World is "turning back" on Brand America

[Platypus]

whilst i'm glad to see Australia on top, i'm not overly surprised. I am, however, surprised to see the USA is as high as 11th-there must've been some seriously troublesome countries on that list. If even countries like Australia are turning against the US, and i'm afraid to say we are, you guys are doing something wrong. I know most opf you will say the USA is doing everything right and it's the fault of the rest of the world, but Australia has a similar 'evil westerner' society, we're part of the anglosphere, and we were one of only three nations involved from day 1 in the Iraq war, as well. Sure, other factors are important in this survey, but the main cause for the US's slide from popularity in the rest of the world is not a problem of your abundant natural beauty-it's your government. Your version of democracy isn't exactly looked up to by the west anymore, either.

[Platypus]

very interesting report, actually.

[Platypus]

the world strongly dislikes your government, and likes your culture...to a point.

Basically, you don't get Seventh Heaven in South Korea, but some of the action movies you will.

Parts of American culture are liked, including, as everyone keeps saying, tv and music. But in terms of the actual culture, not just the offshoots of it, America is increasingly seperating from the world-whether on it's own accord or because of the rest of the world.

60 years ago, Australia was just as religious as the USA, for example. Now, the USA is still reasonably similar with regards to religion, with the majotrity of Americans going to church etc., but Australia is totally different in that regard, with maybe 10% going to church/mosque/synagogue/whatever.

American culture is not TV and movies; it's the beliefs of the people, the heritage, and also the politics, etc. Death penalty, religion, gun ownership etc. are things the rest of the west has, by and large, moved on from, but the USA is not only keeping them, but being belligerent about it, and the rest of the world dislikes it.

I'm not saying your culture should change, although certain aspects might be improved, but I am saying that as long as your culture says the same or similar, and the rest of the west becomes more progressive, the rift will deepen.

As a side note, Australia is starting to slow down on it's progression as well, which is a little bit unfortunate I think. This may lead to closer ties with the US I suppose. Whoop.

[Platypus]

David...you're not wrong.

Al-religion IS declining. Less people believe in god, not just less people go to church. Many people still call themselves Christians, for example, but don't actually follow a 'christian lifestyle' or, often, actually believe in god.

Also, whilst there is a counter-progressive right wing extreme, in most western countries, both major parties support 'socialised' healthcare, some form of governmental assistance in university education, ecological practices reform, etc.

The 'rest of the west' is either moving away from the USA, or the USA ius moving away from the rest of the west. I don't think either side can be 'blamed', but it's a fact. Issues like Iraq might cause public demonstrations, but the majority of people think differently to Americans in many respects. This trend has been exascerbated by irritation at the 'Americanization" of the world, etc., but it is a political and cultural shift.

I'll use Australia as an example again, as I know it best. It's to the right, generally, of Europe, and has many cultural ties with the US-almost all one way, admittedly. Whilst Americans still seem to love us (89% of Americans have a favourable opinion of Australia, IIRC) we are seeing an increasing number of people becoming, for lack of a better term, unAmerican. If you asked the average person on the street if America, the country not individual people, was fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, with only those choices, they'd say bad. I think you should try it in the UK, it'd be a very interesting result, I think.

I know i'm kind of waffling here, but it's hard to pinpoint why we on't like America all that much. Maybe it's their dominance in economic, military and cultural issues, maybe just the one? Maybe it's their religious exhibitionism and, as many Australians see it, crass nationalism (note-Australia is a bloody patriotic country, but we don't have the symbolism and terminology of the US). Maybe it's what some see as a lack of societal care within America and in a global sense. Whatever it is, if even countries like Australia, that is so heavily tied to America, has a similar heritage and probably forms the world's tightest alliance between itself and America, are turning against the 'land of the free', then something is going wrong.

I don't know if there is a remedy, of even if it should be remedied, but the fact is that the west and the USA are splitting apart. Whilst the US is finding some new friends, it's losing it's old ones-and they're the ones surveyed in this poll.