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How do foreigners view US politics? - Page 19
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DrainX
Sweden3187 Posts
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Iodem
United States1173 Posts
On November 04 2010 19:42 kar1181 wrote: Hell yes. Check the front pages of the bbc, telegraph, ft, and guardian. It's big news because it's america applying a 'beggar thy neighbour' approach to economic growth. Although to be fair, it's a about time the Americans started playing the game the Chinese and Germans have been for so long. Well that's good to hear. Though I will say this, I think most Americans are afraid of socialism because of how inefficient our current system is. We have a very corrupt public sector, and neither party feels like they want to do anything about that, or accept that we even have so much corruption. One party wants to build a welfare state on a horrible foundation(democrats) while the other talks big about cuts but chickens out because their voter base likes what they currently have(republicans). In my opinion, the best solution is to decentralize welfare programs and put states in charge of building their own welfare state. The country isn't homogeneous enough for a one-size-fits-all system. The state level should be able to do it with far more efficiency than the federal level. | ||
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Luddite
United States2315 Posts
http://humoncomics.com/the-day-the-iraq-war-started | ||
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Slix36
United Kingdom145 Posts
![[image loading]](http://tjshome.com/images/blog/2008electionIQ.png) i'll just leave this here... on a side note, with the decline of religion in the west do you think we may ever have an america that's at least as liberal as europe? i mean, im not saying that religion is bad, but it can make some idiots at times. | ||
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Velr
Switzerland10834 Posts
The Winner takes it all system... i don't even like coalition systems which most countries run. I think every vote should count for something, you shouldn't just lose if you picked the "wrong" team. The 2 Party-System. Your media... The first time i saw some Fox-News on Youtube I thought I was watching some satiric/ironic comedy-show... The seemingly very strong patriotism and the whole "god bless america", "greatest country on earth" bullshit that seems to be very important to you guys. I don't get the whole Obama bashing. From what ive seen/read he does pretty well? That he can't fix all the shit Bush has done in 2 (or 4, or more) years should not surprise anyone and the crisis atm is not going away just because you voted a black guy in tot he office... The believe that it's (much) easyer in the US to get from poor to rich than in other western countries. Afaik some facts about the USA are: Your best schools are extremly expensive while your public schools seem to suck. 1 out 6 US-Citizens has no fulltime job or is underemployed (wants to work fulltime, but can't). The unemployement rate is at about 10% (officially) and at about 17% (inofficially). 41 Million US-Citizens get/need food aid. 14.3% oft he US-Citizens are "poor" (earnings of under 11'000$ per year, 22'000$ for a family of 4) Your health care system is the most expensive in the World but still, if your not rich, sucks? You really think the hardcore freedom/capitalism approach is working? Really?... Wake up. | ||
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billyX333
United States1360 Posts
On November 04 2010 19:42 Biff The Understudy wrote: I had the honour of meeting one republican in my life, I was astonished by how close he thinking was from what wouuld be my definition of fascism. There is a third of your population whose ideology would give a headache to anybody in France or in England. just don't argue. even though these guys are idiots, a lot of them are friendly. they think they are doing the right thing even though they arent. nod your head even if you disagree with every single thing they say. this is what i've learned. why bother arguing? i've tried that. you cant convince these people. you'll just leave angry and frustrated... and just make sure to avoid anybody with a southern accent Fox News is the most influencial media in the US. I mean, seriously, last time I've watched two minutes and half of Fox News I got depressed for a whole week. very misleading. they are the most watched for multiple reasons. liberals are generally split among nbc, cnn, cbs while all republicans prefer fox news. 1) nbc is liberal. republicans can not stand to hear opinions that are not their own 2) cnn is generally neutral. but in the eyes of republicans, this is too liberal. not enough bias and 3) fox news is pure entertainment. watch glenn beck and try not to laugh. i disagree with everything on fox news but i still watch it regularly. this is comedy to me fox isnt afraid to lie, make up bullshit, make shocking statements and predictions, and constantly fear monger. this makes their show interesting even if just for comedy | ||
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Monsen
Germany2548 Posts
On November 04 2010 19:23 billyX333 wrote: lol hilarious thread it seems like the typical elitist european likes to pick out the most radical american right wing extremist and tell us about how stupid these people are... like we dont fucking know already these idiots hardly make up a fraction of our society. lol youtube =/= real life we already know. corporations and special interest groups are powerful in america. every senator accepts money regularly from special interest groups... blatantly obvious corruption. and yeah sure the two party system is pretty stupid and makes for hilariously fake posturing to woo specific voters of only one party or the other (because they will lose if they dont). and yeah we already know, american policy and occupation in the middle east is the root cause of 9/11 and anti-american hate. what the fuck do u want us to do about it? but i cant help but think its so fuckin hilarious that elitist europeans come on the interwebs to rant about ignorant americans like every single fucking american is oblivious to our corrupt politics and terrible policies. they see a rally of idiots on youtube and think its fucking common to see in america. like every single person living here is a tea bagging, racist, intolerant, ignorant christian. lol seriously get off youtube already. even your news broadcasts are obviously going to choose the most extreme footage You ARE aware of the fact the the thread specifically asks europeans for their opinion on american politics are you? edit: Hint: in case of doubt, the title is a clue. | ||
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Rowa
Belgium962 Posts
News here say that Obama is getting unpopular in the US because hes not making those changes he promised... but I wouldnt wanna go just after one of the worst prez US has ever seen, try my best to avoid the country (and the world) to go broke, succeeding (impressive) and getting hate from my own people because I just didnt came up with billions from my hat. Nowadays we just cant ignore what happens in other countries, as we've seen, a big economic trouble has repercussions worldwide. And religion should never EVER have a say in politics. We've seen what happens in europe back then with inquisition. (burning people alive because they say earth is round and is not the center of universe...) | ||
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billyX333
United States1360 Posts
On November 04 2010 20:01 Monsen wrote: You ARE aware of the fact the the thread specifically asks europeans for their opinion on american politics are you? edit: Hint: in case of doubt, the title is a clue. its the tone and the bashing i was referring to | ||
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DrainX
Sweden3187 Posts
On November 04 2010 20:00 billyX333 wrote: very misleading. they are the most watched for multiple reasons. liberals are generally split among nbc, cnn, cbs while all republicans prefer fox news. 1) nbc is liberal. republicans can not stand to hear opinions that are not their own 2) cnn is generally neutral. but in the eyes of republicans, this is too liberal. not enough bias and 3) fox news is pure entertainment. watch glenn beck and try not to laugh. i disagree with everything on fox news but i still watch it regularly. this is comedy to me fox isnt afraid to lie, make up bullshit, make shocking statements and predictions, and constantly fear monger. this makes their show interesting even if just for comedy But what is considered "liberal" in the US, like NBC is still far to the right of the middle when compared to European politics. Your entire political spectrum is shifted far out to the fringe on the right compared to ours. I think that is the biggest problem most Europeans have in understanding US media/political discourse, the opinions most of us think of as normal or left of normal are never even expressed over there except in blogs and the independent media. | ||
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Slix36
United Kingdom145 Posts
On November 04 2010 19:23 billyX333 wrote: lol hilarious thread it seems like the typical elitist european likes to pick out the most radical american right wing extremist and tell us about how stupid these people are... like we dont fucking know already these idiots hardly make up a fraction of our society. lol youtube =/= real life we already know. corporations and special interest groups are powerful in america. every senator accepts money regularly from special interest groups... blatantly obvious corruption. and yeah sure the two party system is pretty stupid and makes for hilariously fake posturing to woo specific voters of only one party or the other (because they will lose if they dont). and yeah we already know, american policy and occupation in the middle east is the root cause of 9/11 and anti-american hate. what the fuck do u want us to do about it? but i cant help but think its so fuckin hilarious that elitist europeans come on the interwebs to rant about ignorant americans like every single fucking american is oblivious to our corrupt politics and terrible policies. they see a rally of idiots on youtube and think its fucking common to see in america. like every single person living here is a tea bagging, racist, intolerant, ignorant christian. lol seriously get off youtube already. even your news broadcasts are obviously going to choose the most extreme footage lol, compared to europe every republican voter is essentially a right wing extremist. true that we go on and on about it like it's common, and when you think that at least 40% of voters seem to vote republican every 4 years i think it's safe to say that what we would class as right wing extremism is fairly commonplace. what it all comes down to is where you define the center of the political line, USA's center is quite far right compared to europe's. | ||
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billyX333
United States1360 Posts
On November 04 2010 20:07 DrainX wrote: But what is considered "liberal" in the US, like NBC is still far to the right of the middle when compared to European politics. Your entire political spectrum is shifted far out to the fringe on the right compared to ours. I think that is the biggest problem most Europeans have in understanding US media/political discourse, the opinions most of us think of as normal or left of normal are never even expressed over there except in blogs and the independent media. I'm aware. I think the progressive movement in America though is generally composed of many who have very socialist views but they dare not express this publicly. It would be political suicide. Its about progress though. The easiest and fastest way to rile up fear in the uneducated voting population is to implicate communism even in the subtlest ways. Most of these people don't even know of the original purpose of marxism. Marxism was pure in its intentions but obviously has flaws that have been demonstrated in history. In America, being even remotely associated with socialism is equated to being evil and anti-american. lol, compared to europe every republican voter is essentially a right wing extremist. true that we go on and on about it like it's common, and when you think that at least 40% of voters seem to vote republican every 4 years i think it's safe to say that what we would class as right wing extremism is fairly commonplace. what it all comes down to is where you define the center of the political line, USA's center is quite far right compared to europe's. you're right but I was referring to the references made specifically to those who are considered extreme right wing even by our standards | ||
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Monsen
Germany2548 Posts
On November 04 2010 20:04 billyX333 wrote: its the tone and the bashing i was referring to Well, that's what a lot of the world thinks of your country. Everyone likes feeling superior to someone and for the past decade(s) americans have made their county a real easy target for that. You're asking what you're supposed to do about it- well, I don't know if the U.S. actually can get out of that mess. As long as you don't get the money out of your political system you'll be forever governed by greedy corporate strawmen. Public campaign funding is socialism though, and that's basically communism which would make you burn in hell. So take your pick, gl :D | ||
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Vasili
Australia125 Posts
Also, your seen as backwards in terms of respect for racial and ethnic diversity since 9/11 because of the huge amounts of political speak which associated muslims and Islam with terrorism.. Not terrorists with Terrorism. Furthermore, the legislation on "terror" are a farce and are just a way for the US government to legitimate their racial profiling and extra reach into the privacy of citizens.. Of course, we also learn that Australia is no better, and we learn of our political system dominating citizens in the same way. We also are seen as rracially intolerant with reference towards Aboriginals and Asylum Seekers (who are treated in a hugely negative way). We also have anti terror laws that mirror the exact same criminal laws with the added words "terror" to give the illusion that the government is actually doing something the issue.. Thats not really my beliefs about the American politics but thats the gist I get from the material I have covered so far.. Of course, just about every political system is seen as needing improvement, it's just that the US is seen as a focal point for analysis because of its power relative to other countries. SOoo there you go!  | ||
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maliceee
United States634 Posts
On November 04 2010 19:57 Slix36 wrote: i'll just leave this here... on a side note, with the decline of religion in the west do you think we may ever have an america that's at least as liberal as europe? i mean, im not saying that religion is bad, but it can make some idiots at times. This chart has already been shown as irrelevant. The IQ is taken from universities and such, and most of the ivy league schools are obviously in the northeast. This means most of the "smart" people go to the ivy league schools from the south. Nice elitist attitude, real refreshing. | ||
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Velr
Switzerland10834 Posts
I once did this test in some other, german dominated, forum. Pure comedy gold for europeans... Nearly everyone was between -5 and -10", not a single person was on the right side, even some pretty right/conservative guys when it comes to a more "european" scale. And you wonder why we bash on the Republicans? It's just a totally diffrent worldview... | ||
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Iodem
United States1173 Posts
On November 04 2010 07:05 sleeepy wrote: I just think its stupid how their dead-set on a two party system. Our system was designed around not having political parties at all, and just having everyone run as independent representatives for their state. Unfortunately that little idea didn't catch on. | ||
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iMAniaC
Norway703 Posts
Anyway, this kind of newspapers is a Norwegian's main source of information about US policies. Not surprising, such a newspaper doesn't want to give us a balanced view of the reality of US policies, but rather find a sensation every day. Thus, the sensationally stupid President Bush was represented by articles about his sensational stupidity and the sensationally charismatic and succesful President Obama is represented by articles about his sensational personality. And consequently, all the Norwegians thought Bush was a big joke and afterwards they loved Obama. It's also important to note that the internal politics of US is of no concern to Norwegians. Norwegians are completely oblivious to whatever Bush achieved or tried to achieve by ways of internal policies and the only thing they know, is that he invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. And of course, Obama, who guns for world peace, is much more popular. There's a slight awareness that US is in deep sh*t, economically, and that the sensational Obama is trying to fix it and that the stupid republicans are thwarting his magnificent plans. Well, I've been exaggerating somewhat in this post, but that is the general gist of it. The populist newspapers like to blow things out of proportion so they'll get another sensational news item and consequently, the general public gets a very one-sided view of US politics. And of course, any generalisation is always incorrect and people still have slightly different opinions. That's my 2 øre  | ||
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vetinari
Australia602 Posts
On November 04 2010 20:26 Velr wrote: http://www.politicalcompass.org/test I once did this test in some other, german dominated, forum. Pure comedy gold for europeans... Nearly everyone was between -5 and -10", not a single person was on the right side, even some pretty right/conservative guys when it comes to a more "european" scale. And you wonder why we bash on the Republicans? It's just a totally diffrent worldview... This, so much this. The right wing parties in europe and australia are far to the left of the democrats, let alone the republicans. | ||
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vetinari
Australia602 Posts
On November 04 2010 19:06 kar1181 wrote: Also sniffy something to point out, Australia has a VERY different culture when it comes to public sector services compared to the US and actually even the UK now. That's because Australia has not experienced ANYTHING like the mass migrations the US and UK have. That population pressure really does affect people's perceptions of what the state should and shouldn't do for the public. It's sad in a way. But when I think about the health service we have in Australia vs what we have in the UK, I almost feel it would be better for a more private system here because the taxes to support the system for everyone is so high and it is borne by the middle classes mostly. It reaches a point when they would be better off in terms of service and cost on private health. In Australia population demographics haven't yet (although this is changing) haven't yet reached that breaking point like it has in some parts of Europe, and I imagine, the US. No. http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&ctype=l&strail=false&nselm=h&met_y=sp_pop_grow&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=country&idim=country:GBR:AUS:USA&hl=en&dl=en | ||
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