Why Do Europeans Dislike Americans? (What is Happening in the US?))
What is going on in the USA? Over the past few weeks and months I have noticed patterns in the what is being recommended and suggested to me. There are a lot of videos and articles critical of the US. Much of this comes from Americans themselves. Those who have left the US. They share their experiences of traveling through Europe and express how Europeans Hate or Dislike Americans.
This got me interested and so I decided to dig a little into the research on European attitudes towards the US. It turns out. It's not quite as black and white as most people make out.
Chapters:
00:00 - What preempts negative views of the US
01:09 - What has changed?
03:21 - Discussion of Pew Research
07:00 - Responding to "The US has no culture"
09:20 - Self loathing and cynicism.
My Newsletter: benjaminantoine.substack.com
A few sources of interest:
www.pewresearch.org/global/20...
www.pewresearch.org/global/20...
www.pewresearch.org/global/20...
www.pewresearch.org/global/20...
#usa #europe #culturaldifferences
Hi there. Do you find this accurate or would you disagree?
And just what is "culture"? Some piece of classical music that happen to have been written 300 years ago in Europe? Every society has its culture. It may not be like your culture, but it does exist separately, or intermixed with others. If the U.S. "culture" is so bad, then why does the rest of the World so readily borrow from it? When I would turn on the radio in Germany, it was largely music from the U.S. which was being played. When the National Football League recently played a Pro football game in Munich, the crowd was singing "Take Me Home Country Roads" and "Sweet Caroline". Oh, and the stadium was sold out! When I listen to German radio over the Internet, I am constantly taken back at how the German language has borrowed from American English. Not just techncal terms, but everyday verbs and nouns and just throws them into the German sentence. Is language not part of "culture"? Just musings of an 81 year old American who lived in Germany in the early sixties, had a German wife for 50 years, and has been traveled back there many times over the last 60 years. I have a perspective which evolved over many years and given me snap shots of Germany's changes. For sure, the Germany that I first knew, has changed greatly.
@@nejdro1 Yes exactly. I think this is what people either forget or say they dislike because their own music industry does not have the same kind of reach...
I would argue that music has become more international than a culture thing. You are off course right that English music (English in terms of language, not origin) is played to a very high degree in Germany, but let us be honest, the music "styles" are borrowed back and forth. The anthem of the US is classical music that evolved in Europe, Rock n Roll and the derived music styles like Heavy Metal etc are borrowed from the US. This is a thing to embrace, not to fight any culture war about. People like K pop. I personally don't, but it is a thing. In general I think that it is stupid fighting over cultural things. Every culture in the world has to offer something good, sometimes really awesome that I would like to know and try (especially when it comes to food). Personally I will not visit the US before some major issues are solved there, among them there is unregulated gun ownership, badly regulated food market and health care. If I should ever work in the US, my contract will include all the benefits I would get in a European country, because that is another issue that is handled very bad in the US. Having that said, my impression is that people want to make a change on these topics (especially the younger generation), so I still have hope. I think the US has so much to offer in kinds of locations to visit, so I would love to one day take a year to travel the country.
I think it's interesting and I had some of the thoughts already by myself. I would have added a part about the uneducated people that are very often shown on KZhead and so on. Stupidity triggers people a lot. Therefore I was surprised you skipped this topic, but all in all, your video makes a lot of sense. 😊😊
Yes it’s pretty accurate, you confirm my conclusions, sure it’s a bit sweeping but there’s truth in there.
As an indigenous American with tribal citizenship, (that means am a dual citizen)I always found these view points about America having no culture so limited and quite frankly uninformed and ignorant. We have over 169 indigenous languages here that are actively spoken. Along with 326 sovereign nations with their own government to government relationships, constitutions, treaties, police force, tax policies, etc. there are currently 574 federally recognized tribes. We have HUNDREDS of rich living cultures within turtle island (United States). It has been my experience in Europe that they understand our native cultures are departed and reduced to folklore, which is largely propelled by media propaganda. We have our own philosophies, ways of life, culinary knowledge, ceremonies, name places, rights of passage, relationship to the land that many foreigners don’t know or care to seek out. Every time I travel to Western Europe I find myself schooling folks about our history that was here LONG before the doctrine of discovery was implemented. The first part of the American story and its laws is based upon us. Even our women’s suffrage came from the women of the consulting of the haudenosaunee women. Good Grief! Let’s do better !
When Europeans say America has no culture, they are talking hyperbolically about white America - which is a sentiment most often shared by non-white people in and outside the US when they mock things as being "so white" like bland cooking or boring music. The less informed and more ignorant minorities often think that this "white" regers to Europeans and they don't understand that Europeans mock white Americans for the same issues.
Please stop drinking the Marxist bong water thinking you are going to enjoy supremacy, your future if you get your way will be death or enslavement by your Marxist globalist overlords. Learn from history or be a speed bump. & spare us with the haudenosaunee aka Iroquois gave us women’s suffrage palaver. Iroquois women were in charge of planting maintaining and harvesting the crops and virtually all work. They didn’t own their land or even their dwellings, they had no vote or voice in governance. Don’t embroider on it. Frankly if you’re willing to lie about it, you sound as exploitative as a pretendian. I’m 25% American Indian, Abenaki, that is Algonquin. No American Indian is indigenous, our peoples crossed the Bering Sea from Siberia.
I have been lucky to spend a lot of time outside the US. I am a Army veteran. I signed up to defend this nation. Yet, this place is a mess and I am stuck here, as I am over 50. We could be so much better. I am quiet when I travel. I am not self centered, but I am not what you see in American media. Many are like me, but we don't get noticed. Hopefully, we grow up as a nation. And soon.
Yes I think part of it is the media and stereotypes. But as the research showed a lot of it is about politics, and although it shouldn’t be the case the way a countries leaders behave reflects what people think about the population as a whole
the left wing media has portrayed Americans as loud and obnoxious -- 100% bullshit. Do you really think loud mouth poor Americans travel to Paris or Prague? Utter nonsense
There certainly is a lot of terrible stuff happening in the US these days. But to say America has no culture is a joke especially since literally the world has been influenced by US culture post WW2. Everybody wears jeans which is a US invention, literally almost everybody in the world is exposed to US pop culture & to some extent influences your life too. And then the competitive culture of Silicon Valley, Wall Streers, the Coeboy culture, etc. To say the US has no culture is a joke. Every country has its own culture & identity. Plus, when people say Americans are self centered I mean it could be true but generally speaking every individual is self centered to a certain extent. I don't see Americans are anymore self centered than many other countries in the world. Americans are kinda ignorant because they don't know anything about the world outside of the US. But ignorant & self centered are not the same.
Europe is not just Germany and France
Thank god for that.
True. It is also many places that got conquered by Germany or France or the UK or Spain or Russia at one time or another.
Yes, Europe is so versatile. 100 sentences are not enough to describe it.
Tell that to still fascist Germany and France who have been determined to impose the Marxist plantation slavery state twice in the last century
Good Morning ! I don’t think Americans care if they are disliked. :)
I hope so for them...but it didn't seem like that from all the videos and articles I have been suggested.
This "Ami" does. During my years in Germany, I bent over backwards to not be that stereotypical American. I studied German immediately, and went on to get my degree in German. I dressed in the German style . I hung out with German students my age. I married a German girl and stayed with her for 50 years til her death.
I don't think, that others care, if Americans care whether they are disliked. 😂
@@nejdro1hehe, how did you dress German :D? To me, Germans don't seem particularly stylish (outside of bigger cities, perhaps). I'm German myself but it would be interesting to know what you picked up coming from the outside...
Only if a valid argument is made.
333 million Americans, I think it's more politics than people. Loud people get noticed quickly, so you're more likely to come across 'brash Yanks'....rather than Americans who are decent, quiet and less ethnocentric. The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room....I have met both types, living in Lublin.
I think you're right. People from the outside are only exposed to politics and the extroverted so it's a very one sided picture.
Seems you consider yourself to be a decent US citizen but apparently, it never crossed your mind how ethnocentric it is to call yourself "an American" and to mean by that to be a US citizen just as though nobody else living anywhere in North, Middle or South America was "an American".
This!! (And I miss Lublin 😊)
@@PEdulis I somewhat agree. So what should we call ourselves? United Statesians?
@@JLDReactions Whatever you feel like as long as it distinguishes you from other Americans and does not somehow degrade them to "Americans of a somewhat lower status". Personally, I just stick with US citizens until someone comes up with something better.
Hi, a thought provoking video once again.! Great. As to the outgoing, less shy americans you have met or encountered while traveling, or are now living abroad, it is the type of personality that eagerly WANTS to travel, see new things, experience new cultures, are aware of the differences, good and bad. While I lived in the USA -in my teen and young adult years-, only about 1% in high school and 2% in college who "dared" to take a year abroad / go on an exchange programme. Most of my school and college mates had no passport, or had only gone to Canada or Mexico if at all out of the USA. Most of my friends were, like me first generation born in America or had arrived as children. We lived a dual culture every day. The now more concentrated media landscape (only 5 major corporations now where it used to be over 200 3 decades ago) gives a false and skewed picture of the USA when we consume any media stemming from them. Much is aimed to a 12 year old level. (Alas!) I too am grateful for many innovations and technology out of USA.
True and I'm grateful for all the high quality KZhead channels from the USA. 😊
Thanks Connie. I didn't realise you lived there for a while. That's great
As an American who has spent much of the past 50 years living in Europe, I have a couple of things to say. One, as far as thinking they are the best in the world, the French take the cake. Two, what most Europeans have a hard time understanding, the U.S. is geographically a very big country and is not one culture. There are many parts of the country where I do not feel at home and attitudes of people in one area towards those in another area are much like, say, the attitudes of people in one European country towards those of another. Belgian jokes in France = West Virginia jokes in northern states, etc. It seems to be human nature to make sweeping generalizations and stereotype others and mock them if possible. The world would be a better place if we all just took each person as a representative only of themselves, but I don't see it happening.
Of course there are varied differences but is more worrying to me is that studies seem to show that there are very predictable patterns. And yes maybe it shouldn’t be the case but humans make snap judgements all the time and the country where you come from is a big part of your identity, whether you want it to be or not
Well said.
No, I'm sorry. This is wishful thinking. The French may be arrogant, but they are the first to criticize their own state. Americans on the other hand - on average - can't stomach honest criticism of their country and are the number one most defensive people in the western world. "The US is not one culture" is another one of those vapid statements given that this is true for most European countries as well. You'll find more cultural, linguistic and even religious diversity in a country like Switzerland than in the entirety of the US. I find it also ironic that you criticize the tendency to make sweeping generalizations after your initial claim aobut the French: Americans are comfortable with generalizing over others. They aren't very comfortable with looking in the mirror when others generalize them. This is coming from a European who has spent many years in the US.
@@schtreg9140- Agree regarding the general defensiveness of Americans relative to people of other western countries. As for cultural diversity in Switzerland vs. the US, calling BS on that, though I’m happy to hear the argument for it. I’ve been to Switzerland and it is diverse as you say. But there is no equivalent there or anywhere in Europe to the differences between say Hilo, Hawai‘i; Hollywood; Alaska; and Appalachia.
@@24X7CARZ yes Switzerland was a very odd choice in making that point.
Another interesting presentation. I look forward to your videos. As for today's topic, I'm an American who, like most Americans, has my roots from somewhere else. In my case, my entire ancestry comes from northern Germany and is not far removed. I knew my German grandparents. When in Germany, we visit old family areas where we blend in and appear not so much as tourists in that our 'Americanism' is not apparent. That interaction has shown us that average people living their day to day lives don't differ much between the U.S. and Germany. We experience things beneath the cloud of media representations of what 'life is like'. The U.S. is a place where citizens can make or let the country be whatever they act or choose not to act on. To some, that process is too slow and feel they need to 'escape' the current conditions. In closing, a thought entered my mind at the end of the video: "Americans, you can't live with them and you can't live without them."
Haha that’s a great ending quote. It sounds like you are still really connected to your German side. A lot of what we see (from the outside) is politics, culture wars and race baiting. I think if you take that away there’s still a lot of good stuff
Amazing video, hits the nail quite well! Greetings from Germany :)
Thank you Peter. Greetings to you
@@britingermany You're welcome, thx!
It's the richest kids with the most options that are most upset.
I guess you’ve seen the Type Ashton channel? It’s very well researched and considered. I wonder if you could collaborate. Would be very interesting to explore US and UK ideas re Germany.
I think some of the harshness in the criticism the US gets for their policies also results from disappointment. We expect more from people we like and somehow, maybe unconsciously, idealise. If they fail (in our eyes) they often get more criticism than someone we didn't think much of in the first place.
Interesting insight. Could well be the case
Good comment!
Translates to, you expect to be able to freeload more and resent being told to pay your own way
@@mmoretti Haha, another victim of the American education system and the belief in orange fake gods who tell you what to think. Good job, Donnie, she reads every lie from your lips as if it was the revelation of a new religion. Well, a cult, that is. A cult with a golden, err..., orange calf. And the stupid are dancing around it as they always do...
Hello dear. I'm working at the airport Frankfurt. Here is what I observed in the past two years: In 2022 the overall impression and experience I made was that the majority of American visitors seemed to have forgotten how to behave as a guest in a foreign country. All stereotype were checked marked on a daily bases, when I interacted with them. Last year it got a lot better. Just here and there you had to take a deep breathe, if you know what I mean. Now this year so far, I can tell that American visitors seem to have done some research before they travel and it has been a pleasure to host them. I can still spot them a mile away (clothing for example), but the other stereotypes, such as being loud, obnoxious, etc. aren't really present. Thanks you for your great videos. Always enjoy them.
Hi there. That is really interesting thanks for sharing. I wonder why that is?
The Germans are always behaving themselves while on vacation? I am sure the people in Spain will have a very different and strong view point of the Germans who hit the Spanish beaches, get hammered, and start fights. Many Germans I have met during my travels seem to forget their famous rules once they jump on a plane.
I am an indigenous American, as in having pre-Columbian roots here, and I always cringe a bit when people describe America as young and having only a shallow, short-lived culture. We've been here since prehistoric times. Furthermore, modern American culture owes a lot to us, including much that we have exported to the rest of the world. The engineering principles behind suspension bridges and other structures that rely on tension rather than gravity alone? That was us. Supercrops that other people still can't figure out how we bred them, such as corn and potatoes? Also us. Even the modern concept of democracy, that enfranchised people who didn't own land, we did that (granted, the Scandinavians had something similar, but lost it to feudalism. Greek democracy and the Magna Carta didn't even come close to shedding the concept of hierarchy. We invented real democracy.) Quite a few subtle attitudes that distinguish Americans from the rest of the world come from us. And we are ancient.
Exactly how I feel! I’m an Indian American whose lived my whole life in the US, and people will quickly bring up “The US exists on stolen land” but also say “the US has no culture” Well that’s a bit contradictory isn’t it? While the government has been awful to the natives, America has always been a land of changing demographics and fluid culture. That just doesn’t happen to fit the homogenous European confines of culture.
I wouldn't be so hasty to call corn and potatos 'super crops'. No, they're just crops, similar to all other crops that humans were breeding and growing all over the planet. When you say "We invented real democracy" are you simply ignoring all the other tribal societys the world over (including European ones)? They still had tribal chiefs and elders anyway (i.e hierarchy). Lastly, everyone is ancient. Everyone has ancient ancestors in prehistory.
@@hardywatkins7737 The book "The dawn of everything" might be an interesting read on this.
@@chicagotypewriter2094 Some people understand what culture is, and some people don't, and neither has anything to do with being European.
@@kimwit1307 I probably won't be reading it. From the summarys i've just read it doesn't appear to be saying anything we didn't already know.
At the moment, with a view to November, it is perhaps more fear than dislike.
Biden just raised taxes again to bail out the students chanting "Genocide Joe" out of debt at the expense of the middle class already suffering under inflation so high that monthly grocery bills have nearly doubled. I feel like the Republicans must have infiltrated his campaign's team. xD
Possibly…I guess things will really heat up in the next few months and I don’t envy Americans for that
you mean excitement at a new beginning with a real leader
A "Führer"?
I don’t, and I think people who think “Americans” are stupid aren’t the brightest bulb in the socket either
To be honest, those are easy statements to claim.
We're not stupid. We passed them technologically like a train passing a bicycle.
...and, why would Amwrica be thought of as stupid when so many Nobel prizes are awarded to Americans, and why so many of their universities and research institutions are global draws?
@@JT-rx1eo Europeans need to be taught that envy is a pitiful emotion.
Interesting take, America isn't loved by many Americans. Many of us still love the land and people and aspects of the many cultures here and we have so many reasons for critiquing ourselves. Some of us need more exposure to the world, but many people in the USA just need to appreciate what we have and make it better rather than allowing radicals to destroy and manipulate us from the inside out. We've fallen for the BS and love to hate eachother and punish eachother for our different beliefs. We've got a lot of culture though. Culturally, the South is different in dialects, food and bahavior than the West or North. The homogenous aspect is on the surface and tends to be very blunt, but there's more to us than that. We are asking to be disliked, however.
I think you're right. The world generally just knows NY and LA because that's what is constantly projected out through Hollywood and the media. I think the US has a lot to be grateful for and it does seem like it's descended into self loathing
America probably isn’t loved by Americans like you but true patriots still love their country even though a certain segment of the population can only ever seem to go on about how the country needs to be destroyed and remade.
There is no single American culture. American cultures vary depending on what part of the country is being examined. Cultures in the US are an amalgam of indigenous cultures and the cultures brought by people who came from Europe, Africa, Asia and other parts of the world. Many of the imported cultures evolved further in the new nation from their original forms.
Of course, as is Europe and the seperate countries within it...and yet generalisations still have their place....
There is American culture based on our founding values, that is distinct from the various ethnic etc cultures various peoples have. The US by it’s very being shall never be defined as multicultural because various ethnic, racial cultures do not define the constitutional republic that is the United States of America
The irony is some Europeans don’t like us but they do enjoy American products from Apple gadgets to American movies and shows on Netflix/Amazon Prime/Disney+/Max/Apple TV to shopping on Amazon and spending time on KZhead.
Funny thing about the political leaning, for me as an American living in Germany, when I met my SPD-voting in-laws and extended family, at first they probed my politics to see if I was a Trumper, and they found out not and were initially relieved, but after a few more minutes of probing my politics they realized "oh, he's to the left of us... by a lot... by a lot a lot."
well there you go
I am coming across the exact same thing as a US citizen currently working in Germany.
Well, Skype was Estonian, wasn't it? Just bought up, as they do!
Yep belongs to Microsoft now but to be honest I’d totally forgotten about Skype…they kind of missed the ball now it’s all about zoom and teams
@@britingermany Who knows if they would exist without skype. The Fraunhofer Institute developed the compression mp3 > MPEG, without which YT might not exist! Many Americans today think they invented everything!
@@arnodobler1096 but then that could be a hint to their German ancestry perhaps 😄
@@MichaelBurggraf-gm8vl 🤔🤷♂
@@arnodobler1096no one uses Skype nowadays
Awesome!
There is a saying: 'Being Unknown makes being unloved.'. However, my personal experience gives me in to have evolved this into: 'The more I got to know America, the more it repulses me and make me despise it'. In my case, I could hardly be called 'a Lefty'. Coming from a staunch Calvinist protestant background with a firm belief in thrift, honesty and diligence to be constructive to wealth and ethical growth as well as personal achievement, but I have become more nuanced and in some ways leftist thinking by being exposed to life in the US. When confronted with the shallowness of commerciality and the raw and uncaring, damned be the consequences, ultra capitalism, coupled with the slavish compliance to the violations that the financial services places on the average US inhabitant, I felt I had no ther choice than be repulsed by it. The overarching celebration of ignorance, rejection of knowledge and avoidance of deeper thinking revolts me to my core. I loathe the mindless flag-waving and ridiculous indoctrinatory practices that serve as a very obvious fig-leaf for jingoism, class-stratification and racial-discrimination in that society. I am annoyed by the US unjustly taking credit for achievements made by others, where foreign knowledge, art and academic achievements are purchased or more often purloined and inculcated into the National achievements with no mention or sometimes downright denial, of its origins. I loathe the 'Might makes Right' and the adoration of violence and death, indiscriminate harm-doing and destruction under the guise of rules and laws that are purported to be equal for all, but in reality are NOT. Wealth will invariably buy you the freedom from justice. The unnaturalness and the repressive enforcement of such under the guise of biblical but entirely counter to Christian morals in what are by their nature to be joyful and free relations and life-choices, appals me in its hypocrisy and the harm and damage it visits upon the individual and his/her presumed freedom and liberty. By now It instinctively makes me choose the path of 'resistance and reduction by subversion.' The average US inhabitant appears to be inexorably geared towards choosing against his/her self-interest or even self-preservation. I lived there for 22 years and yearningly bided my time until my kids would become adults, so that I could honourably return to where I came from. I did so and happiness and contentment returned to my life. I have absolutely no desire to ever re-visit the US under any circumstance, even if my life would depend on it. I would rather die with dignity and in freedom than be what I see US inhabitants be reduced to.
Leave, parasite
Hello Ben, another really though provoking video from you. You're tempting me to write a seriously long comment -- but this time I have to keep myself a bit more under control. Just a few remarks: Unless someone appears to be excessively opinionated I assume that people critisize what they love. I would regard that as a part of exercising the right of free speech - one of the fundamental rights respected in what's considered the west. Considering myself as a moderate left I'm always a bit disappointed if people assume they would have to emphasize their credibility as a "lefty" by critisizing the USA along the lines of some pretty stereotypical patterns - regarding the USA as a kind of self-appointed policeman of the world being one of them. Of course the USA provides reasons for critisism from time to time. On the other hand people like to sweep critisism of Europe from the USA aside too easily sometimes. That point of view that the USA wouldn't have culture irks me quite a bit. Music is an obvious example. I grew up with as much Beethoven, Händel, Bach, Mozart, etc. as with Glen Miller, Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Frank Zappa, Leonard Bernstein, Sammy Davis Jr., B.B.King, etc. And then art designers like Milton Glaser, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jackson Pollock, Man Ray, Edward Hopper, Keith Haring, etc. Cinema: Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Barry Levinson, Jim Jarmush (Down By Law, Night on Earth, ...) I really have to stop now before I'm loosing control...
Have a good Sunday, Ben and everyone else! The real reason the US wants to ban TikTok, in my opinion!
Thank you Arno. Same to you :)
All American IT companies are banned in China. So why America can’t ban? It’s not fair. And Tik Tok easily can be replaced
Apparently China banned all American IT companies. Why the U.S. can’t?
We're all extremely aware of Germany and it's fascist past. In spite of that, why is it that their current regime literally wants to ban a political party, AfD, that is fully supported by half of it's voting public. Doing so would deprive 50% of the people their right to vote for whoever they'd like to pick. I guess that it's just a case of old habits being difficult to break.
@@geraldvelez597 Your comment shows that you have no idea of the history of Germany, nor of the current situation, government, courts, elections etc. etc.!!!! Zero
What Europeans get wrong about American culture is that it’s a culture that didn’t emerge from urban concentrations (citadels and towns) with their surpluses of wealth devoted to non-productive activies (such as arts and crafts) and religious patronage that built enormous cathedrals, but it’s a culture that emerged from capitalism, and specifically (and no surprisingly) entertainment. So it’s a culture that needs the market validation and it’s limited by it, and that gravitates around, heavily I’d say, imagery and spectacle, whether films, tv, musical shows, theme parks, etc. Even food in American is often portrayed (and sold) as a show, with 3 inches of cheese on pretty much everything and burgers the size of a lorry. Just saying that they are different cultures misses, in its self-evident rhetoric, a crucial element. Not only they are different, but their parameters and values system are in opposite axis. Europeans value their culture because that’s what they have been fed with, literally. But taking the same parameters in the absence of historical circumstances and judging other cultures in terms of their worth is ridiculous and frankly ignorant. The real question to me is whether we will be watching and admiring old American films, or any other visual artefact for that, in a century from now in the same way that we admire and rejoice on a centuries’ old cathedral, castle, and generally the architecture in Europe. I don’t have a crystal ball but that to me, the passage of time, is the only judge I’d listen to.
Interesting insight, thanks for sharing. I think the world of tec and entertainment is changing very rapidly…I believe you can find Walkmans and portable CD players in museums these days? 🤣time will tell
A huge issue is that perceptions of the USA are formed based on coverage of the Northeast US and the West Coast as what the US is like. The entirety of the middle of the US is ignored in news, and popular culture, other than to paint those of us in the South or the middle of the country as rubes.
It doesn't ever get mentioned, but this is 100% the truth.
As a Brit abroad (Mexico). I meet many Americans who are vibrant yet dull, I put it down to an innate self confidence and an indifference to that beyond their own borders.
The Brits are so very cramped in their little island. It's of no wonder why you ran away. Of course, you've made a foolish comparison. But, when you talk of outside of our borders, you're talking about over 3000 miles in distance.
@@HoppityHooper2 real curiosity is limitless and does not stop at borders
@@sararichardson737 oh yes - most certainly! When my innate and extreme curiosity begins to dim, having run out of places here, within my vast country - larger than Europe, then I'll begin to look at other places. It's so very varied and extraordinarily fascinating here, I believe that will be after a long long time.
@@HoppityHooper2 indeed; an embarrassment of riches.
@@sararichardson737 ??? Well, all that I know, and, as far as I'm concerned, I'm most assuredly, not embarrassed. There's no reason I should be either - of course. Just keep walking with your head slung low.
To answer you question in the video's title: in the 1960s, the marxist intelligencia decided that Americans were too fat and happy to have a proletarian revolution. So, our education system has slowly been subverted to emphasize self hatred to bring about a communist revolution.
Well good luck with that…that’s going to be a struggle in the US
Its not just europeans, most people dislike intolerant people who look down on other cultures, Americans are wired to think this way of other ways of living. So naturally people from other countries dislike them.
That feeling you had in Australia of awkwardness, wasn't awkwardness but humility and self-awareness. It's so important to remember that you're not the center of attention in the new country. I love my American friends, but it's always quite tiring seeing an American immigrant in Europe, bringing that "I'm special" aura about them. I know several Americans at work, and I actively avoid them when I can, that toxic positivity is nauseating, along with ingrained brown-nosing of higher ups.
Interesting take, thank you for sharing
American Work place attitude is a problem, I agree. Maybe not so much with people in lower positions, but definitely with people higher up. I worked with a contractor in the US and we made specific rules for them how to write and layout the manuals they should produce, because there was a worldwide corporate identity given to us in how to do this stuff. And we asked the contractor if we can assist them in doing what they had to, providing templates, text modules and more. They told us, they knew how to work with the tools we wanted them to use. After we got the first drafts, and later along the line, we found out that 1) they didn't know how to correctly use the tools, 2) they didn't use our templates or modules and 3) they didn't follow the CI. We are talking about a contractor here that should be able to follow orders. But with the American attitude of thinking they had to know better, because they were special or whatever the reasoning behind that was, we would always have fights with these people. I blame it on the indoctrination US citizens get all their lives, like being special because they are part of the greatest nation in the world in God's favourite country. Wake up, guys, you are no better than anybody else and there is no country favoured by God. There isn't a best country either, every country and every nation has to offer something that is pretty cool.
@@TheL4WI am American and I apologize for the know-it-alls. We are no longer a great nation and haven't been for a while.
@@gokarengo You’re going to apologize to Europeans for US coming off as know it alls? Lol.
Hello. Well you need to remember that the U.S is a giant country with over 330 million people. Attitudes and culture vary greatly by region. People from the Northeast and West Coast tend to be a bit more like what you described, but there are plenty of people not like that. Southerners and Midwesterners value humility and politeness. You can't throw us all in one basket. We vary greatly!
I’ve found also as bourne out in the vid that the more Liberal left-leaning people are, the less they like Americans..I agree it’s a lot to do with their own self-loathing, Scots and Irish have a similar hatred of the English.. it’s the same of modern migration in the US and Europe, those coming with their ‘hand out’ don’t like Americans and Brits. Which is odd! I like American self-confidence, but I also like the modesty of Western Europeans. I find Eastern Europeans a bit brash and vulgar.
Love Eastern Europeans. So real.
@@williamhenning4700 Fair enough William, we must take as we find. As with sweeping statements, there are exceptions.
@@petermartin8756 Always. There are very few things ( if any ) you'll find that have 100% consistency.
Self-loathing? What a strange thing to say. Completely unwarranted in my view.
@@petermartin8756 as a Scot I can't agree that on the whole we hate the English. It's a complicated relationship. The Irish more or less despise the Scots because we never claimed our independence and because we're viewed as being complicit in some of the worst crimes against the Irish historically. We're hopelessly muddled up in summary. A few small islands and so much animosity and anger.
Foreign policy is always for the better of your own country. You may want to be painting it as giving democracy, better living, freedom or whatsoever but at the end it is to strengthen your own country’s position, influence and strength. Is it as I wish it was or I think it should be? Absolutely not!!! But we live in the world we have and changes take place slowly, very slowly only. Is the USA the hero it saw itself and still sees itself today? Sometimes they try to do good and if it fits their own interest the more likely they are going to do it. Do I disagree or even hate them for things they do? Yes! There are things that they did which I hate from the bottom of my heart. Especially when they lie and abuse others to put them to pull their carriage to achieve their goals. Do I like them for things they do? Absolutely! I admire them for their “We can” attitude for example. For their attitude to see failure just as a part of the learning process. Do I not understand them at all for their religion hardliners, their anti-social attitude and everyone for himself attitude? Yes. And I fell sorry for them to not understanding the concept of social welfare to, at least try, to give a baseline support and hopefully enabling those that had fallen into poverty for whatever reason to return to a status where they can be a helpful part of society. Btw: I did not use the often preferred “productive part of society” description because it implies usually working for money and excludes any work or engagement you are not receiving money for.
Well said. There's always many sides to look at with this. Politics tends to dominate but there are many other things to take into account
Spoiler alert: we dont care and will try to carry on without you
Since I began (as an American) to travel in and live in Europe since 1967, what I found was a mixture of admiration and obvious envy disguised as contempt
Could be some of that for sure. Especially when it comes to big tech. I think many of countries are scared of the power they wield
@@britingermany They're essentially alternative realities to the real world where the *companies* govern the speech laws ( and thus thought formation of its user base ) with many having hundreds of millions/billions of users. Terrifying.
Yes, if you want to believe that. But sometimes, bubbles can be hard to pierce...
Envious of what exactly??? your massive crime rate? highest gun crime in any western democracy? terrible health care?? You are deluded!
No, John is correct. I’ve met many condescending Brits who’ve traveled here and when they get a look at the length and breadth of the country you see the wheels turning and the resentment that they don’t and can’t leech off it.
3:42 "DISINTERESTED" You mean neutral and unbiased one way or the other? Or do you mean 'UNINTERESTED'?
no I mean having no interest
My comment got deleted. So much for democracy and freedom of speech on a US platform.
Try it on a European one. I believe the UK, as well as France, will charge a person criminally if they say the "wrong" thing online.
I've worked with a lot of people internationally and I have to say, I don't really meet people from other countries who seem to dislike Americans in particular. Sure, I suppose they could keep it to themselves since I am American, but I usually try to discuss their country, their people, their history and also my own and the verdict tends to be that Americans are interesting, capable, and most of all friendly. I've actually been very surprised by the number of different cultures that have told me Americans are the friendliest people they've ever met (and in a good way, not uncomfortable way). From Brits to Persians to Chinese... I think your experience has been a selection bias. Just like there seem to be many extreme leftist opinions emanating from the US now, and they exist, but they're a vocal minority. I can't think of a place I'd rather live, honestly. We've got our flaws, no question, but I'm happy to be an American.
As a half German, half American I have become more and more irritated by my European friends and family as well as the younger American generation. America is more than just McDonalds, and I find it ironic that Americans today join in on the cultural stigmatization of their own country. It's like in order not to be perceived as the "ignorant American", expat Americans embrace a European position of ignorance towards America. Everybody's ignorant; open up your minds and put your resentments aside.
I think it’s in a way normal for young generations to question the status quo. It’s just sad when they don’t offer an alternate vision for the future
I've been to Europe a lot over the last 20 years and I'm headed there again in 3 weeks, if I wasn't interested I wouldn't go. But over the years, especially the last 10 years or so, I've gotten the distinct impression that a lot of Europeans get mad when you don't bend the knee to their culture. As an American, I'm interested in different European cultures, but I'm not obsessed with it. I don't think it's better than my own culture. A lot of Europeans can't handle that. I think that there's also a bit of angst in Europe about how internationally ineffectual their countries have become. That's not the fault of the US. It's just a matter of different priorities. You can make any value judgment you want about that, but that's the reality of it. And I've always found it interesting. How Europeans latch on to some of the trashiest elements of us culture and then blame it on Americans. McDonald's isn't all over Paris because there are so many American tourists who can't do without McDonald's. It's full of McDonald's because Parisians love it. We do have great, homegrown, American food but that's not what Europeans are buying. They're buying the garbage and then they're blaming it on us. There's plenty to critique about us culture and politics. But that's not what you usually wind up hearing from people. I've met a lot of incredibly rude people on trains, restaurants, bars, parks- all over Europe. People hear you having a private conversation (not a loud one) And feel entitled to give you their misinformed opinions on us culture and politics as if they're experts. Yeah, a lot of the Lefty," I hate America" crowd Is annoying but at least they have a leg to stand on and skin in the game. I don't need to hear a German tell me about our healthcare system or maternity leave.
You are correct. And I have to laugh at the thought of German thinking the American even cares what she thinks.
I lived in Canada for a while so was used to a lot of criticism of the US. I would not live in the US due to 3 main factors; healthcare is not universal, too many guns on the streets and the use of capital punishment.
... What crimes are you thinking of committing that would get you capital punishment?
@@williamhenning4700 none just disagree with it fundamentally for all sorts of reasons.
That seems fair enough. The argument for guns is to protect oneself from (in the extreme) the state itself. I wonder if Canada feels more restricted and repressed than the US? I'm only basing this off the compelled speech laws and the fact that they froze bank accounts during the truckers protest...
@@britingermany I'm an immigrant canadian. Living next to america is equivalent to sleeping next to an elephant. It could squash you and never care less. Restricted or repressed? Canada has swallowed the american poison pill of woke, DEI, political correctness, mass immigration, WEF and Davos global view, and every social identity you could imagine. I identify as a tree. There is no push back against this because we are so meek. US culture and media has taken over. The truckers were never real truckers. They were sovereign citizens made up of ex-police and ex-military who don't recognize any government. Real truckers were at work. Canadians are in awe, envious and disgusted by america. We look to them to validate us.
@@britingermany I do not think Canadians are repressed at all. What an unusual comment to make. If anything US people are repressed with their anti abortion laws, lack of healthcare that is affordable and whole swathes of the country outside of the cities where folk are living in extreme poverty and lack of education. That to me is more repressive than living in Canada where the opposite is true. Also the Massacres in schools do not exactly tell me that people are protected due to guns being available.
07:00 very subjective and moot point. They just have a different culture.....claiming otherwise would just be arrogant
At least they are thinking about us. Someone should inform them we do not think about them. Why in the hell would we want to go where we are hated? Then you hear that if you do not speak the language, they are offended. Why go to the effort to learn a language that you will use one time in your life. Hell we cannot afford to see all of out own country so we sure as hell cannot afford to see theirs. They need to understand just how big the USA is. and it is not like other countries where things are the same everywhere in that country. The US is like 50 small countries with different foods customs and even the english used is different.
In all honesty: the story of the greatest country of all is one i never believed. All the other achievements are pretty impressive. But as a PolScience Student, why would someone hold someone else accountable for the laters government?
It's maybe counterintuitive but I think we often equate the actions of a countries government with the will of the people (that is in theory what it should be)
@@britingermany What it should be but unfortunately it isn’t. Our politicians are owned by the billionaires and vote the way they’re directed to.
For what it's worth, I would like to go back in history a bit. In Germany of the 50s and 60s, the US were usually seen as the saviour of civilisition, mainly because they had stopped the USSR from moving further west and guaranteed the iron curtain. Any possible animosity stemming from WW2 was gone; at the latest after the Berlin airlift operation and the Marshall plan. But this also led to an enormous dependency on the US, which not everyone felt good about. No German governmet ever dared to critisize the US and their demands were always fulfilled until 2003, i.e. the Iraq invasion. Personally, living just 20 miles from the iron curtain, I did not feel terribly secure from American nuclear missiles directed at the East of West Germany (yes, this was the official strategy to deter an attack from the USSR), but most people saw this as necessary to deter "the evil Russian". I guess this ambivalence continues to this day; perhaps even refreshed by Russia's attack on Ukraine.
Because we do
I am a lefty and I love my country with all it's problems and political devision. As far as culture is concerned, we have a very diverse regional culture. Anyone who has truly traveled around the USA can appreciate. The USA is an amazing country of beauty that has defended many of our allies time and again. What if we
European are critical on the US because they care. Other countries, we couldn't care less.
They're just mad because they don't influence the world like us anymore.
No, they are jealous
@@mmoretti Maybe you don't know much about living in Europe? I'm Dutch and I know nobody that want's to live in US. On the other hand I know many people that explicitly say they would not want to live in America. May be you can watch some vids of Americans living in Europe.
I know plenty about living in the UK and in Europe and interacting with and living amongst Brits and Europeans in the US. I also know European history and I know quite a lot about Dutch history of colonization in Asia, the Caribbean etc…and it’s cruelty and excesses. For all your moaning there are many of you with your hands out looking for our money, it was bad enough the Netherlands mooched $ $1.127 billion in US Marshall Plan money, any plans to pay it back? How about how you avoiding paying even your 2% gdp to NATO? There are many Europeans traveling and seeking employment here, KZhead is filled with UK and Europeans trying to mooch off generous Americans. It wasn’t that long ago a Dutch doctor in the ER at Children’s Hospital in Boston was exposed as countering a specialist from Tufts & engineering the kidnapping of a child by attacking the diagnosis of mitochondrial disease so he could use her as a Guinea pig in a drug testing experiment ultimately reducing an otherwise healthy girl to being wheelchair bound and stealing 3-4 of her life. Frankly no Americans I know of want you here or care to move to your collective sewers and we are fed up with your expectation that we pay for your defense.
No, of course the US is not asking to be disliked. It is just that it is so self-referential, inwardly focused, navel-gazing and powerful that it doesn't have to consider the situations of others if it doesn't choose to and "soft" power is not a substitute for real power in a competitive world.
No, the US isn’t “self referential”, we were and remain though with legitimate concerns, confident about who and what we are.. which ticks off the pretentious twits of Europe. Europe preened after the US saved it, twice in the last century, picked up the pieces and even paid to get you back on your feet. We paid the lion’s share of your defenses but instead of appreciating it and striving to take back those obligations once things stabilized they even refused to pay the pittance they had agreed to. Europe is a delusional slave of the neobolshevik bakers and oligarchs, angry and enraged that the US citizenry refuses to continue making it easy for them. Your EU is falling apart and their own people despise them
👍👍
It’s interesting. As a descendant of non-European immigrants to the US, I see the US, a bit from the outside looking in, as an extension of the historical European particularly British push to be number one on a global stage. “The sun never sets on the British Empire” is now “USA! USA! USA!” When I talk to South Asians / Indians who live here, most talk more fondly about Americans than the British (disdain for Churchill, colonialism, less overt classicism in the US vs. in England [or in India for that matter] etc.). When I talk to Native Americans, they understand that white Americans furthered their colonial European ancestors’ agendas e.g. regarding Manifest Destiny. When Europeans see Americans, they literally are looking at an extension of themselves and the realization of the value systems they propagated for the past several centuries. The rather non-interventionist and pacifistic mindset prevalent now in western Europe is more of a modern anomaly than the historical norm. I see the US, as a young country, continuing to mature and improve given its economic and geopolitical advantages. A lot of what started in post-US Civil War Reconstruction and carried over to the Civil Rights era (which is still going on) is being turned up in heat by modern social media. That’s fine. I expect the technology is shaving decades if not centuries off of the process needed to reach equilibrium. So yes, I’m an American who’s optimistic about the country now and going forward (even factoring in some kind of massive correction in cost of living vs. earning power that’s already long overdue and will impact the whole developed world). Now if I can just get my kids to be boisterous highly interpersonally interactive Americans and get off their social media!
Thanks for sharing you view. Refreshingly balanced 😀
@@britingermany - You’re welcome. I enjoyed your video and _your_ balanced approach to this topic.
Yes, modern technology has offered us many benefits and things we didn't even dream of when we grew up but there is a big misconception in the minds of most of us: Contrary to what most people believe, computers have NOT increased productivity. Economist Robert Solow famously said in 1987 that "the computer age was everywhere except for the productivity statistics." and this has not changed until this day despite of the hype generated about machine learning which many falsely refer to as "AI".
mmmm I'm not sure how that's being measured as the economy has been changed drastically since the introduction of computers...it's also developed a LOT since 1987...
@@britingermany There are numerous studies on the topic since then and various books as well. You may start by reading a short forbes article from August 2021 called "Why Computers Didn’t Improve Productivity" and an quartz article from 2014 called "Toyota is becoming more efficient by replacing robots with humans" followed by several other articles, e.g. one in fastcompany called "At Toyota, The Automation is Human-Powered". In short, yes, the paradox is still true even if people still believe otherwise.
@@britingermany Amen
Places like Florida is a cultural wasteland, but places like NY, Boston, Chicago have a lot of culture. Museums, operas, orchestras, concerts, etc. some states are better than others.
well thats not an easy question while its an easy answer at the same time.i do like americans as in american people even they are a bit shallow and good weather friends they are fun to have around..but politically i dont like america at all . first ... the americans were never a political friend of germany and even ww2 was ages ago we are still a slightly american occupied country and lets be honest...american politics are slowly getting insane and america turned into the bully of the world
I think that is the crux of the matter. It’s difficult to separate politics from culture. Politics does have a big effect on the “brand” of a country
Wow, A typical "run on" sentence translated into English! :)
Pretty easy question to answer, don't dance around the truth they have a president an elderly old man and really can't string a sentence together. The whole culture is based upon race racism. Half of them don't even know where Europe is they probably can't even name half the countries in Europe, let alone the states in their own country. The place is an absolute mess
yeah like i sayed i do like most americans as people but i dont like america as world wide bully
well ... hows your german? im mooving in another language here and i think im not doing thaaat bad
I think my country should have a pause on helping other countries. We are damned if we do and damned if we don't.
I think it’s a case of perspective. As the research shows what the US perhaps sees as “helping” other countries is viewed as interventionism by the international community…
*WHAT WOULD THE WORLD BE LIKE WITHOUT MICROSOFT, GOOGLE, AMAZON OR META* an almost infinitely BETTER place...! EDIT: YES other countries would and DID come up with alternatives but the US giants either crushed them under SLAP suits or bought them out.
Regarding how Europeans perceive Americans, in my own experience: The UK: Neutral. Germany: Friendly. Finland: No more or less cold to Americans than anyone else, but they like American culture. Spain: Neutral. France: They really do hate us. Kosovo: They love the fuck out of us for reasons I can't even begin to understand.
Feels like Germans hate us the most honestly.
I feel like France hates everybody though to be fair, sometimes even including themselves. 😂
The German-American relationship seems to be strong than the UK-American relationship at the moment
I do not appreciate US politics, but concerning culture, i.e. music, arts, literature there have been very interesting and innovative things coming out of the USA and still are. It is just that most Europeans do not know them and I am afraid most Americans neither.
Skype is from Estonia and the Web was invented at Cern in Europe. Key technical and scientific leads are often from abroad, since to few Americans can pay the qualifications. what they have is a culture of risking business opportunities.
The original internet was invented at UCLA and the University of Utah. Without that, there never would’ve been the web that was invented at CERN. You do realize this comment proves the entire point of this video, right?
@@skierdude95 lol facts
I have been working in a company which was part of several US corporations and had to comply with export and trade regulations of the US. I find that Germans and to that degree Europeans make a point of not knowing how intertwined with the US their own history actually is. E.g. the Ottoman empire had pirates who regularly raided ships in the Mediterranean to enslave people and European countries merely paid tribute to them to keep seaways safe. It was the US who put an end to this by dispatching troops to Northern Africa and and completely raiding a pirate city at a time when European countries considered such an action inconceivable. Or did you know that Kaizen is not a Japanese management technique but a US American one introduced to Japan to enable Japan after WW2 to recover and meet the productivity expectations of the US? As to different mindsets: "Asterix and Obelix" was a hugely successful comic series not just in France but throughout Europe. In the US it failed. When researching why it was found that US readers identified themselves not with the heroes of the story i.e. the Gauls but with the Romans who are made fun of in that series.
Quite complicated due to many levels you can touch or ignore. You always will miss one cause you simply was not aware. Best example: you say the USA had invaded Somalia and had been totally defeated and needed to retreat fully. Guess how upset they will be: WE NEVER INVADED SOMALIA ! HOW CAN YOU .... And then you have to remind them nicely with HOLLYWOOD. It really needs Hollywood to make them think twice (at least most of them): BLACK HAWK DOWN Blockbuster title to remind them that US forces had been in Africa and that this operation is the symbol for a total defeat cause if you invade you have to accept the way the domestic citizens will fight. But the american public could not bear the news nor pictures and the USA hat do retreat, therefore a total defeat. Just one example how bad the education is and the awareness about foreign policy at least. Americans tend to convince and have a message - where the europeans can assume that it is not for their benefit. USA warns Europe about gas while the americans later sold their gas as LNG not for cheap, quite the opposite. They usually believe they can easily fight the russians and have no clue that they are like the roman empire beyond peak already. Too fat, too slow and weak and torn society , in the population and in the whole party / congress mess. The americans would get an even far more bloodier nose in the Ukraine than the Ukrainians. Why ? Cause their society can not deal with huge losses of lives, they never really could and the will for sacrifices is in russia 10x bigger than in the USA cause we call all the american adventures or rather invasions total defeats when they had to retreat. If you have to retreat after a single Helicopter crash and the following fights (be aware that people now believe in the pictures Hollywood had brought into their homes, but back then, when it had happened, there was not so much footage) then Ukraine is not the battlefield where americans could achieve anything better fighting the russians. Vietnam, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan were total defeats and ended in retreats where the Americans had destroyed whole cities and societies cause Iraq had not violated the UN sanctions, they had no biiological or chemical weapons as the US had said as the reason to invade a country and destroy it at the end. There are just a few successfull people that are travelling the world and aware of all the issues.
Of course, "The Americans have no culture" is nonsense! What we Middle European insiders usually like about US Americans is a spontaneous, friendly openness, often combined with great hospitality, while dislikes often have to do with these points: superficiality, ignorance, lack of education, small, talk, fake harmony, unreliability, overestimating themselves, a primitive sense of hierarchy ... No, these keywords don't represent prejudices, but are based on experiences. Once upon a time I showed Americans around in the Lübecker Altstadt and told them it belonged to the UNESCO world heritage, but this didn't impress them for they didn't know what the UNESCO was. Benjamin; as you can imagine I wish you a delightful start of the new week!
American exceptionalism meets any form of valid criticism and reads it as dislike ;)
This is the reaction of the vast majority of humanity when confronted with criticism about their country.
No, a lot of us can take criticism. It's just the majority giving it are down right rude. "We aren't stupid like Americans!" "At least we don't have to worry about our children being shot, dumb Americans!" "America sucks!" "You have no culture!" "Your only cuisine is hamburgers and french fries!" "Black Americans aren't really Americans though" These tend to be the majority of "valid criticism" that we get. Of course we are defensive when people have no tact and make hasty generalizations. Even your statement is just another silly generalization.
@@williamhenning4700 Most countries don't tell all other countries constantly that they are the "greatest nation on earth" tho ;)
@@Crackalacking_Z Most countries don’t have the credentials to back up such a statement. And most do enjoy talking about their countries when they were at the height of their power and the greatest contributions made by their countrymen to the rest of the world. Honestly, I feel this is a good thing. We should all be proud of our countries’ heritage while also not being blind to its flaws.
As a socialist I feel that Americans dislike people like me and that is one of the reasons I would never visit USA. I have heard of Americans who pretend to be Canadian when they travel to certain countries. I have often wished there were Europe based social media platforms I could use as I'm sure they would be less commercialised and censorial.
Most people wouldn’t dislike you. They’d just think you’re too eager to hand other peoples rights over to the government because you think you know better.
@@williamhenning4700 which peoples rights does he want to hand over to the government?
@@mori1bund People who want to centralize and empower government at the expense of people's freedom generally don't care who it applies to.
Americans would dislike you because you said that you were a socialist? Pure fantasy
@@williamhenning4700 Socialism is less about rights and more about mutual support - from each other and from government. Like the list below: Roads Airports National airlines Education Health care Sciences Public transport Housing Energy subsidies (mostly fossil fuels) The military Police Fire services Welfare (including old age pensions) Diplomatic services, including embassies Agricultural subsidies for farm production All sorts of standards agencies and their compliance departments Foundational insurance underwriting Finance underwriting (generally when banks fail) This isn't an exhaustive list, I've just got bored writing it. What can be added to it?
I think the US was founded by a certain type of Europeans. Many Europeans also dislike the British and French.
There is nothing the American public would like more than for Europe to help out more with the world policing. It's very expensive and difficult, and it benefits Europe (and others) as much as the US, whether individuals recognize it or not. AFAIK the UK helps out the most, followed by France. Germans though, even my close German friend, seem to agree with our enemies that the US should have just let the USSR and China conquer Korea, Vietnam, and anyplace else the US has fought in since WW2. Then the Germans say the US should do more for Ukraine, because it's close Europe and concerns them. It doesn't only matter if it's close to you. Before anyone comments, I do fully recognize that greedy military contractors are a problem, and the US government has been involved in some shady stuff, especially during Vietnam. However, the overall premise of 'global policing' helps everyone and everything the US did kept the USSR from being a much bigger threat to the world than it already was. My German friend even said no good came out of the Korean War recently. I was like, "What do you call South Korea?!" to which he replied that it doesn't matter. I was flabbergasted. To me, that's the same as saying, "Who cares about humans over there?". Hey, I'm fine with discussing corruption, but just saying the US shouldn't have done anything anywhere is handing places like Russia and others carte blanche to do whatever they want, and becoming a stronger threat in the process. BTW, I am a poliitical "lefty" and that does not change my perception on this.
Have Brits and Americans ever heard of Adam Smith? His book *Wealth of Nations* has been free on the Internet since 2001. He used the word 'education' Eighty Times. But he also wrote "read, write and account" multiple times. When have you heard the Left or the Right say that accounting/finance should be mandatory in high school? Adam Smith and Karl Marx never saw a planned obsolescence economy. Did John Maynard Keynes ever see a television commercial for an automobile? Karl Marx used the word 'depreciation' 35 times in the first two volumes of his major work. Ask an American economist for annual depreciation data on automobiles purchased by American consumers since Sputnik. Duh, has the Culture figured out how to cope with the planned obsolescence of technology? What is NDP, Net Domestic Product?
Ummm I’m not sure what to do with that comment…was it meant for another video perhaps?…
@@britingermany YOU mentioned the Left and the Right. What do you mean by CULTURE? Is it Mozart and Michaelangelo and Christianity. You talk about Americans in Australia. Were they White Americans? The difference between Manifest Destiny and Lebensraum is that the 7th cavalry didn't have tanks and gas chambers in 1876. What do YOU mean by culture. (Sorry, had wrong century) Double entry accounting is 700 years old, invented in Italy. Doesn't that make it more a part of European culture than Shakespeare?
Disinterested = impartial, unbiased, neutral; Uninterested = having no interest in.
Both are applicable in this context
This is a thoughtful video, but I have to say, in shame, that Americans have been treated appallingly by Europeans in the past 50 years or so. Europeans do indeed think that their culture is superior, but just look what it had decayed into by 1939. Dictatorship was the continental norm in so many European states. American tourists in Europe are frequently ridiculed by pompous conceited Europeans to an extent that would be regarded as racist if it applied to people from other countries. I am absolutely no sympathiser with Trump, but chickens are starting to come home to roost. There is a genuine feeling growing in the U.S.A. that they have been wasting their money on the defence of Europe. Some are returning to the isolationist opinions that dominated U.S. politics before 1941. Meanwhile, Europe is starting to realise that they have run their armed forces into the ground and would be highly vulnerable if Putin decided to put N.A.T.O. to the test. Fear of this possibility could force Europeans, by necessity, into appeasement. The E.U. is starting to look increasingly absurd, as it is the first empire in human history that has been constructed without any concern for its defence. The worst culprit here is Germany. For such a successful and wealthy nation to ignore the possibility of external dangers is almost criminally negligent. I would like to think that 2022 woke up Europeans, but even on this thread of replies I notice a stupid comment blaming the Americans for the invasion of Ukraine. The pointless bigotry against the country paying the bills for European defence continues. Future historians will have the final word on this sorry tale.
Unfortunately, historians at university are taught to find ways that Americans can be blamed for something first and foremost. They do this with the English, other European imperial powers and Rome and Greece before them. Other then the blame game, the other primary focus is on how to argue that all Western achievements were either copied, inspired or made possible by “Eastern wisdom.” Future history books will write about how the glorious forces of socialism slayed the ugly American beast and united the world under “one global order.”
Thanks for your comment. I think the West lacks a sustainable strategy. Something that unites us and takes away the ground from populist forces. Loyalty could be a strength if it is based on trust and refraining from blaming one another. Appeasement (change through trade) and cooperation once worked very well in Europe. Unfortunately, the idea of transferring this to Russia had no lasting success. The only thing that comes to mind is the accusation of being dependent on Russia and how you can trade with Russia, it also works with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, etc. If you see three ways to ensure peace, then it is a) a strong army b) appeasement c) prosperity transfer. A strong army is not possible for us in Germany due to the 2+2 agreement. Nobody's shaking it here. A better idea? Complexity does not disappear through simplification.
@menschin2 Thanks for your kind reply. I believe that the current size of the German (full time) armed forces is around 185,000. The agreement you refer to states that the figure should not go beyond 345,000. So, there is plenty of scope to expand within the agreement. Nobody is arguing for armed forces beyond that strength, as we are talking about a purely defensive force. Britain and France need to follow the same course. The main problem for Germany (as for all European countries) is the quality and quantity of existing military equipment. Clearly, there is an urgent need for investment in new technology. Normally, I entirely agree with you about trade being the best way to relieve tensions. Despite all we knew of the structure and nature of the Russian regime, I would have gone along with this up to February 2022. Then Putin actually invaded Ukraine. Threats and boasts are one thing, but deeds are another. He certainly crossed the line in terms of Western comprehension of his character. The behaviour is unprecedented since WW2. Since that time, the statements issued by the Kremlin have got crazier and crazier. Frequent threats of nuclear war and mentions of countries that Russia would like to either dominate or occupy are banded about. This could all be B.S., but we have to ask ourselves what sort of person is willing to lose the lives of 100,000 of his fellow countrymen in just two years. I fear that we have to take this seriously, otherwise we risk negotiations with a regime which has no intention to keep to any agreements. Obviously, we all know that Europe has been in this situation before. Anyway, thanks for the video. Warm Regards.
There are particular reasons why Germany didn't invest in defence, one of them being that other countries didn't want them to because of history. But I agree with large parts of the comment and yes it's about time Europe invested properly in its defence. The British are less guilty than most European countries of just leaning on the US. But the UK military was run down under the Conservative Government in the last 14 years. Strangely the Conservatives always do this.
Without US interference there would be no conflict in Ukraine or any other part of Europe. This is a fact. And this is true for many other regions of the world as well. So I am definitely FOR an isolationist attitude meaning that the USA stay on their continent where they belong.
One major reason is that Europeans do the same thing everyday, a routine. As many people do in the world and the U.S., the difference with the United States is that we will break our routine to sleep, have fun, do whatever.
It doesn't matter what they think
I've spent a lot of time in the US and I recall very well the first time I went there back in 1986 when we were told in our "welcoming speech" we should not be confused if people asked us where we came from and they would not understand the answer, so we should rather say "where all the Mercedes, Audi and Porsche come from than to say "from Germany" and we should not be confused because 80% of US citizens would not find the US on a world map. When travelling the country, I found this to be the case again and again - and I've been to almost all states. As someone put it so nicely: Many wars could have been prevented if it was mandatory that the president who wants to start that war would have to find the country he wants to attack on a world map first.
Well, I met someone that thought Germany is poor and Volkswagen, BMW and Porsche are US brands.
Most Americans cannot afford to travel our own country let alone the world. Besides why would you want to go somewhere you are hated. No thanks. Then we are told many countries do not like if you do not speak their language so why in the hell would you want to learn a language for a one- time visit?
@@Alltagundso I met all kinds of people from really well educated ones who enjoyed a conversation on nearly every topic to morons who called me a N**i just for being German and without having any clue of what the word actually means or where it comes from historically.
you asked "what has changed?". To paraphrase Clinton...."'its the internet, stupid".
Ironic since so many American traditions are German in origin.
There is honestly nothing which angers me more than hearing an American explain to me how much they understand my countries culture because they did a DNA test and are 15% English 😭
🤣haha yeah those DNA tests are pretty popular
How many Amricans have told you this? I don't find the assertion believable.
Yeah, it's equally as annoying as when Europeans (yes, I know Europe consists of many countries) think they are experts on the U.S because they went on vacation to Los Angeles and New York and think the whole country is like that completely leaving out the other 95 percent of us. Or even worse, they've only seen things about Americans on television and still think they are experts. Trust me, I've met tons of ignorant Europeans some putting Americans to shame.
@@britingermany And when you read again and again the word "caucasian" to describe what they see as "white European". I'm not sure whether I should feel insulted by the racist notion behind that word or just be disgusted about people thinking in those categories...
@@mogon721 I prefer Aryan :) oops, that must be my German ancestry showing!
As young man I saw the US as the good guy. Then I grew wiser and learnt what they have done to divide Europe with orchestration of the war in Ukraine. Than they blew up nordstream and now I dislike the country I was once born in.
Are you living abroad now?
@@britingermany I live in Mannheim, but I was born in Fresno/USA
I’m a patriotic American who agrees with a lot of the criticism from Europeans. I would prefer an America with mixed-use development, public transportation that would displace the automobile and socialized healthcare. I’m patriotic because America is at the vanguard of government by consent. None of the problems and contradictions of the country are insurmountable by democracy. If you take the longer historical view, you see the inexorable progress towards liberty and justice for all. My shoulder is at that wheel. We’re at an inflection point where the traditional powers of patriarchy and white supremacy are having their death throes. We all adopt frames that emphasize some points and diminish others.
You can emigrate to Europe then parasite
It’s called projection
Hi Ben, long no see for reasons of time and opportunity, but again, a very good video! Generally speaking, America has always been the country able to reinvent itself in new manners. A country that births new ideas and concepts and, in the end, finds a way. BUT, as we all have been witnessing since at least the turn of the century, this seems not to be the case anymore. A large part of the population follows an ideology that's aiming to restore the 19th century, so to speak, from guns to abortion, from education to matters of gender. It's not as if that was anything new. That part was always there, just like there is a part in the German population willing to vote for the unspeakable party of Russia-financed far-right traitors. But it has not been as strong and as reckless as it is now for decades. Think about the methods they are using to not only win elections but by literally rigging elections to win them with a clear *minority* of votes. And interestingly, Russia plays a role in American politics, too, with all their trolls working fulltime in social media to spread lies and fake news. And that's where the whole things comes whole circle with Brexit, Trump, and schAnde für Deutschland. But that's not all, of course. It's just one, albeit certainly interesting, aspect. For me, that pamphlete at 0:46 is the *quintessential* example of what's wrong with a large part of America, and it is essentially what many Europeans dislike about the states and their delusions. That man doesn't even come *close* to understanding that what he's writing about is indoctrination of the highest grade, not far from what happens in "great democracies" like Russia or China. What he's describing resembles an ideology or cult much more than anything else. We all do have our funny assumptions about us and others. But reality usually sets things right rather earlier than later. But the above is far more than just assumptions, it's a dangerous cult, and funny it is not. The problem is that more and more Americans begin to see through the self delusions and the indoctrination. Information is much more accessible now than just two decades ago. On many, it's dawning that what they are told in school and what they have been made to believe from every corner of the media for decades is not backed by what they are seeing all day. From homeless mass camps to billionaires buying politicians. From the infamous $400 bill more than a third would be unable to pay to health insurance CEOs owning islands in the Caribbean. From an oligopoly for infant formula leading to a serious shortage in the supposedly richest country in the world to infrastructure crumbling like never before. Those are the things that John and Jane Public can't bring together with the notion anymore that they are the greatest, or that they live in the greatest country. THOSE people who start thinking are not the ones Europeans dislike. It's the ones like this Mr. Jones and his followers, who live in a bubble of ignorance, self-importance, self-aggrandizement, and arrogance, and who are absolutely intolerable for everbody else. Of course, there is more to this aspect of what they call "hating America". The ones who got out have a much clearer view on what's wrong back home because they have the direct comparison to their new (and likewise far from perfect) country of residence. But in that new country, they will most probably never hear anybody telling them it was the best and greatest country on the planet. Yet, they see that in many aspects, it leaves their old home far behind., and that makes them reflect on why that is so, often met with disbelief or even anger when they start discussing it with their left-behind family and friends. Was it Mark Twain, one of those great Americans, who said something in the line that the best means against prejudice is travelling? And being the cult it is, of course, the belief system or ideology and its protagonists will try to mark the ones who opened their eyes as evil nest foulers in order to discredit them. Like Galileo when he took a look to the stars through his new toy, they will risk excommunication, hate, and ridicule if they dare say the truth about the world outside of the bubble and, above all, the truth about the inside... In short, it's enlightenment we like and backward ideology we despise. Be that in regard to America or other places much, much closer... Take care!
You looking for a real culture and very friendly people in America! Then go to the over hundred Red deer scent native American indigenous tribal Indian reservations in the entire USA. In every us state there are many very great Indian reservations there. My great inspiring wisdom for today. Have a great fabulous wonderful day.😀
American Indians are not indigenous their origins are Siberia, their ancestors crossed the Bering Sea. As to Their view of Europeans, while they got on well with the Pilgrims, they didn’t get on well with the Dutch and their banker owners in what was only New Amsterdam for a short time, who avariciously kept trying to defraud them. The same is true with their experience of the French in Canada who used them as pawns, even teaching them to scalp as the French paid them per English settler killed and they wanted proof of the body count.
Sure ancient European caveman. Later in your life you would comb your hair back words like a back words Mohawk. The boldness will eventually comes in. Then it will take over the top of your entire head! Have a great fabulous wonderful day.😀
I think it's a stereotype. I think let's of Europeans adore Americans. Just like many Americans adore Europeans. I mean, it's where America originated from, Europe.
The only thing I really don't like are the wars after 45, at least half of them weren't necessary. Personally, I was once acquainted or almost friends with a American woman. We gave birth at the same time. Actually, it could have been a deeper friendship, but she always brought gifts that were far too expensive. I couldn't afford that and didn't think it was appropriate. It felt like I was being bought. She brought gifts even though I specifically said she didn't have to. That's what I meant. That's why I ended it. Now, with more life experience, I would say she was very insecure herself.
Native Americans live on reservations and rarely travel outside the United States 🤔
The Native American reservations are now deemed literal independent nations - free of any US laws, taxations etc. They are doing very well.
Why Europeans are so overly critical and harsh towards the US in their criticisms? 1. "US number one" - We know what the sentiment inside US is about itself and we think it's super annoying. It's even more annoying when some Americans display that same attitude outside their own borders. 2. We're constantly being bombarded with everything American, including it's values, which most Europeans find troubling to say the least. 3. We feel we've been betrayed. Many people at some point believed in American media, which portrayed American life in s very unrealistic manner, showing only the prosperous and good sides of the country, and exaggarating how well ordinary people live. 4. American military operations all over the world with quite flimsy excuses. 5. Inferiority complex - despite many people believe genuinely that their lives are better where they are now, there's still this feeling that Europe is in the shadow of the US, and Europeans feel that the US needs to be taken down a bit. For some reason we bark all the time at the Americans, even those who are objectively very nice, if the context is cultural differences. This is the behaviour of people who have an inferiority complex and thus a great need to prove themselves. The unfriendliness of Europeans at times towards the US can be amazingly harsh, even when the US person never said anything offensive at all.
Well made and valid points. Thank you👍🏻
I do not dislike the Americans, I am sorry for them. They are stuck in a system that rips them off at any possible chance
Your new masters, replacing your old ones, will quickly have you all on your knees, facing their "holy" city, bottoms up as you say your five-times-a-day prayers. Of course, you're so used to being subjugated and will comply without a peep.
The negative perceptions of Americans has more to do with them being world travelers than that they are American. You're not going to travel half way around the world to live in a foreign culture if your not extremely social and self confident.
I grew up and lived in Chicago for 35 years. Also lived in Germany for 19 years (non-military). I could write a lengthy essay about the US and its society. Mostly negative. But after I smoke some weed my attitude becomes more mellow. I still despise the superficiality, materialism, patriotism, etc., which are disgusting, but I ridicule those cherished American values.
Hello Wally. I hope you are keeping well
6:47 "The largest platforms in the US tend to be left-leaning" - I'm not sure about that one. The US right critizes the US MSM as being leftwing, but it's not exactly true. The US MSM is in reality center-to center right, especially from a European perspective.
I would say that google, meta, apple are left leaning...
@@britingermany Maybe on social issues, but certainly not economic issues.
Because it’s all they tend to talk about it.
yes another country would have come up with something better: Weltnetz metager suse and probably something called Schnatterbox
I'm American here I don't care what anyone says about our country I really don't they don't affect my everyday living as simple as that who cares if we are overly positive it doesn't even really even matter and if they're trying to bring Wars into this most of us being against Wars if anything else and if other people dislike us well then that's just too bad get on the hate train and be like the other ones and pretty much life will just go on it doesn't matter if you treat us with respect we're going to treat you with respect as simple as that and if anyone in the comment section who has a problem with that all I'm going to do is just ignore you that is it
We’ll much do the content that I have seen is from Americans who a left the US or who travel a lot and so I guess they are confronted with this everyday. Anyway I hope you watched the video and didn’t just comment on the title…the situation is way more nuanced than most would have you believe
I have watched a few sites with comments by people in 5 or more European countries on the US and from Americans who have lived a substantial time in Europe. This is the first one that I have seen which is so pretentious. It is the only one that actually annoys me. I left the US long ago and your saying "self-loathing" is condescending. I left because "America" sucks and I recognized that. But I won't go through all the stuff you push because it would be too long. You must be around in your forties, so why do you pronounce the "t" in "often"? That has only come about with the rise of KZhead because of ignorant young Americans thinking that it makes them sound more educated and intellectual when actually it is just an affectation. Does anyone need your psychological analysis doctor? Not me certainly.
The brits are always projecting😂
The USA is wild still Thank God! Less than it used to be by the sad urban monoculture control of the media. Still it will be dismantled by our crazy creative and diversity inherent. Not the fake kind.
USA peaked late 50s into the 60s.
As a world power yes probably, although I think decline does not happen as fast as most people seem to believe
@@britingermany I am mostly thinking domestically. As an example, you could loan to the car and house, and few years later it was paid. The middle-class were “rich”. Working in a car plant in Detroit made you a lot of money, it really the good life for the middle class. The system has “screwed” the middle-class. No wonder many vote Orange. It started before the Orange, but the time when everybody wanted to live in the US is over.
Make America Great Again!
@@omegamale7880 In my mind, it can not be done. The rich has way too much power, thanks to Reagan. They will not give that power away.
@omegamale7880 That's just palingenetic ultranationalism AKA fascism.
World over every continent, every nation i.e. however you define it city, country or state. Politicians worldwide, seduce by the spell of greed, hardening their hearts, turning a blind eye to the misery they cause, now operating on the self interest aka “what’s in it for me!” Other nations are of the same mindset. Is there division and civil unrest? Worldwide, more than there has ever been. But make no mistake, those that do not have to have their phones surgically removed; those unaffected or not easily seduced by the tripe (excuse ‘content’) or the immature, idiotic rants of a person, just as unfit now as he was the first time - - and no, Biden’s no better; however, his saving grace is he lacks that hellbent vindictive-suicidal… From Napoleon, Hitler, all those like them that followed, as a nation, we survived and prospered. Where do I get my hope, where do “WE” get our strength? Yeah, yeah, we are the butt of bad jokes, the laughing stock of the northern hemisphere, for our “lack” of gun control! Punchline, is this: The protesters literally, took over the U.K, with violence and destruction; yet, in the U.S., not a single monument was touched! For the most part our street remained “peaceful.” Why? Because, “of ‘our’ guns!” In closing: No one should have to have a gun! Yet, ours is far from a perfect world. Here’s where I take my solace, ONE, knew nuclear weapons were coming, long before they got here! Ironic, between China, and Russia, it’s was given to the U.S! HIS, is a perfect plan, without mistakes. Regardless to the internet, or YouTUBE, the only ‘content’ I “TRUST” is “HIS,” plan! 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇸
TLDR don't blame you isn't worth it : There is a sub set that feels like it deserves the hate but that isnt being watched. This group just wants to find an excuse they can live with to walk away from the rest of the world but no reduction in US military. Double standards yep it's called Geopolitics we do play at that table. There is a sub set that feels that way for sure but that's not what you are seeing. At least not the self loaving part but as you stated this world police thing is old and many are trying to find a way out without feeling bad about it. Americans are for the main part still what they have been my whole life some are just showing their crazy a little more maybe. If the US public does somehow get its wish step off the world stage that will not come with a reduction in armed forces we are militant and that isn't going away for better or worse. Now I highly doubt that the public will get that wish but we hear the complaints about our actions or lack there of and wonder why we are catching the heat when most of the western governments were telling us it was a good idea but when it goes bad as it whatever it is seems to do its the US alone that gets the blame. While I understand that's not the whole truth that is how it is presented to the US public through our media. Does the US has double standards that's geopolitics in a nut shell every ones hands are dirty the west and the US above most problem is we are simi-open with our dirt and we have a lot of it. There is also a lot that we got nothing to do with but are still covered in it anyways maybe as close to the amount that somehow hasn't caught up to us yet.
The U.S. has paid for Europe’s defense for 80 years. Because of that, the U.S. hasn’t had the resources to accomplish other things.
So......no culture here???? We have the same history & culture as the Brits until 1776, and we merged with many cultures like Mexican, French, Italian, German etc plus cultures like th e Navajo that have been here thousands of years.
Did you actually watch the video…? I am responding to that quote and go into why it’s not true…
@britingermany YesI watched the entire video & my response was directed at them not you.
@@sonnystaton ok cool. Thanks for responding