Thursday, June 23, 2005
The Center for Researching Obvious Things has released a shocking new report: Survey: America's Image Suffers Abroad
My favorite part is about how citizens rate their own country's popularity. Here are some highlights:
Most Americans know they are disliked around the world. The survey found 69% reported that the United States is "generally disliked," while only 26% believe they are liked abroad, the lowest percentage of any nation surveyed. Only 4% of Canadians believe they are generally disliked abroad, but 57% of Russians and 66% of Turks surveyed believed they were unpopular.
Germans were the most self-deprecating of nations, the poll found. Only 51% of Germans said their country was liked and 43% believed that Germany was generally disliked. But in fact, other Western European nations gave Germany very high popularity ratings — including the French, who gave Germany higher marks than they gave their own nation.
While it is still true that the rest of the world holds the American people in higher regard than the American government, the gap is narrowing, the survey found. Even in Russia, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia, where the perception of the United States turned more favorable in 2005, the image of the American people declined, the survey found.
"Anti-Americanism is entrenched in many countries in the world, especially in Europe," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Global Attitudes Project. "But we have seen some progress," notably in India and Indonesia, where the U.S. image improved dramatically.
Is that really how we want things to be progressing?
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-062305image_lat,0,1476593.story ¶ 4:46 PM
My favorite part is about how citizens rate their own country's popularity. Here are some highlights:
Most Americans know they are disliked around the world. The survey found 69% reported that the United States is "generally disliked," while only 26% believe they are liked abroad, the lowest percentage of any nation surveyed. Only 4% of Canadians believe they are generally disliked abroad, but 57% of Russians and 66% of Turks surveyed believed they were unpopular.
Germans were the most self-deprecating of nations, the poll found. Only 51% of Germans said their country was liked and 43% believed that Germany was generally disliked. But in fact, other Western European nations gave Germany very high popularity ratings — including the French, who gave Germany higher marks than they gave their own nation.
Oh, those poor sad-sack Germans ...
And disturbingly, the worldwide perception of American people is going the way of the U.S. government:While it is still true that the rest of the world holds the American people in higher regard than the American government, the gap is narrowing, the survey found. Even in Russia, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia, where the perception of the United States turned more favorable in 2005, the image of the American people declined, the survey found.
"Anti-Americanism is entrenched in many countries in the world, especially in Europe," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Global Attitudes Project. "But we have seen some progress," notably in India and Indonesia, where the U.S. image improved dramatically.
Is that really how we want things to be progressing?
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-062305image_lat,0,1476593.story ¶ 4:46 PM
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I think Americans have become too dependent on the perceptions that people love us and hate our government. The rest of the world realizes that we the people actually choose our government.
As long as we keep electing Yahoos, (as opposed to Yahoo!s), we're going to have a hard time making friends.
So I think we should just keep kicking sand in people's faces. Yeah, that'll help.
As long as we keep electing Yahoos, (as opposed to Yahoo!s), we're going to have a hard time making friends.
So I think we should just keep kicking sand in people's faces. Yeah, that'll help.
I don't have any recommendations about new blogging sites/software, but I did find this Wired article from a while ago: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,67138,00.html.
I don't have any recommendations about new blogging sites/software, but I did find this Wired article from a while ago: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,67138,00.html.
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