h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Im not saying all of them are te best people in the world, or even that they have been the good guy the whole time they have existed,I would just like to know some rasons behind the hatred. Any comments??
~Zoe

My guess is its because they are so active in international affairs. Every time they pick a side in a conflict, there's someone on the other side with a reason to hate. For every intervention in Haiti, Bosnia or Somalia (I pick those because the US had mostly honorable intentions), there's a Chile (re Pinochet), Vietnam or Cuba (re Bay of Pigs). Even when it seems they've helped the good guys, there's still people who say they went in with too much force or should have just minded their own business.
I can sympathise with these feelings. They have a point. The US has used strong arm tactics in international diplomacy countless times, and American companies sometimes do the same. But I think viewing only one side leads to an isolationist attitude. It translates to "the US always messes things up, so they should let genocide happen in Bosnia, let a dictatorship take over in Haiti, and let people starve in Somalia." That isolationism scares me, especially because it seems to come from all sides of the political spectrum.

There are cultural reasons why people hate Americans too, but thats usually silly stereotyping.

That's a bit of an odd question.
The question of why *some* people hate America would be easier to answer as, since the second world war, the American government have had their fingers in so many pies. That's why this 'war against terrorism' doesn't ring true.
Was Osama bin Laden regarded as evil when the CIA were supplying his weapons to commit terrorist actions against the USSR? Was Kissinger's bombing of Cambodia justified? Has the last decade of sanctions against Iraq (death toll: 1 million and counting) been a success?
The perception appears to be (and this latest outrage in New York doesn't seem to contradict it) that 'white' lives are more valuable than 'non-white' lives.
The odd thing is that the only people who don't seem to have been expecting some sort of "retaliation" is America's $30billion intelligence business.

Don't take any of this as an attempt to justify the most hideous of crimes.

It probably has something to do with the apathetic inattention that most Americans have towards foreign affairs. In the US, World News usually means News Involving American Interests in Other Countries.
I believe that the media is what makes the average American strongly in support of one side of an international conflict, often with no good reason.

Allow me to rephrase that question, I agree it should have been worded "why do some people hate americans" I apologize.

This ground has been gone over in another thread which is still very active, but i'll repeat myself a little here.

I don't think people do hate AMericans, sure theres a bit of Bloody AMricans, fat loud and ignorant" kind of bluster, but that's all it is, typical stereotyping bluster. AMericans are fine people, with fine charachters and principals, pretty much the same as every other nationality, race and creed.

The American government however is the most wicked and hypocritical of all modern institutions. And only American's can change that.

I think this is the most important question at the moment, and until the Americans, and the Western World in general, find the answer, Islamic terrorism will continue.

Firstly, some fanatical maniacs like Bin Laden (even if in this case he isn't responsible for the attack on America) don't need a reason to hate America. The only thing that will stop his hatred is a bullet in the head.

However, people like Bin Laden are only a threat because there is a vast reservoir of people in poor countries to provide him with willing cannon fodder. As I see it, the only way to cut off this supply of would-be 'martyrs' is to convince people in these socities that they too have something to gain from globalisation and the spread of Western values across the world. A good start would be to provide people in these countries with a proper education. At the moment, too many of them receive no education apart from that provided by imans, who fill their heads with nothing except their own narrow , hate-filled version of Islam.

Oh, and a fair solution has to be found for the current plight of the Palestinians.

One thing that is guaranteed to stoke up the hatred of America is any ill-judged military action that results in civilian casualties. This will reinforce the impression that, as far as the West is concerned, one 'white' life is worth a lot more than any number of 'brown' ones. The history of modern warfare, from the Blitz onwards, shows that dropping bombs on people only increases the hatred felt by the survivors.

Any talk of people in the West 'hating' Americans is just plain nonsense. We Europeans may like to laugh at various quirks of the American personality, and be irritated at their tendency to see the world in black-and-white terms, but disasters like this make us realise just how much we have in common with the USA, and how we depend on her for our physical and economic security.

Finally, I have to say the reaction of the people of New York to this quite unprecendented outrage has made us realise just how much there is about America to admire. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the reaction of America's leaders.

I have a good few American friends. I talk to them regularly. I work with a few Americans. I like them, generally speaking.

After all, they're people. You can't like everyone all the time.

I don't hate America or Americans. I don't even hate George W. Bush, even if I can't understand what possessed America to elect the man to office.
I don't agree with George W's policies or attitudes but I don't hate him.

I am often amused at American reactions to things. I have seen Americans in this country deny and refute the actions of their country, even when presented with solid evidence to suggest that the US was at fault.
I am sometimes saddened by American reactions to international situations. At other times, I am surprised by them.

But mostly, Americans are fun people. They are, in my experience, open and honest. They like to talk and they like to share. They are social creatures in ways that Brits have forgotten how to be. They are genuine. They are warm. They have their faults but are aware of them.

In short, Americans are a lot like people from everywhere else in the world.

Collectively, the Americans are also one of the world's great idealist nations. We could sit here and post all the things we feel are wrong with the people, the nation and the politics but when an American says "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave" he or she means it and believes it. How can you not like that?

How about the black people, the native americans and the latino people in the States? Do they consider the USA as 'land of the free, home of the brave'?

Correct me if I'm totally wrong, but isn't it true that the 'minorities' still don't get equal chances in this 'land of the free'? Isn't it true that you need abnormal amounts of money for a good health insurance and to be able to get a higher diploma (if you can't get a scholarship somewhere)? I KNOW this is all related to politics, but either you have a democracy and everyone is partially responsible for this situation, either you don't live in a democracy and then the people can't be blamed, but in that case it's no longer a 'land of the free'...

I was in the States last year on a conference. I saw one black man, some chinese people and some guys from India, all the rest were white men (in total about 700 people). Nearly no women attended the conference, and most were European. We drove around in Virginia and the only people who seemed to live in old and battered houses were black.

How does this happen?
Can anybody explain?
Did I get a totally wrong impression?

I'm not saying the society I live in (Belgium) is paradise, we make a lot of mistakes and a lot of things need to be changed, but I've never heard a Belgian say 'our country is the greatest the world has ever known'. This is a typical American thing to say, and I don't understand it.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't hate Americans. At all. Hate is a useless emotion. I just don't understand...

FCL-BW

"As I see it, the only way to cut off this supply of would-be 'martyrs' is to convince people in these socities that they too have something to gain from globalisation and the spread of Western values across the world."

Before I get flamed, I'm not picking on YOU. However, when I read this sentence it occured to me that maybe this is part of the problem. Maybe instead of trying to CONVINCE people, we should try to listen to what they have to say. I guess most of us feel the same way, that our globalisation and western values are correct. But maybe "these societies" also have a point?

I know both sides are guilty of strong arm "convincing", but America(ns) do(es) like to think they are always right!

Bambi

you know, do go see the "what's wrong with Americans" thread: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F19585?thread=84337 because most of that was written before the attacks, and so people were less, hmm, polite, and it might show some feelings a little more accurately than what we all say now in retrospect! :-P peace Mags.

you know, do go see the "what's wrong with Americans" thread: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F19585?thread=84337 because most of that was written before the attacks, and so people were less, hmm, polite, and it might show some feelings a little more accurately than what we all say now in retrospect! :-P peace Mags.

s**t! sorry 'bout the double post

Actually, Bambi, I think you agree with me.

The way to 'convince' people in poorer countries that global capitalism is in their interest is to reform global capitalism to reduce the differences between rich and poor. Even in so-called 'rich' countries like the USA and the UK the gap between the haves and have-nots is too large and growing ever-larger. I can only imagine what this gap must look like to some-one living in a slum in, say, Cairo.

Apart from making capitalism fairer, I think a lot of the onus is on countries such as Malaysia and Turkey to show the Islamic world that it is possible to have a technologically advanced, prosperous and democratic country (although I know that neither of these two countries is perfect) without compromising core Islamic values.

Dropping bombs on people never 'convinced' them of anything other than the desire to gain revenge.

FCL-BW,

Yes, I do agree with you. I also think that not only do Malaysia and Turkey have to demonstrate the compatibility of Islam and Technology, we (the West) also have to show that we are prepared to accept people with Islamic values. How we do that, given that we can't do anything right in the eyes of some of the far Eastern regimes, I don't know. I guess the whole thing is difficult. One thing is certain though, 'bombing' never helped people see our compasionate side!

I just thought it was an interesting point, highlighting the way people can see things differently, I'm sure you have no bent to indoctrination!

Bambi

FCL-BW,

Oh yes, and further to my last reply, I am also very impressed by the responsible attitude that Pakistan are showing. It appears that they don't want war, are not taking sides and are supporting justice. If more people see their intervention as I do, there is one country that might gain some respect out of all this.

Bambi.

Another reason why some people hate Americans is they want someone to blame for their not being rich, or successful, or whatever. (I read an article in a UK left-wing newspaper today stating that anti-americanism was equivalent to racism, and there is a certain element of truth to that. There are some people in the world who are anti-american for the same reasons that some people in 1930's Germany were anti-semitic)

The obvious failings in the anti-american viewpoint are that it is blaming one country for the failings of many (it's not just the US that is getting wealthy while other countries stay poor). It's also noticeable that quite a few poor countries actually have rather wealthy rulers, who'd rather their people didn't look too closely at the full reasons why they aren't rich.

As for the Americans having a 'poor sense' of the world - well, partially I suspect it is because the sheer size of their country makes them less likely to have to deal with other countries on a regular basis (compare the US to, say, Belgium).

As for failures of political policy - there aren't any world players on the political scene who don't regularly make a muck up of things. And of course, you can make policies look worse if you spin them (how many of the million Iraqis would have died if Iraq had had a government like, say, Cuba?)

Quick comment to Honey, it's not just "non-white" people in this country that can't get the higher education and health care they need and deserve, but many white people too. I am a typical white 20-something women who has no kids is not married. I can't get health care because I (in theory) make too much money and have no kids. I work 2 jobs to beable to pay my bills. So please don't make that as a basis because there are many people like me who are in the same boat as these "non-white".

sorry for the interuption.

This is said more in sorrow than in anger.

I love US culture, I have several American friends. I have nothing but the greatest respect for the American people and their contribution to world affairs over the last century. And no-one deserves to have an atrocity like last Tuesday's perpetrated on them.

But...

The American state has conducted itself abroad with a shocking lack of consideration for the rights of other, smaller states. The US government holds itself up as a paragon of truth, justice, and idealism while simultaneously propping up despots and terrorists like Pinochet, Saddam, bin Laden himself, and others. American might does not always make the American cause morally right. Even recently we have had things like NMD and Kyoto where the US has completely ignored the consensus of the wider international community claiming American concerns take priority.

So on the whole I hope that it's not the case that people hate Americans. I don't. But I do hate the way that the United States conducts itself in foreign affairs.

Where did you find a left wing newspaper in the UK??? Not the Mirror - middle right, not the Guardian - MOR/liberal, and the Morning Star would never run a story like that i'm sure! The days of the left wing press are gone i'm affraid, it's into the glossies if you want oppinions.