Conclusion.
My blog yesterday really opened my eyes. The question was what did people from other countries think of the happenings here in the US at this time.
What I got from the responses was that other countries think we are ...
1). Arrogant.
2). Ignorant
3). Fat
4). Lazy
5). Stupid
6). Un-healthy
7). And we just let people die in the street due to no medical care.
I am floored to say the least. 
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Willow, and when those
Willow, and when those "foreigners" start paying taxes in this country then I will start seeing their opinion of Americans as "valid" until that time they can bugger off. I could care less how other countries view America. Especially since we subsidize many of these countries. If our foreign aid policy and revenue was based on their opinion, you can bet they would get no funding. But hey, clearly we send a message in America that says, "It's ok to hate us and treat us like shit because we probably deserve it. Here's some money for you. We'd much rather give it to you then help our own people." I'm more concerned with what Americans think of America... just saying.
And you wonder why we find
And you wonder why we find you as a people to be arrogant???
Your country does not in fact subsidise mine..... in fact i think economically my country is in far healthier state than yours but meh who cares..... according to you guys you rule the world and your opinion is the only one that counts.
I am always amused at peoples perceptions of my country and in general i take them with a grain of salt.... what i do do is be polite and respectful about their rights to have them and if their ideas about my country are misguided i would perhaps politely set them straight.
No need to be rude about it after all....
I agree princess...I was just
I agree princess...I was just so surprised at some of the responses.
Edit to add... I was surprise at the responses and the gusto at how some responded to how bad it is here in the US.
My lovely Willow, I'm not
My lovely Willow, I'm not surprised by anything anymore. I always like to remember that if it is so bad here, why are people constantly beating down the doors to get in? It may suck here in a lot of ways, and believe me I could list them with gusto, but it's better than 90% of the alternatives. Ask yourself, do you have money in your wallet? Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have a job? Do you have money in the bank? Do you have access to clean water and food? These may sound simple but there are people living in the most deplorable conditions throughout the world in abject poverty who probably think this isn't such a bad place to make a life...
I know..I love America! Even
I know..I love America! Even though I don't like what is happening right now.
I guess so many negative responses, just put me on the defensive first thing this morning!! lol
I think 1-6 are pretty
I think 1-6 are pretty spot-on. I can absolutely see why other countries would see us that way.
Really?...I just don't see
Really?...I just don't see it. I am pretty patriotic though.
I think that individually, this can be said about people from ANY country in the world.
It's not about being
It's not about being patriotic or not.
The US is by far the most obese country in the world. We import more than we export and survive by accumulating mass amounts of debt. We have a culture that encourages and supports people who don't want to work by raising taxes and social welfare programs. When ranked against other nations, our education system consistently falls short; our students rank and test well below the top 10 in the world.
I love the US, and I don't want to live anywhere else (just yet). But blindly claiming to be the "best in the world" just because I'm a patriot is silly.
Bless you, Coooookies! That
Bless you, Coooookies! That was a great response to your hubs and inlaws. The government has little to do with the American people. If you want to get to know America, you need to get out in it. Many people here are wonderful, diverse, big-hearted individuals but that's rarely portrayed in the media.
"l find most people hate the
"l find most people hate the government, of which l explain has nothing to do with the American people." .. this is our biggest problem.
Now that, I would say, is a
Now that, I would say, is a fair assessment.
This is where I get confused
This is where I get confused too. I am in Texas and our economy is booming. The main problem we have here is that we do not have enough people to fill jobs. Well...actually we have the people, but a lot don't want to work.
They think they should start out making 50 grand a year. No one believes in starting at the bottom and working your way up, anymore. That is how my generation did it.
We started out poor and worked HARD to work our way up and make more money. I ate ramen MANY nights when I was just starting out. I am now in management. It took many years, but that is how it usually goes.
Now a days...people won't take a fast food jobs because it does not earn much and it is beneath them. GAG.
I'm American born and raised
I'm American born and raised and ashamed of most (not all) of my fellow citizens. Even though not everyone fits 1-6 If you watch our television shows, news programs, and social networks I completely agree that Americans, a good portion of them unfortunately fit those descriptions. They are also our voters. The problem as I see it is we are raising children to be spoiled and entitled, it's parents that have screwed that up, our education system sucks, again parents because they forget they are responsible for their children's education and prefer to blame the schools, teachers, and any mental disorder that will drug heir kids and make life easy for them and our government and no child left behind. Not all but definitely enough over the last couple of generations we are where we are because of those things as well as a long list of screw ups between our government, citizens, and large corporations. Can we just blame helicopter parents? I'm pretty sure that's where it started. (my opinion of course)
This country is fine, it will
This country is fine, it will survive this administration. It may take years, but it will survive. As for what other countries think of us, if they think we are in such bad shape, stop taking our money and stop all immigration into this country.
Sad thing is most people do not understand economics. This shut down only proves how much waste their is. No one is dying in the streets....
Just remember this and vote republican next time...Get this idiot out of office...
He is responsible....He won't
He is responsible....He won't bend on the healthcare bill and that is what it will take to get the republicans talking. He does not compromise and his last press conference he was all over the place and nothing he said made any sense....
The military isn't and
The military isn't and shouldn't be exempt from budget cuts and funding reductions.
War vets are one thing, and it's sad that your family isn't getting the burial benefit considering his war service.
It seems to really rub some
It seems to really rub some people the wrong way .. but if I were trying to balance a budget, military would be the FIRST place I started making cuts.
And don't get me wrong, I have a TON of family and friends that are current/former military, my father included.
i try not to get into
i try not to get into politics but i gotta throw my 2 cents in.
defense budget should NEVER be cut.
i'd make cuts starting with handouts. no more foreign aid. as in "sorry guys, i know you got it bad, but we gotta clean up our own house first."
you'd be amazed at how much money we give to countries that kill and maim our troops. eff that.
it's like the US is a stepmother. we're nothing but an open wallet, scorned and derided at any other time except when they neeeed something. the US needs to disengage }:)
I'm definitely not saying
I'm definitely not saying there aren't plenty of other places to cut money too. And I'm not necessarily saying that we should cut our defenses or military. But here in MD, the housing allowances are ridiculous. If you opt to live on base, not only is your housing covered, but your cable, internet, and phone are included.
They get full state of the art fitness facilities .. for free. They get reduced-rate and tax-free shopping; they get reduced child care provided on base. Why? Why can't they pay for things like the rest of us? Raise their salaries a little to compensate and let them compete in the open market.
I'm just so tired of hearing that they "defend our country" and "put their lives at risk". It's something like 90% of active duty military never see a combat zone. I know I'll probably get attacked to high heaven for saying it.
A close friend of mine works in IT in the Air Force. I hear stories all the time about how they literally throw brand new computer equipment into the trash every year .. because if they don't order new stuff, they lose budget dollars. That type of spending/waste is not limited to the military, but I don't believe they should be sheltered from cuts on spending of that nature.
Both my parents were
Both my parents were military, civilian status and enlisted. I lived that life. But, I saw waste that was phenomenal and yes that needs to be addressed. TDY alone was the most overindulged thing as far as I am concerned. Sick time, vacation time more than any other private company. I could go on and on.
As for the military benefits, I don't think they should be affected, but unfortunately they are wrapped up in this mess. And yes, I do blame this administration. The guy has no idea how economics works or how a business runs and his healthcare plan is affecting business owners and middle market businesses across the U.S. You are only seeing the tip of it....Just wait....Keep in mind, I talk to business owners all day and hear every problem they have and this healthcare bill is so vast and they are taking the fines and laying off people or cutting their hours in an attempt to follow the bill.
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No problem with the
No problem with the arrogance...We are the country they come to everytime there is a problem....EVERY TIME....We got to that position by being a phenomenal place to live. We have our faults, but the reason this country is great is we are ever evolving to solve those problems, both in the private sector and the govt sector.
I spend my day talking to business owners trying to get them to sell their business to my clients. I have a unique view of what the problems are this way. I live in the south and I disagree that that is all they are teaching, they do teach it, but it is just a part of the curriculum. Besides, no one I know here in GA but maybe two people are actually from here.....
Delete.
Delete.
This^^^
This^^^
Awesome post SA!
Awesome post SA!
And remember, these are
And remember, these are overall perceptions, based on the media, reality shows, government actions, etc. Nobody thinks ALL Americans are like that.
The same happens with overall perceptions of people from anywhere.
I'm from Brazil, and the worldwide perception of us is that we are loud, lazy, slutty, dishonest and go to the beach and party 24\7. I can't think of more than five Brazilians who fit that description.
It's almost as if we're being judged by the behaviors of the worst members of our society. Can you imagine if we were all judged by the attitudes of most BMswe deal with?
I live near Rio de Janeiro.
I live near Rio de Janeiro. From what you see in the news, you'd think this is a permanent war zone!
I was just hired by a company
I was just hired by a company with large interests in Brazil. Love the country and the people I am working with. If I believed everything they have said about Brazil, Bogota or anywhere in Latin America, I wouldn't have taken this project on. And this is a company that is trying to buy companies here in the US. So again, I say there is a reason they are looking at companies here....
I will take the arrogance of the US, we have earned it again and again by supporting other countries when no one else would. If we stopped all Foreign Aid, can you imagine what they would say? Look at Egypt, we cut them off and they are freaking out...
My BIL was very poor and had
My BIL was very poor and had no insurance when he finally went in to the doctor to get his headache checked out. Lucky for him he did because he had a brain aneurysm and it was just about ready to burst.
He got brain surgery done and made a good recovery. They didn't just let him die because he didn't have health care.
I was born and raised here. I
I was born and raised here. I love this country. My parents came here in the 60s from the Dominican Republic. Opened businesses, made it their home. This is definitely the land of opportunity. There is no denying that. However, now in my mid 40's, I find myself longing to leave the US and go elsewhere. I long for a simpler life. I'm tired of the rat race. Living in the East Coast is unbearably expensive. Especially if you want to live in a decent area, with good schools or own a home. The more my husband and I earn, the less we bring home. With us raking in 6 figures, we are still seriously strapped for cash. Have little to no savings. We drive old cars, but spend a fortune on gasoline commuting back and forth to work. The tolls to get to work went from 8.00 to 13.00 in one shot. We BOTH travel that bridge EVERY DAY. Every year, despite paying thousands of dollars in withholding taxes, we take a beating from the IRS. So whenever we do manage to save a few thousand dollars, off it goes to the government. My son can't get free lunch in school, but we're giving people cell phones for free? My son won't quality for ANY type of FA for college. Our property taxes are the highest in the nation. Our medical insurance costs are sky high. It has become emotionally draining. Weekends consist of cleaning, laundry, food shopping, running errands, just so we can go back and do it all again on Monday. It's a never ending circle. I find that as a country we are dumber than many. We have been dumbed down with all the garbage on tv. We die young because we are stressed to the nines. Third world countries have a longer life expectancy than we do. I'm jaded. I long for something else.
I can't leave just yet. My
I can't leave just yet. My entire family is here. I couldn't see living my life without them near. I have however started thinking about eventually selling our home, packing up and moving to South America. I want to live where it is warm. I love the town I live in. I just despise the commute to the City every day. However, if I want to live in my quaint, beautiful, picturesque town, I HAVE to work in NY. No other way to afford it. It's a little depressing.
Look at Costa Rica. Love it
Look at Costa Rica. Love it there, would consider moving there or Greece. Easier way of life. DH and I have said that our plan when he retires, is for us to rent out our main house, keep our rentals going and live in foreign countries for a period of time and when we get bored move on to another place....goal is to never live in one place longer than a year or two....I can work anywhere and won't retire so it can work....
Haters gonna hate!! If we are
Haters gonna hate!!
If we are so awful, why does everyone know our business. Why does our market affect all the other markets.?
Haters gonna hate ...and who cares?? :evil:
Technically, Wales is another
Technically, Wales is another country..... not a city in England like Liverpool.....
The United Kingdom is made up of 4 countries - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.....
Then there is the separate country of Ireland, which is physically the same land mass as N.I. but not part of the UK....
Just saying
}:) }:) }:) }:) }:) }:)
I think this is way too serious and you all need to lighten up - people are going to think what they think no point getting bent out of shape or being rude about it.
Take a chill pill, lighten up and put it in perspective - at the end of the day it does not matter one scrap what others think.
Although i do agree with the poster who said that the US should be a bit more humble and learn from other countries who are getting things right that perhaps you aren't. No one place has it all together although i think the Scandinavian countries seem to be doing a grand job in a lot of key areas.