Which are the causes of Antiamericanism in the rest of the world?

Question

I mean no ofences at all, I am just curious to know the opinions of the Americans about this issue. Here in Brazil we have such a poor media that we can not trust on the impressions they broadcast to us. So, what do you thinK? Why so many europeans, asians, africans and latin americans hate the US?

PS: Personally, I think this kind of feeling is stupid, I think there are good and bad americans, as there's good and bad Germans, Argentinians, Egiptians, etc...

Someone claimed about the "good" and "bad". Well, sorry, I have not a great English, and sometimes I will not be able to express myself as clearly as I would want. This "good" and "bad" means something as "have different people, with different actitudes and different minds, as the rest of the world". Maybe I should have put it this way.

About the other people who answered with a slightly hint of "rage", I make it clear: I am not judging nobody, and I am not the kind of person thad delights on come here and put out my frustrantions and rage on you. I am just curious to know your vision on this. If you don´t want to express it, OK, there's a lot of questions over there where you can get your two points.

Answer 1

Part of it is our tendancy to send our military to far away places and fight wars that are viewed by other countries, and the people fighting the war,as none of our business.. Viet Nam, for example.
Some of it is our life style. American consumerism. We are a wealthy country, and we have no shame about it. We put on ugly Hawaiin shirts, shorts, white sports shoes, sling a camera around our necks, and tramp around in anyone's country we want to. We are not known for immersing ourselves in the culture of the country, we are known as the Ugly American Tourist. We are rude, we make no attempt to learn the language or the culture, or show respect to either, just jump on and off our tourist buses, and complain and polute. Not everyone is like this,some of us respect the countries we visit.
We like to tell other countries what to do, but we can't clean up our own messes at home. New Orleans, our homeless, for example.
But we do good, too. We send more money, people, and aid to disaster stricken countries than anyone else in the world.
People of the world are too young to remember WWII, when we saved the world from itself, at great cost of life.
We are accused of not sending military where it is needed, some African nations are at war, and we do not go there. It is said that because they do not have oil, we do not care.
And then there is the jealosy factor. We are the richest nation in the world. We have freedoms that other people in other countries can only dream about. Our nation is again considering legislation to make it legal to destroy our flag, our national symbol. The ultimate freedom, in some American's opinion.
Hope that answered your question.No offence taken.

Answer 2

One of the problems is arrogance. America thinks the rest of the world should do as America says, but we are all from different cultures and have our own ways of doing things. Also America looks after it's own interests almost exclusively in the area of trade, because they are big they think they can bully to get their own way. However unfairly. (Look at what happened to New Zealand when they refused to allow nuclear capable vessels to dock there). I think a lot of selfishness comes from, (yet again!) an inferiority complex. America has traditionally set out to prove USA would not be influenced by the UK and has done things differently as much as possible (thereby showing USA is influenced by the UK!!!) The UK is NOT superior, contrary to what people in the US think. It is just different, and because they talk with a different accent it does not mean they think they're superior either!!
I think the best thing Americans could do for themselves and the world, is get to like themselves and each other! Until I left the UK I didn't realize there were countries where people were very critical of each other. (Not that people in England didn't sometimes criticise each other, but "putting people down" wasn't a whole culture thing that everyone considered the right and neccessary thing to do) There is still SOME love there, even today, even after people have been brainwashed to denigrate each other by the likes of Rupert Murdoch (media manipulator).
Also America consumes most of the products of the world, although they are not most of the people. (and they make films claiming they won certain battles they weren't even in, during the second world war!!) They don't seem to know much about the rest of the world. Perhaps the internet will help, if they have open minds.

Answer 3

The cause (singular, not plural) of Anti-Americanism around the world is simple: our current President. The Bush Administration (and followers) is of the mindset that because our country is the biggest, strongest, and wealthiest (for now, anyway), that we are the "authority" over the world. We step in and spend OUR country's dollars and "help" to "fix" OTHER countries' problems, while sacrificing the lives of OUR people in the process. Look around Bush baby ... we're not doing so well on the homefront. Crime, drugs, poverty, "no child left behind" has totally F'd up the educational system - ask any teacher ... we have PLENTY to fix right here in our own backyard.

It's no wonder other countries hate us ... to them we look like an arrogant, self-proclaimed authority powering over the world. If those people in those countries only knew that more than half of Americans DO NOT approve of the way our government is handling our country and making decisions right now, maybe they wouldn't hate us, the people ... just hate the political decisions that drive those actions affecting them.

Answer 4

I am from europe and my country is in war with USA in Iraq and Afganistan...of course i don't like that....of course that any sane people wouldn't like that...i am also amazed that Bush was realected even if i know that it was not fair!
I don't think that people hate America...but yes people think sometimes that is not fair...is not fair that they are doing all this wars, is not fair that they discriminate people, is not fair that they are so arrogant sometimes (even here you ca see answers where they just assume that someone is from USA or is an illigal immigrant just if you dare to ask a question in the immigration section on Y!A).

People know that anywhere in any country you can find as you said "good and bad people" but you also have to think that USA is a big country. You don't hear daily at the news that the president of Bulgary said i don't know what but you can hear that Bush said something or did something.Therefor people think that they know more things abt USA and they can judge. Is not true and is not fair but this is life....USA people also judge the mexicans their neighbours even if is not fair!

Such is life sometimes!

Answer 5

Coz its a cumulative result of the actions of USA starting from the Vietnam war. Trust me, for all the so called openness, the americans are fed with a very one sided view of the wold by their own media. Hence they know, no better. I mean you have to be mad to belive that Saddam Hussian could be making nuclear bombs. But Dick Chenny said it and most americans believed it. And they r still at it in Iraq, not even pretending that the weapons of mass destruction did ever exist.

Plus there is a worrying mixing of religion with politics now.

Answer 6

it's all politics and economics. america is a free market, and wants other countries to be the same free market, so that american investors can invest and profit from it. america will target a country as hostile or as a terrorist country if america can not make money off that country. for instance, in the 1980's, sadam hussein was an allie to the United States, until Sadam realized that the Americans were profitting more then he. That's when Iraq was considered a terrorist country, because they raised there price for oil. south america is in the same situation, jugo chavez is considered somewhat to be a terrrorist. since president jugo chavez have raised oil prices, some of the senators and religious giants have called him a threat to america, just because president jugo decided to raise price of oil.

Answer 7

In my opinion, since the first world war and especially after the end of world war 2, USA has been trying, successfully, to dominate the world in every way!

the 2 world wars made other powers like England and France lose their strength and thus USA saw an opportunity to replace all other powers and control the world.

since other countries and people living in them do not like to be controlled by other people therefore Antiamericanism has been on the rise especially in recent years.

Answer 8

I think alot of it is the current government. Bush should have never been in. But he is hopefully in the next election. We will get someone who represents they way most Americans feel. I have lived here my whole life and my ancestry goes back to the pilgrims and American Indians. I believe Americans are good people and care about the people of the world. I appreciate your opinion.

Answer 9

Because USA has been very arrogant with the rest of the world. In the other hand, in Latin America we hate the "big stik" policie of the USA. We don't need a world police, becauce that police is keeping his eye in our oil and water. I have many american friends. I'm not talking about peopple but corporations and the GOP.

Answer 10

We simply do not care that the relaxation of the sector eats beef; our vitamin is our devout factor. For Jews, now not consuming beef is effortlessly a aspect of our covanent with G-d. Anyhow--beef IS dangerous. Pigs select up parasites find it irresistible's their task. In the primary global, meat is generally despatched via a few levels of cleansing & heating to make certain the parasites are killed earlier than intake, however there are nonetheless instances of folks consuming parasite-infested beef. I have not even began at the sodium and fats content material. Peace