Quote:
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Originally Posted by Charlatan
The problem with America is that many people outside of the US learn about the US through three major sources:
1) The current Administration (whoever that may be) as they appear on the nightly news.
2) American entertainment and cultural exports in all its forms (Film, Literature, Music, Television, Comicbooks, etc.)
3) The military either stationed nearby, visiting at port or currently in action.
Sadly, this provides a very skewed view of a very complex nation.
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I just though I'd repost this for AlladinSane because I think it is important in understanding why many abroad know so much and yet so little about the US.
To add to this...
Many Americans, and rightly so as AlanSmithee shows us above, care not a whit about the outside world until they are told to by the nightly news or (on two occassions) they are attacked on native soil.
I remember well after 9/11 the blank looks on *many* Americans faces, "Why do they hate us?", "Why did this happen?". Many have no idea what the support of their lifestyle costs in terms of asserting "American interests" globally (largely it is the western nations and not just America that bears the brunt of this, America being the "top dog" just wears the biggest target). It isn't just the military incursions but it is also corporate interests around the globe that trample the rights of individuals, it is institutions like the IMF that insist on privatizing natural resources like water, it is a skewed view through American cultural industries and if you stir in a large number of tourists as described above you start to get a picture of why people don't like the US.
Is this view correct. Sometimes, not always but sometimes. It doesn't matter if they've got the whole picture. It matters that this is how they understand you and keeping your head stuck in the sand and not paying attention to, or worse not caring how your corporations and governement are treating other nations is what leads things like 9/11.
What I am getting at is yes, it is important to understand what is happening in the rest of the world, especially considering (as is rightly pointed out) the US is by far the 100 pound economic gorilla in the room. As I said above, the US has the power and when they shift so shifts other parts of the world. US citizens effected by economic shifts can exert some sort of power through elections and the court system. Foreigners effected by the US, have two choices... roll over or roll over. For some, rolling over enough times leaves a sour taste in your mouth.