it's cool to be an american abroad again

[Gatekeeper777]

Remember how they say if your going to give a speach in public and you are nervous you should inagine the crowd in their underware. Well maybe it would help if you listen to Bush to imagine him wearing a helmet!

[psychocat]

How aware are Americans of thier image abroad ?
Do you think America liked Obamas world image ?

I wish him well and too be honest I kinda like the guy.

[theforthdrive]

How aware are Americans of thier image abroad ?

Only the few that actually get out and travel with an open mind. And give up that American arrogance long enough to really take in the culture of somewhere different! The best conversation Ive had with a complete stranger brought up this very issue. He was a militant black "dealer" in a coffershop in the red light district. I flat out asked him what he and others thought. He was gracious (yet respectful) enough not to hold anything back!

[rockyraccoon]

I don't think anything will change - our foreign policy is not going to change, our monetary policy is not going to change, the endless wars will continue and we'll keep going towards world government - it's all the same cast of characters on either side - it'll be like 4 more years of george bush except this time around the democrats will love the tyranny and the republicans will hate it, even though they accepted it for 8 years...

[JakeMartinez]

Look out! It's the world-government monster!


...

I don't want to start shit in this thread so that's all I'm going to say about that.

Daihashi, out of curiosity, where did you travel to? Everyone I've talked to since '03 that lives in a country outside of the U.S. has condemned Bush & Friends multiple times, some of them being really hateful about it...I think both of us only saw two sides of a single die...I saw a 1, you saw a 6, but neither of us saw the numbers in between.

[daihashi]

Look out! It's the world-government monster!


...

I don't want to start shit in this thread so that's all I'm going to say about that.

Daihashi, out of curiosity, where did you travel to? Everyone I've talked to since '03 that lives in a country outside of the U.S. has condemned Bush & Friends multiple times, some of them being really hateful about it...I think both of us only saw two sides of a single die...I saw a 1, you saw a 6, but neither of us saw the numbers in between.

Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, and Czech Republic is everywhere I've been since 03.

Talking to people and traveling overseas and talking with random people are two totally different things. You'll find that most people don't think we're as horrible as we think. Bush never came up in conversations. If they don't like our government then they definitely didn't take it out on me; which is why I find it hard to believe that it's just 'suddenly' cool to be an American overseas again.

In my eyes it never seemed to really matter where you're from. If you're a friendly person then people will be friendly back to you.

[JakeMartinez]

Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, and Czech Republic is everywhere I've been since 03.

Talking to people and traveling overseas and talking with random people are two totally different things. You'll find that most people don't think we're as horrible as we think. Bush never came up in conversations. If they don't like our government then they definitely didn't take it out on me; which is why I find it hard to believe that it's just 'suddenly' cool to be an American overseas again.

In my eyes it never seemed to really matter where you're from. If you're a friendly person then people will be friendly back to you.

You've a point.

When you went to these countries, did you spend more time in really large cities full of business or was it more of a suburb/rural thing? I figure the people who are well off and living in cities with lots of business going on have a more favorable view of Americans than say the people who've been fucked around a bit more in life.

See, in my generation, the upper class really doesn't give a shit about anything. If you ask them what they think about the government, they'll either change the subject or spurt out some pc bullshit about being respectful towards the president.

The people who've been jerked around a lot for some reason care a lot more about the government, and had very negative views about the war from the very beginning.

[DrewPD]

For longtime U.S. expatriates like me - someone far more accustomed to being targeted over unpopular policies, for having my very Americanness publicly assailed - it feels like an extraordinary turnabout...

It sucks that people all over the world immediately think they know everything about someone and hold them responsible for an entire country's actions simply because that is where they are from. Remember that 45.9% of the U.S. population wanted McCain. That's not a small percentage. Four years ago 48% didn't want Bush and instead voted for Democratic candidate John Kerry. A democratic country is ruled by the majority; that doesn't mean that everyone agrees.

[thcbongman]

In many places in the world, they have high disregard for tourists from the western world. You have these people that flaunt their money, their wealth, while many of them work hard just to merely live in paradise? It's simply a view of a different perspective.

I met French that supported Bush and like him for his economic policies. Many French, that's why they voted Sarkozy in, that's why they continue to try and loosen some of the heavy regulation and 'equality' that plagues their society. I don't think there is a clear majority that hates Americans outright, the only people who I encountered that didn't like Americans were people that wanted something from Americans.

It's also the fact that the outlook in other countries is different. I don't why everyone thinks America is the center of the universe. I went to Spain and France recently, I was isolated from American news the whole week and it was beautiful. Most foreigners simply don't give a shit.

[medicinal]

I believe Obama sparks a lot of good will throughout the world. The problem is whether it will last. Now that he is "enthroned", he needs to do what he said, and the world in large will be grateful for his actions. The repukes are trying hard to de-rail his agenda. My belief is this actually hurts their chances in future elections, which in my opinion is actually a good thing. Obama will get his agenda passed with or without the repuke minority. In my opinion, he has already made way too many concessions trying to be bi-partisan when the repukes only want to block all his efforts to make much needed changes. I say, F*ck them and full steam ahead. Let them stew in their defeatism.