Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Happy Independence Day!

I know exactly how you feel:


(AFP) People in Britain view the United States as a vulgar, crime-ridden society obsessed with money and led by an incompetent president whose Iraq policy is failing, according to a newspaper poll.

The United States is no longer a symbol of hope to Britain and the British no longer have confidence in their transatlantic cousins to lead global affairs, according to the poll published in The Daily Telegraph.

The YouGov poll found that 77 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement that the US is "a beacon of hope for the world".

As Americans prepared to celebrate the 230th anniversary of their independence on Tuesday, the poll found that only 12 percent of Britons trust them to act wisely on the global stage. This is half the number who had faith in the Vietnam-scarred White House of 1975.

A massive 83 percent of those questioned said that the United States doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks.

With much of the worst criticism aimed at the US adminstration, the poll showed that 70 percent of Britons like Americans a lot or a little.

US President George W. Bush fared significantly worse, with just one percent rating him a "great leader" against 77 percent who deemed him a "pretty poor" or "terrible" leader.

More than two-thirds who offered an opinion said America is essentially an imperial power seeking world domination. And 81 per cent of those who took a view said President George W Bush hypocritically championed democracy as a cover for the pursuit of American self-interests.

US policy in Iraq was similarly derided, with only 24 percent saying they felt that the US military action there was helping to bring democracy to the country.

A spokesman for the American embassy said that the poll's findings were contradicted by its own surveys.

"We question the judgment of anyone who asserts the world would be a better place with Saddam still terrorizing his own nation and threatening people well beyond Iraq's borders," the paper quoted the unnamed spokesman as saying.

"With respect to the poll's assertions about American society, we bear some of the blame for not successfully communicating America's extraordinary dynamism.

"But frankly, so do you (the British press)."

In answer to other questions, a majority of the Britons questions described Americans as uncaring, divided by class, awash in violent crime, vulgar, preoccupied with money, ignorant of the outside world, racially divided, uncultured and in the most overwhelming result (90 percent of respondents) dominated by big business.

8 comments:

Alan Fisher said...

And that's why polls should always be ignored.

Minge said...

I can't take that poll *too* seriously. Bush has ruined America, sure, but the average Briton's view of America and Americans is tainted by their opinion of Dubya.

If Dubya wanted to invade countries to bring democracy, why doesn't he invade Saudi Arabia? Iran? The United Kingdom? Yes! We want democracy, too! We long for it. We don't elect our head of state, nor do we elect one half of our legislature. It's plain wrong.

Daddy Cool said...

I agree that polls have to be taken with a bit of suspicion but it does get to our standing and appearance in the world community.

If anyone should be backing us it's the Brits. It gets the whole larger divide in our own country and the slash and burn tactics that are being waged in the US right now. The current administration is all about its base and there's no attempt to address others concerns even at a perfunctory level.

Moncrief Speaks said...

You'll note in the poll that their opinion of Americans is still high (70%). It's just the opinion of Bush and the government that's rightly low.

Love us, love us, sweeties, but hate our "leader." Which thankfully seems to be the case.

Dan said...

I think if it came down to it, most of my friends are US Citizens ;) I talk to more people online than I do here in the "Real Life" (tm), which is a sad sad statement! hehehe

I have no problems with all of you across the pond, and enjoy chatting and pointing *WE* play Football, you guys play something all together different. And it's coloUr.

But I digress. Ignore the polls, listen to the real people :)

Minge said...

Yes, we love you!

Daddy Cool said...

aaaw, forwarding comments to Kim Jong Il

Minge said...

Kim's a playful little sparrow, really!