Anti-Americanism

I am just pointing out how perceptions go both ways...



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November 04, 2004

Britain wins eight places in world list of 50 best universities
By Tony Halpin

OXFORD and Cambridge are among the world's top ten universities, according to a new global ranking published today.

They were fifth and sixth respectively in the league table of the world's 200 best universities. Harvard, which boasts an endowment of nearly $23billion (£12.7billion), was first in the list produced by The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES).

>American institutions occupied seven of the top ten places, with Oxbridge the highest-ranked outside the United States.

>The only European university outside Britain in the top 20 was the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, in tenth place.

>A world league of the best 500 research universities, published in September by academics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, placed Cambridge third behind Harvard and Stanford. Oxford came eighth, while British universities ranked second overall behind those in the United States.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 42,00.html


Funny about perceptions- I met plenty of 'silly birds' at pubs in the UK...

10/10

 

Roel wrote:

What facts or opinions in the stories/syudies presented by Stonewall do you perceive as being anti- Europe?

When some posters used this thread to criticize the US no protests were heard (on the silliest basis with no facts or reasoned opinions presented)... but when an American responds?
...well..let the reader draw his own conclusions.
Am I detecting somthing like a double standard here?

 

France's young set off on 'bon voyage' to better life

SUSAN BELL
IN PARIS


FRANCE is facing an unprecedented new-generation exodus as many of its disillusioned younger people leave in search of a better life abroad.

French organisations offering help to those seeking to emigrate have reported an increase in requests for assistance from young people.


Fed up with a country they describe as rigid, racist and old-fashioned, French youngsters are opting for a new start in Britain, Canada, America or New Zealand where they can find housing and jobs more easily than in France.

http://news.scotsman.com/international. ... 1767642005


Anyway-


I can find plenty of stuff that paints any kind of picture of the USA.

I have a rental property at the beach, some of the 'bar chickies' there are not sure even if Washington DC is the capital..

 

Roel, the legislation you are referring to is the American Servicemembers Protection Act. As far as I can determine there have been no threats by the US to invade the Netherlands ,merely an hysterical overeaction on the part of the Dutch press, or so it would seem.

 

That was just a joke. The articles he presents clearly intend to make the US look better than Europe, whether or not based on facts I cannot judge since I have no sources to compare with those provided.

I don't see what you mean? The only criticism of the US presented here was by those who only showed existing stereotypes about the US (which exist of every country, try finding me one Hollywood movie in which the Dutch aren't drugdealers), and by me which I supported by three independent sources.

 

Back on track...

Does Europe percieve the US as a threat?
(economically & politically)

And what about Britain, a European nation (yes, we are, though we do not like to admit it) with our famed 'special relationship'.

 

The answer to that is yes for an increasing number of people. The real question is why and how this perception has become so commonplace, and how it affects European thinking and politics.

As for Stonewall bashing Europe, it's critisism, yes, but hardly bashing. You should all read the parts he provided about Norway as they are not only true, but highly relevant to the topic as well as providing a background for why I started the topic in the first place.

 

Frankly- I have seen Canadians on line bashing the USA..

( there really is not much difference- the are more left than us, but really most stuff is the really about the same)

But we do dominate economically, in Nobel prizes, the summer olympics, bicycling, tennis, golf and a lot of areas..

That pisses people off..


Frankly- in a lot of ways- there is not one hell of a lot of difference between Europe and the USA either.

Leftists are pissed about our conservative presidents actions...

But really, in the 1970's every month we sent out more money in Social welfare payments every month than the annual GNP of communist China at that time.

We have more socialism here than anyone admits..

Pure capitalism died out here over 100 years ago.

The political pendulum swings both ways here. Things change, crime is down. People then point out our swelling prison popiulations, 25- 40% of our prisoners are illegal aliens. We catch them and lock them up for crimes that Mexico cant seem to.

People point out our religious conservatives, they should visit Key West, Las Vegas, New Orleans or San Francisco.

Its a big place- things vary from town to town.

 

Basically you are a country with large land area, reasonably good natural resources, a large population and a healthy economy (or at least, an economic system that tends to rake in lots of money).

Thus you are practically assured to be very successful in a lot of areas.
Which is one reason people begin to dislike you. Sad but true.

Please note, I do not try to say 'America is successful despite herself', but I explain why America is successful. They did have to reach this point. Without their government the economy would be rubbish, without the people putting effort in, nothing would work, etc etc.

 

Ricky wrote:

Most African countries have all those things except the last. The last is a biggie and shouldn't be lumped in with the others. It isn't just fortuitous like the first three, quite the contrary. It is due to the people, their attitudes, their industriousness and the result of the "evils" of Capitalism.

ps Russia also has all those things except the last...look where it has gotten them so far.

 

Those are the 4 factors that make America the Superpower that she is, take any one away and it fails a bit.

Yes, the economy is the biggie, but it is to an extent dependant on the other 3, and (as I tried to explain) upon the people & the leaders of the USA.

 

perhaps if you read my whole piece you will see that i lived in the us for a year so in terms of interactions with the naitives i would say quite a few!

 

p.s dont you just love the way americans get all defensive whith any remarks they dont like...they are the masters at spitting the dummy as some of the replies in this thread proves once again!

 

Cheeky monkey wrote:

I read the whole piece..did you answer my question? You are labelling 295 million Americans..what percentage have you spoken with?
How can you presume to judge them all based on such limited interactions? Were you hanging out with MIT grads or Nobel Laureates? Somehow I doubt it

My comments were questioning poorly founded stereotypes yet yours sound like a naked personal attack..ad hominem.

 

The USA wouldn't have gotten any further than Russia has, had it been faced with two devastating World Wars fought on its own soil, one dragging Civil War, the repressive tradition of Tsarism and the repressing new way of Communism, though, I reckon.

This isn't why people dislike America though...

 

Oh I dunno...

America changes- I could start a thread about the Poms and the hatered that is left over from their imperial times..

Funny, though, if the Indians didn't speak English, where would their economy be today? I am sure many Indians are proud of their 'British ' heritage, customs and traditions.

Brazil has the resources, but not the secure capital protections.


>p.s dont you just love the way americans get all defensive whith any remarks they dont like...they are the masters at spitting the dummy as some of the replies in this thread proves once again!

I supplied more answers than anyone on this thread-

funny thing I spent 1/2 my early years in GB, with my Brit mother... I could get British citizenship in about 3 months or so, like my neice ( my brother is a Liverpudlian) ...

I run with a British crowd here, one left to go back to London, to work for the same company there as here, for ABOUT the same money.

He lasted about six months.. So I asked what happened?

Gas prices, heating prices, liquor & beer prices, taxes, cigarettes. rent etc etc..

He said OYE- here I have a 600 SL, there I was looking at used Mini's (or an old Anglia -JOKE)...

Bag it, I can fly 'ome to see me mum anytime and the weather is warmer 'ere.

Yeah- I love London too...

His best mate said, nahh- I am a cockney, they'd never gimme a break back home, just 'cause... I am stayin, 'ere I am sumfin different, there they expect me to empty dusbins fer my pay.


Thats more of a comparison...


I think British women are a bigger pain in the ass than American women- or maybe its just my family that gave me that impression.

I ought to cut and paste an E-mail from my cousin in Stockholm- he said Alexandria Va. is the closet to Stockholm he has seen just about anywhere outside Sweden.

 

Roel wrote:

And if my Aunt had balls she would be my Uncle

How can you say what America would or would not do? It's hypothetical. You can make arguments to support your opinion but you have no crystal ball do you?

Are you the spokesperson for those who dislike America now?

 

Interesting topic and a variety of responses. Makes me curious about my trip next week. Will I see any of these stereotypes in action in the 4 states I'm visiting and will they affect my perceptions or will my views be skewed by my 2 friends from Michigan? I suspect neither.

 

I dunno, I drove from Nice to Cavaliar Sur Mer- it looked like northern California..

My wife is European- her moher was told America has lots of litter everywhere..

Hmmm- $1,000.00 USD fine if you are caught littering here in Virginia...

other than the construction zone on the DC beltway (loop) I doubt you will see much-

The Shenandoah Valley is pretty nice actually, you may have noticed the Germans singing about it, the tourists from there seem to like it just fine too.

 

I dunno, I drove from Nice to Cavaliar Sur Mer- it looked like northern California..

My wife is European- her moher was told America has lots of litter everywhere..

Hmmm- $1,000.00 USD fine if you are caught littering here in Virginia...

other than the construction zone on the DC beltway (loop) I doubt you will see much-

The Shenandoah Valley is pretty nice actually, you may have noticed the Germans singing about it, the tourists from there seem to like it just fine too.