Isn't it sad that, in spite of what you described, the US is perceived as substantially worse than Singapore by people around the world? Via https://www.reputationinstitute.com/country-reptrak - Singapore is 20, US is 34.
Just goes to show the negative PR campaign is working.
Obviously the U.S. has problems, but on the whole it is pretty great. I’ve traveled quite a bit and lived in other countries, and some are better in some respects, worse in others by a large margin.
People complain about police at schools in the U.S. (and it’s fair) but I don’t feel comfortable in Paris walking by a Jewish school that has soldiers with rifles standing outside either. YMMV. ️
The sad part (speaking as a non-American who has lived in the US) is that the negative PR campaign doesn’t even come from America’s enemies, it comes from within. And it’s not driven by ill will, as far as I can figure out, but petty tribalism.
At some point in the past few decades it became de rigeur among a certain fraction (eg those in this thread) of the US population to shit on their own country at every opportunity, to distinguish themselves from those flag-waving yahoos in the other tribe. Patriotism became heavily tribalised, and saying good things about America in certain parts of the country gets you ostracised as one of those uneducated Republican types who is too stupid to see that absolutely everything is so much better in every other country and if it isn’t then it doesn’t count.
Combine this with the US saturation of global media, and you can turn on the TV in every country and see Americans shitting on America. Eventually the message starts to sink in.
People in America need to get more perspective, and quit letting every single thing that comes out of their mouth be determined by some boring red vs blue conflict.
You're being downvoted, but having grown up between conservative enclaves (overseas military base, Texas A&M) and ultra progressive domains (years in NYC and Seattle), I've seen firsthand, without choosing a side, that patriotism and apologism has very much become an American Right wing position, while those on the left are increasingly ashamed of the American flag. Particularly since the election of Trump.
Agreed that it would be better if it did not take soldiers standing outside of schools to protect the Jewish community but at the same time doing nothing wasn't an option and there has - as far as I know - so far not been any harm to bystanders on their behalf.
That's simply because the press and academia in the USA are extremely biased towards one political side.
Most of the people who think the current political or social state of the USA is horrible have never opened a single book about asian, african or eastern europe policies.
While everyone is formatted to be shocked by what is going on in the USA, they refuse to even see that torture (including citizens) and hardcorde censorship is routine and legal in a lot of asian countries.
Most Americans have had an expectation of American Exceptionalism.
To quote John F Kennedy:
“I have been guided by the standard John Winthrop set before his shipmates on the flagship Arabella (sic) three hundred and thirty-one years ago, as they, too, faced the task of building a new government on a perilous frontier. "We must always consider", he said, "that we shall be as a city upon a hill—the eyes of all people are upon us". Today the eyes of all people are truly upon us—and our governments, in every branch, at every level, national, state and local, must be as a city upon a hill—constructed and inhabited by men aware of their great trust and their great responsibilities.”
