does it REALLY bother you that our (USA) image has been ruined?

Indeed.

I wouldn't have dodged the draft if I wasn't aware of the world.

 

rocks and glass houses.

 

Answer to question title

Nah not really.
weve always seen you as overweight donut munching, trailor parking , abortionist murdering ,promiscuous , celibate ,
Creationist war criminals with loud mouths who spend all day on Jerry Springer arguing about having been found out about your same sex relationship with your siblings.
Oh and look like the really ugly one from Deliverance.

ONly joking , some Americans dont look anything like banjo player.

BTW Re the stereotypes
Im English so really Im a bad teethed ,tea drinking ,
Hugh Grant sounding , reserved ,
umbrella carrying closet gay , who turns into a football hooligan after 2 beers
and trashes European cafes: )

 

yeah.

but i think this is going to be a very good thing for us. america is gong to have to bust their asses working with everyone else. and it's going to be great for our knowledge levels. nothing is more fascinating than people who think they've better than you.

though, like i said, i can't really think of any country i think particularly highly of. i think we're all shit.

 

Yeah but we *are* better than you: )

Actually I think its really inaccurate to say some places actually are "one country".I think Englands probably 6 or more different groups rolled into one - even before geographical considerations.
I'm only part English anyway.

America , I thought NY was terrific , but Id feel uncomfortable in the South.

If its any consolation mamaK , I actually hate one of the groups in England as much as pretty much any country/ group in the world...Except the Welsh...

(Welshies thats a *joke* btw)

 

well, right, but all of england is about the size of one of our smaller states. so it does kinda suit the concept.

 

Hmm yes but every 10 , 20 miles the people sound completely different.
And the difference classes think differently , different interests and hate each other etc.
So really its like comparing Arabs + Israelis or Americans and Mexicans.
Altho all Americans wear those big sombrero hats and eat the cactuses that grow in Times Square.. : )

 

Since when has the US EVER cared about other countries?

 

yeah, our accents aren't quite so identity driven. we're much more spread out so it's not quite as necessary to build and maintain a differentiation with such immediacy. but our regions do have quite a bit of difference in attitudes, styles, culture, etc.

 

never. we've got quite a lot on our plate here. i suppose it's all well and good to know about other countries and have an opinion on them. but what does your average french person actually DO? what does your average brit DO? not much more than the average american, in many cases, perhaps quite a bit less.

 

LOL , Americans eh: )
Til about 1100 years ago Britain used to be diffeernet kingdoms and upto maybe 80 years ago most people would never leave their village- hence the thousands of accents
Our accents are probably fading a bit as the country gets more geographically mobile - and the Establishment has a contempt for non "toff" accents.

So generally English accents just "exist" not a conscious attempt at differentiation.
One of the few exceptions would probably be white kids who wanna talk this stupid "street pattoir" in London which came from Jamaica -to sound tough
( well idiotic , in their case...)
Then theres like a "DJ accent" which basically sounds like a gay cockney-whether the DJ is from London , Essex ... or Scotland...!

 

the creation and maintenence of a regional identity is not necessarily a conscious decision. i know perfectly well the history of england, so don't assume my opinion is out of ignorance of your country. my grandmother was english and proudly so. we also cover england extensively in world history, since it is basically our motherland. i can't help it if my fellow students display an appalling lack of curiousity.

 

Hmm , my point is , our accents arent identity driven - replying to what Id quoted from you.
Nothing about ignorance or knowledge of history.

 

ah. i figured you did since you said "americans" and followed it with a brief history. my apologies. i get so much "americans are ignorant pigs" that i get sensitive on it. but i see your point. i guess i'm thinking of your more recent variations in accent and slang. it's a basic truth that most of these are coming about in people who'd not otherwise have them except in a search for a more unique identity and association with a particularly comfortable group. like chavs.

 

being put on a pedestal and expected to meet certain standards always creates stress for people... no longer being on that pedestal and not being required to meet those expectations tends to be a relief for teh vast majority of people... be it as a nation or as an individual

 

it smarts worse than a wallop on the bottom, which we've had coming for a very long time.

 

oh, my bad. well, if you people are finally realizing that it's not your job, and in fact, you're not really wanted, to "solve the problems" of every other country in the world, that's gonna be a great way to become more respected in the rest of the world.

I'm glad to hear about this development. all the americans I've met except one have been pretty cool, and I think most people judge others on a people-by-people basis, only an asshole would judge someone just because they're american (I met some american girls in Australia who were afraid to admit they were in fact american when I assumed they were canadian, because they'd actually been abused and cussed out by other people just because of their place of birth), it's just America the institution that's got a bit of a tarnished rep.

now if we could just get you stop poisoning the rest of the world with your pop culture and evil, soulless corporations, that would be sweet

 

Do not care in the least. I suspect that our incompetent leaders will continue to screw things up, worse than they already are.

Others peoples views do not mean anything.

No country has a good image.

It also does not effect me that the economy is going to collapse within the next year or so or the fact that freedom itself is in jeopardy.

Hope people in the US wake up but I am not counting on it.

 

i dream of such an outcome. i AM pleased that mexican filmmakers are kicking ass getting some attention in the usa. as well as a great many other foreign filmmakers. but i have an affinity for mexico. it's so familiar and yet unlocked.

not ALL our shows are shit. dexter is badass. i love dexter.

 

no problem MamaK

Chavs is a strange thing.
I find some people want to be seen as "chavs" but if a "non chav" calls them one , its seen as a term of abuse.For some it started like "wiggers" ie whites who take West Indian mannerisms , whilst sometimes it just means "working class / poor /flashy/ criminal".
I think its often just a middle class way of sneering at working class people nowadays.

Personally I hate "affected" or "put on" accents.Theres also the "mockney" phenomenon- ie a toff pretending to be a cockney - usually because s/ hes in entertainment-like singers Lilly Allen or Amy Winehouse sometimes.