I'm a European youth and we don't hate America, we hate your administration. I love the idea of the constitution and all of that, but for God's sake you need to chuck George "It's just a pice of goddamn paper" Bush and his crappy administration out.
This is totally typical during a conflict. It's not surprising that this attitude among youths in countries other than the US is present. These polls are targeting people between the age of 20-34 or under the age of 30 as stated, those that were not even alive during the last major conflict, which was Vietnam. So of course now that there is a conflict/war, there is bad feelings. And although I may not always like the decisions of our US leaders, I'm still a patriot and I get seriously pissed when people bash my president and my country as a whole. Although people may not believe in the reason the US troops are Iraq, you should ALWAYS support the TROOPS who are there. These young people joined the military to serve their country and give their lives for what the believe in.....freedom. We needn't judge the country on bad decisions made by our leaders. That is why we have a democracy and can vote those leaders out if we are not happy with what they are doing. I imagine we should just let the world spit on us and do nothing about it to keep the rest of the planet happy. Perhaps we should have just let Japan and Germany crush the world back in the 30's and 40's and let the communist walk all over us in the 50's, 60's and 70's with Korea and Vietnam. The way I see it, the world kind of owes us a big thank you and instead we are always the target of hate and violence. We didn't ask to be put in those situations in the past and we don't always make the right decisions when confronted with a new kind of horror, but the people of the US as a whole are genuinely good people with good intentions to raise a family and make an honest living.
I'll sort of agree with SPQQKY. It's not the troops' fault that they are sent out to a questionable war. Well, to the extent that they decided to join, but look at it from a soldier's perspective. They signed up for the love of their country (or guns and tanks), and are putting their lives on the line. Vietnam veterans would tell you how much it sucked to see their friends blown apart by grenades or penetrated by sharpened bamboo booby traps, only to go home to a bunch of ungrateful hippies and protesters. I'm not supporting America's war, but I can say that the honest soldier sure doesn't deserve the treatment. It's also hypocritical of many Americans to criticize the war. It is these types of foreign policies which allowed America to maintain their status as the only superpower, and it's heavy consumptive habits.
It is a fundamental truth that everyone is responsible for their own actions. It's not their fault they were sent there, but their actions while there are. They have the choice of not going, which given the political environment actually takes more guts. The "I'm just a soldier, I do as ordered" defense was thrown out in the Nuremberg trials. The uniform does not remove responsibility. The lives you take are still human lives, the hurt you inflict is still on other people. Go to youtube and look a some of the uploads showing soldiers laughing after firing an AT-4 into a house; listen to the comments they make after shooting people they aren't even sure about. They are responsible for that. I know it's a dirty combat zone, and that some of them don't want to be there. But they do have a choice, about going and their actions while there.
I'm not supporting all of them. There's definitely the lot which chose to be there, wants to be there, and do horrible things. That's given. But what of those who don't want to be there? Feel they have to take their orders despite not always agreeing with them? What about those who signed up to serve pre-9/11 and now find themselves holding a rifle to a questionable "enemy"? Of course everybody has a choice. But some things aren't so easy to chose, and it's nobody else's call. Is it really that easy to say no to something when all of the people who you think are your friends, your family, your loved ones, and your government expects something of you? It's hard to fight socialization. It's not impossible, but I'd defend that sometimes, it's easier said than done. But don't for a second think I support all the troops. I don't even care much for America's army or any army, or any war. I'm just trying to say that some of these men and women deserve our empathy, and not our high-minded opinions in issues too complex or remote to understand.
Seems to me that the best way to support the troops is to quit wasting their lives in a pointless, and criminal war. The lives of a nation's youth are part of a nation's treasure and when we expend that treasure in an attempt to bully the rest of the world and steal their treasure (Iraq's oil), then it lessens all of us as citizens of that nation.
I'm an English youth and I dislike America based not on the Iraq situation, which my country is equally 'guilty' of and wherein I can seperate the acts of the government and wishes of the people. No, I dislike America based on the attitude to the environment and the refusal of the administation to co-operate with the rest of the world. I realise that most individual Americans are alright people, indistinguishable from anybody else in the modern world, but I dislike the culture there and the way it is focused on soothing and misguiding individuals away from caring about the environment. Rant, over.
You believe that caring(we could say "stewardship") for the environment should be the ultimate aim for man/nations?
I think it should be one of the main concerns, alongside the other usual stuff: poverty, famine, war.
The main concern for a nation should be the wellbeing and prosperity of it's subjects, the environment comes under this banner. Agreed the troops have some responsibility, but at the end of the day you can't stand up like that and say no. My father has been a troop since before the first Gulf war and he did have to go to Iraq this time around regardless of his own views of the place (lets just say he wasn't happy about it).
CardJoe aren't you someone who uses a powerfull computer on a regular basis? There seems to be a fair bit of hypocracy there. My view of the US? Yes, it's complicated. It's a huge country. It's almost (but not quite) like asking me for my view of Europe. There are a lot of different opinions, beliefs, people, and thoughts going on in that nation. It's a great nation in many ways, certainly it's done a lot for the world over the years, some good some not so. Now? Well obviously GWB has annoyed me greatly. The fact that he stole and election and then got elected speaks quite a lot to the ignorance of a large part of the populace imo. But I certainly don't blame that entirely on the populace, just the crappy US media. The opinion of many non-brits I've met seems to be more extreme, just that people from the US are loud, violent, obnoxious and arrogant. I don't know if that's just the people I've met from around Europa or whether it's a more common view throughout the mainland in general. Of course it's important to remember that most people on this planet, regardless of nationality, are really really stupid. Especially young people. Good to see views finally starting to mature a little though beyond the "america boohiss" or "america f*** yeah!" standpoints.
The media contributes to the view that all Americans are loud fat morons as well. Think of the countless films that portray Americans like that or TV like Top Gear.
To be honest, I think that parts of that are true. The US is, afterall, the fattest nation on earth. And in my experience, and that alone, they do seem to be a noisier people. I reckon we see two very different views of the US. We see the beautifull intelligent considerate super-duper being of the OC, of Lost etc. and we see the stereotypical fat annoying moron or redneck. We don't see much in between.
Yeah I have to agree with this. I'm friends with quite a few Americans, but some of the less educated ones are intolerably ignorant. "I hate Russians" was what one of them said. He has been to Russia? No. Does he know any Russians? No. He's being fed lies are stereotypes by the media, and he's too stupid to make his own opinion. Incindently he says he hates the French too. And don't say "well that's just one guy" I've seen plenty like this out of a small sample....
I do use a computer. That doesn't make me a hypocrite though, especially since I use it with all the power saving measures I can. I also don't drive, recycle, never leave my TV on standby and take every measure I can in my flat to ensure that I keep my carbon footprint as low as I can. In Ascot it isn't as feasible without a garden, but at home we would keep compost heaps and grow our own food as much as possible, use public transport etc. I use a PC for work and for enjoyment, cutting back as much on my pollution as I can. All I ask is that others try the same - it's not exactly a remote, hippy lifestyle you have to lead as a result.
