"America is very famous. They control the world."

To hear these comments from a citizen of Vietnam or Iraq might give me pause. To hear them from an Englishman is laughable. American attitudes towards the world are vastly less patronizing than what was inbred in English colonialism. The 'white man's burden' is an English concept, and resulted in the humiliation and subjugation of populations and resources everywhere the sun shone. It's withered empire drew and misdrew the maps of the world leading to much of the civil strife and sectarian violence which dominates today's geopolitical landscape--everything from Idi Amin to Israel.

Just because Britain has a colonial past is no reason to excuse or ignore America's present attitude to the rest of the world and the widespread perception, from outside the US, that American citizens believe that other countries owe them a debt of gratitude and unquestioning loyalty for what they do to and in other countries in the name of 'democracy' and the 'war on terror'.

One would have thought that America would have learned from the mistakes of Britain's colonial ventures but, no, they are just as patronising, arrogant and misguided in their attitude to the rest of the world as British colonialism was in the 18th and 19th centuries.

"America is very famous. They control the world."

The sad thing is that most of the nationals of that large country either mistakenly believe it or would like it to be so!

Humm... jealous ?

Wesley

Jealous of getting your ass kicked by the Vietnamese, being unable to extricate yourself from Eyerack or Afghanistan. You are joking, aren't you?

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

"America is very famous. They control the world."

possibly..but what was that about hubris coming before a fall.

The sad fact is that the USA is full of wonderful people who do do wonderful things and their good name is tainted by a small bunch of nutters currently in charge. Hopefully that will change soon.

[dave_tf-old]

You won't find me defending America's imitation of England, but we've had our own progressives moving us on beyond our initial Englishness. The less any nation on earth is like the English, the better off they are. No, it's become a case of the student growing greater than the teacher--and that surely rankles an unworthy Master.

My pity is reserved for the Scots and Welsh who are forced to share a land mass (tiny and insignificant as it is) with such haughty, overbearing, insulting, rude, and paternalistic neighbors as the English. Small wonder the Scots took to Calvinism so readily--better to believe your fate was ordained by God than by the English.

The OP quoted an undereducated resident of the Thai/Burmese border appraising the US as the 'controller of the world', while also recognizing (albeit naively) that it was the US-led west and only the US-led west who could help. Long has it ever been.

I won't attempt to defend American History or current American policy--except against an Englishman. Of lesser importance, this board is full of evidence of others slamming Americans for every slight major and minor--and for the most part, 'we' accept this. But criticism of American assumptions of superiority coming from Englishmen is ludicrous.

American assumptions of superiority {are} ludicrous.

Indeed

[francois]

"America is very famous. They control the world."

The sad thing is that most of the nationals of that large country either mistakenly believe it or would like it to be so!

I read the article in the Christian Science Monitor. The "America is famous quote" is by a Burmese not an American. A Thai friend tells me the same-same regarding American influence in the world, at least, as he views it.

As for jet engines, they were developed independently both by the British and the Germans at about the same time, but different designs.

[pronto]

But criticism of American assumptions of superiority coming from Englishmen is ludicrous.

Very well said! Right on!

[Wesley]

"America is very famous. They control the world."

The sad thing is that most of the nationals of that large country either mistakenly believe it or would like it to be so!

Humm... jealous ?

Wesley

Jealous of getting your ass kicked by the Vietnamese, being unable to extricate yourself from Eyerack or Afghanistan. You are joking, aren't you?

I think there is more American bashing on here than pedo bashing, nevertheless to each his own opinion. its just that after 7 years of Bush I think most Americans are just tired of the same bashing as much as Smiles is tired of the Pedo trashing. I have never said that American foreign policy is all that great. However, I am still an American and I see no need to just let people go on and on about us when they don't know us as a people any more than they do the hate mongers who spew this trash on the media. No matter what the Brits did, or Bin laden, or America. You have a lot to learn about individual Americans. It is sad however, that we are so hated that when Burma is blown away there is so much hate and distrust they would not take the food and help offered by us just off shore and would rather let their people die than take help from us. yes, Mistakes have been made and probably some more will be made. You would think we were Hitlers coming out to gas the Jews in their ovens to listen to this kind of stuff day in and day out. So, I wonder; put in our position what would your leader have done with the same problem and the same power. What is the old saying about power and corruption... Well it makes me wonder if anyone would have done any better in the same situation; given the same circumstances and options. maybe... maybe not. Who can say for sure anyone could have stopped Hitler with diplomacy, do we just appease them and give them what they want. Or even more what is it they want we can't figure out.Or, maybe America should turn back in on its self and let the world go on and on with a non-interference policy. It would be interesting to see who would pop up on the world stage if all of a sudden we just took care of America. We should have stayed out of the second world war with all the thanks you get for it now. Maybe that is what the world wants and if so, maybe that is what Obamma will give them. Give it a few years maybe your kids are going to be speaking Arabic. I assure you America will still be speaking English,or some form of Spanglish.

Wesley

[Wesley]

Never thought I would get out that easy with you guys, you must have felt sorry for me!

Never thought I would get out that easy with you guys, you must have felt sorry for me!

NO, we just pity you!