Is Anti-Americanism Cool?

e wasn't the first to criticize a country for believing they were doing something wrong while not knowing their language, much less culture. Everyone does it, we can't learn every language. :/.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Andy

Why would you bother insulting another country in their language if you hardly knew it? That's an arrogant thing to do.

He's posting his opinions here in English because if he posted here in Finnish, nobody would understand him. Just because someone learned English as a second language, it doesn't mean that he is not allowed to state his views in a thread.

Considering that all he has said in this thread is that he doesn't think that we should hate a country because it's different, and then he asked why America was in such huge debt if their capitalist system was working so well, you're having a huge overreaction. I don't see any of this "insulting America" or "generalizing another country" that you keep slamming him for. If you disagree with someone's viewpoint, attack the argument, not the user.

You are alienating our second-language English speakers by proclaiming that their opinions are worth less just because they do not speak English quite as well as you, and that's unacceptable.

I didn't have a huge overreaction. You misinterpreted my emotion, which is a very common thing to happen on the internet. Don't worry, I'm not offended.

Also, I am not alienating people with English as a second language. I'm saying it is unwise and even arrogant to bicker about another country if you can't even speak their language. Again with the misinterpretation. You're jumping the gun and skimming my posts.

Originally Posted by Andy

I am not alienating people with English as a second language. I'm saying it is unwise and even arrogant to bicker about another country if you can't even speak their language.

But he can speak the language. He's been communicating perfectly fine with his opinions for more than 350 posts now, and both you and I understood him perfectly. You just decided to disregard his viewpoint because his grammar wasn't perfect.

What you are saying is "His grammar is not perfect because English isn't his first language, therefore he is not allowed to speak about America."

It's perfectly valid to have an opinion about another country without being able to speak their language. I have opinions about affairs in the middle east and North Korea. While I don't speak the languages of either region, this makes me neither ignorant nor arrogant.

It appears to me that L176 made a pretty decent point, and Andy, with no better way to respond, criticized him for something that is pretty much irrelevant rather than addressing the point that he made. L176 actually seems to know what he is talking about. So what if his grammar is a little off? He has an excuse, and at least he's trying. I've seen more illiterate people posting on this forum who were born and raised in America.

I also thought that L176 apologizing for his "bad English" was extremely sad. :/

^When, and where in god's name did I say that someone who can't speak english eloquently deserves no right to opinion? Please, I beg of you, point it out to me. I must have been drugged.

I'm simply saying it appears arrogant to insult a country in their language if you can't speak it properly. There are several countries I think could be doing things better, but as I can't speak their languages properly, you don't see me saying anything about them.

This is by no means an overreaction, or me invalidating somebody's opinion on the count of language.

I voted "Yes, it is." but that's only because I thought I'd be the only one to pick it. <_<

Originally Posted by Andy

There are several countries I think could be doing things better, but as I can't speak their languages properly, you don't see me saying anything about them.

So, you refrain from saying anything negative about a country unless you can speak its language?

You may not have meant to invalidate his opinion, but by neglecting to address the content of his post in favor of criticizing his spelling and grammar, it seemed that you did.

Originally Posted by SacredSturgeon

America is the only developed nation where being called atheist is considered an insult, or where many schools still consider creationism and "intelligent design" acceptable alternatives to actual science. America, quite simply, is way more religious than the rest of the developed world, and way more fundamentalist to boot. It's actually surprisingly different from the rest of the developed world.

Then there's the fact that America is way more right-wing than the rest of the developed world. If I recall correctly, it's the only Western nation that lacks universal healthcare.

So yeah, I'd say in many ways America is fundamentally different.

Well that seems to show that many of the other developed nations have some sort of intolerance. They dislike us because we're different? That doesn't sound too good.

arrogant - having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance out of overbearing pride

I'm not quite sure how formulating an opinion about a country/world issue in a language other than the native tongue of that country is a show of unwarranted importance out of overbearing pride, or in layman's terms, excessive pride. Care to explain?

Personally, "American arrogance" doesn't bother me as much as "American imperialism", which I constantly learn about every time I step into a history classroom.

Originally Posted by DrZaius1

Personally, "American arrogance" doesn't bother me as much as "American imperialism", which I constantly learn about every time I step into a history classroom.

Well we really haven't gained any signifigant territory since we bought Alaska from Russia, but if you're talking about our sphere of influence, then yeah I agree it's massive.

Originally Posted by CVN-76

Well we really haven't gained any signifigant territory since we bought Alaska from Russia, but if you're talking about our sphere of influence, then yeah I agree it's massive.

While the people at the very top (i.e. Presidents) have been pretty good about trying to preserve/capture influence to prevent Soviet aggression, a lot of top policymakers have been in it for the sole purpose of extending America's influence as a hegemonic power for the sole purpose of extending influence.

Originally Posted by DrZaius1

While the people at the very top (i.e. Presidents) have been pretty good about trying to preserve/capture influence to prevent Soviet aggression, a lot of top policymakers have been in it for the sole purpose of extending America's influence as a hegemonic power for the sole purpose of extending influence.

The way I see it America isn't an empire, at least not in the traditional sense, but if you base it on nations we are allied with and have some sort of influence over, than we have near total hegemony over the entire planet, which of course would make us the most imperialistic nation in all Human history.



These are all nations that have a strong military allegiance to the United States. As you can see it encompases all of Europe, Austrailia, and parts of Aisa, Africa and South America. I can see why some people would be a bit on edge when it comes to America.

That's not even the half of it. The United States, since the end of World War II, has continuously interfering in the affairs of other nations, usually with disastrous results for the nations in question.

In all fairness South Korea was a victory for the US, and better half of Korea than all of it lost to the commies.

Originally Posted by The Arbitrator

In all fairness South Korea was a victory for the US, and better half of Korea than all of it lost to the commies.

That's one situation out of dozens more.

Originally Posted by DrZaius1

That's one situation out of dozens more.

I don't deny that, but it is a pretty big one and is often used as a point against America, I'm just pointing out before anyone chooses to use it that as part of America's policy of containment at the time, it was a success as they did actually succeed in preventing the spread of communism into South Korea.

Originally Posted by Jodd

"You're either with us, or with the terrorists. Also has anyone seen my left sock, hurr durr."

It can be a little bit disconcerting. I think that's the main reason.

This seems to be the way of the new paranoid anit-terrorist world in general, which seemed to have spread from the US, so yeah. it's like "If you want privacy, you must have something to hide, TERRORIST!" is the general attitude. Some time ago my American aunt was here and conversation over the dinner table was about a teenager/young adult on the news. Where an adult might normally refer to an adolescent who they consider to be out of place in some way as a a "Thug", "Brat"etc. she called him a 'terrorist'. Is this what it's like in the US? Has this false fear and stigma been so over inflated that it's come to be a common insult? People in the international community seem to have ascribed the idiosyncratic qualities of bush and other famously stupid Americans to all Americans. I have to admit, were I in the presence of an American to say something close minded and fearful than I would expect a French person to be rude, or a German to be overly pedantic and precise or an and English person to be arrogant and superioristic, or any other person from X country to portray racial label/stereotype typical of their nation. I don't know why, I just do. American media seems to have reacted in this way and emphasized the stereotypes of other nations. I mean, how many Americans here really think an Irish person is more likely to get drunk and fight than anybody from any other nations.

So are people from America supposed to post? . I don't think anyone should be anti-anything, thats just the way conflict starts, it'd be better if we didn't all hate each other. That a lot of bad **** comes about.