US as a vulgar, crime-ridden society and led by an incompetent president. Your comments on opinion pole pls?

Question

Your balanced views with reasons why you agree or not on the opinion pole in Britain are requested please:

The British view the US as a vulgar, crime-ridden society obsessed with money and led by an incompetent president. The US is no longer a symbol of hope to Britain and the British no longer have confidence in their transatlantic cousins to lead global affairs, says a YouGov poll.

77% disagreed that the US is "a beacon of hope for the world".
12% trust Americans to act wisely on the global stage.
83% said that the US doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks.
77% deemed Bush a "pretty poor" or "terrible".
1% rated President George W. Bush a "great leader".
81% said Bush hypocritically champions democracy as a cover for the pursuit of US interests.
24% said they felt US military action in Iraq was helping to bring democracy to that country.

More than two-thirds who offered an opinion said the US is essentially an imperial power seeking world domination

Answer 1

Better question- Who thinks this question is stupid?

Answer 2

I am curious... Where was this "poll" posted?
One thing about a democracy, everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it is primarily contridictory to our own. That being said, British people, (If you have any knowledge of their cultural approach to international business) is rather stuffy by American Standards, so I can certainly see that their conservative view of America society being a bit "crime-ridden" and I certainly can understand how they would view us as "vulgar". We are most certainly, at least from a general cultural view "outspoken" which is completely contrary to their way of doing business.
On the more polictial note, I can also understand their view of our current presidental forum. They really never wanted to be involved with Iraq, and certainly may feel like many American's that the war was based on inaccurate information. However, while this may or may not be true, and wether or not I agree, we MUST stay the course. We CAN'T ALLOW THIS TURN INTO ANOTHER VIETNAM!! If you know about Vietnam, then I wll stop here. If not, I will simply say, that after many years, many lives, and millions of dollars, we just left implying that the deaths that that mess cost was in vain and meant nothing to the world to defeat a communist regime.
Iraq has that same potietial and while Bush may appear to have his own "agenda" this is not something we can just pull out of. I hope you understand this.
What I may agree with in reference the this British "poll" is really irrelevant, however, even with Bush in power now, and a new president in 2008, America still holds great weight in the roll of the global economy and the worlds political arena. If I was asked if I thought, "things could be done differently?", I would say "yes". If I was asked if I was president of the US what would I do, I would say, "no way in hell would I EVER want to be president of the US, so my opinion will come through the constitutional right I have and VOTE.
On the "money" issue. Wow, that is really interesting that Americans are view as "obsessed with money". The British are a socialist economy, not that it is bad, but as a result, they have social programs that they do not have to pay for in the "direct sense". Their tax base is very high, approx. 50%, but they do not have to worry about medical care, eating, housing, etc. While they have a large portion of their income go over to Blair, they do have a pretty decent standard of living, so that in and of itself will provide plenty of fuel for the sentiment of "obessessed with money".
On a last note, world domination. The first Bush ( dad) and I am guessing, the current Bush, were involved in a one world government philosophy, no doubt hedging that America would be the "head". If you do some research, you can learn quite a bit about this "alternative" and left wing idealism. IF, this is a goal, and IF IT IS TRUE, I really don't think that the world, overall will voluntarily give up their sovereignity to anyone, and that is what "domination" really means..

Answer 3

Well first I would say that much of the planet is vulgar, crime ridden, and led by incompetent leaders.

I am an American and I am certainly not proud of the current state of American diplomacy. However, I would hope that the average British citizen would be able to separate the actions of the President from the beliefs of it's citizens and I'm sure ask that we do the same for them. Americans as a society are not for war and certainly have no imperialistic visions for the country.

As for Bush, he's out in two so at this point it's time to look ahead. I'm still hoping for a legitimate third party candidate to come in and change the partisan system that has led to many of America's problems at home and abroad.

Answer 4

Where to begin?
The recent comments I have read in this forum from Brits regarding serveral topics gives me reason to seriously reconsider a lifelong impression I've had that our two nations were in fact genuinely friends, politically and culturally. It may be in the sense that the U.S. and China now have "friendly" relations, but what seemed like a deeper bond seems to have been more of an illusion. This sense that the Brits would begrudge Americans their pride in their country is insulting to me personally. It has nothing to do with "lording it over" anyone else. It has everything to do with being told you have no right to be proud. Another recent post slamming Hollywood for inaccurately crediting America for "saving" the British in WWII brought out a stream of commentary illustrating just how deep British resentment really runs, with comments such as "we could have handled Hitler nicely without you". Now why do you suppose in the face of this that Americans wouldn't develop an attitude of indifference about what the world thinks? We do have high crime rates, but there are too many reasons for that to go into here. Primarily much has to do with what makes us great also hurts us. Many social programs to improve life for many have resulted in changes in the society which are not always positive. As for an obsession with money, isn't that a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Do the Brits know just how much of America is owned by wealthy British conglomerates? The average American I suppose might seem to be overly concerned with money to some, mostly because we have had the ability to earn it, and gain for themselves a higher standard of living. Could it be we seem obsessed to Brits because their economy does not afford them the same opportunity? This is a difficult time for America as can easily be seen by the wide diversity of opinions on the war and our president. I happen to support both. The arguements for and against have been presented ad nauseum to the point where further discussion would not be productive here. It will not change anyones opinion. The point is the criticism has become hateful and not beneficial to a feeling of goodwill between our two countries. You did not hear Americans bashing your country during the Falklands war though I'm sure there could have been political arguements made supporting the Argentinian position. No..we supported you and prayed for your success. I'm not asking for blanket approval of everything we do. I am asking that you carefully consider Americas motives before you judge her.

Answer 5

Zetzf definitely does not understand the principles that this country was founded upon. It is not treason to criticize the President, this is called freedom of speech, It would be considered treason in a country like Russia which is what some people seem to think this is. As for the question:

77% disagreed that the US is "a beacon of hope for the world".
"Happy 4th of July!! I am glad am not a towel head or a RETARD"
Not much hope in that statement.

83% said that the US doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks.
"The British certainly are fond of assuming their opinion matters."
"RUBBISH........who are the people giving their opinions? Don't you have better things to do?"

Once a society reaches a place where it cannot accept criticism it is beyond being able to move forward.

Answer 6

USA is not perfect, but I would never want to live any place else. We are free to voice or opinions, vote, have the religion of our choice, pursue education, and make what we want to out of our lives. Most of the poor in this country are richer than most of the rest of the world. We have a free press that is allowed to report negative things about our government leaders or our country.
We do not seek world domination. We can not be all things to all people, we can only do what we think is the right thing at the time.
What kind of President George Bush is remains to be seen.
I am sorry the British view is so misguided, but the British are entitled to their opinion.

Answer 7

Yes, our govt has given us a bad name, but we the people are NOT in control of it. My friend, corporations are ruling the world not just american corporations either. Every country has its flaws, Im sure if you polled the world everyone would say brits are snobs too. Everyone feels better at pointing the finger so they dont have to look at themselves. Is the world so stupid it thinks all americans support what our govt is doing? Do you support everything YOUR country does? Ive studied world history, how many times has the US bailed your sorry asses out of trouble Europe. Generalizing a whole population of people is ignorant in itself and your hate adds to the worlds inhumanity problem. Greed before humanity worldwide. Id rather live here than in Europe, or anywhere else for that matter just so I can kick bush out make the world a better place, and bring humanity back into the homes, countries and free, well fed peoples of the world!!!!!!

If you love peace join the human race and the world community which we the people of the US are a part of. Rise above the govts and the hate and unite in our humanity. We inhabit the same in crisis ecosystem too. Unite in saving our planet and each other....

If you think crime is bad here go to Africa what is the world going to do about that?

Answer 8

Here is something funny for you. The US is a nation of 300 million people. We have one million people in some form of court control. That is 1/300 comes out to .003 or .3% of the population. So when you view the raw numbers, we are doing pretty good here in the ol' USofA. Just goes to show you just how wrong perceptions can be, doesn't it?

By the way, I really don't care what the Brits think of the US, they lost the controlling interest back in 1776.

Answer 9

Other than its abysmal record as an arrogant slaving empire England is best known for the snobbish condescension it then heaps upon the victims of its own handiwork.

I might compare the attitude of Britain's so-called ruling class to that of a rapist who, having just forced himself upon a young virgin, thereafter refers to her as a tart.

In essence we never stopped being a colony of England, as the treaty which officially ended our Revolution left the business contracts, debts and property ownership pretty much identical to what they were before 1776. All that changed, really, was the sign hanging above the door (some might say it was a red light.)

Those who look down upon America would do well to remember that we are a nation of immigrants, and as such merely a reflection of the entire human race and its myriad races and cultures.

In practice America is much like Hong Kong before their lease ran out; primarily a place where the ruling classes of all nations (especially Imperial Britain) pursue business relatively unfettered by the restrictions imposed by the courts and mores of their native lands.

I am not suggesting that the poll is mistaken, but that its criticism is directed in a precise 180 degree vector from its rightful target

Answer 10

I don't understand how you can "agree" or "disagree" with a poll. A poll is a tabulation of responses to a series of questions.

Are you asking if I think the poll was actually taken (not made up), or that the answers were fairly tabulized (not fudged), or what?

I agree that many people have many opinions about many things. I am not surprised by the distribution of answers in this poll and have no reason to disagree or claim that it is a legitimate poll.

I don't agree with the postition of the majority of poll responders on some questions. Is that what you are asking?

People are just people. In the right circumstances, I think Britain could become an ally as strong as they were in WW!!. One of the right circumstances being if a giant powerful Nazi army was about to invade them.

Answer 11

I am an American citizen, but honestly, there are times i seriously consider changing that....so I figure I'll just wait it out and pray to whatever Powers That Be that our next president can fix the mess we are in both domestically and internationally. I won't just be sitting on my butt however, this time around i'm out there volunteering in political affairs. i won't be told that i don't care about what happens in this country! The USA used to be pals with most of the major world powers...such as England, but now we are looked as inferior, stupid and power hungry, all because of a few noticeable people. Those of us that can see this live our lives in shame that other countries scorn us. I really wish i was not so embarrased by my country.