I'm an Australian. and ask why are Americans so willing to believe their government without debate?

Question

I have been activley following international politics since 9/11and have watch the American media manipulate the minds of it's people. From an outsider looking in I'm saddened that you guys swallow the crap that they feed you. The rest of the world fortunatly sees things very differently as we dont have FOX controlling our minds.

I will add that 75% of Australians do not support the war in Iraq yet our government still support the US, and there is little debat here as well

Answer 1

Hi, I wouldn't say that Americans are so willing to believe their government, but the US is a high trust society (although that is dimenishing), especially in a time of crisis. When a president and his administration start offering evidence of WMD's and the possibility of a nuclear explosion in the middle of NYC, that gets Americans, and I would think most folks around the world frightened. Unfortunately for America, that was by design. And now many Americans see the truth.

That said the media have totally lost their purpose. They are supposed to challenge our government (Democrat or Republican) and provide the public with information to educate the populace. Today the media are more interested in the provocative and having each side yell at each other on TV and radio. There are only a couple of news organizations that do not fall into this trap that I know: NPR and PBS. These two organizations are independent of any outside interference from ownership, because the people own these news entities through tax dollars and donations. But most people don't get their news from this. Because of this reality, American debate has become an American shouting match. My proof is in the responses to your question. There is no reason to take offense at your question, but conservatives are angry at your question and liberals are taking the opportunity to bash the Bush adminstration. This of course is debate, but not debate about the issues, but the fact that you do or don't believe as I do. The media caters to the extremes, and you see that we've become more polarized because of it.

Politicians will always be able to set the agenda of what is talked about in the media, whether in America or Australia. The informed citizen however must be more critical of any government policy, especially in terms of war, instead of just quickly taking sides on an issue and thinking the other side is the enemy.

Answer 2

Whenever people from other countries ask these questions they always seem to start from the premise that their governments and politicians are somehow completely benevolent and without guile, serving only democratically in the interests of their people. Or they assume their media operates without bias. Australia's government and official media, as has Britain's and Canada's, has largely supported U.S. foreign policies for decades, with only a few quibbles here and there. The people, of course, are something else. As they are here. It's not too far of a stretch to say that all governments are composed of elites that do their utmost to control the majority through any means possible. Your government is no different. It's just a question of degree. You want to change America? Change your own crappy government and show us how it's done.

Answer 3

The majority of us don't. In fact the government approval rating is much less than 50%. Fox news is NOT watched by a majority of people (though it is ranked number 1 among cable news channels, most people don't watch cable news), and Bush's approval rating is at an all time low, with less than 30% .
I don't believe that the media have been doing the manipulating (fox news may be an exception but they are more like cohorts with the political "advisers"), they have been manipulated by politicians who have become increasingly skilled at spin and public perception.
In my opinion there are some fundamental flaw's in the system that allow for the current state of the nation.

Answer 4

From your question, I can't really tell what you believe. On this end, here in the US, the media is so twisted they don't even back the US. So kindly clarify your point. The majority it seems, as you can tell by reading all the crap on Yahoo answers, does not support the president or the war. Because of exactly what you say...the media has manipulated the minds of the people here. So let's hear your opinion, Australia. I am interested in hearing it. Because if you think for one moment the US supports the president or our troops, you are truly misinformed. And that is the sad truth.

Answer 5

i am a 60 yr old american who has spent 30 + years living abroad. it is a horribly sad fact that the majority of americans only want their fat mack and a football game. the romans long ago realized that bread and circus would keep the peasants from uprising, or thinking too much.

those that do question or think are branded as unpatriotic or liberals.

the x-tian right wing conservative movement was a determined, PLANNED strategy, long before 9 /11 and was nearly leathal to democracy. i still worry because i know they have no real morals and will stop at nothing in their misguided attempt to aquire more power.

it's frightening really

all i can say is i piss on all their gods, demons and hobgoblins

and will hope that g dumbya and cheney are smitten by lightening bolts before the 2nd coming, or we have to impeach or imprison a lot of them for treason, abuse of power, corruption, et cetera.

the populace is simply not very well educated. conservatives often likend health care, education and social security to something like stalinist communism, and the hugely powerful jewish lobby has determined americas foreign policy for decades.

it really is a sad state of affairs.

but americans are basically good natured sheep

so hopefully they will soon get tired of smelling the sheeps **** in front of them; go piss on a bush and feed a dick to the dingos.

please continue to try to question and perhaps educate them tho.

best wishes mate

they even had to let galileo out of hell after a few hundred years

Answer 6

Well, I have news for you. I don't know if you are calling us a nation of idiots or what, but we Americans don't buy half of what is said in the news on TV or in the newspapers. We think for ourselves. We have let our voices be heard all over the place. We have voted to change the status quo in the government only to have our votes disregarded by the new Congress. We are mad as all get out! We consider you Australians our friends & if you know anything about Americans perhaps you had better rethink your ideas about us, we are not a nation of followers unless you can give us a good reason to follow! As during the 2nd W.W. when we did our best to keep the Japanese from your nation at great cost in American lives! Yes, I know you fought with us, but we still paid a big price during that war; as did your country. We were there then & would be again if you ever needed us! Try to think of us that way instead of our being a bunch of idiots!

Answer 7

You have bought into the myth you are accusing us of. I have spent extensive time living around the world, including Australia, and what the majority believes and/or wants to believe in any country is no different than here. You should probably try opening your door and taking a look outside before you spew the ideology of ignorance. You are doing exactly what Fox news does, running with half a truth and applying it as a rule across the whole.

Answer 8

You obviously know very little about America. America is more critical of its own government than you've been lead to believe. People are always debating the decisions of our leaders. Most of our press does not favor the position of our president.

Why do you think that the people of America voted to removed many of the Republican leadership? Bush's party no longer controls the House or the Senate. The opposition party is demanding that we establish a date to pull our troops out of Iraq, and Bush is fighting back, saying he'll veto such a bill if congress should send it to him.. Congress can still cut the funding of our military... The political battles are brewing and getting stronger.

So what is this crap you're spewing about Americans being manipulated by their media??? You're sadly out of touch with the real America.

Answer 9

Dub's approval rating is down to 33%. I hardly think that is most of the American people. And FYI, Faux News is gradually losing viewership because all they do is spout conservative propaganda and people are becoming hip to their tricks. Perhaps you should try turning the channel off of Fox, and instead try CNN, MSNBC or ITV. And tell your government to stop supporting this insane war in Iraq. If you do that, and our congress cuts the purse strings so he doesn't have a choice except to bring our troops home, maybe we can salvage some things as soon as Dub is out of office. If we are lucky it will be sooner rather than later.

Answer 10

Good lord,

Do you believe that all we Americans are That ignorant? Please review your history. Regrettably 51% of us are willing to buy a pack of lies, twice. But there's another 49% of us who taste a bit of vomit in the back of our collective throats whenever we listen to a Fox "news" diatribe. Furthermore, keep in perspective the level of hubris you have when you speak for the "rest of the world." If one adds in China, Russia, and the millions upon millions of people without a free press (or electricity for that matter), you really don't speak for much. Like many Anglophilic, Eurocentric nationals, you too suffer from philosophy on a full stomach. You live in a U.S. Lake (the Pacific) rather than as a Japanese prefecture (see WW II). We are worse of course: the sloppy drunk Uncle Sam with a shotgun and a fat roll of hundreds. But you're not much better. You can carp and kibbitz all you want. And I'll try to vote out "Dubyah's" party that started this.