I’m American….Shhh!! Don’t tell!

Analyzing the pandemic of global American Hatred

By Jessica Long

02/27/07 "ICH" -- -- Alright, alright!! The secret is out….. I am, regrettably, not Canadian. In fact, I am an American from a small city called Olympia, WA about three hours south of the Canadian border. But shhh…. Don’t tell! Perhaps if you knew the grief these three hours distance have caused me the last six years you wouldn’t judge me so harshly for this little white lie.

I represent the 7% of Americans that travel abroad each year. Ordinarily, I would be proud to belong to this statistic. Yet having done the majority of my globetrotting during the Bush Administration years, I find my nationality to be the biggest cause of stress in my travels. I have learned that being an American is something you can no longer be proud of- well, at least if you have any knowledge of global affairs. In fact I am ashamed of my nationality. But wait a second here…. before I am accosted by the headstrong patriot with ten “United we stand” bumper stickers adorning his SUV, let me say this: I understand the value of pride in opportunity, equality and justice- but NOT in nationalism for the sake of nationalism! And that is what is at stake here: American insular ideology. Traveling abroad has allowed me a new perspective on this skewed American self-image. I am grateful for my opportunities, my freedom, and my standard of living- but I am ashamed of my government’s corruption, my people’s ignorance and my nation’s neo-colonial egotism. But you needn’t be a hardcore lefty to agree with me. All you need is to go abroad to be reminded of the global hatred toward our nation.

Not only is it not safe to be an American abroad, it is not tolerated! The majority of Americans I meet while traveling admit to the same lie as I do: “I am, uh… Canadian.” We deny our nationality to avoid the scowls, jeers, lectures, and sometimes violence from other foreigners. In the last six years, I have traveled to Africa twice, backpacked Southeast Asia and Central America and lived a brief time in Europe for a total of 12 different countries. Above all, one thing has been made very clear to me: The world hates us. And if the whole world hates our country, don’t you suppose we ought to figure out why? According to radio talk show host and best-selling author Michael Medved, global American hatred stems from “their” jealousy, “their” anti-capitalist agendas and “their” contempt for our “toxic pop culture.” Okay, that explains the sentiments of Islamic extremists, French idealists and Latin American Marxists- but what of the rest of the world? Medved admits that “American hatred has reached pandemic proportions” extending to the “corners of the globe.” Can jealousy and communism really be that contagious? Not when you look at western Europe, whose standards of living are fueled by their capitalist endeavors…..so why?

A survey performed by the Pew Research Center and cited in The Economist challenges Medved’s perceived reasons for American hatred. The study found that The Netherlands, Spain, China and Germany were the top four nations who viewed America unfavorably. With the exception of China, these anti-American countries are NOT economically struggling, culturally conservative or lenient toward Communism. So can we truly blame envy, Marxism and pop culture? The standard of living in The Netherlands, Spain and Germany are of the highest in Europe. They are also considered culturally liberal in their perception of foreign “pop culture” and are not known for their anti-capitalist motives. In Britain and Canada, a little under half of the population views American unfavorably. This is alarmingly high given these are two of our largest allies. The study did find that India and Poland liked us though! Oh….but wait! This can be explained. From, India went through a period of Socialism and Economic isolation fueled by anti-capitalist and anti-American thinking. An article in The Futurist suggests that it was the failures of the Indian economy, coupled with the fact that Indian-Americans are the wealthiest ethnic demographic in the U.S., that lead them to turn against socialist endeavors and embrace American ideals. Similarly, Poland and Russia, who also favor America, do so because of their lack of faith in the communist system which fell in 1991. Given the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, we know why some like us. But not why the rest hate us. Why the hate? Believe it or not, we can’t entirely blame the Bush administration for this one either. Rather, we must blame the insular ideology that isolates the American citizen from the rest of the world: Americans don’t travel. American’s don’t know. And still worse, Americans don’t care. We claim to run the world, while statistics show that we know very little, if anything, about it.

According to the European Travel Commission, only 18% of Americans own passports. This does not take into account the number of newly naturalized citizens either. When we compare this statistic to 41% of Canadian citizens who own passports, the U.S. appears much more culturally secluded than our northern brothers. Furthermore, three times the number of Australians own passports than Americans. Thus we cannot blame our lack of travel and global interest on our geographic size or location. We do not travel because our insular ideology implies there is no need. It is a deeply rooted American creed that “we are the best country in the world” and “innately right,” if not “saviors,” in all global action. Based on this mentality, there is little need or interest to learn about other countries. In 2006, a survey commissioned by National Geographic found that 85% of young Americans (ages 18-24) could not locate Iraq or Israel on a map. 90% could not locate Afghanistan. 75% of Americans cannot locate Thailand on a map, even after the highly publicized tsunami of 2004.

In 2002, a different geographic survey was given out to the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, and Great Britain. American citizens performed the worst with the exception of Mexico who scored only slightly lower. This is not just a reflection of our education system- it is a reflection of our ideology. How so? Because only 30% of Americans think it is important to know the location of countries in the news. What do these statistics say to the rest of the world? Simply, that while Americans have no problem in attempting to run the world, we have little experience in how it works. It is on this ignorance that we justify our wars, trade relations and political action in a rapidly globalizing world. Aside from being fat and loud, the dangers of the American stereotype lie in the fact we are viewed as being simultaneously globally ignorant and culturally egocentric. This is our downfall.

Douglas Richardson, executive director of the Association of American Geographers in Washington, D.C. agrees that geographic knowledge is crucial for functioning in a rapidly globalizing world.

Remember the fall of Rome? I am not suggesting a similar fate but merely suggesting that Americans should be aware of their insular ideology as we stand pitted against the peoples of the world in a global showdown. We must partake in the global arena as knowledgeable, cultured and open-minded individuals if we are to preserve any form of international decency we may have left. If not, be prepared to raise an apologetic, timid generation who looks down in same every time they say, “I am an American.”

Jessica Long graduated Western Washington University with a degree in Political Science. When she's not travelling the world, she makes her home in Washington State.