The "funny" part about this sentiment is that the American government (and American citizens by extention) really can't win for losing.
Step in to "help" when asked (in whatever form that aid takes) and the US gets bashed... keep out of it and the US gets bashed.
Go in strong and get called a bully, tread more carefully and be blamed for things not being sorted out quickly / harshly enough.
There are some Americans who are actively lobbying (whether local or national level - probably both) to adopt more isolationist attitudes and policies. Sometimes I'd agree with them.
"...according to more recent research by a political historian of the era,
Ervand Abrahamian , deaths numbered in the dozens rather than the
thousands under the SAVAK, far fewer than the several thousand
prisoners are estimated to have been killed in the Islamic Republic that
followed. While some prisoners during the Shah's era were tortured,
prisoners' letters were much more likely to use words such as "boredom"
and "monotony," to describe their confinement than "fear," "death,"
"terror," "horror," and "nightmare" ( kabos ), the common descriptors found
in letters of prisoners of the Islamic Republic."
.
I'll be the first to admit that the US isn't perfect. There are many things about it I don't particularly care for. The unbelievably unhealthy partisanship in domestic politics, for one. The Bush years were a disaster of failed foreign policy. My bafflement at the lack of some kind of universal healthcare system to this day, etc..
But when all is said and done, there are much worse places in this world deserving of much more scorn and contempt. If I were to make a list of the worst countries to live in, the US wouldn't even make the top ten.
To the OP, try not to take all the criticism personally. Remember it's not your country as whole people have a beef with, but your federal government.
that being said, you'd be really stuck if you tried to find a bush supporter in many parts of the u.s. and in other you will find only bush supporters for long distances. i have been lucky to grow up where i did, especially given the opportunities and experiences i have had because of that. i have not always been proud of being "american" for obvious reasons, but one thing i have always been thankful for is the fact that i could start my life in a poverty stricken area in the bronx with a single mother on welfare, have the chance to study in a wonderful ( and free!) nyc public school being surrounded by over 97 different languages, travel when i work hard enough to support it, protest in the streets when i disagree with something and be exposed to a huge wealth of really imaginative, creative and innovative musicians and artists who begin movements- both artistic and political, from the ground up. people can say what they want about the u.s and i won't argue with them because most of it's true- but the sense of optimism, energy, creativity, openness, acceptance and movement that i feel in my city in the u.s, so far, as much as i love my new home, is unmatched. there is definitely a hunger, a push and a discomfort among many americans with recent situations that spark creativity and change- this i am proud of because it could have easily ended in a cynical, stagnant and morose feeling among most.
as for those crappy reality tv shows and such- their not only popular in the u.s and thankfully not everyone is really watching them!
I can't (and won't) speak for every American but of course, for myself I can say this:
The hand on the heart and the lump in the throat has to do with a number of things.
My great great great great (plenty of greats actually) grandparents on my father's side who came over from Britain as indentured servants (read: slaves for all intents and purposes) and eventually carved a life for our line.
My great great grandparents (some from both sides) who left destitution and degredation from Ireland and Lithuania (to name just two) to come to America for a better life - and found it.
My granfathers who both served in the US Navy WW2... who were simply men who had grown up in poverty and were trying to make a living and followed orders.
My own parents as well as a variety of uncles who also served in the military... and who simply followed orders. Most especially my father who gave up university to join the Marines and was sent to Vietnam. My father who had been the "big man on campus" type but left it to do what he believed was right.
Think what you may but there are STILL people coming to the US from many places around the globe to find a better life from what they left behind - keep in mind that the ideal of what constitutes "better" is quite subjective - and finding it waiting for them there.
That's plenty inspiration for me to get a bit teary at hearing a whole stadium full of people singing along with the national anthem.
Nothing wrong with a bit of diversity in the world - and Americans are as entitled to be weird as the citizens of any strange little European republic...
Setting aside the greater political and social issues for the moment, the elephant in the room, if you will, what is really bugging me is the ubiquitous notion that is accepted and even expected that trashing America is the norm rather than the exception.
For example, when I meet someone new, say from France or wherever, the first thing that comes out of my mouth is not negative, it's about how beautiful their country is or the wine or whatever. But I am shocked how often that is not the case for Americans. It's like it's open season on us and it's OK and somehow not rude. I just need to develop a thicker skin, I guess!
BTW, that was indeed a typo in my initial post. I am well aware that we are not at war with Iran--yet. However, something tells me that the first people they decide to nuke will not pick up the phone and call Moldovia for help. Pretty sure that call will go to that horrible bully, the dire and despicable US of A.
Johnny Depp
Gwenyth Paltrow
Kevin Spacey
Tom Hanks
Leonardo DiCaprio
Susan Sarandon
Tom Robbins
Sean Penn
Matt Damon
The Hoff
.
(See the little red bit in between Germany, Italy, France, Austria, the Balkan peninsula, Iberia, Scandinavia...)
Americans who might not be so well informed about international affairs live here:
(See the big yellow bit between Mexico and, er, Canada)
Spot the difference?
So I guess it is a color code:
red = "well informed"
yellow = "less well informed"
"
The American Thinker is a daily conservative website dealing with American politics , national security , economics , diplomacy , culture , and military strategy . [[1]](http://www.englishforum.ch/#cite_note-0) The articles published are often mentioned on The Rush Limbaugh Show , and the site has been mentioned in leading newspapers including Le Monde , [[2]](http://www.englishforum.ch/#cite_note-1) The Guardian , [[3]](http://www.englishforum.ch/#cite_note-2) and the New York Times .
Writing in The Nation about what he describes as "a smear campaign" against Barack Obama , Ari Berman says "At the fulcrum of this effort is a little-known blogger from Northbrook, Illinois, named Ed Lasky, whose articles on AmericanThinker.com have done more than anything to give the smear campaign an air of respectability." [[4]](http://www.englishforum.ch/#cite_note-3)
Writing in the New York Times , Felicity Barringer credited American Thinker with initiating a public outcry over a California plan to require programmable thermostats which could be controlled by officials in the event of power supply difficulties. [[5]](http://www.englishforum.ch/#cite_note-4)
The publisher of American Thinker is Thomas Lifson, and the Political Director is Richard Baehr. Key staff also include Rick Moran and J. R. Dunn. AT reserves "the right to be partisan", hence donations are not exempt from taxes. [[6]](http://www.englishforum.ch/#cite_note-5) "
Says it all in my opinion...
[](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/The_British_Empire.png)
...is this another of those euphoniums?
.