Why have other countries forgotten how much America has done for them?

Question

It doesn't seem like a day goes by that I don't see or hear some America bashing from a foreigner. Why have they forgotten how America helped them or made/makes them richer? Are they simply not teaching them the positives in history class or do they really believe we've done them more harm than good?

Answer 1

1. In some places, like my own country, France, American bashing is not fashionable anymore. And when it was, it was an American government bashing only.

2. History is...history.

During the start of the current Iraki war, and with all the tensions we all heard about, I often heard members of the US parliament say that Europeans should be grateful for the sacrifice of American lives when the Allies fred Europe from the n***s. Such a claim from members of a parliament where not a single person sent his/her son/daughter to Irak sounded unfair. They prefered to send to death the sons/daughters of emigrants who mostly vote for dems.

I've visited several times the D-Day beaches, memorial, and American millitary cemetaries in Normandy. Thus I have an incredibly huge respect for those who fought there, on uncovered beaches, under the fire of german railguns well hidden and protected in the bunkers.

In history class we are taught respect to them, many class trips go to the memorial in Normandy.

I wonder how a member of the governing families would manage to survive when advancing on a beachhead.

Instead of participating to the war human effort they would just call on the memories of those whose bravely died. This is a deeply unfair and disrespectful attitude towards them.

3. History is a circle.

There I'm only talking about the case I know USA & France. We've been the first millitary ally the US had in history, at at time when the US were not even the US but an english colony. French troops helped fighting the English on American ground. The war for independance seems quite relevant to me for those who absolutely want to make a profit/losses ratio, that has anyway nothing to do with the matters of friendship that should be predominant in intra-occidental diplomacy.

4. Gold shackles.

Napoleon once said: "people are the same everywhere, when their shackles are gold, they don't hate slavery". This somehow  applies to American people. Some of their fundamental rights have been traded for entertainment. In countries where the leaders deprive their people from most ressources and power, the population usually revolts or dies slowly and painfully. Not in the USA. The clans leading the USA can be considered as public life directors: the mainstream information chanels, fictions on TV, most newspapers, when not taking orders directly from the white house, censor themselves in order not to be considered as ennemies of the nation.

So for foreigners, it's hard to understand how a whole nation can watch their governement burn countries like one would watch an episode of 24.

5. Islam.

I'm afraid that Americans have inherited a few problems from their European ancestors. Including, ...well, ... a millenium old hate from the battles for Jerusalem.

Jerusalem. Here we are. Judaïsm, Christianity, Islam, ... it's been a mess for about 1300 years, so whatever the US might have done (or not in this case), it wouldn't have erased the passions that have lasted for so long. I previously said that history is.. history: some people in the middle-east will never forgive occidentals to be claiming for Jerusalem. Because  "we" still are. Too bad for us, as most occidentals don't care much about who holds this cursed city.

6. Opportunism

European countries owe the US a marshall plan. Even if it was about much much more than helping brothers.

But I honestly can't find another country that the US have helped with even a slight part of generosity.

The whole south America is a playground for the CIA, and when people in these nations elect someone, they're kind of pissed when he is overthrown by foreigners'puppets.

7. The main factor: change

Among nations, three stars are on the rise: EU, China and India. Not any of them fears the United States anymore. So they feel free to speak up. It may sound new that foreigners bash the US, but it isn't. It's just louder. Iran doesn't even have nuclear weapons but it's been spitting in America's face for years now. A huge budget will never be an endless budget: the wars' cost has left very little possibility for the United States to lead some other wars.

Despite the United States will still be the most powerful nation for a decade or so, they are already totally expendable for some matters. In the 90's when the US wanted a certain vote from an african country in the UN, they would just blackmail: vote or we will stop sending you money. Now these african leaders would just answer: "no pb we'll sell our soul, our ressources and our economy to China instead."

Monopoly is over, so people speak up.

We occidentals will have to be together in the next centuries, or we'll all lose, "united we stand" should be an overall occidental philosophy.

Or we (and especially the US and Israel) will be torched one day or another. Whoever told you that America is friendly to all other countries worldwide, this person must be addicted to FoxNews.

One of the best ways to see the world as it is is to watch the BBC.

I'm afraid the roots of chaos are much deeper than it seems. And most important thing: when some people hate other people, they always have a reason.

I hope I somehow answered your question.

Answer 2

Because they look around and ask themselves, "What has America done for us lately?" And the answer is "Nothing!" Immediately following Gulf War I, the US of A should have loudly and publicly announced Peace in Our Time and the creation of a Post-Cold War 'Marshall Plan' and spread around the fruit of victory! But we didn't and now we have a War on Terror that basically will never end.......

Answer 3

s***w em, we are just going through globalization and spreading the wealth that we've been building up for decades. Don't worry though, we'll take it back again :D

Answer 4

First of all you should clarify who are "them." If you ask people from Latin America, they can provide a list of countries which had their democratic elected government overthrown with the help of the US government. Go look for information about the CIA and Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Argentina, Panama, Brazil, Grenada (and Haiti). Thousands of people were tortured and/or disappeared. If those countries elected a socialist or communist government, that was their problem. But because of fear of communism, americans, who are the ones responsible for the actions of their government, caused a lot of pain. It took years for those people to have their freedom back from the dictators. I do not know if the families of the people who disappeared have forgiven the US.

Answer 5

well the united states never gets credit! Also the iraq war just threw gasoline on the fire.  hey_fan that is a weak point you are telling me giving africans condoms makes them hate us? also countries do care when you invade them!

Answer 6

Read Dinesh D'Souza's new book on the strings that come with US aid - it is almost always LIB agenda things that offend the traditional societies of the Third World.

People trying to raise their kids don't care if the US wants to impose democracy - but they DO care when "aid workers" come to their village (as part of a medical supply fund) and teach the girls about birth control and s*x outside of marriage.

THAT's why most of these societies hate the US - they hate the LIBS!

Answer 7

Arg, why is it that the prevailing thought in America is that we are some saintly country spreading our blessed values on all countries of the world, never exploiting or invading. Please, this is what is wrong with a large majority of Americans who think that the US has been around for millenniums, saving the world from utter destruction, that America is the best blah blah. Do you realize how many governments we have ovethrown with CIA coups in Latin America for economic reasons? America has done plenty of harm and good too, don't get me wrong, but what do you want? Countries to come to the door with gold and offerings for everything we've done?

There are many other countries in the world besides the US who have done things for developing countries. How much more subservient do you want the rest of the world to be?

Answer 8

America, at some point, has invaded virtually every country in Latin America and many others throughout the world.  That doesn't even count for the CIA controlled regimes and the torture and murder they have used.   Not to mention that OUR land was mostly acquired by killing and pushing off the people who originally inhabited our cities and farmland.

All the 'good' done by Americans overseas primarily revolves around securing American business overseas.....and has nothing to do with doing 'good' at all.

The fact that the world tolerates the USA as much as it does is the real wonder.

Go read Howard Zinn's book - 'A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present'.    It explains the real....un-propagandized United States of America.

Answer 9

hey turtlesoup, I like you and respect you alot!  i think they are proud and ungrateful, and to some degree in denial at their failed socialist policies, as you know I posted a link to how they are starting to outlaw the construction of new mosques.  i don't like religious persecution, but unfortunatley Muslims have alot to prove to the world right now, mainly that they can live peacefully beside Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, pagans, atheists, etc.  When radical Islam poses such a threat to security, unfortunately these things must happen to exists as a country.  

But to answer your question, I think the silent majority are grateful, it's that some liberals whine, oopppss I mean talk louder than others. ;o)

Answer 10

I believe people sometimes confuse a country's citizens, with their government.

And as far as other country's go, you remember the rude visitors more than you remember the polite ones. I have had experiences with both.

But when travelling to the States, I have always been made feel really welcome. Most Americans have a strong pride in their country and want to share it.

Answer 11

Well most Americans seem to have forgotten what their country has done for others. They spend so much time lamenting what they think American has done TO other countries. This is the expected result of Leftists educational systems. If only one view is ever presented you cant fault people for not knowing the alternatives.