The TimesOnline (found via memeorandum) has an article about the very high levels of anti-Americanism in the Muslim world. Evidently, the War on Terror is “radicalizing” people — particularly (and to me, oddly) those who are more educated or wealthy.
However, this was the paragraph that jumped out at me:
Religion was found to have little to do with radicalisation or antipathy towards Western culture. Muslims were condemnatory of promiscuity and a sense of moral decay. What they admired most was liberty, its democratic system, technology and freedom of speech.
Hmph. Can’t think why they’d see a problem with a society that idolizes drug-riddled, psychologically broken people who’d do better in a padded room. Can you?
The Japanese public before WWII thought that Americans would be an easy group of people to fight because we were all drunk and shooting each other all the time…just like in the movies!
I’m amazed at the movies that are released world wide that clearly are geared toward an American audience. There is no concern at all for how these films portray Americans to the world. But there shouldn’t be to an extent really because a movie is art, even if it is for entertainment. I have a feeling that if several middle eastern countries had active film industries that we wouldn’t necessarily have good opinions of their values if we were to base that opinion only on movies.
Jack — Do you think it’s mostly the movie industry, then, that’s presenting Americans to the world in an unflattering light?
Not me - I have lived overseas, and saw first-hand “the Ugly American”.
Maybe things have changed in the 40 years since then, but I suspect not all that much.
Truth be known: we are the 600 lb canary in the room, and as much as others would like to be US (otherwise we would have a problem with illegal EMigration!), there are aspects of our society which are quite frankly scary to folks used to living in a more controlled environment - however, they come with the parcel that is the USofA.
~EdT.
Movies, and or exported television shows. Yes, there’s always the annoying tourist, or study abroad student, or military people. But the media that we distribute to other countries is vast. And the rights for distribution are sold based on, “this is a hit here in our country.” So when it gets shown somewhere else, I’m sure there are countries that are surprised at how a particular show, or movie could be so popular.
I’m not sure that it is presenting us as unflatttering as we think it is to other cultures. We go to the movies for entertainment and to escape our real lives. But you have to admit that if you are in a foreign country and you are told, that this movie was number one at the box office in its first three weeks, then you are going to assume that someone like this. You could only assume that if there was something offensive about the movie, it wasn’t so much to keep Americans from watching it, so they must have a low moral standard to support films that depict (insert offensive scene here.)