A letter from an American
Dear Non Americans,
I am writing this letter to express some of the things that have been troubling me for some time. I think that a lot of the hate that Americans receive is for the most part unjustified and borne from stereotypes which simply aren't true. Recently I saw a thread which basically claimed that America has no history. Of course, this is a rather ignorant statement to make since America has been involved in some of the most historic events of the past 300 years. Another went on to say that America is just a breeding ground for capitalists, and since it has killed so many people, deserves no gratitude. Seems like a strange thing to say since America has also taken drastic measures to end killings in the world. Furthermore, what nation hasn't killed people? I really hate this argument, but the shoe fits on the other foot as well. Communists have killed plenty of people, so I don't really understand this argument. Killing happens, its sad but true. I'm really not a fan of killing, as a matter of fact I really don't like it, but it does happen, and every culture has done it. Seems bizarre to call every society that has ever been not worthy of gratitude or worthy of praise for its positive contributions to the wider world just because it has killed people. That seems to imply that all cultures that have ever been are evil, and by extension all of the people.
But there are plenty of ignorant arguments out there, I'll just focus on a few main points. I'll not speak for all Americans or even a majority of Americans, but I just want to make my position very clear. Maybe it will help some people here realize that when they do insult Americans as a whole they are speaking very broadly and trying to apply stereotypes where they do not apply.
1. I love Europeans and Europe. We're basically just Europe's younger brother in the grand scheme of things. Sure we fight from time to time but we always make up afterwards, just like the Marshall Plan. We help one another out, so I don' get the hostility sometimes.
2. George Bush- he's not the most popular guy even in America. Sure, we elected him twice, but can you blame us? Have you seen some of the crazy stuff John Kerry has been up to the last decade? It would be like letting a rodeo clown operate a forklift. It wouldn't have ended well! Sometimes we just need to take the lesser of two evils.
3. I hate evangelical Christians. They reek of ignorance and I chase them off with rakes when they come to my door. Its true that most Americans identify themselves as religious, but that's inherent in our nature. After all, many people came to this nation fleeing religious persecution. Don't worry though, its dying off. Secularism is taking root.
4. The war in Iraq- I'm sick of it too. Why we are still there spending money on it I'll never know. How (and why) we stayed in longer than a few years I will never know. But also understand that 9/11 to us would be like Buckingham Palace being bombed, the Eiffel Tower being nuked, or the Coliseum being packed with 3,000 Italians and bombed. We not only lost an American icon, but a lot of individuals as well. Action needed to be taken and was taken appropriately with multilateral support. It did not progress well after the initial actions, but the initial action was necessary and proper.
5. All of us aren't stupid. Actually many of us are quite bright. Any other nation has its fair share of morons, but we don't characterize entire populations of people based on those people.
6. MCDONALDS ISING DISGUSTING. Seriously, I would rather eat dog vomit than sit down and eat the slop they try to pass as edible "food". Fast food in general is disgusting. I eat it maybe once or twice a month.
7. WWI and WWII. I'm not gonna say "LOL WE SAVED YOUR ASSES" or anything like that, because it really cheapens the sacrifice millions of men, both American and European made in the war. It was a group effort and I'm tired of all the nationalist banter that goes on about it. Nationalism is what started both wars in the first place, primarily so it seems ridiculous to not learn from past mistakes on even the most basic of levels.
8. Americans act badly. But so do many other people. I'm not saying that makes it OK, but understand that there are some Americans who are just
9. We aren't as arrogant as you think we are.
So there you have it in a condensed form. It may not make much sense I'll admit, but I hope I brought things closer to the center. We really have much more in common than not. As an Anglophile I can certainly tell you that the majority of Americans aren't like the group that is presented on the news or TV.
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Originally Posted by pspguy123
“When my information changes, I alter my conclusions.” ― John Maynard Keynes
