Anti-American
Since day one of arriving in Manchester, I've had to put up with hearing about how much the British think Americans suck. About how stupid our president is. About how stupid we all are as a nation for voting for Bush. How obnoxious we all are. How fat, how big-headed, how arrogant, how ignorant, how conservative, how close-minded, how loud-mouthed, how white-trash, how spoiled, how wasteful, how inconsiderate, how generally unpleasant all Americans apparently are.And when people find out that I'm American, they don't apologize for saying something offensive, they just merely say that I must be the exception to the rule. Yes, I am the ONLY sensible American in the world. My friends, family, the university educated, the 56,655,487 people who didn't vote for Bush... They all came out of the same stupid hick war-lovin' American mold and I just happened to get lucky. I'm not saying that the U.S. is perfect; it's not. But I'm just so tired of people America-bashing.
I overheard someone say in lab today, amongst a barrage of other anti-U.S. sentiments, "Americans deserve to have Bush lead the country. They were all dumb enough to vote for him" Since when did it become OK, and even encouraged, to take cheap stabs at the entire 300 million-person population? Is it OK to say that all Arabic people are terrorists because Osama Bin Laden is? Is it fair to say that North Korean citizens deserve to be poverty-striken because they're not willing to stand up to their dictator? Should Britain, and any other nation that colonized or exploited any other nation for that matter, be forced to give back every last bit of manpower, time, land, and money that had been taken from them? No, of course not. But it's perfectly acceptible to say that the opinions of all Americans are reflected in the actions of the government only half of the population chose to elect. It's easy to point fingers at the U.S. and blame us for being a war machine, or for manipulating the politics of other countries, or for taking advantage of underpriviledged people. Becuase ALL Americans think exactly alike and of course, no one else in the world is guilty of doing these things.
A list of common complaints that British people have voiced to me about Americans in general:
Complaint: Americans so fat and unhealthy.
My 2 Cents: Yes, many Americans are obese. Yes, a lot of us eat too much. But as a counterpart to the 30% of Americans who are overweight, 70% are not overweight and a lot of those people live healthy lifestyles by going to the gym, playing sports, having outdoors-y hobbies. It's hardly like every British citizen is a beacon of health, with the binge-drinking, hard-partying, chain-smoking culture. For me, the smell of beer and stale cigarette smoke will forever remind me of pubs in England (and bars/clubs in Japan, too).
Complaint: I can't believe only 5% of Americans hold passports. Hasn't anyone over there heard of travelling abroad?
My 2 Cents: Let me remind you that the continental U.S. is over twice the size of Europe. You also don't HAVE to have a passport to go to Canada or Mexico from the U.S. A valid driver's license or American birth certificate will do. Therefore, one can essentially travel over practically the entire North American continent sans passport. And again, it's not as if all British nationals are well-travelled. I've met plenty of people who have never left the British Isles or ventured further than Western Europe.
Complaint: American tourists are so obnoxious and loud.
My 2 Cents: You cannot say on one hand that Americans aren't well-travelled enough and on the other complain that there are too many American tourists running all over the place. As I recall, for the recent World Cup, thousands of English hooligans were BANNED from entering Germany because they are drunken rowdy obnoxious assholes. The ones who weren't banned from attending still managed to uphold the English football fan sterotype by being drunken rowdy obnoxious assholes.
Complaint: Stupid white trash Americans.
My 2 Cents: Yes, there is Kevin and Britney. And yes, there are some pretty dumb people in the States. That is, however, hardly a valid criticism when your own country has it's fair share of stupid chavs, scallies, and euro trash to clean up after.
Complaint: I can't believe you guys voted for Bush.
My 2 Cents: Actually, I didn't vote for Bush. Also, with giving people the privilege to vote, comes the chance that every now and then, we will elect someone who is maybe not entirely the best logical choice. At least we CAN choose. I believe Britain still has an intact monarchy with a queen and a royal family and an official website... the whole nine yards.
Complaint: I hate how Americans cashiers tell you to have a nice day. They're just trying to get you to buy more stuff.
My 2 Cents: Did it ever occur to you that maybe those cashiers really just want you to "have a nice day" instead of a crappy one? Not every salesperson is on comission and not everyone is just pretending to be nice so that you'll spend more money. Besides, I'd much rather go shopping in the U.S. The state of the service sector in this country is pretty dismal.
Complaint: Americans smile too much.
My 2 Cents: Now it's a crime to be happy? Sheesh.
I can keep going but I'll stop. I'm not going off on this topic because I want everyone to become a flag-waving America-loving person. The U.S. has it's flaws, I know. But of all of the countries that I have lived in and visited, I would choose living in the U.S. anyday. Give us a shot; we're not all that bad. And please, lay off the anti-America jokes. They were kind of funny at first, but it's getting soooooo ooooooold. Besides, I know you all secretly dying to visit and you're just gonna have to put up with all of those friendly smiling patriotic Americans when you do.
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