Why do democrats and Europeans think Americans are stupid?

Question

I always hear democrats and Europeans say that americans are stupid, the soldiers in our military are stupid, and that if someone votes a certain way, or lives in a certain state, then they are stupid. Why do democrats mock their own country so much, and is this causing an increase in anti-americanism in europe?

Answer 1

Because America is an evil oppressing nation in their minds. They conveniently forget about all the good things we've done for Europe and the world - including saving them from Hitler.

Answer 2

What an American democrat says does not really influence anti-Americanism abroad. Some Americans do a good job of staining the country's reputation without anybody else's assistance, thank you. Europeans, asians, africans and asian citizens think SOME Americans are stupid based on their observations of the actions and behavior of specific Americans in the public eye.

People like "W", Rumsfield, Cheney, Enron/Exxon Mobil/Halliburton executives, Rush Limbaugh, O' Reilly, the klan, people in Kentucky (lol), etc.

Also, Europeans had always disdained American tourists in their country because of their disrespectful loud and crass "ugly american" behavior as guests in their countries.

Europeans are also aware of the poor educational and healthcare system plus the violently high crime rate in this country, which they believe is the products of backwards thinking American attitude towards society in general.

Presently, foreigners are shocked at how Americans are only starting to realize in 2007 the folly of the Iraq invasion. You see, Americans on American soil were literally the only demographic group in the world in early 2003 who thought that invading another country it falsely accused oh harboring WMDs and terrorists wassn't going to lead to anything beneficial.

Americans tend to think that they rule over every country on the planet. Be reminded that the US comprises less than 5% of the world's population and that China and Asia own most of our debt right now. Shocked? You wouldn't if you weren't such an ignorant 'Mercan.

You see they have plenty of reasons to think badly about us.

PS - Democrats do not say Americans are stupid to insult their own countrymen but do so to enlighten them to their erring ways so maybe we'll grow out of out adolescent phase as a society.

Besides unless you live near either of the US Coastal areas (eg. not the South and Midwest) you need not worry about what Democrats and Europeans think about you.

Remember just because we saved their butts during WWII doesn't give us the right to be a-s-s-es (which we sometimes do act like) from that point on. Capische?

Answer 3

The self reported illiteracy rate in the US in 1969 was 1%. So, that means, when you asked people if they could read, 99% said yes. Later, some social scientists decided to do a test. When you ask people to take a test, read a paragraph, read some simple instructions and follow them, do a simple math word problem - guess what? The real measured illiteracy rate in the US is somewhere between 25 and 33%. When you can't read and figure things out for yourself, you believe whatever you're told. Democrats don't need to mock anybody; Europeans would laugh at us anyway. The ones I've actually spoken to, and this goes back 23 years now, aren't laughing. It's kind of a head-****** bewilderment. This guy from Poland was saying about how all the books were banned and all they wanted to do was get their hands on them to read. We have unlimited access to everything and couldn't care less. You know what else he said to me one day? True, I'll never forget it - "You can have your strong opinions, but don't be ignorant". Let me interpret this for you. He was insulting me in the most subtle way and if I could meet him again I would thank him for it. The more educated and thoughtful you are the less polarized you become in your opinions. The simpleminded see in black and white, but the world comes in shades of gray.

Answer 4

The main reason why *some* Europeans perceive Americans to be 'stupid' is because (no offence) you're generally quite ignorant of the rest of the world outside your country's borders.

What these Europeans are forgetting is that your country is VAST and contains huge differences (for example - to someone in Texas, Maine is almost like a foreign country!); and that your media is very insular and doesn't really give you much of an idea of the rest of the world.

And this is all just fine and dandy... until a vocal minority of your population starts coming across all arrogant like "yeah, we're the greatest and the rest of your countries just suck! We're entirely faultless and it's the rest of the world that has the problem." (see other posts answering this question, for example).

And that's what leads to some Europeans to classify you as stupid - because of these sweeping generalisations about the rest of the world without really taking the time to understand the cultures and heritage you're dismissing.

Oh, there's also the perception the rest of the world has of your current president. He just seems a bit dim. I mean, honestly - he's quite inarticulate, totally out of his depth and just drums out the same old rhetoric. And yet he got voted in a second time to continue his war-mongering. Very worrying... you ain't doing yourself any favours in proving to the rest of us that you're a switched-on bunch of people...

(Queue the inevitable "yeah dude, but if it wasn't for us you'd all be speaking German now and wouldn't even have a computer" responses which are irrelevant to the question, and yet prove my point perfectly...)

Answer 5

The question you first might ask is 'Do democrats and Europeans actually think Americans are stupid?'
Europeans people might think so, maybe. We don't think much of them and vice versa.
But for the sake of God could you quote us who is the "Democrat" who has ever said or thought that 'Americans are stupid'?
It's quite like asking 'Why do republicans hate peace?', or 'Why do African-American love/hate challenge?'
Who actually ever said that they do?
In other words, is that part of your question an actual fact or somebody's (maybe yours) opinion?

Personally, if a democrat ever thought that Americans are stupid, and dared to voice that, he could say goodbye to any vote whatsoever.

It's sad you came up with such a malicious statement-question, but looking at your other questions, Matt, I can only understand.

Answer 6

I dont', but I think if we don't get our act together and our education upgraded then we are going to kill ourselves out. Worldwide our education has dropped to last count number 43 in test scores. That is behind several 3rd world countries.
I for one do not like not being number 1, but 43 we got some work to do.
I'm a democrat, and I love my country. Do I think soldiers are stupid, definitely NOT. I am a proud army wife.
As far as an anti-american view in Europe. Not anymore than what they have always had of us, lol.
But hey thats their problem.

Answer 7

I don't believe that we as Americans are a stupid people, but we are a very uninformed lot. The amount of local and national news items (let alone international) actually pertinent to our lives which Americans pay attention to are actually very few when compared to the infotainment, stories of sensational nature (WAR ON CHRISTMAS), celebrity news (Paris Hilton [fill in blank]), and VNRs (video news releases, basically packaged advertisements from corporations and government branches).
Moreover, the soundbyte style of American media often fails to expose details and nuances of news items. While some good information is found in most print media, it is clipped for television.
Let us not also disount the fact that people in the U.S. believe that listening to talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh and the Fox News channel are dispensing news while they are actually speaking opinion.
So, not stupid, by any means, but most Americans are extremely uninformed.

Answer 8

Although I think that's a terrible generalization there is certainly truth to it. I do believe it's probably got some elements of jealousy to it too, I mean we are the biggest and baddest now compared to Europeans who once held that title just within the last century. But are we really stupid? I think that's the wrong word, I think we're largely ignorant. Stupid means you don't have the capacity to reason out a problem, ignorant means you simply choose not to figure it out.

We are a culture so steeped in ourselves it's positively amazing. We seem to be devoted to comfort, entertainment, immediate gratifications, and the acquisition of as much wealth as possible regardless of whom it affects or why. As a result our public education system is horrendous, most Americans cannot speak more than one language, and we perceive the rest of the world through a prism showing us only what we want to see and developing opinions based almost entirely on how it affects us. Add to this a blustering swagger and a FU attitude to the rest of the world, I think the hardcore rightwingers are the most guilty of this. To me this "Americas #1!!" attitude is arrogant and, yes, stupid.

But you know what, they probably think we're stupid because we put a guy not qualified to manage a Quizno's into the Whitehouse. Twice. If I were them I'd probably think...yeah...that was pretty stupid.

Answer 9

The chief cause of anti-americanism in Europe is Americans. We ARE stupid. We've lost our edge. Face it, we're Rome at the end. I give us a century tops before we devolve into a series of smaller states.

We don't vote, we don't get ourselves off of oil dependence, we no longer read, we blame everyone else but ourselves for our problems.

Why are we having problems in Iraq? BECAUSE ITS OUR FAULT. We failed to do our homework going in. We copied off the smart kid (Tony Blair) and he screwed us.

So don't tell me we're being unfairly maligned. We earned this crappy reputation. Look at how we treat our immigrants! We liked the European ones as long as they weren't Catholic or dark skinned, but now these Mexicans, well, we just can't have that in our country.

See! We're a bunch of hypocrites who deserve every stinking insult at us. We've earned it with our arrogance and our ignorance.

Answer 10

Because socialists, communists and democrats feel the people are too stupid to fend for themselves and make their own life decisions. Therefore, all decisions have to be made for the good of the people. If you focus on democratic programs you will find they generally use tax dollars (your money) to give something free to someone else (the great society, social security etc.). There is no personal responsibility as they are the only ones who know what is good for people. Ultimately, they will overburden and destroy the capitalist system.

Answer 11

hello friend, i understand your concern. God bless the U.S.A.- the democratic party in the U.S. is obsessed with power,manipulation and control. the democratic party is not for the U.S. arguably not since J.F.K. the democratic party thinks that the average individual is stupid (us) and needs their All-Wise guidance and supervision. we do not know what is best for us or even what we want and they,therefore, are going to tell us and benevolently govern over us to protect us from ourselves.
the europeans are another story altogether. and, yes, when people like Jane Fonda and John Kerry, Charles Rangel, Hillary Clinton etc, insult their own country that fights and dies for their freedom of speech it does assist the enemy.