Why does the world hate us?

Question

I am an average American. I work very hard everyday. I take care of my children and try to teach them to be happy and healthy. I have done nothing to anyone else. I've never even traveled outside the country. Average Amercans, truthfully, don't even care what happens outside our own town or state. We don't make policies and we don't invade countries. Average Americans just want to be left alone. WE are not the government. Average Americans have no power in our country. The average American is not rich. So why do they hate us, the average American? What the hell did we do?

And for anyone who says we think we are better that is simply not true. I'm not any better or worse then any average human being.

First off I don't vote because because polititions are jokes in any country. Secind I live in the northeast (yes we do have towns up here) And second off I CAN see what's going on in other countries. I have the internet and other sources. But my point was I'm trying to live my own life. I don't have time to worry about other peoples.

bruce w I don't know where you're from but the average American has absolutely no power.

Answer 1

It is not the average outsider with any knowledge of the world that hates the US people. They do dislike the American government for their strong-handed approach to most issues. We have pushed, invaded. dictated to, manipulated, and installed savage dictators into many countries...with or without the American peoples' blessing. I live and work in China and have been here for many years. The Chinese do not hate Americans. When I travel to small villages, school children and elders bid me welcome to their country despite they know I am an American. The Chinese respect the technology and the modern life of America but they can't grasp why the government has to be hostile both to themselves and other countries. Trade restrictions are applied to China but are not applied to less stable governments. President Hu JinTao is a thoughtful leader and so was Deng Xiao Peng (who opened the door to the west) and relations between these two countries could be much better but there seems to be a bone sticking in Washington's throat about that. The people don't resent it but are a little puzzled why Japan is accorded so many things but the same are denied to China. If you were to visit here, you would find remarkable people that will win your respect. One of the first questions they will ask will always be "Where are you from?" and their eyes rather light up if you say America. It is even more surprizing that they know so much about the geography and people like Ben Franklin, and Lincoln is well known. While most farmers are still rather poor, earning only about $100 a month, the employees of many companies are becoming rather a middle class in China and there are new cars on the streets every day. China does not hate you, they admire what America has done and want to copy it. Even in Vietnam (I was there doing the war and have visited the country since...it's not far from where I live) The people dislike the deceit of the US...not the people but the government. You have friends here in a few places in Asia.

Answer 2

I think the US is perceived as not so nice because of our government. I like you feel like an average American and I think the dislike is aimed more at our government in Washington. Both parties can share the blame for that one. I think the greed and extravagant life styles that are shown on American television have a lot to do with how we are perceived. I don't know anyone who lives like this although the bigger the houses grow in New England the more distraught I become seeing all the forest destroyed. I think the fact that the average American is finding it harder to pay bills also has a lot to do with the unrest in this country. We spend so much money on fighting wars yet we can't put together a good health care plan for everyone. I also think it is arrogant for our government to think we can tell other countries how they should set up their governments. I look at the news and see cities being devastated and wonder what would I act life if that was the town or city I grew up in and faced that kind of destruction everyday. I think we would all like a roof over our heads, food on the table and affordable living for our families. I see the big homes and SUV's and I have to say it does look like there is a new type of rich that has total disregard for the average American worker. Sorry, I don’t think 95 % of these SUVs get anywhere near a dirt road so why do people buy them except to show off? I see no problem with having a truck as long as you use it to haul something such as contractors tools and supplies as construction workers do. I think it was better for everybody when most of the people had normal jobs in factories and we produced the world's goods. The working-class gets treated more and more like dirt as our jobs are sent overseas and I think the workers were the heart and soul of this country. I also think that when people became doctors, dentists and lawyers they did so to help people not so they could live like royalty. Not all professionals do this but too many are in the field of medicine or law to make a buck. Remember when you went to the dentist and just saw the dentist not a whole Broadway production? There was a lot of good to say about living and growing up in small town America but the greed is destroying what was the pulse of this great country. I also think the arrogant rich who we see everyday in this country go overseas and act just as rude and unfortunately they are the ambassadors for the average American who doesn’t vacation because it’s hard to get your two or three jobs in sync to get the same time off.

Answer 3

I'm an American, and there is no such thing as an "Average American" in my view. We all have power in this country, you might just not see it. Although you may believe you have an average job that has really no affect on anyone, the truth is every decision you make affects others.
I'm guessing you like in the mid west, considering you said "town" instead of "city." Us city folks see thigns different. One little mistake against another country and our gas prices spike higher than the $3.50 mark. A farmer's dumb mistake in some other state can spike our tomato costs up 50 cents a piece. People, like me, care. We ARE the government. You probably didn't vote in elections, but millions of others did. And they made a bad decision. Tough luck for the rest of us.
They don't hate us. They hate our attitude. They hate our governments way of doing things. They hate the obnoxious fat tourists that travel to other countries and represent the rest of us. That's what they hate.

Answer 4

Hei
I am just like you, an average and humble person. I am an Iraqi and a muslim and lives in Norway my second country which I love.
I don't believe that people hates the US people. In I raq and as long as I have been their, people likes foringers very much and specially americans. People also knew that the american politcs are not in the hands of the people and this is a fact. So realy normal average people don't heat americans or any other citizens from other countries. Our proplem have been the policies and politics of the US government which realy doesn't looks at all the the intrests and alos feelings of the arabs or the muslims in general. I don't want to say exmaples because every person can see that.
Personally and I am sure many millions of Iraqes share this feeling with me; we hounor the american blod that have been lost on the battel to free Iraq to the end of my life and one day when things settle down, I beleive that all iraqies will have this feeling.
Once again, the american policy when the enter Iraq was not correct and I can blame the normal american people for that and nobody can.
Just one last world: We (me and bilions of muslims) are not Bin Laden and the actions of these terrorist or what they belive in is not ours or what we belive. Islam is the religion of peace as its name means in arabic and as wriiten in the Qura'n. Thes terrorists have their own agenda and seeking for power and they neither what they belives in refelects true islamic methodology or behaviour or what is written in the Holly Quran.
We love you man and loves every person in this big-small univers.

Answer 5

Because we believe that everyone must love us.

Americans are always saying we are the most free, most powerful, most rich, most democratic and best society in the world.

Wouldn't you be angry too if you were from another country and heard those lines over and over again?

The fact of the matter is that America isn't the largest democracy, India is. America isn't the most free, it's the Swiss. America isn't the richest, it's Saudia Arabia and England for owning most of the investments into US. America isn't the best society in the world, because most people here are too prejudice and racist against others, and are fearful of change. Case in point, changing "french fries" to "freedom fries" and denying anyone the right to sing the national anthem in their own language.

One thing I would like to mention is that we Americans also tend to over look our government's power and influence on the world. Our government steps in and acts like everyone boss, punishing countries they view as "evil", while letting their allies get away with things they viewed the "evil" countries doing. We're bigots and hypocrites, easily put.

Answer 6

It may be because the U.S.'s population is roughly 1/20 that of the world's, yet we consume 1/5 -- 1/4 of its resources and produce the lion's share of its pollution.

And, to get those resources and guarantee that they keep coming in, we've manipulated foreign elections, fomented coups and funded repressive and brutal dictatorships in countries where the raw materials we covet are to be found.

More to the point is why -- and how -- much of the rest of the world has come to hate the U.S. since the terrible events 9/11 brought us sympathy and support of much of the world's peoples, even those who'd had a great degree of antipathy toward America in the past.

Because of the Bush Admistration's unwarranted invasion of Iraq, which has led to the deaths of as many as 100,000 innocent Iraqi civilians.

Its illegal incarceration and torture of hundreds of accued terrorsts (who've been held without trial).

The "extraordinary rendition" of foreign nationals in a gulag of overseas prisons without warrants or trials or any chance of the incarcerated proving themselves innocent.

The unilateral repudiation of international treaties and the Geneva Conventions guaranteeing prisoners of war the most basic protections.

The wanton disregard for, and curtailment of, civil rights in the U.S. on the pretext of "fighting terrorism" (a curtailment that Republican neocons have been working to impose long before 9/11).

it's hardly a surprise that the current admistration has squandered that reservoir of international goodwill the same way it's squandered the budget surpluses of the Clinton Administration.

The people of the world can, in the end, only judge the American people by the quality and policies of the leaders they choose to represent them. And so, the failing isn't the incompetence and mendacity of Bush and his minions, but the electorate that blithely allows them to get away with it.

Answer 7

Maryamj is sooo wrong.
We WERE attacked first THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
People seem to forget 9/11 pretty quick.

I agree people seem to think we are the land of plenty so they hate us for it.Most of us are barely getting by.
Bush is not to blame for everything.That is the cry of and ignorant and small minded.

NO President has done anything but help the rich get more rich.The rest of us are on our own.
Our country has helped every other country out there and still they kick us in the teeth and ask for more and complain when it can't get there quick enough for them.
We didn't cause their problems but are suppose to fix them.
Personally I say leave them all to their own and see how quick they truly fall apart!
America is not the bad guy.And I am sick of us always trying to help and being told we don't do enough.BULL.
What other countries send aid and money ALL THE TIME and there is no grateful thank you it is like a child screaming "MORE MORE MORE!"
I say leave them all alone to fend for themselves and then they can see how much we don't do for them!

Answer 8

We don't hate the average Americans. It's the capitalist giants and your govt that most of us hates. Your capitalist giants manipulate the world and other countries economies for their own selfish ends, and through their greed, they causes other people to suffer. A case in point in the world's hungry population. Do you think it's unsolvable? Do you think it's because of over population and lack of food? No...it's because of the politics and market manipulation by the US govt and the capitalist giants that they support.

There's no real liberalism in US. The US govt fully supports and helps the capitalist giants to grab everything, not caring who it hurts by its action.

Answer 9

You're a good mother, but like almost all americans is media-controlled. I don't hate you, I just feel sorry for you because all you know about the world is your house, job, children. You rely on media to know what the other world is like...

Sympathy is what i have for you not hatred and by the way, it's your government that we hate.

Answer 10

The world hates us cause we're free
Freedom is something that most country's around the world don't understand from our basic bill of rights to our pride in our country. Just rember next time you don't have to stand in line and wait for the state to give out food ... when you don't have to hide to go to church... when you go to the job that YOU not the goverment decided to apply and take.. When you go to Wal-mart and see the selection of rifles on sell... These are our freedom's .. This is why the world hates us