New Zealand appears to be Anti-American.....Why??

Question

It cant be all about one man.....( Bush).....surely

Are we not more open-minded...yes of course we are

We embrace Asia now ,yet once we needed rescuing from them....

Wasnt Britian either who landed on our shores to defend us ...hmmm....

So what other reasons ( other than Bush) are Americans not welcome.....

Answer 1

im from new zealand and thats just the way american is looked at (not the american people but for me personally i dont like the goverment..........if anything people in new zealand are facinated by americans,there accent,its all over TV.yup thts all i got to say

Answer 2

Its not just New Zealand thats anti American right now.

Iran is anti American. Iraq(ohhhh thats not a surprise right) is anti American but the Iraqi government is only supporting the forces there for financial help.

Australia just withdrew their forces and therefore wont help.

And there are few that will show their true colors soon.

Mostly all countries are anti American.

Answer 3

Hi Eaglekiwi,

You've opened up a can of worms asking this question.

Is there any country in the world that would not breathe a sigh of relief if the United States just rolled off the edge of the earth.

It's mainly the "we're American, so our way is right" attitude to international affairs.

And of course, the threat they always use if you dig your toes in and tell them they're not always right - " if you don't believe in the American Way, you don't believe in God".

It's the same trick the Christians used against the unbelievers and the infidels 500 years ago. And the consequences are about the same - they're quite prepared to annihilate you - in the nicest possible way of course and always in the name of God. Talk about behind the times.

So far, the Americans don't seem to have realised that NZ democracy is not the same as American democracy, so they are not yet looking too sideways at us. Yet.

Other people may have other ideas, but these are mine.

Driver T

PS I wouldn't bring up the comment about Britain not defending NZ in its time of need - better to ask why the US did not assist their "allies" far, far earlier than they eventually did.

Answer 4

I dunno where you may have got that from, I think the Brits are way more anti American than NZer's.  America has a way better economy than some other countries in the world.  I think Americans are more than welcome over here.

Could it be that we hear more negative stuff on the news from America than we do from every other country in the world???? for e.g:  Britney Spears (poor girl), Sept 11 (God Bless those people).  Also, we see a lot of movies (some are really good) coming out of America and maybe because the movies are sensationalised, other countries think America must be like that.

Personally, I like the way Americans are patriotic and how they pull together in times of tragedy.  I tell ya what, Extreme Makeover Home Edition brings tears to my eyes every week.

Oh and one more point, I believe that if people talk about you in a negative way, then they must be jealous and dissatisfied with their own boring lives.

Answer 5

its not anti american people, its anti american political aggression.

the new zealand prime minister refused to commit troops to wars that most americans now dont support but still drag on

most people are "anti american" - in all countries, its because of the arrogance of some Americans who dont see Iraqi poeple as people. the arrogance of bush and cheney, the arrogance of some americans that think the current war that has lasted longer than Americas involvement in WW2 in a just cause.

in europe i notice the anti america issue is much stronger, its tame in NZ.

so to answer you, we arent ani american people, some are anti the war and foreign policies of the american government and supporters of it

as for the Bush issue well imagine you arent an American and you saw him public speaking for the first time...........

a

Answer 6

George Bernard Shaw, a Brit not a Kiwi, said patriotism is the last resort of scoundrels.  Bush, along with a lot of other criminals of all nationalities, including Hitler, Stalin, Saddam and Mao, deliberately confuses opposition to his regime with hatred of his country.  I hate everything Bush stands for, but I recognise that America is not only the land of the Ku Klux Klan, cheap handguns and lethal injections but also of Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver, Martin Luther King and Neil Armstrong.  Americans are welcome here in NZ, as are all nationalities, including those whose governments are hostile to us.

Answer 7

Why do you think that?

If anyone in NZ is Anti American and its not because of Bush,its properly because of jealousy, Good living conditions,excellent income(compare NZ equivalent),  cheaper fuel,etc.....

Answer 8

it's possibly not just NZ, it's possibly EVERYONE else too. Mainly the fact that you guys are so open about everything, using media and such. We wouldn't care if we didn't know. Mainly for me, it's Bush, KKK, your past tortures against blacks, bombs, how you just don't seem to get on with the world. I was so much in the dark about Bush's relationship with Howard, I still don't understand why Howard would hang out with him. But, when Bush came to Aussie I was right up there with the aussies in fighting back, I really don't want war in Auz and then everyone screaming and running to NZ for cover. that would SUCK

Also, because so many Americans live on cameras, everyone sees their flaws, and that always comes first in impressions.

Along with that, here in nz we're suffering HEAPS of criminal/gang violence, and we didn't get it from the British. People watch people fighting on tv, we hear s*x, drugs and money on the radio, what else can we do?

We see Tupac is shot, and it's not the first.

We see Paris Hilton get uglier and uglier, and we laugh.

We see the pentagon get bombed, and we thank God that someone has a vision for America's future.

When americans themselves come to nz, all they are are people, and that's all we take notice of. unless they have outstanding beliefs in certain things...then the pressure comes on sure.