NationStates Jolt Archive

These questions are to Non-Americans

1: How do you view Americans?
2: How do you view America?
3: How do you view American history?
4: What is your understanding of what it is to be American?

These questions are to Non-Americans

1: How do you view Americans?
2: How do you view America?
3: How do you view American history?
4: What is your understanding of what it is to be American?

1. Nice people generally, some extremists and idiots like all countries
2. Big country, 50 States, lots of people
3. Rather vague question. In a book?
4. To live in America?

1. Born in America
2. With eyes
3. From the present
4. There is such variety from Canada to Chile.

These questions are to Non-Americans

1: How do you view Americans?
2: How do you view America?
3: How do you view American history?
4: What is your understanding of what it is to be American?

1. Like anyone else, I try to judge them on their actions, not their nationality. Except for a few harmless jokes, of course.

2. It has its pro's and con's, like all nations. Because it is quite a powerful country, it's actions can have big effects on other countries. The people who complain about people being "anti-america" forget about this.

3. History is not my area of expertise, but as far as I know it went like this:
- Westerners settle, show no respect to locals.
- America goes relatively isolationist (though it does import slaves)
- America appoints itself world police, to mixed reactions.

4. Being American is being a citizen of America. I do not agree with those who say that one must possess certain personal qualities to be a "true American".

In general I'd like Americans if they either

a) lived up to the admittedly good values they consistently espouse
b) admitted that they are failing to live up to said values.

1. Fat, lazy, selfish, rich guys
2. Really rich and selfish pretty much like its people
3. America has always valued freedom for its people... freedom in just about every aspect... But it's also been pretty ethnocentric (just like its people), though kinda helpful to other countries & cultures
4. Yeah, being American is BASICALLY being a US citizen, I GUESS, but it's also about going along with the American culture, if there is one (there are so many!), and speaking at least (American-)English and things like that.

There's so much more to say. I just can't think of it all right now, plus I don't want anyone to get angry or w/e.

God, I love America. :)

Edit: I just realized this question was for Non-Americans. Haha. Whoops not me! Oh well you have an American's opinion on this now! :D

Edit: I just realized this question was for Non-Americans. Haha. Whoops not me! Oh well you have an American's opinion on this now! :D
The thread for Americans was called "What it is to be American? Part one", I believe.

1: How do you view Americans?
There are nice ones and there are less nice ones. I know it's a bit of a stereotype, but they also seem a lot louder and more brash than other people, at least when they're on exchange to Oz.
That goes only for US-Americans by the way. ;)

2: How do you view America?
A tragedy.

Let me explain:
Here was a country founded by people (and I'm primarily talking about Ben Franklin, I'm not sure how honest the intentions of the rest were) on the ideals of humanism and enlightenment. It was about freedom and certain rights people were entitled to.
That makes it fairly unique in the history of the world (at least for the times), and something that should really be admired and to the betterment of the world.

Instead, as Lincoln put it (who had, as I understand it, a hand or two in the process as well, ironically) it has chosen to die by suicide. "America", as in the idea, is dead. I don't know exactly when it died, but I know that this is not what Franklin and company wanted.

So what we have today is just another empire as there have been throughout the ages. Not particularly free, certainly not particularly moral or ethical and often a negative influence to much of the world.
So, yes, this America will be destroyed soon. It's living on borrowed time, and as soon as this time (in the form of prosperity and lack of challengers) runs out, it will either return to its roots, or it will disappear.

3: How do you view American history?
Much as I wrote above. It's a tragic tale about an idea being corrupted and destroyed.
And particularly because this idea no longer exists, American Exceptionalism is such an insult to the world.

4: What is your understanding of what it is to be American?
Where liberty is, there is my country.
Let me say that a true American lives not by the words of the President, or the Bible, or Fox News.
A true American lives by the words of Ben Franklin.
A true American disagrees with what his country has become, he would fight against it. He wouldn't support the US simply because foreigners disagree with its actions. Indeed, he would consider foreigners to be his brothers and equals, not as something different from himself.
A true American would value the hard work that immigrants do, legal or not, in order to earn the right to live in America. He would know that it is not for a government to say who has and hasn't got the right to work for a living, anywhere on the world.
A true American would know that the only reason for America to exist is to give the people who want to live in freedom to do so in its borders. It doesn't need to fight wars, except perhaps in self-defence. It doesn't need foreign policy goals, except the advancement of the free movement of people across its borders.
A true American would not lament that the worker in China is more competitive because he gets paid less. He would instead work harder and make his work worth the extra expense.
A true American would not vote for Bush, a statist and ideological expansionist. He would vote for a government that makes it its goal to do nothing.
A true American would refuse to acknowledge nationalism as worthy of human thought. American Patriotism is to protect the ideals of Ben Franklin, not the defense of an crippled shadow of a former country against criticism.
And so on and so forth.

But since that sort of people no longer exists (at least in sufficient numbers), I'll take anyone who puts their brains above the flag, thereby rejecting its influence over himself or herself.

1/ general impression is that they can be somewhat overbearing! of course its not possible to generalise....but thats the perception in some quarters... having said that i've met a few very down-to-earth americans too

2/ as a political entity? cloosest thing we have today to an old school empire i suppose... its over-confidence, b0rdering on arrogance, on the world stage has become somewhat sickening under the Bush administration. as a place? there are some spectecular natural sites such as the Canyon and American falls at niagara, some really l;ovely cities...there's still a perception that parts of it are the land of opportunity.

3/ i wont pretend i'm an expert on it, however, part of the syllabus in British schools focuses in some schools on the treatment of the native american population.... pretty harsh treatment but not the fault of modern america

4/ i suppose a very strong sense of patriotism..the kind that would be seen as OTT here in britain, you know with all that almost mystical veneration of the flag and national anthem, the pledge of allegiance in schools. also i don't think belief in the american dream has died out...it does seem that there are some genuine opportunities for people at the lower end of the social spectrum to rise right to the top...dont think that's as common as it was but still, something good to believe in

: How do you view Americans?
2: How do you view America?
3: How do you view American history?
4: What is your understanding of what it is to be American?

1: as mainly lardy, arrogant, loud, rude. The fact that the questions are about 'America' instead of the 'USA' shows how arrogant USAsians are.
2: as full of Americans. Bad.
3:ALL two hundred years seem to be isolationist or imperialist meddling in indo-china.
4:see post 1. include ignorance.

These questions are to Non-Americans

1: How do you view Americans?
2: How do you view America?
3: How do you view American history?
4: What is your understanding of what it is to be American?

1: I have some good American friends. But after the reelection of Bush, my view of Americans has dropped as a whole somewhat...
2: America is a bully.
3: Bloody and violent.
4: Be patriotic no matter what, own a gun/multiple guns, and be religious.