We all have a need to be accepted. So long recognized that the psychology for this probably goes back to 10,000 BC. Publicly we tell anyone who will listen that we are not interested and do not care what others think of us. When you give advice to your siblings or friends, you tell them not to care what other people think. Do what is right and ignore the noise on the sidelines. When kids tell you that they are pressured to do W, X, Y, or Z, we tell them not to care what people say about us - to be strong.
Why then do we take all that reasonable and wise instruction and throw it out the window when it becomes: The world's opinion of the US.
Why?
Why does it matter what the world thinks, but not what people who live less than a mile from you think - people that will be within your life for your life, or could be - but people in foreign countries, many who only understand the United States from movies, and or from what their governments tell them they need to know - why do they matter more.
Anytime you want to criticize a president - use all the ammunition you can find. if the world likes him - ignore the world. If they hate him - suddenly it is an imperative we change presidents to restore America's image in the eyes of the world.
Political.
Everything seems to be political. Therefore, nothing is of much use as far as wisdom is concerned - just political wisdom, not real wisdom for the ages.
WORLD OPINION
The survey of 24,717 people is the seventh major study conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project since 2002.
A few excerpts from the poll:
But for the moment the image of the United States remains largely negative, hurt by the war in Iraq and the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Pessimism about the future of Iraq has deepened over the past two years, and most people surveyed want the United States and NATO to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan.Meanwhile, the survey confirmed, people worldwide acknowledge the ascendancy of China. Many people - including 3 out of 10 Americans - think that China will eventually replace the United States as the world's leading superpower, although no timeframe was specified.
But people are also critical of China, according to the poll, which was conducted shortly after civil unrest broke out in Tibet this spring. Overall favorableness ratings have slipped over the past year; China is seen by many as ignoring the interests of other countries and is faulted for its record on the environment and human rights.
The survey of 24,717 people is the seventh major study conducted by the
Pew Global Attitudes Project since 2002, Bush's second year in office, when the
image of the United States was far more positive, buoyed by world sympathy
following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Buoyed by world sympathy - interesting, that statement. It was before March 2003, so we were still in Afghanistan only, BUT Bush had already used all his adjectives and adverbs concerning bin Laden - dead or alive, with us or against us - all out there by 2002, with world opinion still with us. Odd that is. To listen to liberals in the US, these statements were divisive - apparently not, according to the poll.
So what changed the attitudes - perhaps because the US didn't fling 75 missiles into Afghanistan, blow up crap and then return home, as had been the pattern the previous 8 years. Perhaps the world expected the US to blow off steam, a certain amount was permitted (blowing up crap) as long as we went home afterward - but we didn't, and that irritated the world. Perhaps that is a big chunk of the cause, followed by our media exploitations of every foible and mistake, criminal action, and legitimate acts. The millions of followers of the extremist views of bin Laden do not have their own media - they use ours (and a couple newer ones in the ME). What they know, they know in large part from us, they hear our news, read our editorials, watch the news programs criticizing Bush - and they regurgitate it when it suits them. They are not creative. They attacked the WTC in 1993 and again 8 years later.
So why do we care what the world thinks. I can name eight countries where human slavery is rampant - where children are sold, where women turned into sex slaves. I can name twelve countries where honor killings occur, every day or nearly every day. I can name two countries where the value of life is minimal - they value the unit, the collective, not the individual and the loss of lives is of less interest policy wise than is the loss of a plane or truck, which would be far more valuable.
So why do we care.
- about half the citizens of Lebanon, Jordan, and Morocco think that suicide attacks on Americans in Iraq are justified.
Why do we care what the world thinks and why the hell should we be apologizing for anything.
To be honest, I am looking for an apology from the world -that I have to watch on TV as people in whatever country starve to death because the government wants their land or water or oil, and denies it is killing them as the world nods its head in agreement. I am tired of looking at pages of stats on the numbers of children kidnapped from Europe and taken to North Africa to be sold into slavery, as the world stands by and nods silently in agreement. I am tired of watching as governments pretend they are doing peaceful nuclear and we all know they are making bombs - and the world stands by watching and nodding. I am sick and tired of the mindless fools who shit themselves over global warming yet watch and nod in agreement as a million are butchered in some African country, or tens of thousands are imprisoned in some Asian country. I want an apology from them, after which we can consider apologizing to the world for whatever they feel slighted over.
Perhaps it was little more than jealousy and envy that turned them away from the US. The majority, while not liking the US government, all want to live here. perhaps it is something as simple as caring what other people think because they will get jealous if they see you are living well, free of disease, ample food, traveling, movies, shopping - all without a care in the world. Perhaps the poll taken implies this when they state that what pushed the world away is American exceptionalism--our individualism and our go-it-alone attitude. And it doesn't help that Americans' pervasive religiosity and deep patriotism are often exaggerated by America's critics.
I don't care what they think and it has nothing to do with believing we don't live in the same world and need trade and exchange - they need what we have and we will buy what they have. How they feel about us is immaterial.
fucking jackasses
Posts
