World View of America
Americans are not the only ones with opinions
By Michelle Balazs
The average American’s
view of the United States is that they cannot be beat, “We
are number one.”
This is the typical American attitude, and because of this sense
of superiority, Americans are seen as cocky, hotheaded people.
For U.S. citizens there is no other way than the American way.
We are the ultimate country. As social critic Jedediah Purdy once
wrote, “…being American is just being human…[We]
secretly believe that everyone is born American, but that certain
people become something else do to bad upbringing.” Of course
this idealism is not how the entire country views the world, and
yes it is more exaggerated than the true view of how Americans
feel about each other, but if America were to take a look through
the world’s eyes rather than America’s maybe we would
see differently.
Purdy did interviews in Indonesia, China, India, Egypt and elsewhere,
and it was concluded that many would want to live in the United
States, others would like to have our freedom and affluence in
their own countries but many also said they would be happy to
see America destroyed.
Why would other nations see the great United States as an arrogant
nation? Could it be that when other countries may have troubles
America feels it’s their job, being the big bad nation that
some see it as, to interfere. When the tsunami struck Indonesia,
American troops were sent to help the relief effort, but as they
arrived, the Indonesian government wanted them off of their land
and gone. They soon changed their minds, but they felt hostile
toward the United States, and feared that we could take control
of their country. Although that was not America’s intent,
the Indonesians were intimidated, and fearful. Americans ask the
world to evaluate the cover of the USA’s book by its intentions,
but in the end most judge America by its actions.
A lot of other countries’ views of America are based around
September 11 and President Bush, and the actions of the President.
“In a nine-country survey by the Pew Research Center for
the People and the Press, pollsters found that the Bush administration’s
moves toward war in Iraq coincide with growing resentment and
hostility toward America in general and Bush in particular.”
Perhaps the world’s view of America is not just affected
by the President. Junior Caroline Evans stated, “America
is a great nation. No matter what we do, other nations will hate
us.” The world is not American-made, and the different perspectives
of the world are not based on American beliefs. Americans need
to open their eyes to a world beyond the shores of the United
States.
Whether it is truly believed that Americans are superior to the
world, or they are simply misjudged, there is the idea that we
believe ourselves to be the “ultimate country,” and
Americans in truth are looked down upon. It is the job of young
Americans, as the future of this country, to bring about a change
of opinion in other nations.
