What does the rest of the world think about America and Americans????

On an individual level, I've not met many americans who weren't genuinely nice people. I work for an american company, and pretty much every day I'm on conference calls with them, so I've met a fair few. On the other hand, the set of americans I have met are drawn from the very well educated set of americans so I can understand if there is some bias in my "sample set".

I've been over there a few times and not met any oiks either. So, I can quite readily admit that the populace in general is probably much the same as those around the world - there's nice folks, and there's not-nice folks.

On the other hand, the americans that are exported by the busload as tourists can have a tendency to stick out like sore thumbs in the UK - and that does your nation no favours. I seem to recall that the US tourism bureau (whatever it might be called) has even published an official guide on how to blend in a bit better and not offend folks (although I can possibly imagine that this guide is a bit of a mickey-taking out of foreign perceptions of american tourists).

I think part of the issue is that if you stick a bunch of average americans, british, canadian, australian & New Zealanders in a room, while they can all talk together perfectly adequately by virtue of having a common language - even if some folks do mangle the spellings :-) - the differences between cultures will be accentuated because of this.

And no, GWB doesn't help things :-) It will be interesting if the Democrats in San Francisco get their way and name the sewerage plant after him when he leaves office. I hear the Republicans are somewhat offended :-)

Careful mate, look what happened to the Dixie Chicks!

I think that the main problem is one of arrogance. Not in any individual way, but as a country in general. I don't mean that as an insult, but more as a sort of slightly ass-backwards compliment.

The US constitution is one of the best pieces of legislation ever written and the political system that it has spawned is one of the strongest. The problem is that there is a tendency to see this as justifying an attitude that goes something along the lines of: "look at how successful we are, if you take on our system you will be a great country and our ally, if you don't you're our enemy and will fail". What I heard one political commentator in the US describe as "Democratic Fundamentalism".

The whole world does not have to have the same system or beliefs as the US and the sooner you have a government which acknowledges these differences, the sooner the country will again become accepted by the world at large.

Personally i have met a few Americans and those particular ones were so loud and in your face and patronising you just wanted to punch them! and their whining voices just went right through you it was horrible to meet them. However saying that this was only a handful of Americans so i cant judge the rest of America on those experiences as everyone are different. I assume there are a lot of nice Americans i just have not met them yet that's all.
the things i hate about America is their government especially G.Bush JNR and how he has screwed the world over with his actions.
Another thing i hate is the overwhelming patriotism the American displays you said it your self your not ashamed of being American ! well you should be, If it wasn't for the majority voting in that idiot he wouldn't of got in power. All my problems with America are all political, Im sure there are a few nice American people around for example Drew Barrymore ( drools )

I think that the impression that Americans are resented because of thier wealth and freedoms has always being a bit of a myth. I've travelled quite a bit and worked in about 12 different countries.

I've not found this to be the case. Most people admire different aspects of America and although maybe irritated by loud tourists in European museums and cathedrals this rarely goes as far as resentment.

I was a bad boy at school so I self educated and took private courses. I decided to study both US and UK English and grammar and was well impressed by US dictionaries and other sources of reference. There is simply no way anyone could say US English was any less advanced or as sophisticated than good old Oxford English!

The main problem in recent times has been the globally destabilising effect of a militaristic foreign policy that alarms and concerns just about everyone else.

The record oil prices which are hurting everyone are in some part caused by the US government making threats against Iran. A study of the consequences of any attack clearly show that only a total mad man would even consider this! That scares everybody.

I never had a sense that hard working Americans are blamed for this. I think that a lot of people around the world are concerned that your government is a bit out of control and may have been somehow hi-jacked by "the crazies from the basement".

Polls show that a majority of Americans disapprove of government actions and US congress currently has an 11% approval rating.

In the UK we have Gordon Brown another deeply unpopular lame duck leader. In Europe the EU constitution has been thrown out 3 out of 3 times by EU countries that had a referendum indicating a deep mistrust amongst ordinary citizens of the EU leadership.

Although we are in different boats, so to speak, in many ways the problems are fairly similar.

I spent a month in the Middle East at the beginning of the year and the whole region is in trauma compared with what it used to be like.
Even there, with highly elevated tensions, I never heard any anti Americanism that was directed at the ordinary US citizen.

First one point Americans (and America) include Canadians, Mexicans, Argentineans, Peruvians....
That the question is couched in the form it is (and readilly answered) provides clues as to the potential sources of dis-harmony!

As one who detests patriotism, I will always have a problem with "flag waving" and all attempts to manipulate any group of humans by taking away their capacity for individual thought.I therefor have to take offense at the USA's "success" in this department.

As an example. I believe that most citizens know that the internment situation in Cuba is wrong on all levels, but are forced into compliance by the threat of being "un-American" if they speak out.

I lived for over two years in the USA - including working as a cowboy and lving within the outlaw biker community. I'm proud to include many of its citizens within my global circle of friends.

Given the chance, all people are good - it's only when we force them into nations that the cracks begin to appear.