[Bobboau]

ok, I need to write a paper on how the US is potraied around the world, I need a story that displays the greatest diversity of positions posable. at first glance something like Abu Grahb would seem ideal, but there realy isn't much diversity to the views on that. so, any ideas?

[Rictor]

I would take something less...loaded. But still controversial. Like maybe the invasion of Iraq and/or Afghanistan, or the War on Terror in general. If you're looking for public approval ratings for the war(s), that would be relatively simple to get (I think).

When you decide, I could scrounge up some Serbian articles if you like. Also, there is a now defunct blog that posted a ton of daily articles from papers around the world...it might be useful to look through their archives.

[Kosh]

http://www.isometry.com/usahate.html


A fairly good article on why everybody hates the US so much.

[BlackDove]

That's a good site Kosh.

[Deepblue]

Did anyone else read the title as "I need some help for a homeworld assignment"???

[Kosh]

Yeah, that was pretty funny.


We all know that Bob can't spell

[redmenace]

I think it would be that hard to figure out why. Good and bad reason i might add.

[Bobboau]

well it would be better if I could find a stoy were different views were put out, I don't need fifty articles showing why everyone hates us. I need different views not all the same views. hell if there was something were the same story potrayed us as bad for diferent reasons (ie european story were the US is greedy, a chineese version were the US is trying to take over the world, a brazilian version were the US is appethetic) I need a story that in (at least) six diferent reagons the US is described in the media there diferently.

[Kosh]

Most people do have the same view, that's the point.

[Bobboau]

Originally posted by Deepblue
Did anyone else read the title as "I need some help for a homeworld assignment"???

... heh, well the... 'd' and 'k' buttons are.. just so close.. realy, it's not like there on completly opposite ends of the board or anything...

[Bobboau]

Originally posted by Kosh
Most people do have the same view, that's the point.

well they may have diferent reasons for comeing to that same view... I need examples that show that.

[BlackDove]

Not really. Everyone thinks you're the evil of the world for all of the same reasons, coming to the exact same conclusion.

If you had a colony you brainwashed through AOL Time Warner like you brainwash your own, you could probably present their view of the US to be idillic in contrast to everyone else hating your government.

I think the biggest stretch of a "different" opinion you can pull, is that while everyone else heavily dislikes you and wants nothing to do with you, the few people you wronged personally want you dead in the most literal sense of the world, which'd be the Muslim world.

So you have different opinions.....sort of. One to the extreme, the other just on the normal level.

Note: I assume they portray you the same everywhere, because I live in Sweden, Sweden is usually mostly neutral, and oh boy do they hate you. They hate you real good. I think they have a mandatory documentary once a week on the national channel about how America is either

a) Corrupt
b) Evil
c) Comparisons to Hitler
d) You get the picture...

Actually, one of my high-school subjects I passed, was based on an intricate essay I made about how your government sucks ass. Got the highest grade, which nobody in my class did.

Must love exploiting the country's view of foreign policy to get myself a good grade. Pwn forever.

[Bobboau]

but don't some places focus on particular aspects of our evilness, were greedy, decedent, lazy, violent, prudish, cowardly, deceatful. these diferences show the diferent values of the cultures, you'll never see someone from the mid east calling us prudes, they'd call us flamboant and decadent (or how ever the hell that's spelled), but the french would call us prudes. get what I'm getting at yet, I need something that diferent people view diferently because of there culture.

something that doesn't have as universal of hatred behind it, might be easier to find this stuff, I was thinking maybe coverage of the hurricanes might have what I want, and I need to ask everyone here to find something that was covered diferently based on what culture you are in.

[Rictor]

There is a wide enough cross-section of the world's nations here that everyone could just look up the story in their own countrie's media and link to the article (does it have to be in English by the way?). It would obviously be harder to get impressions on things that happened a few years ago, like the invasion of Aghanistan. Erm...how about a story about the developments in the Iraqi constitution? That's fairly recent, and you're going to have different countries showing it in different lights: a bold step forward to democracy or an unsustainable front by the puppet government.

[Rictor]

This?

edit: I remembered that Der Spiegel every so often has a feature where they look at media coverage around the world of a specific story.

[Bobboau]

I have a feeling the "unsustainable front by the puppet government" position is going to be overwelming, it's sort of a highly charged issue, so there is more consistancy... BUT, sure, let's go with that and I'll see if there is enough diversity in the stories to be able to do a lengthy paper on.

[Rictor]

You're welcome.

[Bobboau]

thank you

[Sesquipedalian]

I suggest searching for Canadian articles on it, Bob.  There's all sorts of complexity in the way the U.S. is viewed here.

Canadians simultaneously think that all the Americans citizens we've meet have been average, typically nice people (if overly zealous in their patriotism), and that American society as a whole is arrogant and ignorant.  We hate most of your foreign policy, but we are glad you won the superpower struggle instead of the Soviets. We consider you our closest ally, and we secretly wonder how long it will be until you turn your imperial objectives our way and invade.    

There's more to be said, but I'm done writing.  You can quote me if you think it'd be of any help.

[Bobboau]

well problem is a requierment of the assigment is I use 6 diferent reagons, Canada could be one of them, but I can't focus only there.