What can you and I, The little people in America, do to improve our tarnished global image?

Question

With the bridge burning of foreign relations over the last years, our political agendas being viewed as misdirected or imposing and a loss of credibility as a peacemaker and genuine good will state... What can the US citizens do to improve our image globally, what can we do as a people to positively impact the lives of the less fortunate both in and outside of our borders? How can we send a message to the world that our olive branch is mightier than our sword?

To add: I'm as Pro-American as they come, I bleed stars and stripes when cut. I travel internationally quite a bit, and over the years found there are 3 general groups of thought from foreigners. Those who like/love/respect the US, those who are indifferent and those who despise us for a variety of reasons. I believe the latter group has grown significantly over the last decades. The consensus has shifted from being a force of goodwill to a force of our will. Why do I care? I was lucky to be born here in the US, a roll of the dice and I could have been born in Bosnia, or the Congo. I feel obligated to help others. I'm also a Father, I want a better world for my kids. If the US wrongs a kid today in another country, that kid will grow up to draw a bead on my daughter, or yours. It's easy these days to feel helpless at what our gov and military do, can't we (millions upon millions of us) show the world we would rather teach them to catch a fish rather than dodge our bullets?

Answer 1

Why don't you have a prayer vigil and sing Kum-Bah-Yah, followed by "We are the World" and then you can dance around a maypole worshipping the moon goddess or something...in other words, you're a dolt.

Answer 2

Whether or not your opinion regarding our image is correct, how we are perceived globally is pretty far down on the list of considerations. What America must do is what all countries do, they do what is in their own best interest. I don't remember anyone from any country polling me to find out how America perceives them.

No other country on earth provides more aid to the less fortunate of other countries. So how can our image be less shiny than any other country? As the only military superpower on earth we have not sought world domination as have many other countries. Why would that not gain us great respect? When was the last time we attacked any country who had not first attacked us or our allies? Name one other country that has a sword that has a mightier olive branch than we. There is none. How many countries responded to the Tsunami with the speed and quantity of relief as the United States Navy?

We deserve to be loved and respected by every well intentioned country in the world. But do not hold your breath. The more aid you provide other countries, the more impotent they feel and the more they resent it.

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Answer 3

You either watch to much TV or are enrolled in one of our brainwashing facilities laughably called institutes of higher learning.

America is seen by billions as a brightly shining bastion of hope and freedom in a world filled with REAL poverty and corruption. Not the kind we have here where people are horror struck at the thought of having to live without cable TV and a cell phone.

The American people do more to alleviate suffering around the world than all other nations combined.

The olive branch is meaningless if you don't have or won't use the sword. Tin-pot dictators will take what they want from you by force.

The world is now, and always has been, ruled by the threat of use of force.

Our military has freed more nations and SAVED more lives than any organization that has ever existed you IDIOT!.

For god's sake grow up.

Answer 4

A bit of demonstrating wouldn't go amiss. I remember when Vietnam was going on there was no way you could not know how the majority led by a coalition of the bright/educated/young and and old viewed American occupation there and the military action. Now the public seem quite content to allow the war mongers to attempt to occupy the Middle East on the most spurious grounds. The idea that Saddam had WMD's after Gulf War 1 and being occupied for 10 years was always risible.

Answer 5

The USA has donated more to help out those less fortunate than any other nation on the earth.

1) Vote for candidates that value the sovereignty of our borders and value the traditions that make our country great.

2)In your own daily life, be careful not to be misled by those who label you as racist for not having the bleeding heart sentiment toward illegal immigrants and Muslim activists shoved down your throat. Do not accept this.

3) Recognize that the very people who may label you a bigot, will themselves be asking for your help when an illegal takes their job or a building blows up. Don't let them spew their liberal filth.

Answer 6

We are certainly due to cast our votes toward a new set of government officials and presidential candidates that work within our American view rather than that of big business and money. I am a conservative and am amazed at the insanity of all of it. Our tax system, the suggestions of health care and socialism by some of the candidates and the waste and lack of thought that effects so many I see happening. To me its such an example of big gov. and business. We could conquer the world with interaction, trade and education-in that I mean that the more we involve ourselves with commerce between countries and peoples, the less we are likely to interact in a war zone or in a "cold" war. I think humanitarian aid (wouldn't it be nice to have more personal funds to give and have that choice rather than have gov. waste it?) and the gift of education (without prejudice or angles) and technology would be an immense difference. I think it would be more resounding than anything military we could do-though I feel we still need to keep our superiority in that angle-just not use it in stupid ways.

Answer 7

Ask Kerry ... just be careful what happens as this guy learned:



"....The sheer brazenness of it, in front of an auditorium and multiple cameras, chills me. You can't go to a microphone and question an elected official (and again, there was nothing abusive or even particularly combative about these questions) without fear of being dragged off and tased? It's heartening that some audience members followed the police downstairs, telling them to stop and assuring Meyer that they would testify in his behalf--but frankly, as far as I'm concerned, people watching this happen a few feet away would be justified in defending the victim from the officers with the use of any weapon available. The use of tasers on handcuffed prisoners, particularly when, like Meyer and Mostafa Tabatabainejad, the prisoner has done absolutely nothing wrong and is unarmed, is straight torture. You can't stand around and watch some innocent guy get tortured by the police. You ought to do whatever you can to make it stop."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nick-antosca/kerry-should-be-ashamed-_b_64873.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqAVvlyVbag

Answer 8

Disregard what the rest of the world thinks about us and our country.

We are American and just the mere mention of that fact dictates certain qualities that no other country or civilization has ever had. Further, we are the sole world power and without us, the rest of this world would be in total chaos. Economies would be destroyed would we not be here and war would be the order of the day.

Be American and let others catch up to us not us to them.

Answer 9

For starters we could act a little less arrogant and rude when we visit other countries. American tourists make so little effort to understand the culture of the countries they visit that many countries take their image of Americans from these people and tar us all with the same brush. The old saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" was coined for a good reason. If we spent a little time learning about the appropriate way to act in places we visit, it might help individuals in other countries to get a more positive picture of "Joe or Josephine" American.

Answer 10

How about we start treating foreigners better?

We could stop overcharging people from other countries simply because they are from other countries. Oh, wait... that happened to me in Germany, France, and Spain.

We could stop our police from beating the hell out of immigrants caught crossing our borders illegally, and stop them from robbing and raping tourists. Oh, wait...that's Mexico that does that.

We could take down the machine-gun towers on our borders to intimidate people that want to come here illegally. Oh, wait, that's Russia, isn't it.

We could eliminate the requirement that immigrants be multilingual and have a substantial net worth to apply for citizenship. Oh, yeah....that's Switzerland.

We could stop selling nuclear technology to nations promising to use the weapons on our allies. No, that's France, Germany, and Russia.

We might try putting an end to genocide in Darfur, like everyone seems to want us to do. Of course, doing what the world said they wanted didn't earn us any points in Kosovo, Kuwait, Iraq, or liberating France in WW2.

I dunno. Maybe we should invite the world to get naked and take a flying leap at a rolling donut.

Answer 11

Thats hard luck mate, little ppl can only do little things. Nothing much you can do to restore confidence on the US leadership. On the whole, the majority of the little ppl can still be tolerated, oops sorry I meant well liked, just a joke in fact, if an Ozzie said that it means that you are in their good books.