this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2023
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Non-americans really love this weird bogus narrative.
That's probably because the loudest and most overly defensive ones are the Americans you're most likely to encounter and remember in online arguments and on American news, so that colors the perception. Especially when you don't live amongst the more reasonable majority of Americans 🤷
That is not my experience at all. Most Americans get extremely defensive when someone criticizes the US, even people who know better. Many are ok with specific criticism (like, healthcare sucking), but it doesn't take much for them to revert to 'murican mode.
I have been living in the US for over a decade and been to 2/3rds of the states.
Most Americans have their talking points ready to go around certain topics: healthcare, guns etc. But if you get anything that attacks the capitalism, building the country off of slave labor, or the country being the product of a genocide, that's when the propaganda really kicks in.
Oh and if you call it propaganda, then the denialism gets even stronger.
Spaniard here, you get very, very similar reactions here from a lot of people (possibly a lower percentage) if you dare to question the process of colonization or call out the barbaric behavior of some historical figures that have become a part of the national myth. Nationalism is a brain disease.
You get the same shit from most nationalities.
Nobody is immune to propaganda.
That's really interesting. I've lived in 9 states and I can honestly say that outside of the southeast, it is legitimately difficult to consistently find people that dont think the us is a flaming sack of shit or at least headed that way. Seriously, I've heard waaaaaaaaaaaaay more negative talk on the us from Americans than anything positive. Especially in like the last decade. But this place is so damn big that anyone's experience would vary a crazy amount so that makes sense.
Are you in tech or some other field that doesn't involve interacting with different socioeconomic groups?
Most of not all states guarantee some "interesting" encounters if you leave the cities. In California I have seen Confederate flags flying, met neonazis, and plenty of Trump supporters. Trump got over 34% of the vote in California, almost 39% in Washington and over 40% in Oregon. Those percentages are not a majority, but I think it sets a floor, since Trump supporters are not exactly trash talking the US.
I have spent a lot of time doing canvassing and other activities that mean I encounter people with very different ideas, so that would definitely explain the different experience.
I think they're full of shit, for what it's worth. 33 states in 10 years? Wtf...
If you're going to accuse me of lying, at least have the decency of doing it in a reply to my post. I lived on the East Coast and traveled up and down some, then I moved to the Midwest, I got into politics and canvassed in several states plus I went on a few road trips for fun. Then I moved to the West Coast, which somewhat limited my ability to go on road trips to other states, but still, I went as far as Colorado, I spent a month there doing backpacking and visiting a few places like Denver and Aspen.
Why do you think it is so unlikely I could visit 3 states a year?
You can drive through like ten states in a weekend on the east coast
You've been to 33 states in 10 years? Why? That's absolutely unheard of here...
Maybe you guys should do that more then, it isn't unheard of in Europe.
well if an american does respond to this it proves them right if they dont respond it doesnt prove them wrong its a bad argument for an otherwise pretty dumb claim
unless americans do care i hate america and am american so idrk
If I ever have to read the bogus claim that "USA #1!!!" I'll flip my shit.
#1 in teen pregnancies maybe
#1 in prison population
#1 in school shootings
#1 in wage gap
What the US is not #1 in: happiness, progressiveness, quality of life, freedom
True. While it's NEAR the top in SOME good things, I'm pretty sure that the US is only #1 in the ones you mentioned and other bad things lol
I'm starting to get this feeling too. Most of the Americans I know, myself included, rip America a new one at any given opportunity.
There’s a certain degree of truth to it. Americans seem fine with being the butt of a joke as long as the person joking is American and not far left/right. If you offer any doubt about the political or geographic origin of your joke, it’ll often be taken poorly. I enjoy being flamed and so was eager to figure out the political joke context puzzle. +2/-16 and 6 replies, babeeee
Politics is one of the most divisive subjects you can bring up. People react emotionally because it's an emotional science. What's "right" comes down to your ethical perspective. I don't think that should be grouped in with this conversation.
It’s less that I put out an overt political view or location identifier and more that if my post seems agnostic, inferences will be made and a coin will be flipped. The funny thing is, I sometimes win the flip in one place and lose it in another. I can be +5 on lemmy and -10 on kbin because of ambiguity. I’m just like “kids getting shot is bad” and I can feel the hatred pointed at my British self. (I’m not British)
I do believe that's the response you get, people do like to assume the worst. Do you have any solid proof that any hostile response you get is from Americans? I'm still very skeptical it's a problem specific to one nation.
It’s far from unique to the US, people from India, France, China, and Russia often despise seeing outside criticism as well and they comprise over half the population of earth. And it’s mostly the topic of conversation and time of day. Were you not to have identified as American earlier, I’d have assumed you to be German or British at this hour.
🤷 As far as I'm concerned, as long as people are laughing with me and not at me I don't give a shit. I can't speak for the rest of my countrymen though.
Sometimes it’s a case of you can make fun of your own country but no one else is allowed to.
If we say "Capitalism is ruining our lives", it's fine, but if someone from Russia says "Capitalism is ruining your lives", folks are ready to throw down.
I think that's more the hypocrisy of a Russian citizen criticizing American-style capitalism and imperialism when Russia has its own brand of it.
Nobody talks more shit about America than Americans.
I know seriously lmao. I mean I know it’s anecdotal, but I’m in the US and my friends and I constantly criticize the US. Most people I know tend to agree with most criticisms, myself included.