Do you think that by and large America is bad?

Question

or is it their politics? We have a lot to thank America for, and we tend to forget that if wasn't for them we would have been 'dead meat' in the last world war. I am old enough to have been bombed on, in London, and you guys who think Americans are bad, are talking a load of old rubbish.....we owe America our allegiance.

Answer 1

It is not the American people that are bad, we really are the good guys. It is the appointed government, when they stole the elections they lost all credibility in the world and then to start a war in Iraq based on a lie was the final nail in the coffin. Good news is we have elections and will watch closer to make sure that they are fair and honest this time.

Answer 2

I wouldn't agree with Samantha that America did very little, but she is right in that they did much less than the Russians. We owe much more to the Russians, without them the war could never have been won. Without America the Germans would have lost eventually, be it that at the end almost all Europe would be Soviet.

No one says America doesn't deserve our thanks for the war, that doesn't mean they are always right. And they take it out of all proportion anyway, meaning I am much less inclined to thank them for it. The suggestion that Hollywood regularly makes, that the USA won the war almost single handedly, could hardly be further from the truth, yet on this site there are many people who take such propaganda as gospel truth. Not to mention the sheer arrogance such opinions display.

Now, I don't think the American people, as individuals, are bad in the least. Far from it. But I do believe your government is, and for the most part has been for decades, terrible. The overall impression of your country for most people here I know is bad, and the majority probably stems from that.

American foreign policy is bollocks. For heavens sake, the only reason the Vietnam war happened is because they were commie. If they hadn't been I really doubt the USA would have cared, but for some reason it viewed all communism as a threat. I can't see why, you may disagree with it but you can't oppose everyone that does, as your government did, that's not freedom of political opinion.

I'm not even going to go into segregation and the unforgivable racism of that era that, not only did many of your governments fail to prevent, the south actively encouraged. For human rights and, yes, freedoms too, America actually has quite a poor record in comparison to many other developed countries.

For instance, your government has got it into its head that torture is acceptable if done outside the US, a la Guantanamo Bay. It isn't.
I think that if America's enemies tortured Americans, because the future and protection of their country was seen to need it, in the same way that the US government sees Guantanamo as needed, they would be utterly condemned. If America condones torture it should not be able to become so outraged every time an American is tortured. I'm not saying that would be a good thing, but the US loses most of its credibility through this.
And for heavens sake, the inmates should at least get a fair trial. If they are terrorists then you have nothing to fear from a fair trial.

Any allegiance we ever owed them has been paid off or forfeited. For a start, we paid the bill they gave us for their services in money (there was one). We allied ourselves with them in Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq, what more do we owe them? Especially considering the way their government has been behaving recently.

Answer 3

By America you mean the USA. What do we have to thank the USA for in World War II? That they sold arms to the Germans? That they didn't come in before or immediately after the Dunkirk fiasco. That they didn't get into the war until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour?
The British don't owe the USA, sweet F.A. The US would let the UK go down the Swanee tomorrow, if it suited them and you'd better believe it.
By and large the USA is as bad as it comes. They seem to think they can tell every country in the world what to do, including the UK.
In retrospect, I can only mourn the break-up of the Soviet Union - at least the cold war kept the US government occupied.

Answer 4

No. America is one of the greatest countries on Earth. What makes other country's think that we are bad is the news. Good news does not get remembered. We have a transparent country that allows all of the world to see both our good and our bad. How many country's would show you how bad our own troops were in Abu Grab prison. It wasn't any other country it was ours. We will show you our worst and in many country's it's better than their best. No other country in the world give more money to other country's in need. Last year we sent aid and money to Iran after one of their cities was destroyed in an earthquake. But that was good news, it isn't remembered. We protect country's that can't stand alone. We fund half of the money and most of the troops for the UN and just look how we are treated there. We are a very tolerant country. We are made up of people for all of the world and everyone here has the same opportunity's. If you are willing to work for what you want you can have anything. As for other country's owing us for helping them, they don't. We forgive the debts owed. We will always help countries that embrace democracy and freedom (unless you support terrorist).***For those of you in the UK, thanks for supporting us too.***

Answer 5

There are a lot of good things about the united states but many bad things as well. One bad thing would be their apparent inability to comprehend why other countries are resentful of the fact that americans think they're entitled to have control over the entire world. (This doesn't apply to all americans just most of them). I'm not sure if this business about the united states saving Europe from the Nazis is really true but I'm Canadian and we do have a lot to thank americans for as relates to our economy. But by and large I'm glad that I am not american.

Answer 6

No. Its only the politics. I have met quite a few Americans and they have been quite good people. Mind you, all of them had left America!
I think America 50 years ago and America today are two completely different places

Answer 7

America is a country of people. Individual people are good (for the most part). However, whenever a country's government is wrogfully usurped by a tyrranical pseudo-dictator who doesn't believe in anything that the country stood for, there will be some major changes for the worse. The new leader will do awful things. The new leader will lie, and use propaganda to make people think that he is doing the right thing (I use the pronoun "he" because in general only males have a dominator style of rule). Many people will believe him, partly because he is usually fairly charismatic, but also because most people do not want to believe that their country can be evil, or doing evil things. This causes people to support a tyrranical leader regardless of what that leader does. The darker and more tyrranical the ruler, the more blindly people will follow him. This was the case with Hitler and Stalin. This is the case now in America under the usurped rulership of George W Bush.

Occasionally a people will realize their mistake and move to correct it, throwing the usurping tyrant out of his position. Unfortunately, it is historically more common that either the country is overthrown from the outside (in the case of individual nations) or collapses from the inside (in the case of empirical republics like America is today).

I pray that the people of this beautiful and wonderful country will realize their mistake soon and stop this from ever happening again in this fair nation.

Answer 8

Yes.I totally agree with you.But for American grand entry in to world War II (after Pearl Harbor) Britain would have caved in since they at the very brink and hardly any resources left. If allies had lost the war I shudder to think of consequences. Probably all of us would have got used to" Heil Hitler" Nazi salute! More importantly America's contribution in the fields of Technology,Medicine, Space and basic sciences is remarkable. So America is not bad one odd leader may be!

Answer 9

You don't owe nothing.
I f their own territory hadn't been violated by the attack on Pearl Harbour they would have watched the Germans throwing bombs at you as they did before that.
If your neighbour had saved your house from fire 50 years ago, would you still think it's right to help him burn down the wole neighbourhood now?
The present US gouvernment is a danger to the US and to the world, and so are those that support them.

Answer 10

America is bad because of its politics of George W. Bush. You know his policies have alienated our country from the international community. And with British PM Tony Blair's upcoming departure, I will know the USA will be further isolated. It's a good thing I haven't voted for him at all! The ones who have done so are suffering the consequences of his actions! I will give them the thanks they deserve!