it is a very easy thing to hate the united states of america right now

8/6/2019 It is a Very Easy Thing to Hate the United States of America Right Now

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It is a very easy thing to hate the United States of America right now. But why? We stormed

the beaches at Normandy, saved Europe from economic ruin with the Marshall plan (thanks

for paying off the loan, Norway. Anybody else?Anybody?Bueller?), invented the Internet,

uprooted tyrants, and give foreign aid away like it was candy. We want to be the good guys

and thought we were. Yet we just can¶t seem to get any love these days. How¶d we get here?

Well« [JFrater: as the representative of Listverse, I would like to say that we don't hate America - in fact, I had one of my greatest holidays there. This list will no doubt cause a

storm - be calm and debate nicely!]

10

Center of the Universe

The first reason: we act like the world revolves around us. America presumes much for a

country generously dated at 300 years old. China has latrines ten times older than that. A

quick example: many countries play baseball, but only we have the ³World Series´. We¶re

getting better about our egocentrism, but it¶s been a loooong time coming. And don¶t get me

started about our tourists. Just smile and take the money- they¶re loud, but they¶ll be gone in

a week.



9

We Win Everything

Okay, I¶ll concede Vietnam, tennis (but we don¶t care) and Kenyan marathon runners. But

we win damn near everything else, eventually. The Space Race.The Cold War. Tour de

France. The list goes on and on. Even we hate the Olympics now that our professionals are

allowed to participate straight up with the underaged/doping communist nations. It¶s

boring for us, but as a Red Sox/Bolton Wanderers fan, I know the angst that chronic losing

against bigger and better funded opponents generates. And if we don¶t have the best

athletes/scientists/entertainers, we¶ll make sure they get a chance to immigrate while others

wait in line. That¶s gotta sting. Oh, Yao Ming and Ichiro say ³Hi´.

8

We Eat Everything



Why? Because we can. Americans are the second fattest industrialized nation per capita

(sorry, Australia). But as always, we make up for it in volume. We can afford automobiles so

we don¶t ride bikes or walk anywhere except for fun, and thanks to abundant agricultural

surpluses, ANYTHING we want to eat is readily available from takeaway restaurants and

convenience stores. Some of our refrigerators could hide an entire human body. And we like

the fatty stuff, because fat tastes good. This is NOT a good thing, and our global franchises

(KFC, McDonald¶s) are already infecting nations that traditionally had healthier diets (are

you listening, Japan?)

7

We Made and Have Nukes



Though accounting for only 5 percent of the world¶s population, Americans consume 26

percent of the world¶s energy. (American Almanac), and we are the world¶s largest single

emitter of carbon dioxide, accounting for 23 percent of energy-related carbon emissions

worldwide. (U.S. Department of Energy).This, while worldwide, some 2 billion people are

currently without electricity.(U.S. Department of Energy). The good news is that among

industrialized and developing countries, Canada consumes per capita the most energy in the

world, and the United Sates is only second. Italy consumes the least among industrialized

countries (that¶s because they still drive Fiats, which ³conserve´ energy by breaking every

other day).

5

International Meddling



The United States has the most advanced army in the world. We station our military in

other countries at their ³request´, which is a source of much seething and hurt national

pride. From Banana Republics, to the Cold War, to the War on Terror, we routinely interfere

in the business of other countries to make the world safe for our interests, whether anybody

asked for it or not. Even if the intentions are both right and good, many countries resent our

involvement in their affairs on sheer principle: they¶d rather f*** it up themselves. Are you

listening, North Korea?

4

We Export Trash Culture



A thriving market economy and near total freedom of expression liberate Americans to

pursue almost every endeavor imaginable, resulting in some of the greatest discoveries and

inventions in the history of man, from the first practical light bulb to powered flight, polio

vaccines, radio and TV, space exploration, the Internet, and unfortunately, everything in

between. So that means ubercrap like Jerry Springer and Britney Spears gets exported

worldwide. No, I¶m being too kind there± ³force fed´ worldwide. Other cultures despise this

with a mix of dread, envy, and loathing. They can¶t figure out how to cull the good from the

bad out of this torrent (neither can we, btw)²but once it takes hold, it won¶t let go. This

what the Islamic world fears most. Tanks, they understand. An educated, employed woman

horny and clubbing on Friday night they simply can¶t fathom. And it scares the crap out of

them.

3

It¶s Fashionable



Despite the hyperbole bandied online, strong political opinions won¶t get your door kicked

in at 3 AM like in the Gulag Archipelago. There are no Stalinist purges or killing fields here.

And the FBI/CIA/ATF/DEA/PTA will not shoot you on sight simply because you speak

against The Surge or march against the Economic Stimulus Plan. But it¶s certainly fun to

claim a fear of it! You become an instant radical and feel intellectually enlightened to boot±

patriotism is an uncritical, reflexive act, right?± only a deep thinker would hate his country

(yet stay on to enjoy its privileges). And don¶t worry about proof, because all that matters is

the accusation. Volume and conviction win the day, so toss that bibliography²grab half the

story and make the rest up. If you get caught in a logic box, claim satire. Other countries see

this lack of consequences and pile on.

2

We Don¶t Finish the Job



From Vietnam to Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski to ³Mission Accomplished´ in Iraq to

finding Osama Bin Laden, we seem to do most of the work, but keep a lot of things hangingon, never quite finished. Eventually the answer makes itself known, but it usually takes

time, and involves help from others after a lot of (necessary) heated discussions. Maybe we

should try this as as a first course of action more often«

1

We Act Unilaterally



We are a nation of doers, and our errors (when they occur) will be from acts of commission,

not omission (Hypocrisy Alert: Darfur). Sometimes that¶s a great thing, like sending

Kruschev¶s missiles back home, breaking Gaddafi¶s/Qaddafi¶s/Kaddafi¶s nuclear ambitions

(his nukes are now safely tucked away in Oak Ridge, Tennessee), or winning the Cold War.

Other times, it blows up in our (and often, YOUR) face. Our attempts to spread democracy

worldwide, intended to let others enjoy the same freedoms and advantages that we have,sometimes result in innocent people dying. We must stop to remember the Somalia

embassy, Madrid and Fiji and Lockerbie 101 bombings, along with the millions of nameless

others who suffered and died in countries that are not free. The US is the biggest face

opposing these things that actually does anything (not just talk, FRANCE. You railed about

Guantanamo but when it came time to release prisoners you took ONE.), but our allies often

bear the brunt of our ³foreign´ wars, because the enemy cannot reach us. That has changed

recently, and while it has altered our perspective, it has not altered our resolve.

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