Global Sentiments

[J.Pluta]

Global Sentiments

"It's a shame WE in the US are so quick to talk bad about entire groups of people just because of the acts of individuals." Not to get picky here, but it would seem that you are doing just that, Daniel. You are labeling the entire US based on your perceptions of a few individuals. I try quite hard not to do that; it doesn't even work when talking about Americans, since we are such a diverse lot. Joe

[dacust]

Global Sentiments

Chuck said: "I suspect that most of the world's mistrust for Americans is really a mistrust for American politicians" I agree, Chuck. We are extremely lucky that most of the world is much better at making this distinction than we are. Most people I talk to from other countries seem to recognize the difference between what our government does and what the ordinary US citizen thinks. Of course, they can still blame us for being apathetic and not demanding that our government be honest with us... etc. Even most statements from terrorists seem to see this difference, but they say they have to use terrorism to get our attention, since there seems no other way to get us interested in our government (and there better not be ANYONE to respond as if I am defending terrorism. I'm just stating their view.) It's a shame WE in the US are so quick to talk bad about entire groups of people just because of the acts of individuals. Most people when nailed down will admit that "Oh yeah, it's not ALL of them", but that doesn't stop them from saying "All those people....". We should watch how we state our views to make sure they are clear. While I'm on a tear, we should also be careful about the terms "U.S." and "America". People are not mistrustful of all American politicians, they are mistrustful of U.S. politicians. Lots of American politicians (Canadians, Peruvians, etc.) can be trusted. We should try to make sure that when we mean U.S. citizens we say that, and not "Americans". This way of speaking is seen by much of the world as being arrogant. (Sure, sure, many people in the world refer to us as the Americans, but much of the world does not). This is not a direct response to any one single comment made in this discussion, but just comments in general. (Chuck, you said "Americans" above. Don't take this too personally, cause you are not the only one doing this by a long shot. For the most part I think your language is objective.)

[J.Pluta]

Global Sentiments

Actually, Chuck, if you read the post I was floored by the pro-Hussein sentiment. But thank you for your input. Joe

Joe said: "But the overwhelming sense I got was that there are a large number of people in India who mistrust and/or hate America." I suspect that most of the world's mistrust for Americans is really a mistrust for American politicians. And, being an American, I think their mistrust is well founded. It's the nature of the profession that politicians will do whatever is necessary to keep their jobs. That includes lying and cheating. So, it's only natural that we, and the world, distrust them. The response you received from the Indians is only to be expected. I'm surprised you were "floored." chuck Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my employer.