drink up "muh human rights" kind of justifications like chocolate milk though.
Consider France with the Libya intervention, they did exactly the same thing.
In theory we should have open discussions about such matters, but everyone know a big segment of ignorant and/or malicious actors would completely shit up that conversation if it was done in the mainstream. You can find such discussions if you look for them in the think tank/near military related parts of the media.
 

Aldarion

Neoreactionary Monarchist
When it comes to self serving "democracy and human rights" bullshit, USA right now struggles to compete with Western Europe.

I know. Hence my statement in the brackets.

Fallout of modern western culture's internal flaws. What do you think would happen in the media and chattering classes if a western politician went "we're invading country X because its dictator is screwing with our interests in the region, and country Y because those assholes are messing with our allies"? The same people drink up "muh human rights" kind of justifications like chocolate milk though.
Consider France with the Libya intervention, they did exactly the same thing.
In theory we should have open discussions about such matters, but everyone know a big segment of ignorant and/or malicious actors would completely shit up that conversation if it was done in the mainstream. You can find such discussions if you look for them in the think tank/near military related parts of the media.

Agreed. Unfortunately, the first Americans I talked to almost all unironically believed in that stuff. And imagine how these things look to somebody from Eastern Europe, who likely has living or close to living memory of dictatorships? Especially seeing how dictatorships in question almost universally used almost the exact same language of human rights that modern progressives and supranational institutions do?

Best innoculation against progressivism is living under communism. Unfortunately, collective memory nowadays doesn't go beyond single generation. Already the next generation will be repeating all the old mistakes.

And that is why I would, and I can only assume most sane people would agree, prefer the goals to be clearly stated. If you need or want to help your ally? Why do you need any justification beyond the fact that your ally is threatened?
 

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