Does anyone else feel like we (USA) are the real "bad guys" of the world?

Question

I don't wanna hear " oh you don't like it, then leave" or any other similar comments, because yes i love my home and my family. But look at our country from a point of view other than your own, be it a foreigner or different social class. we take what we want, when we want, wherever we want with total disregard for anyone or anything else. we hear about other countries killing innocent people and they're "bad guys", why don't we hear any stories about all the innocent people the U.S. has killed, is killing or will kill. Our government and media feed us lies and propaganda to make us live in constant fear of the "terrorists". well you know what, our government is the biggest terrorist organization in the world. We offer aid to other country's poor, but can't get our less fortunate citizens the help they need. This country was founded on the basis of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, seems like now we're more based on War, Greed and Power. Does anyone else feel this way?

I say again, I don't want to hear "don't like it, you can leave" comments or anything similar. comments like that don't answer my question. I'm not Anti-American, I'm just a realist who calls it like I see it and to anyone answering this question, like I said originally, try to look at the U.S. from a viewpoint different from your own!!! thank you

Answer 1

This is the most prudent question I've seen in a long time, and my answer, to echo Angry Lib, is HELL YES!
Our government is always looking for new ways to bend the truth to benefit itself and its agendas...and they have been doing so for decades. I've been around for a time, and I've felt this way about the U.S. since Vietnam. If not for a very stubborn husband, I'd be a Canadian citizen by now.
Our government is comprised of warmongers and corporate whores; forget the "people" in the constitution, we no longer matter. If there's any hope at all for the United States, it will come from a third-party candidate. Vote Ralph Nader, vote Ron Paul---just DON'T vote for a major-party candidate if you want to see change!

Answer 2

No. We are not the bad guys. And I've made this observation after visiting fifty one foreign countries on six continents. You won't hear "if you don't like it, then leave" from me but I wonder if some trips abroad might not change your perspective. You ask us to take a look at our country from a point of view other than our own. Have you done that? Or are you simply listening to political sound bites and main stream media commentary filled with partisan bickering as we approach the elections? Qualify your statements if you will by enlightening us on the real research that you have done from other's perspectives that makes it seem to you that now we're more based on war, greed and power as apposed to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I've read the entire constitution within the past month and I don't recall it changing much for the worse since it was written in 1787. Have you read it lately? Or are you to busy tuning in to cable news? I'd suggest you sell your TV and with the proceeds, buy an international airline ticket. When you get back, ask the question again.

Answer 3

In a complex "non-good-guy-bad-guy" world, actions have unintended consequences...

Actions made with evil intent yield some positive results and actions made with good intent yield some negative results.

Hitler's conquest of Europe and subsequent defeat by the Allies ended hundreds of years of almost continuous armed conflict in Western Europe. Without his overwhelming effort to take over Europe it is unlikely that the Allies would have acted in such a decisive manner to end the tyranny. Without the Allies decisive action it is likely that low level armed conflicts would have persisted for many years.

A humanitarian organization delivers food to a famine ravaged village and a small child slips to her death under a delivery truck tire.

This is reality.

Seeing only the good or bad consequences of an action does not a realist make.

Answer 4

The reason you don't want to hear "if you don't like it then leave" is because, clearly, you don't get it. Our country is the biggest terrorist organization in the world? Really, Einstein? That must be why literally MILLIONS of third worlders are willing to break every law in the book just to work here. Try that in Iran. I confess not to be up on Iranian immigration laws, but my guess is that it won't go over so well there. Oh, and if Al Queda has it's way, you can toss the US Constitution AND the pursuit of happiness out the window.

Answer 5

I think the US has some serious issues and needs to smarten up and fly right for a change... but on the other hand you shouldn't give up on your country, the US still has so much potential if y'all would only learn to think a little more and yell a little less and if it's broken then surely it can be fixed?

One further hint - part of your problem is looking at the world in terms of 'good guys' and 'bad guys'... the world is rarely that simple.

*addition* Wow there are some false claims flying around here... a whole lot of countries offered America aid after Katrina, your president refused them. Hugo Chavez even offered heating oil and medical aid and I know for a fact that Australia offered it's support as did the UK. Most nations around the world also offered any assistance they could after 9/11.

Also someone claimed the US donating the more to international aid than the rest of the world combined... in raw dollar terms currently it is true that America is the highest donor of foreign aid (gives more than the UK or Japan by about 10 billion), in terms of GNP percentage though the US has consistently been lower than almost any other industrialized country in the world (Sweden is the highest, giving about 1.03 percent of their GNP in aid to other countries). Furthermore from 1992-2001 Japan gave more in total dollar amounts than the US... and while 2001 marks the US reclaiming the largest dollar amount given it also leads me to point out that right now Iraq is the biggest recipient of foreign aid on the planet (by about 10 billion dollars or by about a factor of six).

What is most certain though is that America DOES NOT GIVE MORE AID THAN THE REST OF THE WORLD COMBINED. In fact it doesn't even give more than Japan and England combined despite having an economy twice as large as Japan and England combined.

Answer 6

Unfortunately you're now instantly going to be branded a "terrorist loving liberal scumbag" - sorry. Because you DARE question the corporation and America's imperialism you naturally hate America, every man woman and child that lives there and seek to not only support but fight for terrorists.

At least so I assume it works in the conservative mind as they foam at the mouth that someone is questioning the actions of their "great" nation and not blindly following and submitting to the will of your president.

I agree with you totally - the average american isn't to blame for anything other than letting it happen, but your rich and powerful and corporations feel the world is their oyster to treat how they will.

I don't see how you can be brainwashed considering so many NON americans who presumably aren't "brainwashed by the liberal American media" agree with you. Perhaps this should broke the question as to who is doing the brainwashing here. Not everything America does is bad. The US does much good for the world - unfortunaly this is mostly at the hands of individuals rather than the government.

Answer 7

You are brainwashed. You have accepted the mainstream media's view of the US - we must feel guilty about being the best country in the world, 9/11 was our own fault, we must feel guilty about slavery, the terrorist are good - overall, we are evil.

Let me ask you a simple question - when there's a natural disaster in the world, who goes and helps?

America. Always.

When we got hit by Katrina, who came to our aid?

No one.

That simple example says a lot about the make up of the American people and where our country sits in the world.

America is a great country. Now if we could just get our leaders in Washington to love America as much as most of the people do....

Answer 8

I disagree with your premise that we take anything we want. That's nonsense. We outproduce everyone in the world. What country is so wealthy it's the first country to send supplies to a disaster struck area. Who stands up for freedom starved countries. You're looking at this from a very narrow, suspiciously collegiate, point of view. Has America made mistakes? Is it still the greatest country in the history of the world? Does it take better care of it's citizens than any country in the world? Yes, yes and yes! Stand up for your country. Be proud!

Answer 9

It certainly does seem that way. I'm old enough to remember when you could say that you were an American with a degree of pride. In recent years, however, it has come to light that our country has been involved in some shameful activities and this has earned us a lot of disrespect in the world. I agree that we should be dealing with the needs of our own people here before we go chasing after the problems of all the foreign interests.

Answer 10

This country was founded on the basis of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. And Islamic terrorists are trying to impose their 7th century values on the world. How are we the bad guys again ?