Hmm... I apologize if I have offended anyone.
The fact is that I am not accusing anyone here. My comments were not about me disliking americans. As Facemaster said, I was trying to explain how americans are perceived abroad, and to support my statements by saying that I have, in fact, personally witnessed said behaviour which seems to rub non-americans the wrong way. Take it for what it's worth.
As an example, in a recent (well, 2 years ago about) trip to france, I have witnessed an american who got offended and became really loud and abusive because nobody in the small bistro's staff spoke good english. He demanded his menu to be presented in English, and to be served in English. I have witnessed another one telling a Frenchmen that unless France sided with the US on Iraq, that they'd risk being antagonized by the US and "suffer the consequences" and that for this reason alone they should side with the US. While eating a sandwich on a park bench, I overheard a tourist coming back from the Louvre telling his buddy that he couldn't understand why they had kept so many similar paintings of Christ. But, this just off the top of my head, and the list goes on.
Sure, this sort of nonsense happens with people from other countries, too. But the conclusion that I have come to, speaking with colleagues, business partners, tourists and locals, is that it observably happens more frequently with americans. I'm not just making it up. I'm just reporting on what I've seen, and when I've discussed this with others, what's been said to me.
Some may be offended by the statement that people in other countries don't like americans. Hey, it's not my fault. That's like Bobby getting upset at Tim because Tim says that Joe doesn't like him very much. The fact is that many foreigners don't like americans, for whatever reasons, and that's that. They have their reasons for disliking them. These reasons may be legit, or they may be a skewed perception of reality.
On this point, Langeweile's been very quick to defend Americans by pointing out that foreigners "don't get what America is all About". Well, that is certainly a totally valid point, but upon closer scrutiny that point actually makes my case: while I don't doubt that there exists a possibility that the rest of the world has you figured out all wrong, then you have to admit that if this is true then there's a definite problem in the way Americans promote their culture to the rest of the world...
...Which actually brings us back to the main issue, that for some reason, be it through personal behaviour or media exposure, Americans seem too rub non-americans the wrong way.
On a side note, have you ever considered that there might be some legitimacy to the worldwide (or Eropean, canadian, whatever) anti-american feeling? For the sake of argument, could it be possible that Americans exhibit more arrogance towards the rest of the world than the other way around, and that the "The High & Mighty Euro Arrogance" (for example) is simply a response to this?
Finally, if someone comes in my country and says that he's here to "fuck my women and piss in my streets", I'll say "Screw you". Does that make me arrogant? Maybe. Perhaps I should say "Thank you" but somehow that doesn't feel quite right.
LAV.
PS: as is usual in this kind of discussion, people (doesn't matter which side) are rarely willing to accept their own shortcomings or the ones of their culture's & way of life. The natural response to someone telling you you're wrong is to spring into a defensive action, heating up the discussion, rather than to consider that they may have a valid point and reconsider your point of view.
There would be a lot more peace in this world if we were more willing to properly (and intellectually honestly) consider all aspects of an opinion.
.............bla bla bla, ok, now i am just fucking bored, off ot start a new topic.
