Who besides me is sick to death of anti American posts by fellow Americans?

Question

I don't know how many times a day that I see someone claiming to be an American running the country down. I am not talking about being against the war or hating the administration. I am talking about actual hate for what America has accomplished and what we stand for. What is so sad in their lives that they harbor that much guilt about living in the Land of the free and the home of the brave?

This is not an open invitation to bash everyone in sight. I am honestly curious about what people think. Please keep it civilized.

chabnormal: I know American people of all nationalities and races who have embraced the American dream. They are proud to be Americans, and of all she has to offer. No othe country in the world offers more freedom or opportunity, you just have to take advantage of it. Thank you for your opinion though.

korngoddess1027: You misunderstand, I never advocated blindly following anything. I like people who are capable of critical thought, but it is not necessary to hate everything about your country to achieve these goals. Thank you for your response.

scott m: I have been have been halfway around the world, and have seen many cultures. I try to be respectful of all cultures, but in the end this is America, and we don't really have to care what the rest of the world thinks, anymore than the rest of the world should have to care what we think. Thank you for responding.

dba_gregg: I am neither republican nor democrat. I do not like to be boxed in that way. An example of what I am talking about is a person in another question I posted in who stated that all Americans were embarassing. I don't like to be generalized and denigrated. Thank you for your response.

Eric R: I fully agree that we are privledged to live in America, I would even go as far as spoiled. However, we are not directly responsible for poverty in the world. I wish we could wipe it out. Then the world would truly be a better place. Thank you for your response.

copita: I agree with the concept that we would all be better served if the good was reported more on all sides of the equation. Unfortunately where terrorist are concerned, I do not believe that anything we do short of killing and jailing them will stop them. Terrorists are bent on destroying the Western way of life. Their statements, not mine.

copita: Thank you for your response.

To those of you I haven't thanked for responding. I am not ignoring you, just didn't feel your comments required any direct comment from me :)

I am going to stop responding now. In the process of grilling up some good old fashion American sliders (hamburgers). Have a great day. I will pick a best response to this question. Have a wonderful evening all.

Professor Einstein and Sidnee Marie: You also misunderstand what I am saying. I am a Patriot, I believe in the concepts which made America great, including free speech and expression. I have not made any statement like Love it or leave it, and I won't. What I am saying is more fundamental than that. Everyday I see people condemning what America stands for, and the Americans who live here. For these people there is nothing good about America. America is evil, America is a terrrorist, America is single handedly oppressing the entire world. America would be better without average American thinking. They see nothing positive, on negative. Disagree with these people and they will label you stupid or brainwashed. It's ok to love or not love the country as you choose, but in many of these posts I see a lack of love for self, so I am just wondering why some people feel guilty about success or other people's happiness in their homeland. In short they set a standard for everyone but themselves.

Professor Einstein: Even though I stated in this question that I wasn't talking about hating the war or administration, I will say this. I believe that America has the right to defend itself enemies foreign and domestic, but I do not believe that we have the right to tell the rest of the world how they should live. Each country must determine what that is for themselves. However, I do believe we should stand against tyranny (dictators and despots), and I believe we should always try to extend support for any country which requests it. After all, we are indeed the most rich and powerful nation in the world today.

Sonie: You are very close to the spirit in which this question was intended. I do not feel that I have any right to tell people how to live or think, and I wouldn't want to. Diversity makes the world go round. Nor am I judging the opinions of others. I really am trying to understand why there are some Americans who seem to hate everything about America. This is a great country, most people have plenty to eat, a job, and a place to live. We also try to help those who don't have these things. In America you can make you own destiny. The freedoms we enjoy are unmatched anywhere else in the world. There is a reason why people all over the world are willing to die for a chance to immigrate to our shores. Yet many of our own people voice the opinion that everything about America is bad. Maybe I will never understand, maybe I can't with my world view, but I can try. Understanding promotes tolerance!

Professor Einstein, Sidnee Marie, and Sonie, thank you all for your responses.

dba_gregg: I have not accused anyone of being anti-american. If you can find my statement of those words anywhere in this post, point it out and I will retract it. I did use the term so called American, but this was because I don't believe that all people who post rants against America are American citizens. My statement about being boxed was in direct response to your statement that I was using so called "Old republican tricks". Further I have not questioned or degraded anyone's opinion who posted here. I merely expounded on the concept in which I intended this question. Which is exactly why there is an additional details option. While I do have a personal viewpoint I have not stated it is the right one, nor have insisted that everyone think like me. Quite the contrary I was curious about what others thought on the matter. People can certainly harbor whatever opinions they like, but it is also my right to debate a stated opinion if I choose. I am an American with free speech also.

dba_gregg: Lastly it really doesn't matter to me whether you think my questions are good ones or not. If you don't like them, utilize another of your rights, don't answer them. Again, Thank you for responding, whether you choose to believe it or not I am curious about your opinion no matter whether I agree or disagree with what you have to say.

dba_gregg: I owe you a promised retraction. I see where I posted anti-american in the actual question itself. Reading the question I can see how this might foster a defensive attitude from the start. It was not intended as such.

Answer 1

I don't think many Americans will ever truly understand the greatness of this country until they have traveled abroad to a 3rd world country. My wife's family is from Peru and she still has relatives there that live in homes with dirt floors and no running water & electricity. We bring our sons old toys back each year and you cannot imagine the light that shines in the kids eyes when they see a PUZZLE!! They would rather have a book or a puzzle than some high tech gadget. They need batteries for the tech toys, a puzzle lasts for as long as you can take care of it.

We are all so priviledged to live in the U.S.A.

Answer 2

Guess what--it is called Freedom of Speech--a right every American is guaranteed. It irks me when someone says something negative about our country that they are immediately labeled anti-American or dragging down the country. We should be celebrating the fact that we CAN do that in a free society. Perhpas those people who have negative things to say about the way our country is being run or the direction it is going in --are generally concerned for the future of our country. I don't have to agree with it--and a lot of what I hear from both camps I dont agree with. The point is that our country is a free society where you can choose to love your country or hate it. If we start doing the "Love it or leave it" crap then we are killing the very essence of what makes this country great. You don't have to like what these people are saying, but respect the fact that it is because we are a free country that they are able to in the first place. :)

Answer 3

The problem is the bad propaganda and bad publicity that is carried away in America and other countries. Lately the world has been seeing only the bad things America has done, but not much about the good. You may not care what the other people think or say in other parts of the planet, but you should, in fact someone should run a campaign to show all the good things America has done for so many people, or you may get more Bin Ladens and ignorant people trying to blow up americans everywhere.

Answer 4

who ever is against what America stands for, they are against America, which puts them with the terrorists and the nations that are threatened by new ideas and freedom. America has never done anything bad. if it hadn't been for them our world would be full of dictators and fascists. i am talking about all the way from Germany across Russia into japan. yes even Japanese were very cruel before USA civilized them. i am not even an american nor do i live in the USA, but i belive the reason god gave them the power they have is because they are the only one that would use it for the greatness of man kind and the civilized world. we have seen what germans, russians, japanese etc.. would do if they had the kind of power which the us has. how ever i do agree that they dont have the right to enterfear with every other countries bussiness for thier own interest, unless they can make things better which they dont have to. because not only this would would ruin thier reputation as piece keepers but it would dissaopint people like me who are inspired by the characer it has now and its history. freedom f speech is just one of many beautiful things which they have. people can belive what ever they want.
by the way you labeled USA as a she, in my opinion the country has a character of a he. always standing up to those that threaten its believe and its pride, which is Europe and its allies. lions have a pride and they are the male of their species. and to me USA appears as a lion.
France has a character of a she as it has been famous for fashion and stuff in the past and even now.
nothing important, just wanted to give an opinion on that too.

Answer 5

Everyone wants to think their viewpoint is "the viewpoint of America" so that when someone disagrees with them they are "Against America". It is a very old trick that the Republicans have perfected.

The fact that you declare a any particular viewpoint as Anti-American is a cheap attempt to elevate your own viewpoint to a special status without defending it with facts. You talk of being unfairly labeled and boxed in but the entire premise of your question labels and boxes others in without taking into account the merits of their views.

Unless you are totally daft, you know of course that you'd be hard-pressed to find even one American that actually hates America as a country and most argue their viewpoints in public through protest because they want to see the country they love changed or prevent it from changing in a harmful way.

You may see that and call it "Anti-American" but you know that's a meaningless label that boxes people in.

PS: Good questions don't require "additional details", they stand up by themselves. If you were curious about what people think you wouldn't have to respond to every answer and try to rebut its premise.

Answer 6

I understand completely what your saying. You are not standing in judgment of those who would criticize anything having to do with America. Sounds to me like you are merely saying that in your opinion the positives far outweigh the negatives and I would have to agree with you 100%. At least in this country if something isn't going the way we like it we have the opportunity every four years to turn it around. You don't see that everywhere. I'm very proud of our country despite our ongoing growing pains. I think what most people forget is that from a historical perspective we are still in our infancy compared to many countries around the world. Yes, I think we are handling our adolescence with a lot more grace and dignity that are many others.

Answer 7

Well I'm not, your a great country but I don't think you realize how detached from the rest of the world you are, unfortunately the world is a lot bigger than the U.S. I think these fellow Americans have woken up to how the U.S is seen by the rest of the world.

You can be very annoying people! Wake up smell the roses, have you ever been outside of the U.S, living thousands of miles away in safety from the worlds toils.

Answer 8

This is my country and thanks to free speech I can say whatever I want. I have no guilt about living here. But unlike you I don't blindly follow anyone, be it a country or person. I make up my own mind. Just because I live doesn't mean I have to agree with it's policies.

Answer 9

For a white American Christian male, America is the greatest country. Not everyone is all of those things.

Answer 10

I got tired of those people the first time I read one of their posts. By the way, most of them, I think, are no more American than bin Laden is; they are just trying to sow dissension and turmoil.