What is an Ugly American?

[bradclark1]

I was just browsing different threads and different forums today and was reminded of a saying that I learned on an overseas assignment years ago and thought I would share. I think this is a perception that a lot of people in the world feel today towards us as a country.

What is an Ugly American?
Ugly American is an epithet used to refer to perceptions of arrogant, demeaning, unthoughtful behaviors of Americans.

You can even google the phrase and come up with various descriptions.

[waste gate]

Look in the mirror bradclarck1. If you come from this country Europeans will see you as an ugly American.

BTW its the same kind of generalization the thread implies.

[Skybird]

Sounds like the quiet American to me... :D Great book, btw.

There was a study a week ago, 26.000 participants in 26 nations, about perceptions of various nations. I try to find it. Best performers (performed as most sympathetic) were the Japanese, if I remember correctly.

[Skybird]

Found it, but my memory fooled me a bit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/06_03_07_perceptions.pdf

A summary was released almost three months ago:


The global view of the United States' role in world affairs has significantly deteriorated over the last year, suggests a BBC World Service poll of more than 26,000 people across 25 different countries.

As the US government prepares to send a further 21,500 troops to Iraq, the survey reveals that three in four (73%) respondents disapprove of how the US government has dealt with Iraq.

The poll suggests that in the 18 countries that were previously polled, the average percentage saying that the US is having a mainly positive influence in the world has dropped seven points from a year ago – from 36% to 29% – after having already dropped four points the year before.

On the eve of President George Bush's State of the Union address, according to the poll, one citizen in two (49%) across all 25 countries polled now says the US is playing a mainly negative role in the world.

Over two-thirds (68%) believe the US military presence in the Middle East provokes more conflict than it prevents and only 17% believe US troops there are a stabilising force.

A majority (57%) of the British public continues to see US influence as mainly negative and 81% disapprove of US actions in the war in Iraq.

The poll suggests that world citizens disapprove of the way the US government has handled all six of the foreign policy areas explored.

After the Iraq war (73% disapproval), majorities across the 25 countries also disapprove of US handling of Guantanamo detainees (67%), the Israeli-Hezbollah war (65%), Iran's nuclear programme (60%), global warming (56%), and North Korea's nuclear programme (54%).

Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) comments: "According to world public opinion, these days the US government hardly seems to be able to do anything right."

GlobeScan president Doug Miller comments: "The US administration's recent decision to send more troops to Iraq is at odds with global public opinion that thinks the US military presence in the region provokes more conflict than it prevents. This policy is likely to further hurt America's image."

The survey of 26,381 respondents across 25 countries was conducted for the BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan together with the PIPA at the University of Maryland.

GlobeScan coordinated fieldwork during November 2006 to January 2007 (mainly following the US mid-term elections).

Further highlights of the survey

Asked about specific foreign policy areas, in most of the 25 countries the most common view was disapproval of how the US is handling the situation, including how the US is handling the situation in Iraq (21 countries disapproving), detainees in Guantanamo and other prisons (22 countries), the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon (20 countries), Iran's nuclear programme (20 countries), North Korea's nuclear programme (19 countries), and global warming or climate change (19 countries).

The US military presence in the Middle East is exceedingly unpopular. In 23 of 25 countries the most common view is that it "provokes more conflict than it prevents". While in only one country (Nigeria) is the most common view that the US presence is stabilising.

The view from Great Britain

A majority (57%), according to the poll, continues to see US influence in the world as mainly negative, while just 33% sees US influence as mainly positive – down slightly from 36% in 2006.

Britons have significantly negative views of US handling of foreign policy issues, with an overwhelming majority disapproving of US actions on the war on Iraq (81%), as well as its treatment of detainees at Guantanamo and other prisons (76%), the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon (70%), and Iran's nuclear programme (64%).

Issues receiving lower levels of disapproval are the US approach to global warming (79%) and the handling of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme (55%).

More than 7 in 10 Britons (72%) sees the US military presence in the Middle East as "provoking more conflict than it prevents"; just 14% believe that the US is a "stabilising force" in the region.

The view from the US

The American public also seems to have serious doubts about US foreign policy.

Majorities disapprove of how the US is handling the war in Iraq (57%) and global warming or climate change (54%), while numerous respondents disapprove of US treatment of detainees in Guantanamo and other prisons (50%) and its handling of Iran's nuclear programme (50%).

Views are divided on US handling of the war in Lebanon.

The one area that receives plurality endorsement is the US handling of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme (50%).

A majority of 53% of Americans say that the US military presence in the Middle East "provokes more conflict than it prevents," with just 33% saying that it is a stabilising force.

More broadly, a majority of Americans (57%) say that the US is having a mainly positive influence in the world. This is down from 63% a year ago and 71% two years ago.

In total 26,381 citizens in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United States were interviewed between 3 November 2006 and 9 January 2007.

Polling was conducted for the BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan and its research partners in each country.

In ten of the 25 countries, the sample was limited to major urban areas. The margin of error per country ranges from +/-2.5 to 4%.

[bradclark1]

Look in the mirror bradclarck1. If you come from this country Europeans will see you as an ugly American.

BTW its the same kind of generalization the thread implies.
Only if you act like it.;)

[waste gate]

Look in the mirror bradclarck1. If you come from this country Europeans will see you as an ugly American.

BTW its the same kind of generalization the thread implies.
Only if you act like it.;)

What's with the smiley face? Has Geetrue gotten to you?

Is this the kinder genler bradclark1? Just tired perhaps?

[bradclark1]

What's with the smiley face? Has Geetrue gotten to you?

Is this the kinder genler bradclark1? Just tired perhaps?
:lol: Never.

[nikimcbee]

Wow, must be a full moon tonight.:-?

[Onkel Neal]

I was just browsing different threads and different forums today and was reminded of a saying that I learned on an overseas assignment years ago and thought I would share. I think this is a perception that a lot of people in the world feel today towards us as a country.

What is an Ugly American?
Ugly American is an epithet used to refer to perceptions of arrogant, demeaning, unthoughtful behaviors of Americans.

You can even google the phrase and come up with various descriptions.

Yes, I agree, when Americans overseas act badly, they give us a bad name. On the other hand, I have also encountered Ugly non-Americans. People sometimes find it hard to be respectful and friendly.

[joea]

I thought someone was going to post a link to the Jerry Springer show, the guests are usually great examples of what we're dicussing. :hmm:

[Letum]

I live in a tourist hot-spot. Dispite the boost to the local economy, many people here have deep anti-American feelings (myself not included).
A lot of American tourists here pretend to be Canadian, wich is easy to spot due to their cars.

[bradclark1]

Canadians have the same cars as Americans but why would tourists take their cars with them? Unless of course if they are Navy or Airforce stationed there but then they would have to be field grade officers to be able afford the gas.

[bradclark1]

A lot of American tourists here pretend to be Canadian
That I utterly despise. Even with what is going on in the world there is still no reason to be ashamed to be American.

[SUBMAN1]

I travel a lot, but i have yet to see an American pretend to be a Canadian. Quite the contrary - most Americans are proud to be American.

-S

[Letum]

Canadians have the same cars as Americans but why would tourists take their cars with them? Unless of course if they are Navy or Airforce stationed there but then they would have to be field grade officers to be able afford the gas.
Everyone here has European cars! You can't take cars on (most) planes! A quick look at the dashboard or back seat gives them away. So many things Americans carry have little flags on them! :doh:
We get the occasional authentically American motor-bike (& rider) here who take their bikes across the Atlantic (somehow!) and a few people from the "Starwars" radar stations in the area who have US numberplates & cars, but they don't usually cause trouble. :D

[SUBMAN1]

Canadians have the same cars as Americans but why would tourists take their cars with them? Unless of course if they are Navy or Airforce stationed there but then they would have to be field grade officers to be able afford the gas.
Everyone here has European cars! You can't take cars on (most) planes! A quick look at the dashboard or back seat gives them away. So many things Americans carry have little flags on them! :doh:
We get the occasional authentically American motor-bike (& rider) here who take their bikes across the Atlantic (somehow!) and a few people from the "Starwars" radar stations in the area who have US numberplates & cars, but they don't usually cause trouble. :D
Your StarWars guys are Echelon guys. Now that I mentioned the word, this thread is already being monitored by them.

-S

PS. GM is big in Canada by the way, so yeah, Canadians drive American cars.

PPS. Rich Europeans also drive American cars I notice! Its some sort of big deal to have an American msucle car in Europe.

[Letum]

Your StarWars guys are Echelon guys. Now that I mentioned the word, this thread is already being monitored by them.
Really?
I thaught it was just the Balistic missile early warning system. Didn't know they did civil survelance!

I think there are around 30 Americans working there with a load of the RAF guys.

pic of the main radar dish a few miles from me:
http://www.glendalehouse.co.uk/images/Fylingdales-Pyramid-2.jpg

[SUBMAN1]

Your StarWars guys are Echelon guys. Now that I mentioned the word, this thread is already being monitored by them.
Really?
I thaught it was just the Balistic missile early warning system. Didn't know they did civil survelance!

I think there are around 30 Americans working there with a load of the RAF guys.

pic of the main radar dish a few miles from me:


I thought you were talking about these:

http://www.idahofilmfestival.com/2004archive/images/films/echelon.jpg

[Letum]

I thought you were talking about these:

http://www.idahofilmfestival.com/2004archive/images/films/echelon.jpg
oh yer, we have some of the "golf balls", but they are 50 odd miles awy from me. I have not been there for a long time. There used to be more than 40 of them! Why do they need so many?
The base in my pic used to be sorrounded by the golf balls, but the took all of them down in the late 90s and replaced them with the "pyramids".

[SUBMAN1]

I thought you were talking about these:

http://www.idahofilmfestival.com/2004archive/images/films/echelon.jpg
oh yer, we have some of the "golf balls", but they are 50 odd miles awy from me. I have not been there for a long time. There used to be more than 40 of them! Why do they need so many?
The base in my pic used to be sorrounded by the golf balls, but the took all of them down in the late 90s and replaced them with the "pyramids".

Scary.

Anyway, you guys use them to spy on France and Russia, etc. We plug into them to spy on you. Austrailia also plugs into them to spy on you. Both Australia and the UK plug into the ones that spy on Americans. At the end of the day, no one broke any laws about spying on their own citizens. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't swap data! This is why I find it amuzing that people are upset that our NSA tapped into some phone calls going to the Middle East. All they are doing is removing one step anyway - they just remove the need to swap data.

-S

[STEED]

The view from Great Britain

A majority (57%), according to the poll, continues to see US influence in the world as mainly negative, while just 33% sees US influence as mainly positive – down slightly from 36% in 2006.

Britons have significantly negative views of US handling of foreign policy issues, with an overwhelming majority disapproving of US actions on the war on Iraq (81%), as well as its treatment of detainees at Guantanamo and other prisons (76%), the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon (70%), and Iran's nuclear programme (64%).

Issues receiving lower levels of disapproval are the US approach to global warming (79%) and the handling of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme (55%).

More than 7 in 10 Britons (72%) sees the US military presence in the Middle East as "provoking more conflict than it prevents"; just 14% believe that the US is a "stabilising force" in the region.


Polls are well you know. ;)

[ASWnut101]

Polls. Not good sources at all, unless they take the whole country into account. Taking 1,000 people from a country of over 100 million is not a good way to explain how that whole country feels. Utterly worthless, in my opinion.

[Letum]

Polls. Not good sources at all, unless they take the whole country into account. Taking 1,000 people from a country of over 100 million is not a good way to explain how that whole country feels. Utterly worthless, in my opinion.
Not at all "utterly worthless" !
Providing a good statistician takes a varied enough selection, polls can be very accurate!

Taking 1,000 people randomly from a country of over 100 million provides a result with mathematical, measurable degree of accuracy.

The biggest problem with polls is that many have an agenda.

[bradclark1]

What do we have to do with the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon?

[Skybird]

Polls. Not good sources at all, unless they take the whole country into account. Taking 1,000 people from a country of over 100 million is not a good way to explain how that whole country feels. Utterly worthless, in my opinion.
Not at all "utterly worthless" !
Providing a good statistician takes a varied enough selection, polls can be very accurate!

Taking 1,000 people randomly from a country of over 100 million provides a result with mathematical, measurable degree of accuracy.

Yes, and that accuracy (or lack of it) even get quantified, for example by calculating the error margin (which is not just a subjective feeling of the author...):

The margin of error per country ranges from +/-2.5 to 4%

The meaning of statistics is especially this: that you must not ask ALL the complete population in order to get information about it'S behavior, opinion, preferences, but that you only need a fraction of them. And usually such procedures can be very accurate.

In principle, the same mathematical procedures get used in scientific research for example concerning the efficiency of a new drug, or security evaluations of teczhnical devices, etc. etc. . If somebody tries to argue that polls (if correctly done) are meaningless, than he shall better never swallow any pill in his life again... :lol:

[Skybird]

What do we have to do with the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon?
Always lining up with Israel, maybe? ;)

[bradclark1]

What do we have to do with the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon?
Always lining up with Israel, maybe? ;)
:roll: