"Anti-Americanism"...what is this critter?

Although your "note" almost scared me off, I'll respond. Hopefully not to stupidly.

It almost seems that in the land of the free there is a bit of a leaning on our rights to free speach. The boy club in charge of the country is really pushing for blind patriotism.

I don't know if this definition refers to Americans or people from other countries.

As the world's greatest superpower, IMO, the United States has sometimes been guilty of a bit of ethnocentrism. This has, at times, caused people of other nations to react negatively to some US policies, attitudes towards other nations, etc. knowing full well that we usually get what we want.

Ok, let me give a view point from someone who comes from a region where Anti-American feelings run pretty high (well, atleast in certain sections).

For a long long time, the US has been seen pushing its own agenda, irrespective of the consequences it might have on local economies/political situations. The first and foremost thought of any US administration has been "what is there in it for us", even though the policy itself has been cloaked in "we will make the world a better place". It has used all its economic and military muscle to push its agenda, irrespective of how many countries are steamrolled under its relentless march.

People have slowly realized this fact - as the world turns more global, awareness is on the rise, and this has given a big boost to the "anti-american" feelings in countries which think, rightly or wrongly, that they have been on the receiving end of the the big american stick - even though it had been cloaked in sugar.

Other countries don't do that - have never heard of Switzerland or Canada or Italy do this - at least not to this scale. And hence no "anti canadian, anti swiss feelings around"

But it is not limited to the US. The former USSR followed similar tactics in the countries it used to influence. You will be surprised by the "anti russian" feelings in the former iron curtain countries.

Sorry, even to me, this is very simplistic and cliched explanation - but then it is my opinion....

And my apologies in advance if I have offended anyone in any way - this has never been my intention !

Gautam - good points! My Slovak housemate does indeed have anti-russian feelings.

Back in the day when Italy was colonizing, there may well have been anti-italian feelings. But that was a long time ago.

See - I have a serious side too :wink:

Gautam- I am not offended at all. I think that as the world becomes smaller and smaller, it is important that Americans understand the impact that our policies are making in the rest of the world!

There was a book written in the 1950's, called "The Ugly American", which postulated just the sorts of things that you are mentioning.

And in France there is/was a huge amount of the public that resented germans, no matter which generation. This was not only caused by WWII, but also through earlier actions from the german Emperors and chancellors.

This anti-any-countryism is something that arises in a period when one state is very powerful, and thus sometimes appears "bossy" to other states, IMHO.

i think (opinion only) that this phenomona is common in the US and is rooted in insecurity and fear. while we tend to laud the "independent thinker" we also fear anyone that does not voice beliefs consistent with our own; we prefer to live in suburban tracts that reflect sameness of thinking, sameness of ideologies, sameness of theologies, our communities are no longer diverse, we strive for statis. Our roots that we like to think makeup the american spirit are the roots of the puritan ethic, simplistic conformity. anyone that challenges our comfort also challenges out vison, our very definition of who and what we are. when a nation of peoples are insecure of their own gestalt, they are left with a defense of "anti" be it anti-american-anti-christian-anti-democracy. the surburban neighborhood that relishes the finely manicured lawn can not tolerate the neighbor who plants veggies in the front yard because it is inconsistent with his view of what should be, what is the proper visage of his community. conformity in all things is the hobgobblin of the well ordered mind.

To clarify, I suppose I am not asking so much why folks from elsewhere might have negative sentiments regarding America, though that may well have to come into the discussion.

More specifically, I'm asking why is it that we don't bump into, for example, the phrase 'un-Belgian'? Has there ever been a "House of Un-Belgian Activities"?

Dyslexia's last previous response looks very interesting and heads towards a sentiment by historian Richard Hofstadter... "It has been our fate as a nation, to have no ideology but to be one."

Blatham - that didn't really clarify anything for me.

Blatham- I think that it has a lot to do with perceived power. With all due respect to any Belgians on the site, I think that whatever Belgium does with respect to the rest of the world, would not have much of an impact.

The mention of Russia only solidifies my concept. Untill the USSR was dissolved, their policies had a huge impact upon other countries, often negative. Therefore, many people who were affected by Soviet policies, still may harbor ill feelings towards the Russians.

Why is there anti American feeling? This Is how the US is viewed.

< The US is the big guy on the scene.
< What they do and say affects much of the world
<At times we use our power and resources to buy {bully}other nation.
< We get involved
<I should add there is much jealousy involved in the makeup peoples feelings.

littlek

I suspect what we are dealing with isn't very intuitive or easy to clarify.

It is possible that within the American sense of itself, and this isn't my original idea, there is an identification with political creed and values that gives the US its unique character. It is, again possibly, rather akin to the evangelical spirit.

What other nation seeks to spread its values and creed as does the US? The French don't appear to feel a moral responsibility to benefit the world by increasing the spread of Frenchness, either in its political model or its values.

I see. Yeah, it does have a bit of over-zealousness to it. Being an unreligious person, I often forget just how strongly (in retrospect with other major powers) our country is lead by religion.

Phoenix and au

It's not that I am disagreeing with your notion that political dominance doesn't inevitably produce sentiment against the dominating state. I am less interested in what sentiments are held about America by others than I am in the notions held about America by Americans.

Aaaah, and I thought I'd mis-spoken.

littlek

To clarify further, could we suppose that rather than thinking of America as having a strong religious community who drives policy (though again that might be part of this story), that America fuctions something like an evangelical dynamic.

When this question arose, in a different form, at an Irish site, this is how i responded, and my take on the subject has not changed:



Does no one else see the contradiction here? We are not to act alone, but we are to solve the world's problems for them. I certainly hope "the world" is not holding its breath.



This is not necessarily an inaccurate representation of how a great many Americans feel. With two mighty oceans to insulate us, we have enjoyed unparalleled security for two centuries. Because we have taken in "your tired, your huddled masses . . . the tempest tossed . . ." and therefore continually enriched the "human fertilizer" of our polity, we have been wildly successful and prosperous. But i would advise the world to take a closer look . . . "we" are you.

Blatham- I think that you have hit the nail on the head. Just the way people don't appreciate others tearing apart their most closely held religious beliefs, and superimposing theirs, I think that non-Americans don't like the US coming in and behaving as if the American way is the ONLY way.

I would also expect that Europeans, with their many centuries of culture and tradition, may chafe at the idea of the American "johnny come lately's" overwhelming power.