What The World Thinks...

[Proteas]

If you're not going to bother reading this post all the way through, don't respond.
This is not general forum and nobody is impressed with your post count, here.

This topic has to do with people's perception of the world around them and what helps to shape them. If you're like me, you've grown up hearing how much people in other parts of the world HATE the United States. We're arrogant, self centered and self aggrandizing bastards who would sooner blow it all to hell than handle things through political channels. We're bible thumping, banjo twanging, gun toting rednecks who drink beer that tastes like watered down horse piss. Ignorance, inbreeding, and mental retardation runs rampant here. I mean, we voted Bush in twice, what kind of mentally deficient populace would do that?

And yet... for some insane reason... people in other parts of the world think we're cool.

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LONDON | Tue Sep 6, 2011 10:59am EDT

(Reuters) - They may be witnessing their global superpower influence decline in the face of challenges from other emerging players on the world stage, but Americans have been voted the world's "coolest nationality" in an international poll.

Social networking site Badoo.com (www.badoo.com) asked 30,000 people across 15 countries to name the coolest nationality and also found that the Spanish were considered the coolest Europeans, Brazilians the coolest Latin Americans and Belgians the globe's least cool nationality.

"We hear a lot in the media about anti-Americanism," says Lloyd Price, Badoo's Director of Marketing. "But we sometimes forget how many people across the world consider Americans seriously cool."

Of course, not all Americans are cool far from it. Some like Snoop Dogg, Lady Gaga, Samuel L. Jackson, Johnny Depp and Quentin Tarantino are way cooler than others.

Americans, however, are the dudes who invented cool and who still embody it in many fields from music to movies and TV to technology.

"America," says Price, "boasts the world's coolest leader, Obama; the coolest rappers, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg; and the coolest man in technology, Steve Jobs of Apple, the man who even made geeks cool."

Brazilians are ranked the second coolest nationality in the Badoo poll and the coolest Latin Americans, ahead of Mexicans and Argentinians. The Spanish, in third place, are the coolest Europeans.

The French are voted cooler than the British, and Canadians cooler than the Belgians. This may come as a relief for Canadians, who are sometimes viewed as chronically uncool.

Or, as Michael Ignatieff, the Canadian politician, once put it: "Paris, Texas stands as a metaphor for broken dreams; Paris, Saskatchewan just sounds ridiculous."

THE 10 COOLEST NATIONALITIES
1. Americans
2. Brazilians
3. Spanish
4. Italians
5. French
6. British
7. Dutch
8. Mexicans
9. Argentinians
10. Russians

FIVE LEAST COOLEST
1. Belgians
2. Poles
3. Turks
4. Canadians
5. Germans

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/0 6/us-americans-cool-survey-idUSTRE7852H3 20110906

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Now, by posting this, I realize what's about to happen. I would bet good money that this article will be immediately shot down for lack of scientific approach in the way it polled people, thus nullifying the results IF you could begin to take the source seriously to begin with. I would also expect some jaded individual to play dumb with me and demand that qualify or backup the american stereotypes and general hatred of America I cited here.

But before any of that happens, I have a question for you; why was this article not mentioned in the mainstream media? And if you DID happen to hear about this on the evening news, how many times was it repeated...?

Could it perhaps be that our American Mainstream Media HATES America, too?

[Loiarlyritpyat]

Who cares about cool, cool is just a term popularized by a bunch of dope smoking Jazz musicians. I enjoy the irony of "anti-drug" types using such terminology. Other terms such as "freaking out" and "thing" too.

While consuming media that was created by these druggies, to be perceived in their altered drugged out perception. It's hilarious!

[djack]

I think no one hates America more than the American media. The media is so dependent upon sensationalism that there is no good news any more only bad news and potentially apocalyptic news. It could be that that is by design by a group that despises America, or this is forced onto news anchors and journalists by their greedy superiors. I don't know which, but either way we get a constant stream of bad news from the media.

[BUTANE]

I actually read that article about a week or two ago. At the time I was like "huh, I guess that's cool". That's really all the thought I put into it. The three main sources of news I look at are MSNB, BBC, and USA Today. So I don't know which one of those three had the article, but it was definitely mainstream media (perhaps you wouldn't count BBC since it's not American, but I still do). Anyway, I think you are putting too much thought into this. It sounded to me like a fun survey that wasn't meant to be taken too seriously. I mean it's talking about how "Cool" different nationalities are. There are SOOO many more important things to discuss than coolness. Most people aren't 15 years old.

[dontpanic01]

Oh fuck I think this technically makes America the emo nationality.....

[SadisticMonkey]

I live in a student accomodation college whose population is approximately half (of ~550) American exchange students.

Theyr'e so fucking annoying, and so fucking LOUD.

Seriously, why the fuck are you always yelling? The person you're speaking to is a few feet away from you and can hear you perfectly, just like everyone else in a fucking 50 meter radius.

Ready, what's this: "ENNNNNNNNNNNND".
An American chick saying 'and.'

Of course, a bunch of well-off partying-type teenagers on a glorified holiday are hardly a fair representation of an etire nation, but still.

/rant

[SolInvictus]

At 9/24/11 06:31 AM, SadisticMonkey wrote: I live in a student accomodation college whose population is approximately half (of ~550) American exchange students.

Theyr'e so fucking annoying, and so fucking LOUD.

maybe the fact that Americans have built in volume control is why so many foreigners think their cool.

i guess i shouldn't be surprised by Canada's ranking.

[thedo12]

I can get how Canadians are uncool , but Turks and Germans? I'm technically a Spaniard in that my ancestors came from the Iberian peninsula , but these results look fishy.

[Camarohusky]

At 9/24/11 06:31 AM, SadisticMonkey wrote: Of course, a bunch of well-off partying-type teenagers on a glorified holiday are hardly a fair representation of an etire nation, but still.

Having spent time on one of these myself, I can speak for all of America when I say DO NOT, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, THESE THESE SPOILED BRATS REPRESENT US!!!!!!!!!!

On a more generic not, having lived abroad, I can say America is definitely considered the coolest. Pretty much everything about me seems so cavalier and hip (nerdy old me) to the Japanese. Aside from their inherent prejudices against white people (no I am NOT here to screw you high schools girls), they have a very high opinion of Americans.

Now, I think of it more like a high school. How many of us saw the "cool kids" and were just in awe of how cool they were? Most of us. Did we like these cool kids? HELL NO. They were arrogant weel off jerks who thought their way was the only way, and if you weren't part of their group you weren't anything. This bad description didn't fit all, or even most of them, but that's how many like me thought of them, because of how a few vocal people represented the group.

This dichotomy seems to accurately represent how the world views us. We exude cool, but then again, we are associated with the same bad qualities as the "cool kids" I spoke of. In other words, the world's relationship with us is a love-hate relationship and perhaps best described as bittersweet.

[Loiarlyritpyat]

As you see... or can't, as you're "inside the box"
It doesn't matter how much Maths you know, how high your "IQ" is (not that I'm claiming any of you have that). You can still buy into the culture and use terms like "hot" etc

[SweetenBoy]

At 9/24/11 06:31 PM, thedo12 wrote: I can get how Canadians are uncool , but Turks and Germans?

Ummm excuse me? Canadians uncool? Have you checked how far north Canada is? T__T

Hahaha get it.......... wow I know I'm lame

In all seriousness, I'm Canadian. Why do people hate us eh? I thought everybody on earth loved Canadians. Whenever I flash my Canadian passport at an airport people are nice to me (not so much to my dad and his american one).

The fact that Germany is on the bottom 5 list makes me not want to live on this planet anymore. I guess the world is uninformed of Germany bailing out half of the European countries.

I blame Hitler. The way in which I brought up his name DOES NOT involke Godwin's law.

[thegarbear14]

At 9/24/11 06:31 AM, SadisticMonkey wrote: I live in a student accomodation college whose population is approximately half (of ~550) American exchange students.

Theyr'e so fucking annoying, and so fucking LOUD.

Seriously, why the fuck are you always yelling? The person you're speaking to is a few feet away from you and can hear you perfectly, just like everyone else in a fucking 50 meter radius.

Ready, what's this: "ENNNNNNNNNNNND".
An American chick saying 'and.'

Of course, a bunch of well-off partying-type teenagers on a glorified holiday are hardly a fair representation of an etire nation, but still.

/rant

you got some of the loud ones lol. probably mostly guidos XD (kidding)
alot of people are quiet in the us but when you get loud people there seems to be more than there are of those loud people.....why? cuz they are always fking yelling lol. i'm quiet normally. and if they ennnnd they are probably from southern areas of the us. but to be fair people in areas like ny will say things like ya and other things.

[thedo12]

At 9/25/11 01:33 AM, SweetenBoy wrote:
Ummm excuse me? Canadians uncool? Have you checked how far north Canada is? T__T

I'm canadian too , lol.

It's not who you "like" it's how cool they are. Canada is like a freindly nerd , the U.S. is like agressive jock , everyone think he's cool but how how much do they really like him?

[lapis]

I have to remark here that I don't think that this poll shows that people world-wide think that Bible-thumping hillbillies are cool. It's very probable that New York and California account for over 98% of the US' coolness. Then again, it depends on where you go. I think people from Europe and certain parts of Latin America are able to distinguish between cool and uncool states. People from Japan and China on the other hand probably think you're cool even if you're from Utah or Idaho.

Also: "But do the Belgians really deserve last place in the Badoo poll? Belgium, after all, is the country that gave the world... er, Brussel sprouts and the vast bureaucracy of the European Union, headquartered in the Belgian capital of Brussels. In fact, a 19th century Belgian by the name of Adolphe Sax also invented the saxophone - daddy of the jazz saxophone, which the great Charlie 'Bird' Parker himself wielded as forceps in the birth of cool. But not many people know that, which means that, however unfair, Belgians are still rated terminally uncool." And rightfully so.

[Proteas]

At 9/25/11 12:32 PM, lapis wrote: which the great Charlie 'Bird' Parker himself

An American born in Kansas, by the way. But keep talking.

[lapis]

Sure, I don't think that the author of that bit was trying to argue that Belgium should be first in favour of the US, just that there aren't Poles or Turks who designed Parker's fancy outfits (that I know of?). I mean, being voted the world most uncool nation is an extremely serious matter, and it's up to us to explain what the reasons are lest we stop paying attention and wake up some day to find out that we're the least cool people on the planet. Having invented the saxophone is apparently not enough to prevent that.

[stafffighter]

I've never really understood the perception of Canadians being uncool. This might be because I grew up watching Kids in the Hall re-runs on comedy central. That's my personal experience but there have been so many Canadian artists, actors, comedians and musicians that have had success in America that there have to be examples for just about anyone. Any "Back to the Future" fans here on the internet?

What I think it has to be is the issue of familiarity. Canada is so very near the U.S both geographically and culturally that that the small differences become glaring and alienating. Of course there's also the flip side to that where people see no appreciable difference and from that decide that Canada doesn't have any culture and is just waiting for America to need to buy (or pillage) its natural resources.

Compare this to Mexico, this is a country that speaks a different language and is made up primarily of people of Hispanic heritage. We can see Mexico as different from us. Much the same way that somewhere you'd have to take a plane ride too like Japan can be see as being so very far and different that it's viewed with a degree of mysticism. I'm not saying America invented or perfected xenophobia. It goes all around and we're no exception.

[lapis]

At 9/25/11 03:09 PM, Proteas wrote:

At 9/25/11 12:32 PM, lapis wrote: which the great Charlie 'Bird' Parker himself

An American born in Kansas, by the way. But keep talking.

Aaah, or were you focusing on the fact that he was born in Kansas and not in New York or California? Would you accept it if I argued that he went to New York City to really get his career off the ground? Honestly, though, I personally don't think that Jazz has much of an impact on the coolness that Badoo users ascribe to the US. Jazz may have fathered the concept of coolness, but it's a bit outdated; younger people mostly think that movie/series actors and singers from the eighties or later are cool (and maybe Steve Jobs. And maybe still Obama, even), and the US also has a lot going for it in that respect compared to other countries. For the second part of my post I was just looking for some introduction to kicking Belgium while it's down. A link would add some credibility to claiming that Belgium is "terminally" So thumbs up then, Proteas, for looking for a level of coherence in my post that I myself didn't even consider :p

[Proteas]

At 9/25/11 03:21 PM, lapis wrote: I mean, being voted the world most uncool nation is an extremely serious matter, and it's up to us to explain what the reasons are lest we stop paying attention and wake up some day to find out that we're the least cool people on the planet. Having invented the saxophone is apparently not enough to prevent that.

Sardonic comments aside, the point of this topic was to discuss media perception. I've noticed that Americans have a bit of a neurosis about how much the rest of the world hates us, and it seems to be re-enforced by the mainstream media who does not or will not publish or openly discuss articles like the one I posted earlier. All we ever hear about in our news is doom and gloom and OMG TEH WURLDS ENDING. And on top of that, then we get fed these stories about Americans getting screwed over in other countries (Amanda Knox, Gary Giordano, the hikers in Iran) and we hardly ever hear a word about what good we're doing in other parts of the world. If we do hear a word about it, it's usually towards the tail end of the broadcast during the minute long human-interests segment and not likely o be repeated AGAIN.

So it kind of leaves me with the question... do people really hate us? And how would I know?

[Loiarlyritpyat]

Well, I guess they can be selective about that. They won't tell you what's in the water or the food. link Maybe because they also own those food companies, soy also has estrogen in it. BPA also mimics estrogen, maybe that is why men nowadays act like 'metrosexual' fruitcakes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06sTU4k0 Auk

Or that, I don't watch television. But it seems they don't focus on this, the building is getting all deformed. The Japanese are shipping the waste around the country and burning it. It goes in the air and it comes over here, and they place it around the country supposedly so they don't have a reference point to compare how many children will die of heart disease or cancer there. Oh and maybe it will meltdown into the groundwater and react with it and cause another explosion. Oh well.

[lapis]

At 9/25/11 04:25 PM, Proteas wrote: I've noticed that Americans have a bit of a neurosis about how much the rest of the world hates us,

Well look, it depends on what part of the world you're talking about. In some countries, anti-Americanism is just a reactionary process that comes about when American culture (or sometimes just broadly Western culture, with America being used as the name and face for a bigger phenomenon) is seen as driving out more traditional culture. Not unusually, people who are agitating against American are people whose position of power or prestige wanes as a result of American cultural influence (like clerics in Iran or Indonesia), or people who instead who want to gain power or prestige by capitalising on people's fears or senses of humiliation. Think of politicians in countries like France or Egypt.

Other times, anti-Americanism is the result of American politics. The Vietnam war was hugely unpopular in some countries and that refelcted on people's perception of Americans. Similarly, ther Iraq war reflected poorly on the American people. That got a lot less (at least in Europe) when Obama was elected. In Arab countries Obama was also greeted with reserved enthusiasm, but when he vetoes Palestinian statehood a few weeks from now they'll curse his name in coffee houses from Casablanca to Baghdad. You might justifiably wonder why people in Europe should give a crap about Vietnam or people in Morocco about Palestine. I guess people find it easy to project their own problems and grievances on foreign entities.

and it seems to be re-enforced by the mainstream media who does not or will not publish or openly discuss articles like the one I posted earlier.

Eh, I don't follow your media, but maybe stories about how the world hates America stir up more emotions and thus generate better ratings than stories about America doing OK. How often do you hear news reports that say that everything's actually just going swimmingly, compared to those that say that everyone's going to die horribly? Fear sells.

(Amanda Knox, Gary Giordano, the hikers in Iran)

Hmm, did Knox really get "screwed over"? The hikers in Iran got screwed, yes, but they're just being used as bargaining chips in a bigger political power play. With Knox I'm not so sure. Maybe I'm too cynical but I'd say that if she didn't look as good as she does there wouldn't have been a comparable amount of media attention.

So it kind of leaves me with the question... do people really hate us?

Ususally when people "hate" you there are deeper things going on. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[Warforger]

At 9/25/11 12:32 PM, lapis wrote: Also: "But do the Belgians really deserve last place in the Badoo poll?

Other than single handedly starting the worst thing to happen to Africa causing it to be such a shithole today?

[Synaps3]

And yet... for some insane reason... people in other parts of the world think we're cool.

Have you ever lived anywhere but the us?

[brainface]

What a silly poll. Cool is such a buzz word.
Not to mention the majority of derivable definitions of cool are all probably from American films and TV shows.

However for the sake of aspiring to be cool my definition would be: independent, adaptive, autonomous, reselient, and uncompromising. Now think of a "cool" character in any TV show or Movie. Yaaay!!

There's something about being black/foreign too. After all didn't black people invent Jazz, Rock, Rap and the air conditioner? It's appropriate but I think it has everything to do with the uninhibited way in which they live their life and express themselves.

As for the uncoolest countries. I somewhat agree, although other than there being a lot of white-ies on average in some of those bottom countries, each of these nations has a tricky national identitiy to manage.

3. Turks

Wanna be Europeans

4. Canadians

America's younger brother who only has a crappy 8-track player and still hangs out with his Mom and her other sons (commonwealth).

5. Germans

Europe's bastard child of WWII

Could it perhaps be that our American Mainstream Media HATES America, too?

I think the problem is, the idea of ALL American`s being Cool places every American as an equal. Not only would this be a sensationally positive news report (which is unheard of unless its about a kitten rescue) people in America might even stop fearing one another and start to Love and open up to each other more. Everyone may start feeling safer having been assured that everyone in our free country is described as "cool". This would be horrible for business. Connecting with people more often relieves stress and gives you less time to worry about money and what to buy next.

such a silly list though, realistically the coolest people you'll ever meet are probably somewhere in Africa not giving a fuck about anything except they're next fuck

[Reiewer]

Um, I don't see Canada on the 'cool' list. What's up with that bologna!?

[Camarohusky]

At 9/26/11 08:52 AM, Reiewer wrote: Um, I don't see Canada on the 'cool' list. What's up with that bologna!?

That bologna stinks and is made up of cow brain and sphincter, just like it should be.

Face it. Canada just ain't cool. She's more like the girl next door.

[SmilezRoyale]

At 9/24/11 12:21 AM, Proteas wrote: If you're not going to bother reading this post all the way through, don't respond.
This is not general forum and nobody is impressed with your post count, here.

The root of the problem lies, i think, in asking the question of who exactly IS america? A certain politically defined geographic boundary containing many groups of people who associate in various ways.

Most of the world, the western world particularly, obviously admires the cultural output of many people in the United States. But judging by the article it sounds as it is mostly the cultural output of Hollywood, and the various American Popstars. Don't ban me just yet, I'm not ASSERTING these things, but that was simply the impression that I got from the article. Now I don't know if you personally are proud of these things, or are proud of the fact that other people are proud of these things.

I'm not a pop culture guy myself, so I'm ambivalent about it. But if american pop culture is desired by countless millions, i won't be a Galbraithian sour-puss about it.

Obviously it's not entirely Pop culture. the US still has companies founded within it's borders, like Apple as mentioned, that become famous in ways that companies still do.

As far as the Media's role in giving americans the impression that the rest of the world prior to the Ascendancy of our most glorious [and first black] president, I'll entertain that possibility that the partiality of the exposure is motivated by mostly partisan considerations. However the content of the actual opinions about 'America' are not fabrications so much as not telling the whole story.

Foreigners don't like the US Government, and this should hardly be controversial to say considering that most Americans don't like their government either. But in true Fascistic style, the US Government is sometimes referred to simply as 'America' by proxy. Of course it works both ways; Americans refer to themselves as being the US Government as well.

When people dislike an institution they tend to attack things that are associated with it, namely through stereotyping Americans.

[TheSixthCell]

Please, tell me that you people aren't arguing about the level of coolness of countries.

[thegarbear14]

i hate when i get some guy who lived in europe or was born there or is living there claiming to be "european" and therefore superior. he acts like i am some 800lb dumb*ss without me giving reason as to be treated like this. they are either trolling or hyppocritical ignorant sh*ts. i have had few issues with some people but people from certain areas tend to do this more. if i ask nationality i get in reply "european" and that's bull. maybe racially european (white) but your not european but nationality. ( i am white too btw...) they get annoying. So i'd never think us citizens would be the coolest.....intresting though.

[Camarohusky]

At 9/28/11 06:11 PM, thegarbear14 wrote: So i'd never think us citizens would be the coolest...

I think many people here are putting way too much in the word "cool"

I would seriously doubt that when people answered this poll they though coll was a synonym for any of the following words:

Civilized; likeable; friendly; humble; quiet; orderly; empathetic; and so on

I am pretty sure this poll is limited to American pop culture and American bravado. Many countries admire the style, and our shoot from the hip attitude toward life, but they resent many other quailities about us, namely our shoot from the hip attitude toward the rest of the world.