Are Americans mean?

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Same. But I don't feel like a typical American at all. Of course, my perspective may be different from others'.

Yep, here it comes:



There is nothing unfair about a coincidental sharing of a term. Many words, in both English and Spanish, can have multiple definitions. American in the national sense refers to us from the United States. It is legally our international demonym, whether our Latin neighbors are currently happy with that or not. American in the continental sense includes Canada, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean.

Using the term in one sense, does not automatically negate or undermine the other. They are in no way incompatible. As for the supposed "confusion" of the terms, context clears it up rather easily.

You don't hear too many Zim or Namibia citizens outraged that a certain neighbor of theirs bears the demonym South African. Should they be similarly outraged because their respective countries are technically in the south of Africa? How dare anyone from Pretoria call themselves "South African" when Swaziland and Angola are South African, too?

The "estadounidense" argument is a typical canard thrown out with great gusto by populist leftists south of the border, mostly as a way to get in yet one more snide criticism against the US, and it's getting old fast. To be certain, other points of contention between the US and Latin America are indeed legitimate- unjustified military incursions into Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua. Fruit and coffee trade that are sometimes exploitative. Corporate influences meddling in their cultures. Legal Mexican immigrants harassed by police or vigilante neighbors. Those are legitimate criticisms; I agree. The endless hassle over our national demonym, however, is ridiculous, based mostly in the politics of resentment.



We get tired of the steady drone of endless, and I mean ENDLESS, criticism from the entire rest of the world, every day without respite. Much of said criticism is anything but merely "challenging", and is frequently very, very personal and cruel. You'd be surprised what far too many of us have to deal with lately, every time that we communicate with anyone abroad.

If you had to hear your people degraded, called "racists" and "idiots" constantly, and wished dead by perfect strangers every single day, your war veterans and terrorism victims gleefully mocked, you just might end up with a chip on your shoulder, too, no matter what your political affiliation. You tell us that we are too insular and should expand our cultural horizons; yet when we do just that, you treat us like garbage and make us regret even trying to get to know new people and cultures abroad. It's a disgusting little rigged game played on us by those who know perfectly well what they're doing.

Like I said above, it gets old. And, while I don't speak for everyone from this country, some of us are getting increasingly fed up with it. Find yourselves a new scapegoat.

No. My American relatives are some of the nicest people I've ever met.

I was targeted as a victim once purely for standing up for my country and trying to show some empathy to a foreigner. While I tried to understand her situation, she wrongly judged me as a person who has never felt pain. As a person with Asperger's Syndrome that cannot be true; as a human, that cannot be true.

In my opinion, yes, I can insult my country, but I live here, and because I live here that gives me more license to criticize and complain. I do not, however, complain about other countries and what they have done. I do not single out Germans for what Hitler did, for example.

Because my lifestyle is ultimately better than most, I was ganged up upon and singled out. I was told that I was putting words in the mouths of my bullies, that they weren't being mean to me for being American, etc etc. However, they were. And both of them got blocked. Then a few months later, I had an encounter with a friend of theirs. That friend insulted me, then blocked me for standing up for myself, showing a sense of humor when I was insulted, and explaining why being rude to me gets nothing accomplished.

The worst part about it is that girl told me that she has experienced more things than a 14-year old should, and I could just laugh at her thinking that; when I was her age I felt much more than she could ever deem possible.

Yes, people in my country have a stereotype. Does that mean we all follow it? No. We're human, and because we're human we're sick of having our country insulted. In fact, I've become a bit close-minded about talking to foreigners myself. I know not every foreigner will insult Americans. And yet our past is why people judge us. Our people are even judged purely for our nationality.

Is it a crime that I'm proud to be American? I'm getting fed with it because I extend my hand to try understanding another culture's point of view and they'll just assume that I'm a hypocrite with no idea of what real pain is. Believe it or not, Americans have felt pain, and a lot of us don't like what is being done to warp the view of our country. Lately, whenever I show compassion and consideration for others I'm rejected because I "know nothing about pain." Why is this?

Some Americans do this but I have seen Americans insulted for unreasonable justifications; if their family was killed by Americans, they'll be bitter and mean towards me just for being American. I'll show understanding that I can see why but that I don't like my country being insulted as a whole. My neutral stance angers people.

Anyhow, I don't think this should be too personal. It's just that as an American the viewpoint that my people are mean are true but not to be held to our throats as a threat and/or insult. Judge a person by their personality, not their nationality. If you find out a person you respect is American that shouldn't change your opinion of them. Nationality should play no role in what you think of a human being.

Very well said.

Only the mean Americans are mean.

One time I posted a criticism of America on city-data.com, and while a few people had reasonable things to say and a few even agreed with me, most of them had this elitist, 'love it or leave it' attitude. I don't know, it's like the majority of Americans blindly believe we are #1 even though all the evidence points us to being around the 17th 'best' country in the world.

I agree well said however at what point did I make you a scapegoat? Is it not a little ironic that you have acted out exactly what I mentioned many of the rest of us experience whenever we criticise US foreign policy or insist on our cultural independence and right to difference?

The US is the major influence on world events, the US proclaims itself the best democracy and free-est place on earth, given all of this is it not perhaps inevitable that there will be criticism of inconsistencies between the statements and the acts?

peace j

I am sorry but this question is silly.

If you take the world as a whole with people in it but with no borders/countries nationalities, in every civilization there are nice people, mean people, lazy people, fat people, heck you get the idea. Everyone is different. So why would it matter if there are nationalities/ countries?

Generalization is an ugly thing. Stereotypes are ugly too. Combine both and you get casualties.

^ Chummy sums this up nicely. I see no purpose in this thread continuing; it is only divisive. Time to put it out of its misery. Thread locked.