English soccer fans demonstrating subtlety and refinement for the benefit of us crude Yanks.
Posted on 07/03/2006 9:26:03 PM PDT by familyop
Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, when Americans celebrate Independence Day. But a YouGov survey for The Daily Telegraph suggests that the Stars and Stripes will be flying at half mast in the eyes of most Britons. There has probably never been a time when America was held in such low esteem on this side of the Atlantic.
A majority of Britons think American culture and the actions of the present American administration are making the world a worse place to live in, and almost no one believes America is now, if it ever was, a beacon to the world. Well over half of those interviewed regard the US as an imperial power bent on dominating the world by one means or another.
President George W Bush's standing in this country could scarcely be lower. More than three quarters of Britons believe the current president is a "poor" or even "terrible" world leader and almost as many believe that his rhetoric about promoting the cause of democracy in the world is merely a cover for his promotion of American national interests.
Americans as individuals are still held in high regard in Britain, but America's role in the world is not. The so-called "special relationship" may still thrive in Downing Street and at Camp David but it has obviously atrophied among the British public.
As the figures in the chart show, a large majority of Britons like Americans as people either "a little" (49 per cent) or "a lot" (21 per cent) and more than half, 54 per cent, are inclined to feel positively about the US in general. There are certainly few signs in YouGov's findings of an across-the-board anti-American prejudice.
The core problem is with America's relations with the rest of the world. George W Bush is no Franklin D Roosevelt, Dwight D Eisenhower or John F Kennedy. All of those American presidents inspired respect. Mr Bush appears to inspire nothing but contempt. Fully 69 per cent of Britons say their overall opinion of the US has gone down in recent years.
YouGov also asked respondents to assess the Bush administration's impact on the world beyond America's shores. Their assessment is overwhelmingly negative. Fewer than one quarter, 22 per cent, believe that the present American government's policies and actions make the world a better place to live in. Three times that proportion, 65 per cent, regard America's influence in the world today as predominantly malign.
The reputation of American culture - fast-food restaurants, popular music, Hollywood movies - stands somewhat higher, with more than a third of YouGov's respondents approving of America's worldwide cultural impact. Even so, more than half of those interviewed, 52 per cent, clearly regard America's impact as, on balance, pernicious.
The figures in the section of the chart headed "America, Bush and the world" paint an even bleaker picture. Many Americans like to think of the US as a beacon to the world - as its "last, best hope". That view is not shared in this country. Only one in nine Britons, 11 per cent, accepts that view. A massive 77 per cent appear positively startled by the idea that the US may currently be setting the rest of the world a good example.
As the figures in the chart also show, confidence in America's ability to handle problems outside its own borders has plummeted over the past three decades. The Gallup Poll in 1975 found that roughly a quarter of Britons, 27 per cent, had considerable confidence in American leadership. That figure has now fallen by more than half to a mere 12 per cent.
President Bush's personal ratings in this country are horrendous. Almost no one holds him in high regard as a world leader. Fully 34 per cent think he is a "pretty poor" leader and even more, 43 per cent, reckon he is "terrible" in that role.
Opinion polls rarely produce figures quite as negative as these. Moreover, a majority of Britons regard the US President as not only incompetent but also as a complete hypocrite. As the findings in the chart indicate, 72 per cent of YouGov's respondents reckon Mr Bush cares little for democracy and is merely using his pro-democracy rhetoric as a pretext for pursuing selfish American interests.
Even more of YouGov's respondents, 76 per cent, think that, even if the president really does want to promote the cause of freedom and democracy in the world, he is not going about it in the right way. Hardly anyone - a mere nine per cent - thinks Mr Bush is performing well, even in his own terms.
The view that America aspires to ultimate world domination is only a little less widespread. Despite America's anti-imperial past, well over half of YouGov's respondents, 58 per cent, reckon it is now fair to describe the US as "an essentially imperial power, one that wants to dominate the world by one means or another". Only 28 per cent dismiss such a view as unwarranted.
The section of the chart headed "How the US looks to us" will also make grim reading for America's many admirers. Respondents were offered pairs of contrasted words and phrases and asked to say which of each pair they thought best described the US today.
The figures turn much of America's self-image on its head. From this side of the Atlantic, America appears to be a class-divided and racially divided society and one that fails to offer its citizens equality of opportunity. Nearly three quarters of Britons, 72 per cent, believe American society is essentially "unequal".
More predictably, most Britons believe America is dominated by big business and preoccupied with money. Large majorities of Britons look down on America as "vulgar" (65 per cent) and "uncultured" (56 per cent).
Perhaps most worrying in political terms is the almost universal sense in this country that the US is determined to go its own way in the world, with an almost casual disregard for everybody else. Roughly three quarters of Britons think the US is "badly led" (73 per cent), "ignorant of the outside world" (73 per cent) and "doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks" (83 per cent).
Still, some individual Americans and US institutions do strike a chord on this side of the pond. As the figures in the chart indicate, YouGov's respondents take a positive view of such diverse American phenomena as Microsoft,
Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, the Disney theme parks and television comedies such as Friends and The Simpsons.
They take a much dimmer view - or so they say - of 4x4 recreation vehicles, McDonald's, the two Hilton sisters Paris and Nicky and, unsurprisingly, Michael Jackson. YouGov's very last question was also the bluntest: "If you could, would you like to go and live in the United States?" A considerable minority, 19 per cent, replied that they would but more than three times that proportion, 67 per cent, indicated that they would prefer to stay put or go to some other country.
YouGov elicited the views of 1,962 adults across Great Britain online between June 26 and 28. The data have been weighted to conform to the demographic profile of British adults as a whole. YouGov abides by the rules of the British Polling Council.
I like Mad Ivan. He's my buddy and he's kewel!
Churchill and Maggie T. are OK.
But Mad Ivan has class.
I have a Native "North" American Friend from El Paso, Texas whose ancestors come from that area (Tigua and Ysleta). He would disagree with your statement about Mexicans coming back into "their" land as his tribe was there before the Mexicans.
Mexicans are a mix of European Spaniard and Native Central American Indian (Aztec and Mexica descent). Funny how they consider the US evil imperialists but still speak the "imperialist Spanish language".
Mad Ivan left - see his about page; got a bit miffed by the anti-Brit threads!
I would not move to America - but not because I don't like it. I do plan to holiday/vacation in the near future though.
I don't like everything about America; I don't like everything about Britain either.
A lot of people who don't like America (such as the BBC)here in the UK don't like Israel either and after that they don't like Britain or anything it stands for depending on how much to the left they are; they will tend to support our enemies - whatever they do its our fault for something we're doing at the moment (Iraq) (George Galloway anyone?)or 200 years ago whatever.
People such as this tend to be vocal and express their opinions at every opportunity as opposed to the silent majority who tend to be conservative in their outlook. The reality might be shocking - see the re-election (3 times)of Thatcher who at one point was the most unpopular prime minister since the war.
What empire is that?
The way some of the crowd on here react you would think that we were enemies rather than allies fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
And as you will have to agree with me as that goes for all countries and definitely includes America.
As a user of Freerepublic for many years, I know the same negative feelings for other countries is very strong in America as well.
LOL read some of the replies on here it doesn't take much to wind people up and get a good old anti everyone except me attitude going.
Most of those polled have probably never been to America and get all there negative views from the media, just as many on this very site I have debated with have never been to Britain or Europe and get all there negative views from the media.
The media both right and left have done more to divide us than anything the Muslims can do.
Mark Steyn is a good example of this.
All he does is play to the crowd, it might look like he is talking sense but he isn't, he just mouths a lot of cliches and sound bites that sound good because it helps to support a negative view you might hold.
I have nothing but respect and admiration for the democrat state of the United Kingdom, and consider Briton's our friends (even if some may not few it's mutual) but I believe the proof is in the pudding, i.e. the numbers of immigrants or foreign workers.
Actually, to be honest, I believe this article is more a "slam" or insult to Briton's that Americans.
SFS
English soccer fans demonstrating subtlety and refinement for the benefit of us crude Yanks.
"more an insult to Briton's that Americans."
..should read"
"more an insult to Briton's than Americans."
Yep, the world's losers hate the constant reminder of how far short they fall when measured against the American gold standard.
I hope I'm still alive when they have to measure themselves against Ind-jah.
>>When you have over quarter million men under arms propping up 'friendly' governments around the world you're running an empire.
You mean like Germany and the UK? Two countries in which we have a considerable military presence, for starters.
"One in three people in the UK regularly suffers paranoid or suspicious fears, clinical psychologists have found."
(from: Paranoia 'a widespread problem')
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1659925/posts
Nothing's changed. Brits didn't think much of the colonists three hundred years ago, either. What they wanted was America's wealth...lumber, furs, etc., and they considered the colonists vulgar, crass, arrogant, and stupid. The UK (and the EU), still wants to use the US as a mule. Happy Independence Day! Today is a really big poke in the eye to the UK!
What really makes them mad is the fact that we don't care what they or any other country thinks of us and we make no bones about it. They can't stand being ignored.
We get defensive because the UN and Liberals want to take over the US. We'd live under international law...and we got a taste of that last week from the Supreme Court...we'd pay taxes to the UN, every last man jack like it or not...we'd supply the armies and munitions needed for UN military excursions. The EU -- France, Belgium, et al (our betters), would do the thinking for us because they're cultured and smart. All the things we're not. Nothing's changed in all these years. If a vote were held tomorrow, we'd still take up arms against the king. Any king.
There's something special about the air or water in America. It changes you. 'Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'. We take that very seriously, it's mother's milk to every American.
Mexico's 'integrating' with the US, and US policy makers are talking on TV about going down and fixing Mexico's education system...since so many Mexicans are illiterate. (When they get here, they're unskilled, most can't speak English, and are almost unemployable except for rough work.) Now they're discussing fixing Mexico's roads. This in advance of that superhighway they're ramming through. The North American Union is becoming a reality, and the Bush admin. is betting we'll absorb Mexico, not the other way around. God help us.
A few months ago, Fox suggested we 'invest in rebuilding Mexico's infrastructure' as a way of luring Mexicans home. It's extortion, of course. And there's news that their oil fields are going dry, which will blow a huge hole in their economy. Millions more will head north. The truth is our neighbor to the south is a corrupt third world country, and now we're being told we have to fix it...on their terms and our dime. So the empire will grow, even though most Americans loathe the idea. The North American Union is not what we want and not who we are.
[Britian falls out of love with America]
America got a divorce from Britian over two hundred years ago and they just now fell out of love with us? Boy, talk about holding a flame.
Happy Declaration of Divorce, everybody.
Unfortunately, with thousands of air flights a day into the US, we can't keep foreign influences out for long. The oceans aren't wide or deep enough to keep them out. We're being invaded, not just by Mexicans, but every other nation to the south, and everyone else who can get here by hook or by crook. Isolationism is a wonderful dream, but globalization (big business' greed), killed it, and I'm still in mourning.
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