Why are americans so up themselves?

Question

I am australian and I know i am going to get a torrent of abuse from patriotic americans as i'd say most people on this site are american
.i have lived in america 3 times and went to school there, so i am not just making claims about somehwere i have never been.

Why do americans often assert that america is the best and how great it is and then they turn around and complain about george bush (OK did u vote? if the answer is no then u hav absolutely no right to complain), the death penalty (which appears to occur more in USA than other western countries), unemployment coz they don't hav any social security, pollution (when american cars are pretty much the biggest in world).

I'm not saying everything about america is bad. I'm just making the point that how can u b so patriotic yet complain about 'the lucky country' so much? What makes american so patriotic? is it saying the pledge everyday in school?

Answer 1

Mate, from one older Australian to another, it's good to see you asking the question. Note the answers form Americans. Most will tell you something about freedom and democracy etc., as though they have the only one. They will try to sell the "idea" of America in the same way it has been taught to them. But they will miss the point of your question. Why are people (other than Americans) tired of the rhetoric. Hypocrisy is reason one. The second is the often over stated believe that they have the best/biggest/most/etc.
The two are linked in the eye of the outside observer. Americans point of reference when comparing things like services, government, etc is where the majority of Americans go for out of country holidays. If I was to compare everything to Mexico, Bahamas, etc it would look pretty good too.
Lastly Americans have the right to tell the world they have the best, worst, whatever because they have the biggest most expensive stick in the world. So why dangle a carrot?
My personal findings are that most Americans are decent and level headed although a little introspective on a national level. The rest of the world mainly sees the loud mouths with big opinions and bad hair cuts.
And kid, keep asking the hard questions.

Answer 2

I understand with much of what you say. I also am upset at those that complain when they do not vote. But the reason why they can complain is of the freedoms that were faught for them. Yes, pollution is a issue that America has to and is dealing with. There are many sides to that issue which are rarely discussed in the media. But the discussion about these different views do occurr - such as what goes on in Yahoo Q&A.

By the way America is not "the lucky country" that you stated. People have worked hard to make this country the Superpower of today.It is not like the Superpowers of the past, but one that shows what can be done when people of all backgrounds work together. Our Founding Fathers who risked much to stand up to tyranny. For example, Robert Sherman an self educated farmer who became a lawyer, jurist, and a leader at the Philadelphia Convention.People like Martin Luther King who showed us a dream and we have tried to live that dream ever since. Yes, we still have a ways to go, but we have not been around nearly as long as our European counterparts.

What makes America so patriotic? It is not because a tyrant tells us we have to, or because an ethnic background naturally gives us patriotism. It is because of humanity. America is not just a place that is located on a map. America is the expression of humanity's soul. This expression existed in the souls of the people of the Mayflower and all that have followed and are continuing to do so. America is a place where expression of the freedom of Humanity can exists.

As a whole, America has gained its superpower status from this expression. Scientist, Doctors, Architects, and other great thinkers have come to the United States of America to express themselves.

So when Americans show Patriotism it is not based merely on Nationalism, but rather the expression of Humanity.

Answer 3

Powerful countries which lose their sense of proportion & are ignorant of history probably all sound like this - the Romans before the outlying provinces started to fall, The Brits before WW I, the Spanish before they lost their hold on the New World.

We've got the biggest guns, but our institutions don't reflect the values of the common people anymore, & the common people have little reason to keep faith in them.

Another, less pedantic sounding reason is that most Americans don't travel outside the country (except Canada, Mexico or some warm beachy place) & really haven't got a clue what the rest of the world is like.

Patriotism is a perennially effective manipulative tool the governments of most nations use to control their populace. In that, the US is only a bit worse than the others, for the reason first mentioned above.

Answer 4

Not this American. I am ashamed of the fact that so many Americans bought into the fear-mongering that won this administrations elections. Don't forget, there is a very high percentage of us that voted against him. I am in deep mourning and grief for this country and saddened at how unconscious so many of the people are here. The examples you gave don't even remotely cover the disgrace of this countries lack of priorities for the well-being and care of its people, for other countries, for the family of mankind and for the planet. My response would turn into a book if I covered all the areas that need upheavaling. As for your question about patriotism-that's all just a lot of smoke and mirrors from ego-driven fearful beings. Personally, I want to go to a country where humanity is the #1 focus-healthcare, environment, etc. Too tired to go on. Goodnight mate.

Answer 5

I am certainly not a patriot for my country under this administration.....

-Our country is falling apart.Most of the U.S only follows what is shown on television.

-Most Americans are unaware and are not doing anything for there environment.

-I refused to say the plege in high-school.I learned better.

I love that we hold the IDEA of freedom....I love the idea of peace.
I wish that we would use more officiant cars.I wish that other places in the world realized that I think that the majority of the people here don't realize what were doing as Americans....We are too caught up.I feel the same way you do.I hope that you don't think that all of us don't see that there are MAJOR issues here....We know what other countries think of us...I for one wish that I could change it.Its sad that I agree with you.

-If I could have voted ...I would have. I wasn't old enough...I am aware though. I do wish for things to change and I will keep making strides to let my views be known...

Answer 6

I think only americans and their satellite countries think so big of america. rest of the world already know they are a declining power , like the british now. ( the way the brits became in 20th century , so will be america in 21st century )
they are not such a military power anymore . ( see them dragging their bloodied a**s in Iraq / Afganistan )
A country living in debt.
In next olympics , will not top medal table.
A country making empty threats at Iran / North Korea.
Invaded a country which was under sanctions for 10 years and bombed it from out of reach. And on ground , now they made a mess all around.
So up and up ?? naaaahhhhhhhhh

Answer 7

Patriotism is love of country, not love of government! I love my country but detest the criminals that have entrenched themselves in positions of power in the government. I have never missed a vote, but after witnessing the scamming done at the polls the last two elections, I will never waste my time voting again. And yes, I will still have every right to complain about governmental corruption, regardless of what you may think or say about it.

Answer 8

We are "taught" to be patriotic from an early age, and this instillment has an impact, but the US, i believe, is still a good place to live, relatively speaking. Steve M also makes a good point about our right to complain about our government. (sorry about the run-on sentence)

Answer 9

I don't complain about Pres Bush, I voted for him twice. I'm for the death penalty. People say it doesn't deter crime, the hell it doesn't. I'd bet the person who is put to death won't commit any more crimes. Unemployment is at 4.7% which is a rate that most economist would call full employment. Social security is a problem that needs to be fixed but whenever anyone talks about fixing it, people scream about how it's going to be destroyed if it's touched. Pollution, I'm a evil conservative who is for dirty air and water, what do I care.

Answer 10

I voted against bush.

I complained and fought the system and was locked up a few times.

There is no real freedom in the US. Only people that think they are free and that is how this goverment became great. They were the first ones to make slaves of people that think they are free.