Fixing Uncle Sam’s Image Problem

Roofrocka I believe you I feel this is mostly hype by the people who are never satisfied. No matter what you do for them like come to their country and spend money. they will be jealous and never like you anyway so why care and as you say and I believe most people in the world want the american dream we take for granted and even vote against if they only knew what the are willing to throw away.

Worrying about how others perceive you is a psychological problem.

Is it not psychology 101 that one needs to be happy with their own self, then what others think of you is merely their own decision.

Pandering to what others think of you, is the wrong path. Pandering to what other think of you is the "celebrity" mind set. Always looking for confirmation that you are satisfactory in others minds. That you are "popular" becomes more important than substance.

Maybe being satisfied with one's own self image is key. Then what other's think is their own decision.

Oh, heck, that's common sense.

Worrying about what others think, while not be satisfied with one self, can and will lead to problems.

Pandering to how others view you, is clearly the wrong path.

Now come on people, have you been outside the US lately, have you actually seen the reaction on a foreigner's face when you say "I'm American"? I'm an American living in the Mid-East, and I can tell you that the American Dream is still huge over here for these Arabs, they love the idea of moving to America and starting a better life there... they don't hate American people or the American land, just the American president who they think has done everything he could to aid in destroying two of their countries, Palestine and Iraq.
I know you're thinking, "Yeah, they want to come over here to bomb us, not live among us", but it ain't true. The Arab "terrorists" are fundamentalist freaks who you don't meet walking down a street in the Mid-East. I've never once met an unkind Arab in the few years I've been residing here. Let's be fair, they do have terrorist organizations over here, terrible ones, but you can't view the whole Arab world as part of that... it would be like Arabs viewing all Americans as KKK members.
My point here is that you can't judge people on the opposite side of the world unless you've actually been here and lived among them. I mean the EVERYDAY, NORMAL Arab person; not the handful of idiots who blew up our people. As I said, you don't meet them strolling around the neighborhoods here. I've asked numerous Arabs (and I'll admit I was suspicious and prejudice upon first arriving) if they support all these bombings and believe it will grant them Paradise - the answer was NO. Muslim Arabs in particular told me that Islam does tell them to defend themselves when attacked, but never to harm an innocent person, or destroy a building, or even harm a PLANT in the process. That, to me, is understandable. Being a New Yorker who witnessed the horrors of 9/11 first-hand, I have more right to be biased against these people than anyone. Open your eyes and educate yourselves. If I'm able to see the truth, you should be able to as well.
Happy New Year.

Wake up America and take a good look at yourselves. Why do you believe that everyone in the world should speak English as you travel to your favorite vacation destiny? Why do you believe that your idea of democracy is best for all people in the world? Why do you belive that capitalism is the best? Why do you believe that your religion is the one for all?
If we could get rid of politics, and religion, we would see that most people are the same wherever they are in the world. Most people are just trying to give a better life for their children. The average citizen of the world doesn't care about where you are from, they only care about how you react with them. Are you friendly, kind, understanding? In my travels I've seen alot of American tourists who are angry, demanding, arrogant, and you wonder why America has a bad name across the world. I am an American and when ever I travel I spend time to research the customs and language of the areas that I wil be traveling to, that way even if my pronunciation is wrong, the locals will understand that I have at least tried to learn a little about them. And when I am corrected, I thank the locals who correct me and try to learn more from them. You'ld be surprised to see that people are the same all around the world, we only want friendship, not condemnation for not being a mirror image of each other.

You will be sorry when we are getting bombed again you have forgotten how we got here. We were bombed 9-11 remember and hussain was causing trouble and being a threat again you seem to have forgotten all of the terrorist attacks around the world. Notice how bush topped that in the USA you'lll remember when it strts happening again. The democrats and their no energy plans wiull keep us in danger an d keep usin more and more powerles positions in the worlds standings. Who cares what they thhink? We neeedd tcare abbout the safty aand securiity of the usa!

re to tking357 : as an American of French origin (You will notice that I don't call myself a "french American......) you are from now on my favorite Red Neck, and the first one that states the facts as they are when it comes to American history and I thank you for it, it's refreshing after having to answer stupid and ignorant questions for the past 8 years as why the Frenchs hate America ???? ( a fact I was not aware of when I first move in this country 28 years ago..and that still puzzles me !!!!)So thanks again and don't fool yourself, you are a special kind of redneck......wich reinforce my all time theory : in ANY group of people there are always 2 kinds : the decent ones ..and the scumbags no matter the color,religion or political views... Thank you again you "decent redneck" you...and Happy New Year....

PS irdrmr STOP SHOUTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LEARN TO TYPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOOK DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look irdrmr its good you know what the shirtless wonder GOD of all that is good will be able to do, but LOOK "Speak Softly but Carry a BIG Stick" is a policy that we should maintain. Half wittedness is believing that MAN can change the world climate. LOOK how good that he speaks without a teleprompter. Be PROUD for the first time. Yea but John Could not get along with YOKO!

It's about time that some REAL AMERICANS finally step up and be heard. If the U.S. does not blink and step back we will be the country of power and freedom.

AFTER READING THE ARTICLE AND SOME OF THE COMMENTS i FELT OBLIGATED TO SAY SOMETHING. FIRST, I AGREE WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD ABOUT THE SMUGGNESS OF SOME.GREED HAS RUINED THIS COUNTRY. EITHER FOR POWER OR FOR MONEY CERTAIN PEOPLE HAVE DONE US AND THE REST OF THE WORLD TERRIBLY WRONG.IF YOU ACTUALLY TALKED TO AMERICANS YOU WOULD SEE THAT WE DONT AGREE WITH MOST POLICES OR HOW THE ADMINISTRATION HAS TAKEN IT UPON ITSELF TO THROW BOMBS OR REGULATIONS AT OTHERS THINKING IT WOUL EITHER ELIMINATE OR SUBDUE THE PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD.IT HURTS TO SEE THAT WE ARE ALL JUDGED BY THE ACTIONS OF A CERTAIN FEW.THIS PAST ELECTION HOPEFULLY GIVES THE MESSAGE THAT WE ARE TIRED OF THE HALF WIT DECISIONS MADE IN THE PAST. I AM SURE I SPEAK FOR THE MAJORITY THAT WE DO CARE AND DO WANT CHANGE.HOPEFULLY THE NEW PRESIDENT WILLPRACTICE WHAT HE PREACHES AND NOT LET STATUS QOU TAKE OVER. LETS ALL JUST GET ALONG.WE ALL YEARN FOR PEACE. JOHN LENNON SAID IT BEST, IMAGINE

sometimes the real enemy is within, we have seen how good the: "you are with us or you are against us" and other: "bring it on" has done to this country......a unanimous wave of love and support for our cause !!!!Hoppefuly today the past is where it belongs :BEHIND US and so is the backward crowd that took us a century back in 8 very LONG years..Being born in this country might make you legally an American but it's really the spirit not the birthplace that makes a real American.....A lot of the native seems to have forgoten those basic principles.....(see: the ugly American....)

re to TK : do you really believe that it's people like YOU that made this country GREAT ?????I don't know what you are smoking but if it is not, it definetly should be illegal.....Do you really think that you are the ultimate Amercan ?Cut down on whatever you are doing and seek help......And by the way you might think that this article is funny, well I've got news for you YOU ARE NOT.....and when you include the rest of us in your acid trip ( ex: WE ARE the United States, )you are insulting all the decents people of this great country, so please go on a cruise or dive in an active volcano or something like reading a book once in a while..and when I say a book, I mean a real one,you know the ones without little drawing inside..........WOW is right..

Seven members of my immediate family are American born. Four still live in the US. I have several American friends. This is what I have observed: Every American should spend a little time outside the country. You would learn things about yourself, about the way the world sees you and perhaps more importantly you would learn something about other countries. The rest of the world is appalled by your ignorance. That ignorance is often perpetrated by your own media. Check MSNBC and notice that under the title of "World News" it is just a repeat of US news...unless it is about a two headed baby from another country. Your media keeps you ignorant. Can't leave the country? Start watching BBC World news for a broader perspective on world events. You are not the centre of the universe. Millions of people in other countries have it as good or better than you do. Also, the US did not invent democracy. You don't even have the best form of democratic government. You worship a flawed constitution. What has killed your world wide image is your ego, your aggression, ignorance and greed. Sadly you are pulling the rest of us down with you.

WOW-If this didn't lean any further left if would fall off the screen on your laptop or desktop. This article is so biased that its funny.

First of all, who really cares what the rest of the world thinks of us. Germany, France, Italy, they have little or no credability as to world power and no means to think about becoming a world power. Look at Iran and Indoneasis muslim nations. They have the means monies wise and radical fighters of their religion. Whats with these groups that we the United States want to make nice with, REMEMBER PEOPLE, these people are truly our enemy, if you really do your studing as you should. WE ARE the United States and are a WORLD forece.

There will be no automatic things getting better with BHO taking office. If anything, things will become worse when they find out we will now not back up what we say and when threats are spoken, forces will not be dispatched when needed.

This article writer Kishore Mahbubani , does not know of our weak congress. This idea of leaving countries during war, conflict and striffe was during the Viet Nam conflict. Congress demanded we pull out, the country was overtaken again, the U.S. was defeated internally by our Politicans and war protesters. This is a big black mark on our country and will be. Since then, we have never been able to fully engage in war because we need to be "P,C" so that we aren"t looked at as mean, nasty, the big bad country.

We do not need to support the Kyoto accords or the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty as stated. The U.S. is the only world power, yes we need to operated within the world but we don't have to be stupid and give up our position that these rogue countries want us to along with leftiest such as this author of this artice.

Our status will change when BHO takes office, we can only HOPE that the CHANGE is makes in our great COUNTRY won't distroy what we have made in our past and continue to be the country we know and love.

The US is not even going to be on a map soon. You really think all those innocent children won't remember what happened to their family members and what they had to go through? They're going to grow up and come looking for us.

I really do love living in America at times, but the *** is going to hit the fan soon and I don't want to be around when it does...