When They say "I hate America", what do you think They mean?

An honest and true explanation of why "they" hate america...a few days post 9/11, dys was flying out of JFK to Lisbon and being the times as they were there was a bomb scare at JFK so we were all herded out to a parking lot while some german shephards in the company of uniformed teenagers sniffed about for bombs as well as crotches of old men and young girls. As I lay down my pack and sat upon the pavement along comes this young and quite attractive young lady to sit beside me. "you must like country/western music" she opens the conversation "No, I reply, I like neither country nor western music, but thanks for asking." She continues with "I just want to go home-I hate it here." Um I think to myself she must not be from Queens so I ask her "Where is the home you wish to go to?" "Poland" she answers. Then she proceeds to tell me her tale of woe as to having been an exchange student here in the US (Vermont) for the past year and how homesick she is. "So," I says to her, "how did you like living in America?" "I hate-hate-hate it here!" she says. Wow I think pretty strong feelings from this girl so I ask her "What did you find so bad here in America?" and she answers quick as a pflash "Well, here they take white gooey stuff they call bread and on one slice they put a salt called Peanut Butter and on another slice of this white gooey stuff they put a sugar called Jelly and THEN they smoosh it togther and EAT IT!" "Never, ever could I come back to a country that does this kind of abomination and call it FOOD" so now you know why "they" hate america

dys, Love that story!

That's about as good of an answer as I've tasted.

LOL Dys :-D

Dys, you are always so obscure and obtuse!
Isn't that what people usually complain about regarding your posts? Keep it up, sweetcheeks.

What I read into that story was that when foreigners complain about the US, it's so innocuous, it really doesn't translate into "hate."

Yeah, dys, keep on dyssing us!

Interesting thread. It appears that nearly all agree that the size/power/impact of American political, cultural, and economic activities on the rest of the world is at least a major contributor or cause of the reactions being cited.

With that in mind it might be useful to consider other times and other equivalently dominant powers to contemplate just what might be the "normal" levels of such resentment directed at such size, power, and impact. The Ottoman Empire in the 12th and 13th centuries; the Spanish Empire after the abdication of Charles V; revolutionary and Napoleonic France all come to mind. Certainly the British Empire in the mid and late 19th century is a model that suggests comparison. Each of these powers exerted great political, economic, and cultural influence on the outside world, and each was both resented and admired for it. On the outside resentment generally exceeded admiration, often by wide margins.

However all of these great powers had formidable rivals which either locally or at certain times posed serious threats to them. I believe this significantly diminished the focus on the central power and the intensity of both positive and negative reactions to it. In fact the present situation, after the Cold War, is quite unusual in the relative absence of any serious rivals. History suggests this interregnum will be brief - new rivals are emerging and the relative dominance of the U.S. will fade. Indeed many historians note that the decline of great powers begins at precisely the moment they defeat the last of their serious rivals. It is a fact that we are living in unusual times from an historical perspective, and this fact bears significantly on the question at hand.

Despite this, some aspects of what has been described on this thread were visible to some long before our political ascendancy. Images of the grasping and vulgar Yankee can be found in English literature just a generation after our independence. A later, and perhaps the best illustration of this is Ivan Bunin's short novel "The Gentleman from San Francisco" written just before WWI in Czarist Russia, It portrays a complacent, self-obsessed, materialist, and unfeeling American, abroad and quite unable to see or feel the human drama around him. Though Bunin was doubtless writing about a feature of the modern world he disliked, the fact that he chose a decidedly American model for this self-absorbed materialism is indicative of his impressions and those of the many readers to whom he appealed.

At the same time one must also acknowledge DeTocqueville's very admiring descriptions of the internal features of American life, politics, and culture. In addition, while Bunin was writing his story, hundreds of thousands of immigrants were pouring into the U.S. from throughout Europe, all seeking a better life.

Which image is the truth? The hell of it is that both are true.

We should also note that had the political leaders of Germany, France, Russia, Austria, and Britain not been so incredibly foolish in 1905 -1914, -- inaugurating as they did a needless and horrible war and a century of revolution, war and destruction that wasted innumerable lives and much treasure throughout the world,-- we would today be discussing the arrogance of an utterly rich and dominant Europe.

george, I believe you have correctly illustrated what has happened to the US ala history. However, I think the quickness of communication has influenced more of the world populace against the almighty US. Mexicans and Cubans still risk their lives to cross the border in the US to improve their lives. Who can blame them? Over half the world's population lives on less than $2 per day. The imaginary gold mountain in the US is a great attraction. The difference between love and hate is a very thin line indeed.

Cicerone, with respect to modern mass communications, I think fbaezer said it best -

I find it interesting that a large number of posters here are Americans themselves...speculating on why they are hated in other parts of the world.

I liked dyslexia's story! *L* And what c.i. said about the word "hate" is quite often true!

Equally as interesting is the number of foreign posters here commenting on this country, but often not their own.

I asked them to, caprice. I don't think you can exclude the american view. I'm interested in 'what' and 'why' americans are hated. The view from home can be rather limiting (not that I've seen this yet) but it is important.

That isn't the point. This thread is about Americans.

Ceili: I'm not saying exclude the American view, just that I find it odd to have Americans comment on what they think the non-American is thinking.

I've lived in both the US and Canada and I love here in Canada. If I come across anything negative about it, I'll let you know ;-)

Actually, I'm not crazy about the gas prices.

*LOL* Join the club! The only place in the world where you can have a gas refinery right on the city boundary and pay more than places that are miles and miles and miles away from it.

Hey, I know this isn't any of my business and you can certainly tell me so...but...I'm a nosey one and I can't help but ask, how were you able to relocate to Canada?

LOL on the gas thing. Go figure.

Don't worry about being nosey because I'm nosey too, lol. Both my parents were born here, so I am a dual citizen.

I just came back from NY and I loved it there !! The place is sooooooooo cheap - and the people sooooooooo polite....

Maybe I should think of moving bag and baggage there..

Well isn't that handy! Do you have family at that end of the country? Just wondering if that is why you chose NB.

*L* Wow, I'd always heard jokes about how rude New Yorkers are! I was there once, many, many years ago. I don't recall anyone being particularly rude. I just remember the insanity of the traffic.