Why are so many Americans anti-American?

[@JJMcCullough]

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[@gregfed]

Why are so many Canadians anti-Canada? I'm an American that immigrated to Canada. The same mindset exists on both sides of the border. So terrible.

[@TheSurrealGoose]

@@gregfed Canadians are far more anti-american than anti-Canadian.

[@JJMcCullough]

@@gregfed Canadians are very patriotic

[@cherrycolareal]

​@@gregfedit may be hard for me to talk because I've never been to Canada, but I have not seen a single anti-Canada Canadian. I've seen loads of anti-America Americans, though.

[@DTG4844]

@@gregfed Canadians love canada, but we hate the politicians

[@robertmunciework]

As an American living abroad who deeply misses his country but also has a healthy amount of criticism of the USA, you made me misty eyed with your ending message. Thank you

[@TheMoonwalker101]

Same here. I feel like I have become more patriotic since I moved away. I am yearning to go back. (Never thought I’d say that!)

[@Gewehr_3]

Same, yet I see videos online about how much better the country I live in is compared to the US. The truth is is the cost of living is much lower here and Americans take over their remote jobs to live here, so they are automatically richer. I work for local companies thus make very little money and my living standards are far low than in America.

[@CROSSFADE69]

SAME

[@dogpoop85]

Same

[@judeanpoet3687]

Same also, I moved abroad and never missed my home country so much This video similarly got me emotional and also made my rethink a lot of the rhetoric I’ve shared as jokes and also how much more defensive I’ve become of America since leaving it Great video

[@Saltpork305]

I'm American and I think the 'doomscrolling' of American society just highlights the failures while ignoring the successes. As I was once told, "Just because you stare at garbage cans all day doesn't mean the world is filled with trash."

[@Violent_Wolfen]

No, if anything American Society IGNORED its failures and wrongdoings and overblew the successes for too damn long. Now with the internet as a whole you a lot of the crap that was hidden away isn't hidden anymore and since a lot of people were never taught its true history are now shocked about it. Plus, people feel like there is no hope for the future and our leaders are too busy being greedy and maintaining the status quo than actually doing right by their own citizens. I don't blame people for thinking that the only way to fix it is to tear it down and start over.

[@filmorejohnson]

​@@Violent_Wolfen ^^^

[@Noobprokermit]

🙏

[@notorioustori]

Sure, but what have we, as a nation, successfully done as a positive contribution in the last 5 yrs? 10 yrs? Sure, we can argue commerce and services like Amazon and Meta, but we didn't do that, US businesses did that with the help of globalization and flexible regulations. Sure we finally pulled out of Afghanistan, but should we have been there for 20 yrs? We can point to a few Supreme Court cases, but that's less than a dozen people who we're now realizing some miiiiiight be outside influenced. Even going back further for our true accomplishments, most are fruit from the poisonous tree. We got Bin Ladin...who was once an ally; we got Hussein...who we once sent weapons; we won the Space Race, thanks to Operation Paperclip. Not even touching how we learned about Syphilis. Oh! The Olympics! Sports is our positive contribution. I suppose aiding Ukraine is a common good...not entirely altruistic, but it's a start. Now, name 5 negative things brought to you by the letters U, S, & A in 2023 alone. My mind can aaaalmost rattle them off like lyrics to "We Didn't Start the Fire" lol. That doesn't mean I'm anti-American. I'm educated on the history and practices and the millions of broken eggs while we're still haven't gotten around to making that omelet. What we are is concerned. Are we OK over here?

[@jamier65551]

In this case it’s pretty true though

[@suis.me489]

This is the nicest I’ve ever heard someone speak about the US without saying they thought it/everyone was horrible beforehand.

[@unusuarioimportante]

Most of the world have a good view about the US. Yes you are obsessed about race, socialism and your own ideas but comparing how other superpowers behaved the US is pretty cool.

[@Gnomelander1400]

My family grew up outside of America and we love our homeland but America is definitely way better. Less crime and more opportunities

[@Sebman1113]

A decade ago, I remember Americans loving America more but I still love being American.

[@BigMamaDaveX]

I lived in the USA eons ago (Carter-Reagan). I have only fond memories of the Americans; friendly, helpful, kind, generous. Their main issue is the choice between peepee and poopoo at the ballot box. 🤢 Chosing the lesser of two evils will always get you evil...just less of it. 😏

[@amazin7006]

@@BigMamaDaveX If you want better options, then fight for better options in the public square. Voting DOES work, the problem is your opinions aren't popular. As much as I hate Trump, he was simply popular. That's the reason he won.

[@michiganmajin7284]

Every country (not just the USA) needs to be able to say, "I love my country, however, there are some major issues we have to fix." Both optimism and pessimism have to work hand to hand; with the pessimism telling you what's wrong and the optimism giving you the drive to fix it.

[@gavinthecrafter]

"I love my country, that's why I want to work hard to improve it" is a great way to put it

[@chickentender72]

⁠@@wolfphoenix9049 Ich stimme zu

[@blindmown]

I hate my country, thus I left and won't go back. There are inarguably better places to live in the world.

[@СнежныйДжони]

Yeah, bet it will work in Russia and North Korea

[@thebasedone2621]

@michiganmajin7284 well said

[@danic_c]

As a Costa Rican who has a lot of close online American friends, I also notice the relentless and frankly over-the-top pessimism Americans have about their own country. Like, no guys, we have social unrest, increasing political partisanship, corrupt politicians, and income inequality in other countries as well. Sure, the U.S. might be bad in certain areas compared to some other developed nations, but it is still a highly developed nation with a generally high quality of life.

[@ffreeze9924]

does your country have a maniac ruling one of its states who has banned so many books in schools that school libraries are literally being emptied out, who has passed and proposed countless bills targeting sexual minorities and helped inspire a wave of similar bills nationwide, AND is running for the presidency? We might have good reason to believe that things have seriously gone wrong here when a very large amount of people openly support electing someone like that to lead the most powerful country in the world. We might have good reason to hate what's happening to our country.

[@cjthorp4805]

Thanks for this, honestly helped a lot

[@kevincronk7981]

As an American, I complain about America because we could and should be better than we are. That does not mean that we are terrible, there's still nowhere I'd rather be.

[@coffee3879]

What’s wrong with working to improve our situation? I feel like this attitude of comparison only serves to let the US off the hook for significant problems we still have to address. Just because we don’t have it as bad as Costa Rica doesn’t mean we have to be satisfied with the state of our own country

[@alexquinn2390]

The average quality doesn’t matter to me, because I live in one of the worst bits.

[@bourneblue.]

Non Americans being "Malevolently Well-Informed" about America is so well put

[@davidnicholson6680]

I'd more say "malevolently half-informed".

[@TheMoonwalker101]

@@davidnicholson6680agreed

[@Justanotherconsumer]

Americans believing propaganda nonsense history is far more common. Hear about the “Lost Cause?”

[@mollytovxx4181]

I'd say it's more like unwillingly informed. You know how you learn random info about, say, the Kardashians or whatever. And you are not interested in them at all and never actively sought that info out, yet somehow that's now stuff you are aware of? America is like that too for lots of non-Americans. I'm not blaming Americans for this. It's probably more the fault of local news media in various countries, algorithms online pushing America-centric content, and the cultural influence of American entertainment media. But in any case, it's not that most people are actively searching for issues to criticise America for. And if the tone coming from America (through media, online content and comments, etc) is negative... well that's what we learn. In any case we kinda can't escape it?

[@MattMcIrvin]

It sets my teeth on edge to get lectured by Brits or Australians about how much better they understand my country's politics than I do, because of something they read in the Guardian or wherever. And it happens pretty often. JJ is *kind of* doing it here. But at least he acknowledges that what he's giving is a slightly mystified outsider perspective based on direct observation.

[@KingUnKaged]

There's a very strange sort of cognitive dissonance in Canada, where in one breath someone will explain to you in rich, florid prose, all the many ways that America is an awful, terrible place, and in another, tell you about all the friends and family members they know who have moved there for opportunities and decided to stay, or about how they're planning on spending every winter in Florida. Being a Canadian who hates America feels like more of a fashion statement than a coherent belief system.

[@8cyl6speed]

You're just our little north Korea we keep as a buffer from Russia

[@lucasdeniro1906]

⁠@@8cyl6speedbuffer against what exactly? a ballistic missile 🤣🤣🤣

[@XOmniverse]

A friend of mine has started labelling things like this "luxury beliefs", which is a phrase I really like.

[@ldo92]

Well said.

[@8cyl6speed]

@@lucasdeniro1906 Land and Naval Invasion defense, but yea also far away location for air defense closer to where they would launch from

[@ozmantiswine3678]

As an American, this was so cathartic to watch. I'm actually very political, but tend to keep it to myself just because I'm so exhausted about the conversation, but I think me and my friend had the best way of putting it when it came to American politics: There's Americans who are aware enough about an issue to never stop being annoying about it, and then there's Americans who are so informed about the issue that they just don't talk about it because they understand it's way too complicated to talk about in a tweet or an instagram story. I do despise living here admittedly, but I'm also skeptical of other countries because they tend to use very oddly specific things to put America down, like I saw a TikTok about how South Korea is better than America because they have apartment complexes that have keypads that you enter a password into rather than using a lock with a key????? like, I'm sorry, but I can promise you that isn't what comes to mind when I think about my frustrations of living here. A lot of countries seem to have this what-about-ism as a means of avoiding their own countries problems, so I try to not romanticize other countries like most Americans do. I do think we have very unique problems, but I think it's wrong to assume that it's a paradise anywhere else, considering the entire world is in a shared turmoil. sorry for the banter, but good video. Love hearing what America looks like in a fresher take from someone on the outside looking in.

[@jhonklan3794]

Also keypads (like all electronics) are more prone to breaking down. So not exactly ideal. Whats even wrong with a lock and key? I think this is example of tech for tech sake. Tech exists to make our lives easier, not because it looks cool.

[@jordanjohnson9866]

Nah. Not cathartic. Not “cathartic.” /

[@hollister2320]

@@jhonklan3794 there’s entire towns and cities with these tho in the US😂 like these mfs don’t even bother asking ppl here; but are quick to give us their two cents

[@hollister2320]

I’m exactly like you, but what every single HDI/ranking stats you look into, the US is up there with the best of the best. It’s like when you have no problems in life; you go out of your way to over blow things and make problems for yourself. It doesn’t help America is literally the social media and entertainment capital of the world; everyone is peering into our country consuming our things, but rarely do we bother looking into theirs . There are so many problems in Korea, Germany, hell even Sweden, and many similar 1st World countries, but we don’t hear about it because no one bothers looking at the numbers. The things I’ve seen in Asia and Europe would make your jaw drop, it’s time we use our massive media apparatus to start really showing these outsiders just what it’s like laying their countries problems out to the world 24/7, and I promise this anti-American sentiments will disappear over night.

[@Heeroneko]

We have the world's largest amount of incarcerated ppl. That's enough reason to shit on America for me.

[@rachel9876]

As a South African, American self hatred has always been so frustrating. South Africa is quite literally a failed state. We frequently have no access to water or electricity and government institutions like the police and fire department are so corrupt as to be irrelevant. Calling America a failed state deligitamizes the realities of living in a failed state and the reasons people seek to leave

[@isaac4273]

They should try and live there to see what it's like. Or in Angola, Argentina, Turkmenistan, Western Sahara...

[@nyxskids]

Before my mother died we lived in a neighborhood where you could put a lighter next to water coming from your faucet and light the water on fire. HOWEVER, while my mom wasn't exactly an up person about the state of the US, she refused to let us compare ourselves to people that had it worse. Every meal was started with everyone stating something we were grateful for. I cannot imagine what it's like to live in conditions worse than my old neighborhood. But mother spent years on the streets when she was a kid. She ate out of dumpsters, and in the winter dumpsters were how she didn't freeze to death. I don't want to say that the US is a failed state, but the signs of becoming one also shouldn't be ignored. History had taught us how hard and fast giants fall when they fall. I don't want that here. I really don't want us to take the rest of the world down with us if we can't fix things before that. My mom wasn't exactly a pessimist. She was a realist that died from lingering complications from getting shot while working in child protective services 15 years ago. The commonplace gun violence here and the denial of the current and worsening climate crisis, the walking back of equity and progress, those made her very active in our community believing that even though our neighbors hated her, that the only proper response was to do everything possible to help them and low key teach anyone that wanted to learn how the system works, so it didn't run them over. She died in December. Me and my siblings were taken in by family friends in Canada that can barely afford the extra burden of all of us. But they have been joyous to have all the extra life in their house. We're very lucky. And we see that. But we also want to go home and are working, from a distance at the moment, to make it a home we can return to in relative safety

[@PaigeWylderOwO]

@@isaac4273 In some respects many Americans have already felt the kind of struggles described by rachel9876, from police brutality/corruption to the cutoff of utilities as a result of a combination of infrastructure degradation and an ever increasing number of climate disasters. Puerto Rico was without power and clean water for over a year after Hurricane Maria, for example, and many Americans die from preventable as well as treatable diseases, which are not the kind of experiences faced by people living in other developed countries. And many people who don't live in America or flee to America as refugees may have experienced the same problems abroad due to the geopolitical fallout from American Imperialism at the turn of the 20th century and the Cold War 'Containment' policies that followed. That's not to say everything is America's fault as it certainly isn't, but if you look deep enough into American history, you'll find it's not completely innocent either.

[@julianmcmillan2867]

South African here, from Gauteng. You're right, but you're also wrong. America is a state on its way to failure if it continues to follow current trends. On one side of the coin, no matter who is in power, the government is complacent with corporate predation and expansion. They have no solutions for the imminent threat of job replacing AI because they refuse to prevent companies from abusing workforces. The unhealthy and implosive gig economy grows larger and traditional employment is disappearing; living costs are sky-rocketing, wages are eternally stagnant, markets are heavily saturated and the value of labour is plummeting which will be amplified by A.I. On the other side of the coin, we not only see a complacent political and institutional movement, but a malevolent one: fascism. Yes, I know, everyone throws that word around and I am not saying the U.S is fascist, which South Africa increasingly is, but it is facing a rising fascist wave. The fascist element is not only working social discrimination into their platforms and into the institutions which they do control, like the Supreme Court, but, like the mainstream of both political parties, they are perfectly fine with and prefer corporate domination and deregulation even though rhetorically they preach against corporate power. But notice, they only preach against corporate power, when fascist voices are deplatformed. My dad is a Trump fan. He hates Malema. I've tried to point out to him, before, the stark resemblance between Trump and Malema in terms of rhetoric and the type of support base they both have. I have also pointed out the stark resemblance between the Zumas and the Trumps; criminal corruption to the highest degree that has wormed into the deepest parts of government. In South Africa, we have an oligarchy type gang that steals all the resources, preys on the working class and sabotages everything for capital gain. The only difference in the U.S is that, whilst the government isn't doing this to a large extent, they are complacent in allowing corporations to do just this. I know, it's overused, but corporate power really does rule the world. If it didn't, nobody would be worried about things like automation, workplace abuse and predatory employment. When it comes to financial well-being of average Americans, which therefore bleeds into physical and mental well-being, corporations have the final and usually the only say. Not that this trend doesn't exist here in SA either, but here, corporate predators are as much victims of the government as the rest of us are. What I do know is, our government has set the minimum wage to a meager R23/hr; utterly laughable. But what I also know is that a lot of companies can afford to pay workforces alot more than that. Regardless, South Africa is an example of what happens when fascism gets mainstream platforms. South Africa is an example of what happens when you have both predatory corporations and a corrupt and predatory government. South Africa is a good example of what could happen to America, to some degree, if the same fascist elements continually gain political control.

[@gigassevenghost6097]

"Dying empire" is a better description of us.

[@nuclearpoweredbrain2211]

Self-criticism is one thing, but self-loathing is another. …and out of control.

[@superduck6456]

True. It has totally run amok.

[@intellectually_lazy]

@@superduck6456 i don't hate myself. i hate the monsters who run this country and the whole world, into the ground: the rich and the politicians who work for them, and you who support their lies

[@acrouzet]

It's fine to be critical, it's fine to be upset. But what really rubs me the wrong way is that it seems more and more people are giving up and hoping for a societal collapse instead of trying to do good.

[@theragnarokmachine2251]

I think this has more to do with economics than politics. Like this reality or not (even if I don't agree how conservatives went about it)-- the U.S. (or any country, really) can't service the national debt forever. It has become such a chasm that there is almost a guarantee we have a depression in the next 10 years. I love America. It has its faults, and we should try and fix them. But between a student loan bubble that has left high need fields in short supply that will eventually burst, a national debt issue that is effectively a ticking time bomb, and the size difference of the boomer population compared to Gen Z--there will be an event that shakes the economy out of its stasis. The simple reality is America gave up trying to hold its national superiority while the rest of the world caught up. The U.S. was ahead of its time for so long because we wanted to be ahead. Science, business, sports. Then came the selling of manufacturing overseas and the push that everyone should go to college like that didn't devalue the college degree.

[@WarrenPeaceOG]

@@theragnarokmachine2251 Agreed - tho more a matter of gross inequality - 0.01% vs 99.99% - failing the economy, and the economy failing the overwhelming majority. Since 80s, Western countries have increasingly pushed the costs of social goods - like an educated workforce, for example - onto individuals. Rather than using the super powers sovereign nations have to fund long term projects and spread risks and benefits across millions of people, we choose to pretend these super powers don't exist, and push much higher costs onto individuals using less powerful institutions than govt, like banks and insurance companies. So we've loaded up ourselves and the economy on private debt, which is bad for both of us. And despite not investing in social goods like education, govt debt is higher than ever, tho it's much less of an issue than private debt. (The few economist who called 2007 in advance were basing much of their analysis on private debt.) On a positive note, there seems to be a shift away from Neoliberalism toward a more Keynesian approach in recent months. Neoliberalism can't compete with China's mixed economy. We had a more mixed economy during the Golden Age of Capitalism, when we were most prosperous🤔

[@zacharysmith4787]

Not even realizing that societal collapse is 100% worse than what we have going on right now. They're essentially hoping things get worse, just because things are bad in the moment. Idiot logic.

[@noahlemon7870]

Speaking for poor people it's because there's an underclass that gets ignored and I do pray for the downfall of the middle class I hope you all suffer as "we" have suffered lol

[@REDDAWNproject]

​@@noahlemon7870cool basing your political views on spite; that has never horrifically backfired or ruined people's lives, no sir.

[@nighthawkcm8872]

This is the most refreshingly self aware and optimistic videos I’ve ever seen on the internet

[@intellectually_lazy]

then you watch a lot of garbage

[@Robin_Goodfellow]

I think the saddest thing about the pessimism that we have adopted as Americans is that traditionally, one of the characterizing traits of America is our optimism. Losing that is like losing part of our national identity.

[@sylviamontaez3889]

agreed.

[@chiensyang]

This is because the pessimism is based on the established facts. One example is the gap between the rich and the poor is the largest ever been. The other is the millennials are worse off financially than their parents, which is the first time in the U.S. history. The second example is extremely shocking when you think about it; even the great depression did not cause a generation to be financially worse off than the previous one. No wonder the politicians with extreme views who condemns the current system are voted into offices. The system is no longer woking for the masses.

[@devin8315]

Most of the founding fathers died really pessimistic about the republic. Many of them lived through our first economic depression, the failed war with Canada, and the beginning of fierce political factionalism. Today we are going through similar things, so it's not surprising people today are feeling pretty pessimistic too.

[@zweks]

Excuse me, but is it considered "Traditionally optimistic" inside the country? I'm not American so that's not a description I'd have have about their people

[@earthman7088]

@@zweks Americans have throughout the past 150 years roughly remained optimistic in the future despite the odds this roughly popped up after the Civil War with Westward expansion really going into high gear but the height of this optimism happens with the Great Depression and World War 2 where FDR instilled a hope for the future against the odds of both near economic collapse and against fascist expansionism. It is sort of how we have the saying "if you can make it here you can make it anywhere". It was believed in America that you are the master of your own destiny and that bred American optimism about the future.

[@peter3932]

You hit the nail on the head about Americans being “malevolently well-informed” about america but rather ignorant of other countries. It’s often “the grass is greener on the other side” syndrome is that fuels these sentiments, when in actuality other countries of course have problems, in many cases worse than those in the US. Mindless patriotism isn’t great but neither is mindless criticism. We need to recognize every country has its pluses and minuses.

[@j11889]

"we live in a fascist regime" - something that would never be allowed to be said under a fascist regime

[@america1754]

Fascism and Communism/Marxism are our favorite nothing words. Everyone is a fascist or communist.

[@EpicuriousGeorge]

Factually incorrect

[@m.a.118]

While the US is far far from being Fascist (from an institutional point of view)- There are some cultural undertones in the US that are a bit alarming that do overlap with "The Big F" ... namely deep adherence to a strong social-military overlap... ex, flying B2 stealth bombers over a sporting event... No matter how one looks at things like that, that's more like something out of the mid-20th century authoritarian playbook than it is like a democratic nation.

[@Man_of_Oil]

something literally nobody is saying

[@Binstone]

pretty sure fascists are proud to be fascists. Like if you say, I'm living in a communist regime in china, the powers that be would go, yes, the communist party does have control. I don't think mussolini would at all be offended if an italian said "we live in a fascist regime" in 1934 Italy

[@Anthaneus]

When Andrew Tate says America is a failed society, I suddenly felt my views change. I love America now more than ever. 💪😎🇺🇸🍔

[@spht9ng]

seriously as a moderate liberal person, I feel the American patriotism growing in me the more I see far right weirdos hating our country.

[@frankm.2850]

The fact he thinks America is a failed society is hilarious. What does he think the definition of that phrase is? In my experience most right wingers think America is a failed society because there are people with more emotional maturity than them, who are more accepting of tolerant of differences than they are. They call these people “snowflakes” which is hilarious when they’re the ones who can’t handle the existence of people who are different than them.

[@honeycomblord9384]

Why should I even listen to someone who can't even keep their accent straight

[@Hellodumbbitchs]

hahahahaha

[@MetalFalcon99]

As he continues to say dubai is great

[@albertmiller2electricbooga897]

This reminded me of the outrage over Dobbs in Australia, where our abortion laws are far from perfect, but terminally online teenagers organised a protest in my city over America's politics rather than ours

[@thegodofalldragons]

What were they expecting their government to do? Go to war with the US over our abortion laws?

[@itsdutchintime1907]

That baffles my mind.

[@geography_joe]

Thats nuts to me, Australians should be focusing on their own country, because they live in a VERY good one... We are thousands of miles away from you and our only cultural connections are historically tied to the UK. BLM protests being a worldwide thing was also pretty eye-opening to me, it showed me with a real example how much other countries care about us and what we do. A great burden to bear, knowing we’re the most relevant society on the planet!

[@belstar1128]

Yea zoomers don't even know where they live

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

I'm gonna go out and protest the Rishi Sunak administration now.

[@WiIdDuck]

I’ve always said that true patriotism isn’t saying that current America is perfect, but rather true patriotism is recognizing the country’s faults and working to improve it either way.

[@JD..........]

And sacrificing to improve it in your own local way.

[@goddessstarla]

That's how I see it too! You accept the flaws and focus on change instead of moving out and doing nothing.

[@Strideo1]

The French are the last ones who should be criticizing America about a lot of stuff like racism, police brutality, and imperialism. And I really like France just as I like America but both have issues.

[@JD..........]

@@Strideo1 loving a country while understanding it's faults is a sign of patriotism

[@jonhanson8925]

That's what I've always said, but I'm not really sure modern American pessimism is doing much to inspire people to work to improve their country. A lot of people feel the country is hopeless and that they can't do anything to improve it. Who do you think is going to work harder to improve their life, someone who thinks "I'm a good person who could be better" or someone who thinks "i'm an evil failure"? I mean, maybe you might think the person who is super down on themselves might use those negative emotions to fuel their actions, but in my experience they're more likely to just give up and wallow in their misery.

[@jms3827]

As an immigrant to the United States the way Americans describe the country is something I just laugh at because it’s just outlandishly ridiculous, especially for those of us that come from actual failed states. I found an interesting pew research stat that showed that poverty in the US south is nearly half what is was in the 1960s but if we were to believe the rhetoric the 1960s was Americas peak and now we’re in a state of poor decline. Other region saw their poverty rates decrease but of course not as much as the south.

[@samg.5165]

Ironic that immigrants are often able to appreciate their new home better than anyone else, but are often accused of being unpatriotic by chauvinists who regularly complain about how their country is going to shit.

[@gemmeldrakes2758]

There's something else going there especially when it comes to poverty levels. If you can convince people they are worse off today, even if they are better off, it is easier to get them to believe that your side has all the answers to their problems. It is about political gain.

[@Corey_Brandt]

Had a guy in college unironically argue America was like a third world country during class. I laughed out loud but had to stifle it quick when I realized I was the only one laughing at the absurdity of what was just stated.

[@anonymoususer8895]

America for Americans and you aren’t and will never be American!

[@JimmyMon666]

Even growing up here I think it's weird. Young people complain about being so poor, yet they are rocking Iphones. I'm like what the hell. In the 80's my mom had to use lay away to even get a VCR, and this was long after the rest of the country already had them. And even I had it much easier than 100 years ago when people couldn't afford new clothes. Things were repeatedly sown up again and again so they would last a long time. Sewing was a highly valued skill in those days for a reason. And yes even minorities are doing quite well now days. They are driving around in nicer cars than me, I have trouble believing they are this disadvantaged. As for me, I'm doing okay. I'm certainly not poor like I grew up. I'm lower middle class and have good money set aside for retirement. Financial discipline can get you a long way in this country. And I don't actually own an Iphone LOL.

[@rebeccaroy3751]

I needed this video. As an American who's curious about other cultures I enjoy a lot of foreign KZbin content. There is so much anti American sentiment in these videos that I've been feeling a lot of shame for being American. Thanks for helping me get back a more balanced view of my country.

[@DJVexillum]

I second this. I've had to leave some of my favorite sites because of a huge pervasive anti-American sentiment, even on posts that weren't political in nature. I felt like the rest of the world was trying to gaslight me into thinking the situation is worse than it really is. I needed this wake-up slap, and so does the rest of the world

[@bassmaster1231]

Be an even bigger contrarian (because that seems to be popular these days) I love America like I do! I am proud to be an American and will always be!

[@jhonklan3794]

Its strange because so many of them are clearly very ignorant about America and just regurgitate what they read on the internet. The joy they seem to feel in falsely denigrating america is also gross and something our country would never do. We dont need to hate other countries to love our own!

[@MaxRamos8]

It's not anti American. It's waking up to the injustices and hypocrisy that prevents us from living out the constitution. Eg. Pointing out problems to better our nations future

[@LeoDas688]

The US is doing pretty compared to so many other countries

[@nicholasarmstrong8349]

Canadian here, what I think is going on is a lot of people (especially young people) are looking at the world and feel like things aren’t getting better. Housing continues to get more expensive faster than wages go up, in fact, almost everything is doing that. People look at the world and feel like tomorrow will be worse than today. This causes a lot of anxiety and a lot of people who want radical change to fix this

[@k.williamjones3978]

Of course, radical change is needed in a number of areas of US policy, both foreign and domestic.

[@fugitive_]

Yes hello i am one of those anxious people as a trans american i am terrified to wake up tomorrow and find that legislators have passed a bill that takes away my rights

[@niloticnya]

over the past year, we have lost reproductive rights & many states have banned abortions. in the last 2 weeks, affirmative action became illegal, & now companies can basically use jim-crow type of segregation against LGBTQ people. this was during a time where my friend from the UK visited me, & he was shocked at how things have been going

[@godhimself1128]

People don't just feel things getting worse. They KNOW it's getting worse day by day with our current supreme court and legislators

[@jhonklan3794]

@@fugitive_ no one is taking away your rights. You just cant force others to call you something or agree with your worldview. You can still express yourself in what ever way you would lik.

[@Spanner249]

I was once told by a Burmese immigrant that he risked everything to come to this country for the opportunity for his children to be taught to hate it. He was stunned at how his children are constantly being told how terrible the United States is in public schools, and pretty much all their teachers have a single negative world view. It breaks his heart because it almost invalidates his incredible sacrifice to provide his children an obviously better life from his perspective.

[@earlbluetea]

I had a little bit of an experience that was an eye opener for me. My mom is French and very critical of the US, like she will openly tell anyone how much it sucks. One day I was with my best friend, whose mom is Venezuelan (born in the US but grew up mostly in Venezuela). She told me how her mom got annoyed by my mom's constant anti American rhetoric because of what the country gave her as an immigrant: she was able to come down, get a very good job, marry a man who ended up developing a successful business, and have a very comfortable, privileged life. Not saying she couldn't get that in France but she essentially got the American dream that a lot of immigrants strive for when going there. My friend's mom worked hard to get her family here from Venezuela during the crisis. Then we have another friend who came from soviet Hungary. Of course, there are things in the US that warrant scrutiny and critic. But, when you start talking about how shit America is when you are in a place of privilege without providing much constructive balance or nuance to your argument other than "America bad"--it reeks of being tone deaf.

[@DanJuega]

I would love to see evidence of how public schools teach you to hate America. Because, as someone who also studied high school in even a place like California, history, and especially modern history is incredibly sanitized. Let's not forget, that the government that bankrolls movies to have a pro-military messages is the same in charge of what's being taught in school.

[@kingofcards9]

God bless that man.

[@JohnnyAmerique]

It’s the infiltration of the public schools - which at this point are little more than indoctrination camps - by Marxists and Marxist-derived ideology (e.g., social justice, BLM, feminism, wokery). If you live in any of the Anglosphere countries in the 21st century, you literally have it better than 99.99% of the people who’ve ever lived, yet these kids are being brainwashed to think their own country is on the same moral level as Hitlerite Germany. It’s disgusting.

[@Jhqwulw]

Schools should be always neutral

[@BoJangles42]

A generation of Americans has grown up online hearing from the rest of the world about how terrible we are, and have internalized this viewpoint.

[@JJMcCullough]

Probably some truth to this

[@TheSurrealGoose]

That only carries you so far. At some point, you have to start thinking for yourself.

[@legochickenguy4938]

@@TheSurrealGoose a lot of people really don't do that unfortunately

[@alanirunner]

​@@JJMcCulloughhonestly yea, as a foreigner living in America for over a decade it baffles me how consciously oblivious Americans are to foreign propaganda.

[@stananderson4524]

I have been all over the world and never have been given that impression that people think we are terrible. They may disagree with some things about our government and some of our countries policies, but that does not translate to them being anti-American. Before I spent time out of the country, in the military, and visiting on vacation, I would hear people say "Oh they don't like Americans in this place or that place." But when I had a chance to see the world. I realized, they really don't give us as much thought as we think they do. I have yet to be in a forighn land where they show any animosity to Americans. It has generally been a positive experince for I and the people in the country I was in.

[@kevingarywilkes]

As an American, this is a refreshing perspective. Returning to the US after five years in China, I became inoculated against the “brain worm” of American cynicism. Now, as a teacher, my students often refuse to stand for the pledge of allegiance (which of course is their right), but when questioned about their beliefs, it becomes clear that they’ve never been asked to consider an alternative form of government. And you’re right: we need to balance our skepticism with patriotism.

[@xxkankala1671]

Honestly fuck patriotism but we doo need to tone the the skepticism

[@jefft2546]

"Never considering another form of government". I mean have they not heard of any other types before or something? What does not standing for the pledge (which the Supreme Court affirmed in1943) have to do with our form of government? Yes, we definitely need that healthy balance of praise and criticism, but I'm not sure if a highly authoritarian regime is the best comparison or a "breath of fresh air" from a political environment perspective

[@nenemuy]

To be fair, most students don’t stand for the pledge not as a deliberate act to demonstrate some initiative for whatever beliefs they may have, but because they’re indifferent and aren’t mandated to do it. Why get up to stand for a couple minutes when you can stay sat down with your phone? It’s more of a convenience matter.

[@janewaysmom]

​@@jefft2546(sorry about the length of this) not standing during the anthem at football games initially started as a way to speak or against systemic racism being exercised against black people in the United States. Systemic means it's built into the government, and the way the country runs as a whole. If we give the kids the benefit of the doubt and consider that they are also exercising their right to protest (rather than just not wanting to stand up first thing in the morning), the logical conclusion would be that something big and important about the system needs to change. People usually think that means the government needs to change. The radical leftists seem to idealize communism, and the radical rightists seem to idealized authoritarianism. A good teacher should have conversations about this, and encourage the kids to think about what actually happens in those styles of government. I am not American and don't know what their curriculum is like, but I know we did study those governments, and life was equally not good in both those types of countries, because to keep the government going in those, they very quickly wound up running almost the same way. Please keep in mind this is not my way of saying systemic racism isn't an issue, because it very much is, in my country as well as the USA. This is something I've actually been thinking about since my friends told me they are leftists who want communism to be our system of government. I think I literally asked if they actually didn't study communism, since I knew teachers have a little flexibility in the way they teach the subjects, and surely nobody who studied communism in action could think that was a smart idea. Turns out, they did cover that subject, and they are kind, foolish people.

[@kevingarywilkes]

@@nenemuy God Bless Mediocrity

[@treyshaffer]

Several years ago when I, an American, was traveling in Europe with my friends, one from Chile and one from Brazil, it was incredible how often we got in conversations with Euorpeans that basically were just a circle jerk montage of all the terrible 'barbaric' things happening in America. BUT, if my friends countries came into the conversation, the only focus was on the delicious food, beaches, dancing etc of their home countries. It was incredible to me how highly informed Europeans are on the precise failings of the US, to the extent that saying anything good about America approaches taboo, but then they would be completely ignorant of what it going on in any other of the countries, let alone the quality of their healthcare or political system, and even if they did know a tiny bit, it was easily glossed over as irrelevant to the essential goodness of the country and the people from there. I think critical conversations are extremely important for a country to grow, but it really had gotten out of hand.

[@LC-wv7tz]

Euros are often uncritical and credulous. Mocking America is entertainment to them. It's sold to them by their media for fun. It's the kind of vapid, shallow "takes" people raised on stuff like Colbert and Daily Show have. Once you try and dig into anything of substance with them they shrivel up fast or become very emotional and nasty. It's really bizarre.

[@danielforrester5265]

As a European who has been to the USA and Brazil many times my two cents is that we judge countries based on their individual circumstances. The US and European Union combined are some of the richest nations on the planet. When Ireland can't build a metro in 40 years, when German trains decline in quality, when house prices soar to extortionate levels in the Portugueese capital, we Europeans complain because we have little in the way of an excuse. It should be better. The US is the richest and most powerful country in the world while many south american countries suffer immense problems from crime and poverty eg mexican cartels or brazilian favelas to poor economies suffering from a crisis or horrendous inflation eg Argentina. So when a citizen from an EU country goes to say, São Paulo in Brazil, and sees the great subway and rail network or the excellent public university of USP or the modern neighbourhoods inspite of problems like poverty, crime and favelas, we are impressed how far they have come inspite of their disadvantages. They had an excuse to fail but overcame it. They excell at something. Europe and the US dont have excuses like they do. So when America is so much more powerful and richer than say Finland, Spain or Denmark, it seems odd to us you lag so far behind. US Healthcare, education, public transport, food quality, work life balance, urban design, infrastructure etc etc is all so much worse than in Europe. European nations dont get everything right but most excell at something(s) and are decent in most aspects of a citizens life. American excells at little bar being rich, powerful and failing to use said wealth and power to improve citizens lives. When Brazil has better examples of transport, healthcare or education than American cities, you know youve a problem. It is a pity, America has so much potential.

[@MrQuetzalLover]

@@danielforrester5265 You are literally doing what this video is about, the US excels at many things and you're glossing over that to make it seem worse than it is. This video literally mentions a few of the things that the US is at the forefront of. The point is, you can make any country look worse by comparing its worst qualities with the best qualities of another country.

[@stinooke]

@@danielforrester5265 "US Healthcare, education, public transport, food quality, work life balance, urban design, infrastructure etc etc is all so much worse than in Europe" Half of those are demonstrably false, the opther half re dubious. I'm always amazed at how unsubstantiatedly arrogant Europeans can be with respect to the US. I could go on listing numerous areas in which the EU is far behind the US, or when the US has had to bail out the EU as a result of their financial or political shortcomings (let alone militarily), but honestly Americans have no such unhealthy interest in criticizing peer countries.

[@darthkomnenos4201]

The hatred for the United States doesn't just extend to Europe; it encompasses the majority of the world's population according to official surveys on the question. The majority of the world's population thinks that the US is the greatest threat to world peace and that isn't without reason. The United States has been the perpetrator of the majority of atrocities during the 20th century after World War II. It has violently couped and installed fascist dictatorships in Guatemala, Chile, Brazil, El Salvador, Argentina, Peru, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, South Korea, the list goes on. The US is also responsible for some of the largest mass murders in history. Such as its murder of 1-2 million Koreans through mass napalm and biological warfare, 1-2 million in Vietnam with the same methods as was done in Korea, the Nixon Administration supplying Yahya Khan's West Pakistani dictatorship with hundreds of millions of dollars of tanks, bombs, planes, and munitions that were used to genocide 2-3 million Bengalis in East Pakistan in 1971, Its support of the Settler colonial Apartheid state's genocide of Palestine, and I could go on. But what is lost upon European liberals and other westerners about this dynamic is that the American people don't have a say in their government. From its very inception, the US was and is a Plutocratic Oligarchy. Bribing politicians in the US is fully legal and the same Corporations that bribe the Republicans bribe the Democrats. Republicans exist to tout the racist, xenophobic, and imperialistic propaganda of corporate interest opening, while the Democrats exist to absorb the votes of people who don't like these things and do literally nothing to change the Republican course of policy. Biden, "The most pro-labour president in our history" worked really hard to crush unionising strikes such as those of the Railroad workers after East Palestine, has only expanded oil drilling, is maintaining Trump's border wall and extending his anti-immigrant policies, and has literally not implemented a single demand of BLM and has only increased police funding. In short, the only difference between Democrats and Republicans is that Dems want to put the LGBT and BLM flag on the bomb heading for an Iraqi hospital while the Republicans don't want these flags on their bombs.

[@thirdtooth4069]

I lived in the states for 2 years for uni and I really got sick of my American classmates gushing over Canada while simultaneously bagging on thier own country over the most surface level understanding of Canada. Honestly Americans are some of the nicest, most capable people on the planet, with a fun and interesting culture. The self deprecation is embarrassing.

[@Theomite]

You have to admit though: our failures are spectacularly embarrassing, especially for a nation as wealthy and powerful as us. We have a military that can't be beat, and a health care system that can't be used well at all. That dichotomy alone is staggering. It's easy to find yourself in the company of other developed nations and feel like the guy who's there because his grandfather owned the club but by himself couldn't button his shirt properly.

[@thirdtooth4069]

@@Theomite funny you mention that. I actually had to make use of American healthcare for an emergency surgery while I was there and it seemed like a very quick, efficient system compared to Canada. It's costs were high, but covered by a pretty reasonably affordable insurance plan (granted I was on a student insurance policy, so it was cheaper, but I also had no money coming in either so it balances out I think). Maybe I am wrong but this seems like a "grass is greener on the other side" type of situation.

[@marklittle8805]

I am like JJ. Glad I am Canadian and appreciate the US while being Canadian. Americans who praise Canada as some sort of left wing utopia name me sick. Despite what people down there think, we are a mix of left and right just as they are and while we have a lot more social programs and gun control; the fact is they don't know what the pros and cons are of many of our social programs. And our gun policy has been actually very sensible but up until recently has been far more liberal in its allowance of gun ownership than most nations. Canada isn't armed like America, but our gun ownership per capita is far higher than people realize. It works however because we have strict laws and people who own guns legally follow them. If only the government was strict in enforcing crimes with illegal weapons.....

[@NotFunctional-ever]

​@@thirdtooth4069 yeah but as I heard from nearly every European and Canadian "are health care is free so therefore better" Firstly: taxes =/= free Secondly: I'd rather not wait at the hospital likes it's the DMV.

[@beanzor]

@@thirdtooth4069 I agree with you on this as well, although expensive, American healthcare is very good. (From personal experience)

[@nwerner3654]

As a younger American, I've come from taking all these rights inherent to our society for granted to wanting to get more involved. Our ability to have a plural society in all domains of public/private life is the most important quality our country has.

[@zweks]

I changed my comment cause I'm curious, what's a plural society?

[@wemakeasiansurveys4U]

​@@zweksOne where they tolerate a wider range of views and lifestyles. The Amish are an example of that success, they have the freedom to live in their own world and can fit in our system.

[@heychrisfox]

@@wemakeasiansurveys4U Therein being the problem. The USA offers a farce of a pluralistic society. Some groups are allowed to act with freedom and independence. Others are deliberately deprived those rights. That's not pluralistic; at best, it's semi-libertarian, operating under an authoritarian police state.

[@BunkerStrategist]

@@wemakeasiansurveys4U The Amish can have the freedom to live in their own world but god forbid two people of the same sex or even different races want to get married and the pluralism is thrown out the window. Or people of different skin colors or ethnicities want to live according to their traditions and we're told to "go back where you came from" and harassed. The state I live in still has laws in it's constitution making being gay illegal and even passed a law preventing LGBT people from getting proper healthcare while passing another tearing trans children who are being respected and cared for by their parents away from them and banning any talk about LGBT anything in schools. The US isn't really unique in our ability to have a pluralist society and a lot of foundations against such a society are written into state and federal laws and constitutions.

[@tuckerchisholm1005]

@@BunkerStrategist Lol

[@DmarquettePainter]

I used to be one of those America hating Americans until I actually moved abroad and realized how incredible America really is. I’ve been overseas for 6 years now and I regret not taking full advantage off all the opportunities the states had to offer back when I was a little younger

[@person3070]

If you dobt mind me asking, where do you live now, countrywise

[@hollister2320]

@@person3070 I’m in Europe myself and I ducking hate it here man; miss my home so much, no money to be made; the second I get the chance, I’m going back. How could I been so stupid fml, every important factor and stat goes against all the pessimistic talking points you ever hear, ffs why else would so many ppl be rushing to move to the US, but rarely the other way around? That right there should’ve been the biggest giveaway….but so many of us r too busy fighting each other to notice how good we have it

[@person3070]

@@hollister2320 Damn that sucks. Hopefully you can return back soon. If I may also ask you, what country are you currently in and what makes you dislike living there so strongly?

[@jadeabyss9978]

I hear you. I was never really anti-American but after I moved away, I entered a period of intense learning and retrospection. I've been abroad for seven years and do intend to return to the USA one day. If I hadn't taken advantage of what my origin country had to offer before leaving, I wouldn't have made it to seven years.

[@person3070]

@@jadeabyss9978 What country did you move to, if you don't mind me asking?

[@eternal_valve4482]

I think this sort of modern anti-Americanism is also tied to the idea of middle-class insecurity that JJ talks about in a lot of his videos, I know a decent number of immigrants and working class people, and they tend to be, on average more patriotic, and positive about America and its future than their more well off counterparts. Interestingly, the people parroting these talking points tend to be people who, no matter what direction the country turns, will be affected the least by it. This is very online/ in the news, and many people seem happy with their lives.

[@finneganmanthe8984]

Yes. I live in an area (West Portland) with a lot of immigrants especially from India, Mexico, and Southeast Asia and I barely ever hear them complain about conditions in America, I think because they have first hand experience of what life is like in an actual “Third World Country”. Even their children born in the US don’t seem to feel as strongly. Most of the cynical side comes from upper middle class White people who are actually the best off. And the most patriotic are the people in rural areas who are poor and have bad access to resources.

[@JJLD94]

Idk about immigrants. But none of the working class people I know are happy with their current or optimistic about America’s future. We’re all pissed and exhausted.

[@TheBrunohusker]

I wonder too if it’s simply because these middle class people spend too much time sitting around and thinking or have jobs where they do that and rather than interact with people, they observe, but also dissect and study but do so without any knowledge and think “omg things are different and that sucks. “

[@WardenLoveless]

Until you get a toothache without insurance

[@DanJuega]

@@finneganmanthe8984 I always found that type of argument a bit vexxing. Because most places in America are better than that third world. But that doesn’t mean it’s, just better than the bottom.

[@logan_graybill]

As an American, I appreciate the candid gut-check from the outside looking in. “Yeah everything here sucks, we suck, sad, but true” is a conversation my friends and I have had so many times. It’s a weird thing - American society online and in the media has become out of touch with American reality on the ground, and it feels like we’re living in almost constant social dissonance.

[@jeffmorris5802]

"Yeah everything here sucks, we suck, sad, but true" A wise man once said if you have a problem with everyone, the actual problem is you. WE don't suck. YOU suck.

[@firesideshats]

​@@jeffmorris5802Dude your country does suck in the sense your infrastructure is fcked, you don't help your population and then follow a long when Murdoch propaganda and lobbyists PR comes out and blames the people for shit that at its core is policy lobbyists have pushed. You can have all the pride you want doesn't take away from the fact your country is totally rooted.

[@aidenhall8593]

I think this is brought on at least partially by the fact some groups in America do experience a lower standard of living, which upper class people don’t experience anywhere except for in potentially exaggerated ways online. This leaves them either to conclude this is exaggerated/made up or it’s the general state of the country because they don’t leave their wealthy areas often enough to have a real understanding. That’s my experience at least.

[@arcticelephant4721]

I (19M American) also think a major contributor to the current anti-Americanism is that many Americans have never left the US. When I first left the country I was feeling very jaded about my country, but then I got reminded overseas of all the things I love about America that I was taking for granted.

[@MattMcIrvin]

Traveling mostly to Canada and Europe reminds me of a lot of things that are better there that suck here. That said... even Canada is palpably not MY country. It's lovely and the people are great and the politics are better but it's not home. Going elsewhere does remind me of that.

[@evangelosvasiliades1204]

This is an interesting one, you certainly aren't the only person to have the same feelings. But there is also a large american expat community who only felt vindicated by their traveling. And it's these travelers who talk negatively about America compared to other countries they have visited who make up most of that kind of 'content creator'

[@arcticelephant4721]

@@evangelosvasiliades1204 Maybe it depends on the country

[@Nathan-jh1ho]

​@@arcticelephant4721it also depends if you are just on vacation there or actually live there.

[@FreshLlamanade]

Interesting, I think this can go either way. I moved to Germany and I've only gotten more cynical about my country since being here. The outside perspective seems worse than the inside perspective

[@killerqueen152]

I think being highly critical of one’s own country is one of the most patriotic things a person can do. I’m glad my country has endless internal critics, forces us to look at our problems even when we really don’t want to.

[@dominaevillae28]

This reminds me of a YT video I saw by a Vietnamese living in Germany who makes videos about living in Germany from a foreigners POV. She plays all the characters remarking about several things Germans do well, and the Germans saying no, we do all those things badly.

[@whitemenincoats4007]

True.

[@cwwhite-massey2505]

this guy is an idiot and he knows nothing about America. I mean, yeah, our standard of living is better than most of the world, but where are the only developed country without universal healthcare and corporations are running rampant here. I think is a concern that things will get worse if we stay on our current course.

[@DaughterofDiogenes]

I agree. Especially as a nonwhite American. It would be fucking stupid as hell for me to live here uncritically. Just self destructive and life ending.

[@DaughterofDiogenes]

You forgot to mention the racism. I haven’t finished the video yet but it’s super racist and white supremacist here and probably everywhere. Who knows I’m a stupid American who’s never been anywhere. . I know many would disagree but I’m a biracial woman who’s in my 40s now and I could tell you stories that would make you rage slap the nearest white person starting from when I was a child. I don’t know if I would’ve had a different experience in another country. I suspect if I had lived someplace other than the very racism Deep South of the US maybe things woulda been different. Also if I hadn’t been poor. I’ve literally hated this country for as long as I’ve been aware enough to hate it, but I’m not going to leave. I’m just going to sit in my beautiful backyard in a city I can’t figure out how we were able to afford a house in and sip my ethically sourced high end coffee whilst listening to this Canadian tut tut me for hating this place. Also fuck Andrew Tate. I hate America for making Andrew Tate 😂😂😂😂 rabble rabble rabble

[@ShawnRavenfire]

I've often said that nobody hates Americans as much as other Americans. One of the strangest contradictions I've noticed is when we compare ourselves to a country that works harder than we do, we tend to use it as evidence that Americans are lazy, but when we compare ourselves to a country that relaxes more than we do, we tend to use it as evidence that Americans are stupid enough to support a system that overworks us.

[@boardcertifiable]

It's like I told my dad, people in the USA are hard on our own country because we know we can do better, and in some ways it's not a bad thing, but we should still strive to do better because our people gave the potential to be better.

[@samsca8529]

Pretty sure a million Iraqis would beg to differ

[@OscarUnrated]

@@samsca8529Americans didn’t vote to go to war in Iraq, our legislators did

[@ShawnRavenfire]

@@boardcertifiable Agreed!

[@name3236]

Bruh I’m fairly certain that that first viewpoint comes from conservatives and the second from leftists. All Americans not thinking the same is not a contradiction.

[@retroroy8720]

As an American, I'm glad to see one of my favorite KZbinrs mention this issue. Part of me also thinks a lot of this weird self-loathing amongst Americans was initially informed by the extreme levels of nationalism during the Bush years in the 2000's, especially with stuff like the Patriot Act, the Iraq War, and the moral guardian antics of the Religious Right and then it spiraled out further from there

[@aidenhall8593]

Yeah it’s almost like a direct reaction to that hyper patriotism we briefly experienced

[@samg.5165]

Perhaps you're right, since it's ironically the same wing of American politics that has moved from one extreme to another. Republicans were extremely supportive of military interventions, now they're hardcore isolationists and very critical of America on the world stage. Their patriotism was partly informed by religion and tradition, now traditional values put them at odds with American liberalism. They mostly supported the Patriot Act, now they view any public safety measure by the US government as a threat to their person.

[@bisque6448]

That's definitely it

[@PetroBeherha]

You hit the nail right on the head.

[@KanyeTheGayFish69]

@@samg.5165you speak as if everyone fits into a binary. Most republicans are not isolationists. Sounds like your perceptions come from media sensationalism rather than reality.

[@DanteWilcox22]

As an American, I think this is the first time I've heard someone else say exactly what I think about my country.

[@vedangsinghal3038]

Yeah. It's nice to know I'm not alone in not being pessimistic.

[@jhonklan3794]

We need more patriots to reassert faith in our country. I truly believe we have been the best superpower. We're not perfect. No country is. But what we have is special.

[@kylenumb481]

I’m glad there are people out their who still have faith in our nation. The media can be so negative that we forget how good we have it.

[@Shaunks86]

There's more of us than you think. Republicans and Democrats have been doing a great job at trying to separate us for votes, but there needs to be more Americans willing to be more vocal about disagreeing with each other but still having a mutual respect and love for our country.

[@jesualdocortez6426]

@@jhonklan3794I’m not gonna put rose colored glasses when I criticize my country when a majority of us want/need Medicare for all. It saves money through preventive care and such

[@TheThunderinghammer]

It was nice seeing a Canadian speaking positively about the USA for a change

[@Mr_DPZ]

In 30 years we went from "There is nothing wrong with America that can't be cured by what is right with America" to "there is nothing right with America and no one is going to fix it."

[@jonathanharris2570]

Next step should then be, “what is right? what is wrong? Morality is objective let’s act accordingly to fix it”

[@Matt_Fields_29]

@@jonathanharris2570 There is no objective morality system.

[@paulmyrin5028]

I believe much anti-American sentiment is a backlash to the 200+ year notion that American can do no wrong while willfully ignoring many terrible things we were doing. Maybe we'll be able to reach a healthy equilibrium in the next 30 years.

[@sticy5399]

This is a very revisionist view. 50 years ago the hight of the civil rights movement, Watergate, LA riots, Iraq etc. There's been plenty of conflict and thus criticism towards america by americans, even in recent history. The world is always ending, we just forget because it's gonna happen tomorrow ;)

[@fatboyRAY24]

@sticy5399 I wouldn’t be so dismissive about the woes of my generation. We are markedly poorer than our parents and one of the few, if the only, to be so. We’re not doing great, things have been going up for 230 years up until now where it feels like we’ve peaked in every faucet of life.

[@Neurotrace]

It's hard to explain the whiplash I experience as an American living in Europe. I speak with people from multiple countries nearly every day and the conversation usually starts with "here's why America is bad compared to my country". When I tell them that I'm living here, not just visiting, they are visibly shocked and ask why would I ever leave the US? I've had an extremely cynical view of the US for a while (hence the move) but it's really got me thinking

[@Gewehr_3]

I have kind of the same experience, if it's not their opinion about why the US sucks, it's how the US is the puppet master of whatever European country they come from. That or they are full on obsessed with our culture.

[@paulmyrin5028]

An important idea that wasn't mentioned is the significant decline in the "American Dream". I often think about my grandfather who was only a brick layer and was able to afford a three story house and raise his 10 children comfortably. They even had a summer cottage on the beach. Today, with a STEM Master's degree, I am skeptical that I will be able to own a home, much less provide for a family. I understand this isn't an issue exclusive to America, but I'm hard-pressed to think of another country that has had such a drastic decline in this respect. Additionally, I believe much of self anti-American sentiment to be a backlash to the historically sacrosanct narrative of America. For example, much of our early history, we were proud to have nearly annihilated the indigenous people. It was representative of our "progress" as a country that we were replacing a "less civilized" group of people. We were actively proud of actions that were inherently contradictory to our founding principles.

[@GrandChessboard]

LOL, this guy has no idea what the American experience is. STEM degree holder here as well. All of us should just switch to working in the bread and circus economy like this guy...

[@ronblack7870]

if you have a useful degree like engineering and don't decide you have to live in silicon valley you can do very well. live in cleveland or buffalo or some other cheap city. if you insist on living in a very expensive city then don't expect to afford to live there. you can easily make 100k in a cheap city as an engineer. i bought a house in the suburbs where i live for 165k 3 years ago. a house like this in san francisco would be over 1 million.

[@scottdoesntmatter4409]

You do realize that most of the natives were wiped out from disease that unintentionally spread from Europe, right?

[@hawx00145]

Yes, I often hear the phrase "The American Dream is dead!!!"...the left says it's because of America's persistent original sin, Racism...while the right says it's because of the oversaturation of immigrants seeking the American dream, that it has run out dry...

[@jhonklan3794]

OMG so much ignorance here. 1) The annihalation of the natives came from accidental disease spreading in pre colonial america. We proud of having explored and documented this vast land which was unknown and undocumented before. Either your gramps was the greatest bricklayer or your house is in the middle of nowhere. There are many QOL improvements we have had since your gramps time. Also, you misunderstand the American dream. Its not that you could become a bajillionaire or own a mansion. It was that if you had the will, you could forge a life for yourself. Before this meant fishing or building a house for yourself.

[@florixn_de]

As a German, I couldn't agree more. I am incredibly thankful for the US being our ally.

[@MelindaSordinoIsLiterallyMe]

Ja! Das!

[@juliejones876]

Want to stop Unrest in America

[@juliejones876]

ban the people who are saying it

[@search_ex_muslim_sahil_yt]

Du bist nicht Deutsch

[@florixn_de]

@@search_ex_muslim_sahil_yt Weißt du woher?

[@AgainsaidBen]

This is really something no one is saying right now but really needed to be said! I'm an American in Ireland and while I am guilty of this pessimism too, every American I know seems to want to talk down about the US and the Irish often want to dunk on the US too. I have found if I make a comment about the dumpster fire that is Irish politics they get quiet. Well done in so aptly capturing the current climate. I need to share this around now

[@Gewehr_3]

Not to mention the housing market. My god it makes California seem reasonable.

[@Tony_Soprano2]

Yeh the Anti-American Attitude sucks in Ireland . While I don’t exactly like America’s Approach to Social Issues or war or actually a lot of things, they are still great people who come to this tiny island with so much love and admiration for us. They offered a home to us during times of Famine, Revolution, Civil War, & Civil Unrest & Violence, it’s time for us not to constantly insult their homeland and dunk on their way of life.

[@pyrrhicvictoly]

I think it depends on the people around you. I've had conversations with Irish people dunking on both Ireland and the US.

[@JJMcCullough]

I have personally found the Irish to be some of the most obnoxiously self-righteous people on earth when it comes to America, and that’s coming from a Canadian! It’s particularly insufferable given how much Americans love and fetishize Ireland. I mean, the Irish leader gets to come to the White House every year on St Patrick’s Day! Trudeau doesn’t get to come to the White House every Canada Day!

[@darcyherr]

@@JJMcCullough Yes so true! I'm from the US and my grandparents are Irish. Last time I visited there were so many comments about "ooh there goes your president" in regards to Trump as if I personally placed him in office, and backhanded comments about everything in America being horrible, Americans being fat/lazy/ignorant (which we have our fair share of people like that, but to categorize an entire countries people like that is so unfair). Ireland is beautiful and I love my family from there but it's not perfect either!

[@alanirunner]

As an immigrant living in America early on i realized how easy it is to get "brownie points" for saying "America bad". I even remember semi-subconsciously lying about how good the healthcare in my home country was (Russia) just to wow the Americans. Even though in russian, to my friends and family id be talking about how insanely inhumane and poorly developed healthcare in russia is I genuinely think Americans grow up seeing the romanticized concept of going against the grain, and Fighting the "bad dictator Voldemort/Hunger games/etc" that they go out of their way to paint themselves as living in some kind of 1984 totalitarian regime. Like Barnes and Noble will have a "banned book" section every "banned book month". If you can buy a book at the biggest retail chain in America, it's not banned. I even saw Harry Potter in the banned books aisle. B&N sells Mein Kampf, wouldn't be surprised if they had it at every location. You go to jail in other countries for owning Mein Kampf. But doesn't it feel extra special to read Harry Potter if you got it off "banned books" rack? This was a thing with the left a few years back with the "woke" crowd, and now the Right is jumping out of their boots to praise Russia, China and other totalitarian countries. Absolutely insane Tsk tsk

[@aidenhall8593]

Hey I know russian healthcare is shit, but at least it’s cheap right

[@alanirunner]

​​@@aidenhall8593 lost multiple close relatives to neglect in Russian healthcare system, but yeah it was free

[@cjthorp4805]

Oh you're so right about the hunger games/totalitarian regime thing. I remember people kind of talking about that during the 2020 protests, about all these white middle class kids protesting for the first time and lowkey preparing for war like the Hunger Games. Tiktok had me convinced to pack a go-bag a few nights before the 2020 election.

[@anaverageyoutubeuser]

@@alanirunnercorrect me if I’m wrong, but I think in Russia almost 20% of the population doesn’t have access to toilet.

[@Adsper2000]

@@anaverageyoutubeuserThat’s where the meme of Russian soldiers stealing toilets in Ukraine comes from.

[@americanminotaur2518]

People need to be able to understand that patriotism isn’t blindly loving everything your country does. It’s valuing what’s good about your country and striving to improve aspects that you don’t like. I’ll be the first to say America has problems, but I’ll also say there’s no where else that I would want to live. This is my home and by god, I’m gonna fight for it!❤️

[@Draconatus24]

Agreed, I would say that this video isn’t really helping those problems, the tone of this video is saying that criticizing America is anti American, which I honestly believe is the opposite.

[@Finians_Mancave]

We didn't invent patriotism, did we? The problem with America is that we're the only country that acts like we alone feel this special bond with our country. Oh, and the fetishism with our flag as well. If a person exhibited these symptoms, he'd be rightfully called a NARCISSIST. Maybe that's why so many Americans have embraced Trump - the ultimate narcissist - like the second coming of Jesus.

[@NotFunctional-ever]

​@jacobfury1686 he literally never said that, he said being a complete pessimist is anti-american

[@Draconatus24]

@@NotFunctional-ever The “complete pessimism” was talking about people criticizing the system that’s been putting a lot of them down their entire lives, is it pessimism if it’s true?

[@NotFunctional-ever]

​@jacobfury1686 literally right after the sponsor he says that there are problems that plague the country and they should be taken care of. He is talking about people who think that nothing good ever happens and that it is the worst country and how those people are bad for the country.

[@sashaqureshi6204]

On instagram so many people are convinced that America is a 3rd world country. Tell me you’ve never travelled to the other side of the world without telling me

[@baikeiast5255]

Only black Americans

[@y2kona]

as an american, it gets so tiring hearing people be anti american for such a long time and not do anything much about it. they cant take a sad song and make it better

[@Cam-nq8br]

I’ve never hated on my country as much as I see others do

[@samg.5165]

In many cases, when I hear how they would "make it better", I find it fortunate they're usually too lazy or incompetent to translate their thoughts into action. The people who are most anti-American are rarely social-democrats or moderate conservatives.

[@jpmeyer09]

@@samg.5165 I hear it more from the democrats side of things. Ya know, since the other side is censored

[@berdwatcher5125]

@@jpmeyer09 not anymore

[@samg.5165]

@@jpmeyer09 I disagree. Democrats are more likely to stay the course in matters both foreign and domestic. For better or worse, they're the status-quo party, which is best exemplified by Hillary Clinton's "America is already great" quote, a perhaps unconvincing response to MAGA. Every major Republican campaign has been more critical of the US than its Democratic rival, in recent years. I wouldn't say that the other side is being censored, but its true that in science, arts, entertainment and just about every prestigious field in society, conservatism has fallen way out of favor. That is the natural outcome of the right-wing's failure to provide an alternative to progressivism. Maybe if you would stop obsessing over transgender bathrooms and conspiracy drivel, educated people would take you seriously.

[@AndreDutraTV]

As a Brazilian immigrant I usually find myself telling a lot of people that the U.S. is a pretty good place to live and that’s the reason families like my own moved here in the first place. Having to work so hard to be here really makes you value it more.

[@southcoastinventors6583]

Just like a kidney stone all things will pass

[@murkywaters5502]

@@AvatarSimulator I think the key here is that the US is not automatically better than some countries. There are absolutely horrible parts of Brazil, but there are also horrible places to live in the US. I think the US has things to offer, but in all likelihood, there are certain places in Brazil that are about as safe as parts of the US, if not safer, as in more or less the living conditions of the developed world. If people already have a job, friends and family living in a place like Florianopolis, then why would they feel the need to move?

[@AvatarSimulator]

​@@murkywaters5502don't get me wrong, I'd never move back to Brazil until the violence situation is resolved. Pretty confident I can say the same thing about the US. Neither Brazil or the US give any shits to drinking water or food quality, and I don't feel comfortable raising kids in either country. That's really what it came down to

[@cobracommander8133]

@@AvatarSimulatorI’m am American born and raised and I’m GTFO here asap and moving to Portugal as well. I’ve spent a lot of time in both Spain and Portugal the past few years and it’s a different world living in a country where the govt actually looks out for its citizens and not the ultra rich.

[@murkywaters5502]

@@AvatarSimulator I understand what you mean. I hate the way school and raising children in the US works and I never fully liked it. I've lived in the US all my life and I really wish I could move to some other country that I felt good about having kids in. However, as much as I *hate* certain parts about the US and its culture, I think I stand a better chance here in terms of employment and also surviving the effects of climate change. In all probability, I'm just not going to have kids because there are too many barriers and variables.

[@eoz27]

I laughed out loud when you showed that video of the girl saying “we live in a facist regime” while sitting in what looks like a pretty nice house. I think it perfectly encapsulates a lot of Americans. We have a lot to complain about, for sure, but we are also extremely privileged. I am very left-wing and have lots of left-wing friends and I feel like I have to be careful even bringing up the fact that we’re privileged because people are really sensitive to it. I understand why because in the past, blind patriotism was such a huge thing. But of course, as you showed in your video, it is sooo nuanced. Yes, the wealth disparity in the US is a huge problem and there are millions [*Correction: ~600,000] of homeless people but at the same time, the poorest person in the US is richer than most people in the world. We have to be grateful for what we have. I am so glad I was born here and not in a war-torn country, or in a country with a horrible abusive dictator. Horrible horrible things happen to people everyday and most of us Americans will never have to experience those things because we were lucky to be born here. Unfortunately the US meddling in other countries has caused a lot of suffering and I think we should be focused on preventing our contributions to inhumane treatment of people across the world.

[@sandorclegane5657]

There aren't millions of homeless people in the US, not even close to a million. And even then, about half of the homeless people in this country voluntarily choose that lifestyle. My own uncle and grandmother are prime examples.

[@Maelstromme]

@@matthewmoore7447 Some of those problems were largely fixed, and have gotten worse. Declining life expectancy, first poorer generation than parents ever, wealth disparity, same structural issues present that orchestrated the great depression and 2008.

[@infernalirk]

Some people in fascist regimes have nice houses.

[@ryans7167]

> “I’m so glad I was born here and not a war torn country” This is probably the single biggest thing most Americans (and Canadians) take for granted. The incredible lack of war on our continent. Sure our countries go *to* war, but the leveling of cities, the terror of advancing armies, the indiscriminate atrocities, and the mass flight of refugees; the horrors of war have not been felt by the American civilians really since 1865… a casual 158 years of peace. Even other prominent places like Asia or Europe have never seen a full century of uninterrupted peace in all their history

[@eoz27]

@@matthewmoore7447 Ok there’s close to 600,000 homeless in the US. I lived in PDX before so I guess my perception was skewed. A lot of my friends growing up we’re homeless so I at least know it from their perspectives. This is why it’s hard to bring these things up because I’m not trying to insinuate that we’re all fine and dandy here and there’s nothing left to fix and we can just let homeless people continue to be homeless. I think it helps to remember our privilege because it can help us see the light at the end of the tunnel. For the majority of world history people have been ripping ppls limbs off and crazy fucked up shit like that and they still do it in a lot of places across the world. My point was that even if you’re homeless in the US, you might have to deal with gun violence and things of that nature, but you will most likely never experience the horrible torture that people endure in other countries due to war, terrorist groups, etc. People do FUCKED up shit to each other and we live in an unprecedented time and place of relative peace. When I read about what the Dutch did to the people of DRC, for example, I thank my lucky stars that I live in the US in 2023! That doesn’t mean that I think America is perfect and I don’t fight for civil rights and better policies to protect people. I’ve dedicated my life to public service, that’s how much I believe in moving us forward. I recognize my privilege and I use it to help other people - that’s my point!

[@davidkobold5311]

"Failure is not special"...is both an excellent summary, and a perfect philosophical perspective of stoicism. Hardships and failures will come for us all, it is our personal responsibility to do better. America has plenty of ugliness - both historically and presently - but it also has beauty and victories in its continuous pursuit to be better. At least I hope so.

[@mg4361]

As a European I find non-Americans who are better informed about the current affairs of America than their own country incredibly annoying. I also believe that there is a special place in hell for people who like to berate american education for people not being 100% experts on european geography, while themselves having no clue about the geography of the US and other large countries such as China or the african continent.

[@tuckerchisholm1005]

I dated a girl from Brazil, who knew all about US slavery but couldnt tell me when slavery ended in Brazil (20 years later than America) these kind of people must just really not care about learning anything of their own country's history.

[@mg4361]

@@tuckerchisholm1005 Nope, they just enjoy hating on the US as a scapegoat for all imaginable evils of the world.

[@nutmaster7794]

I know a guy from Austria who thought that Montana was in the south

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

maybe the reason non Americans are so well informed about the US is because the US is the one that runs the entire world including what occurs in their own countries. this creator has the dimmest fans I have ever seen

[@shanwyn]

You can also make the reverse argument. Americans who are so starstruck by 'european' styles government, healthcare and so on and and don't know that Puerto Rico isn't a state. In general those people are simply annoying. The grass is always greener.. elsewhere apparently

[@Parlom101]

“Usually from the comfort of their middle class bedrooms”. This is the best line ever spoken

[@MrAronymous]

*parents house bedrooms because they cant afford a place of their own in this economy

[@tom-four]

"yet you participate in society! interesting.."

[@Kodeb8]

You should've mentioned the growing "grass is greener on the other side" mentality among the youth. I see it all the time, from the media and politicians, painting this picture that "the rest of the world is doing just fine". There are things other countries do better no doubt, but these people seriously believe that countries like the UK or Australia don't have problems of their own.

[@LouieLouie505]

re the youth and green grass: Well, the grass IS greener on the other side. Noting that this is true is one thing, and doing something about it is another.

[@isaac4273]

​​@@LouieLouie505ou really think so? The other day I saw a video of someone describing the Argentine south as an underrated paradise because of its amazing landscape and peace. Yes, Argentina, where inflation in 2021 was of 50.9%, and in 2022 it was of around 94%, crime has increased and food is inaccessible. And I've seen similar shit about other nations before. My guess is that one only looks at the good stuff and forget the bad shit about those countries bc one can't stand anymore to be surrounded by negativity, coming all from one's home nation, almost like an escape type of thing.

[@LouieLouie505]

@@isaac4273 “… do you really think so…” I know so. The US is missing universal healthcare, comprehensive elder care, paid vacations, paid family leave, gun control, affordable mass, transit, and more.

[@broonoart]

@@LouieLouie505it’s like you’re purposely missing the point of this comment and the whole video

[@LouieLouie505]

@@broonoart "...missing the point..." Not at all. "Grass is greener.." means better elsewhere. It *is* better elsewhere -- I showed how. Someone in the US might be 'anti-American' because they know that life could be better if politics would stop getting in the way of these things that other comparable countries have.

[@angelo-xr8on]

Don’t give up, America. A lot of us are still rooting for you.

[@franknwogu4911]

❤

[@HistoryNerd8765]

Thanks, friend.

[@TheGreatOne-gw7xh]

Then you are foolish.

[@cathysamborn4709]

That is very sweet of you, thanks.

[@anonymoususer8895]

No. You’re hating on us.

[@oliverrainer5771]

This video was a mixed bag where i agreed 70% disagreed 30%. Still this video is so much better than most videos on politics and culture because it urges the viewer to engage with it in a nuanced and thoughtful way instead of reactionarily or dismissive

[@heychrisfox]

It's that 30% that tilts the discussion though. It's not about agreeing or disagreeing. It's just that JJ takes this hyper-optimist approach to the discussion. He accepts there's bad, but seems to brush it off in favor of a positive narrative. That might work in Canada, where there are many foundational government pieces of infrastructure to care for people, or it might be more fitting in a place where people can actually have mature, polite conversations about serious topics in a way that won't bring about literal threats of violence. But the USA is not that. Is the USA a failed state? No. But the problems are real, and more seriously, they're deeply rooted. The actual problems that exist - those not intertwined with propaganda - are ugly and terrible, more so than pretty much anywhere else on the planet. Refusing to acknowledge those realities is blindness.

[@dekkacat8517]

​@@heychrisfox, you make some excellent points.

[@雷-t3j]

@@heychrisfox they're not worse than anywhere else on the planet, there are plenty of countries with far worse situations. But they are far worse than "the best country in the world at everything" and a lot of people do fail to see that.

[@eôten-j5y]

@@雷-t3j This. There are definitely many countries where the political and economic situation is far worse than the US. After all, a number of countries are either actively engaged in civil war or have had internal armed conflicts recently that they are still recovering from. At the same time, it's also important to recognise the major problems impacting the US that are predicted to get worse in the coming years. Especially the cost of living crisis, workforce shortages, and the prevalence of abusive workplace practices. There's plenty to be worried about, but the US is not a dystopia, it's not particularly weak, and it's not a "failed state". Could it become those things in the future? Absolutely, but that outcome is not yet set in stone

[@heychrisfox]

@@eôten-j5y Exactly, that's my only real complain here. JJ really brushes over those serious concerns for the sake of his video. Maybe they were outside of the scope of his framing, or maybe he just is ignorant to how bad it is. But the reality is - as an American, who deals with it directly - it's way worse than he makes it out to be.

[@aaronbecker5617]

You can be critical and want to change your country and not hate it. Ive heard it said before "The American flag doesnt need to be burned it needs to be washed."

[@cellina.starfire]

I love that. Nothing is beyond saving!

[@niloticnya]

exactly. my family came to the US as Sudanese refugees, & will forever be grateful. if i stayed, i would’ve been raped/killed or married as a child w/ no education. i’m proud to be a naturalized citizen, & i use the sacrifices & opportunities to my advantage. however, i can see many reasons why the country i love should be criticized. american citizens from many demographics are f*cked over due to wealth disparities. production went up 65%, but wages only went up ~18%. the top 1% of earners own 35% of all wealth. the top 10% own 75% of the wealth. *the bottom 50% of the population own 1% of the wealth.* the cost of living is ridiculously high, & the outlook for younger generations is something to complain about. there are tons of issues that show how unfair this country is when compared to its success. all i want is what’s best for the people here, & hopefully all countries when we decide not to exploit others

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

This is quite a wise saying! I'll remember this. Thanks for the comment!

[@Ishouldprobablyhidemynamelol]

I always hated how anti-American our own people are but I now realize that I have let some of this thinking seep into my own thinking. I appreciate this video for pointing out all these different causes and thoughts behind it.

[@cardenova]

Same!

[@SleepFaster18]

It has become easier to "blame the system" rather than strive for change within it. I think we are experiencing societal burnout as a result of our left-right power swings and roundabouts.

[@The_king567]

@sciencebear1645 That’s a lie and what you’re talking about is social change you can’t change the way people feel or think when it comes to homophobia, racism, sexism, etc.

[@KanyeTheGayFish69]

@sciencebear1645stop spreading disinformation this is part of the problem

[@mrmoonlight1001]

​@sciencebear1645 Homophobia isn't systemic, it's endemic. In terms of legal provisions for LGBTQ rights America is more progressive than the vast majority of the countries on the world. In terms of public sentiment, we used to score amongst the best in the world but recently acceptance has been falling with the constant media spotlight on transgender issues. There are pockets of America where it is very uncomfortable to be queer but those are the religious pockets where no liberal person, straight or gay, would ever think about living in. The majority of places in America are accepting, and even welcoming towards LGBTQ people. Overall our country is pretty LGBTQ friendly if we're using a random 50 sample of countries you can always bet on America to be top 5 on that list. This is coming from a bisexual person who has lived in a European country, an Asian country, and America.

[@wo_w6640]

This is something that I was thinking about the other day, as a fellow Canadian. And it's not just Americans who do it too. I'm honestly just so sick of all of the "America bad" jokes and talking points online. Sure there are issues, every countries got them, but I've just had enough of the same pessimistic anti-American attitude over and over.

[@intellectually_lazy]

ja, truth hurts

[@theinsane833]

Playing devils advocate, they do have solid points.

[@DracDastardly]

In a world where nuance is all but disappeared, J.J., you are a great example of what a pundit can and should be. Thank you, from the bottom of this American's heart.

[@DanJuega]

A vacuous enlightened centrist?

[@elijahmarshall9787]

​@@DanJuegayou spelt vacuous wrong lil

[@Strideo1]

​@@DanJuegaUnless you provide evidence or a persuasive logical argument to support your statement then it's nothing more than a meaningless ad hominem fallacy and not a valid argument against JJ. Your own statement is vacuous.

[@DanJuega]

@@elijahmarshall9787 Thank you

[@DanJuega]

​@@Strideo1 Well, yes. It was an insult, not an argument. But if you really want me to go more in depth I can. Although there's really not a whole lot to respond to. The video does everything in its power to avoid going in depth into anything so it can keep equating apples with oranges. It does it with the right wing and the left wing. And it even does it with the conspiracies. Like in one hand it brings up something crazy like aliens, just so it can bring up corporate control of the government as equally harmful to believe. But that's so out in the open it's not even a conspiracy. We know that representatives spend most of their time wooing donors. We know the supreme court declared corporate donations as free speech. We know the amount of lobbying done in Washington and donor parties. Like how is that a conspiracy? So I'm not surprised that the enlightened centrism being spouted here was as vacuous as the patriotism that it spouses. Because at no point does he stop to wonder why this type of rhetoric has become so effective lately, especially in a place that was known for being virulently patriotic. And instead, it's simply treated as a fad occurring in a vacuum that could just be fixed with more good vibes, because "good things good and America rich." Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as this type of out of touch commentary could only come from a presumably well off Canadian. You guys might think it's good commentary, but I think it's simplistic, naive and ignorant.

[@amongstus4418]

I remember seeing Frenchmen online chastising Americans for Police Brutality and Racism...look how that turned out lmao

[@stevemcgroob4446]

Lol good point

[@luke-be8yw]

The French police defending themselves from a violent criminal literally driving a car straight at them is a completely different situation to typical police brutality in America. Public opinion in France is overwhelmingly on the side of the police and it’s only a massive media censorship campaign that it appears otherwise to outsiders

[@jagotiberan2181]

Both are bad

[@wodediannao4577]

@@jagotiberan2181 Sure, but most Americans admit it is a problem. White French people almost never do. Ask them how they feel about Roma people and you'll hear racist tirades that would make George Wallace blush.

[@zweks]

Butch France had 1 case of police brutality and Paris is in flames to protest against. When America began protesting police brutality a huge pro police movement rose... You can see the discontent of their people with police brutality and racism

[@sebastianguerra6358]

I've often seen the phrase "third world country with a Gucci belt" referring to the US, and I gotta say it's borderline offensive lmao. Like, as someone from an actual third world country, it just sounds of privileged and out of touch to say such things when our people are literally dying to get to the US.

[@GrievousReborn]

It's because most of the people that say that are morons who has lived the west for far too long and don't know how well they have it. Yeah I haven't stepped outside of the US ever in my life but I know that there are countries worse than mine. To your last point about how there are people literally dying to try to get into the US if it truly was as awful as people say it is there wouldn't be tons of people trying to get into the country legally or illegally.

[@lucasharvey8990]

Sorry about that. Unfortunately a lot of people die trying to immigrate, like stories of Cubans making rafts out of scrap and drowning trying to get to Florida. In my opinion the immigration process should be quicker and simpler so that people don't feel as if they're forced to do it illegally, and it's easier for them to do so the proper and safe way.

[@Nathan-jh1ho]

It's quite ironic how American-centric the domestic Anti-American types are

[@AureliusLaurentius1099]

@@lucasharvey8990 Immigration process was always hard. In the olden days, crossing an ocean was already the greatest barrier An easy immgiration process makes it rife of abuse and we already see in France how no assimilating a ton of immigrants will have negative consequences

[@thegreenscreengeek]

Have you ever been to the poor parts of the US?

[@PavelGuarisma]

Hi JJ. Wanted to thank you for making this video. I was born in South America but I spent all of my childhood in the U.S., specifically, North Carolina. I grew up loving the U.S. southern culture, the people, the warmth, THE FOOD (LOL). I carry the U.S. with me. I still get chills when I hear the Star Spangled Banner. Yes, things have changed and perhaps some "dirty laundry" is now visible but I hope in my heart that this is just a "phase" and that the people of that great country will find unity again. Even if lately we seem to get a better view of the nasty underbelly of the U.S., I know that the positives far far far outweigh the negatives and, over time, the pendulum will swing back towards unity and optimism. By the way, I am a proud Canadian now!

[@ΓιάννηςΜεταξάς-ρ5φ]

youre white and str8 right? if you werent the south wouldnt be kind to you.

[@jhonklan3794]

I pray you are right. I sometimes wonder if patriotism was under the same threat during Vietnam or before that the civil war. I truly hope we dont lose our optimism and patriotism permanently.

[@theinsane833]

Glad you are Canadian now, good on yah.

[@MadMike1]

There's nothing wrong with loving your country while simultaneously acknowledging its faults and wanting it to be a better place.

[@Justin-rv7oy]

Didn't expect to see you here, your usually busy pissing off TOOL fans or something like that, lol.

[@ECKohns]

But do the people who say this actually believe in or acknowledge America’s strengths? Or is it just a motte and bailey fallacy?

[@MadMike1]

@@Justin-rv7oy Damn, I'm getting noticed. I need to get an alt lmao.

[@spartanx9293]

But that's not what we're talking about

[@samg.5165]

I think there are limits to that philosophy. If you consistently find yourself opposed to your country's institutions, core values, or citizenry, then maybe you don't have your country's best interests at heart. Depending on the validity of your grievances, that might be entirely justified, but let's not pretend all criticism is patriotic.

[@strahinjatrajkovic4276]

As a person who grew up and lives in Serbia it's a truly sad to hear this stuff. I encountered some Western Europeans and Americans who wants to move here but when I asked them why they want to move answer it's pretty vague. But in reality they usually come for pussies, cheap food and alcohol and ignoring various problem like poor living conditions, inflation, mass corruption, etc. If somebody offered me a job and life in the US I would accept it immediately. It's not that I hate my home country far from it, but just look life standard in serbia, monthly salaries and society and you will see why we have high emigration rate. Moral of the story don't hate your country because bunch of idiots on the internet or on news and If you have a problem solve it before it's too late.

[@BigBoss-sm9xj]

thank you for your perspective

[@jacksonmcdonald5443]

I think it is fair you want to move to the USA for standards of living and they want to move to Serbia for their own reasons.

[@ronblack7870]

the ingrates in america don't know how good they have it. does everyone have it great - no but that is universal around the world and it's not an injustice that some are poor and some are rich. it's the way the world is. and this idiotic idea that everything is racist in america, it's the opposite and those that are accusing are the ones that are actually racist.

[@RougeOX49Unknown]

14:04 Yeah you basically hit the nail on the head with that one. I’m British growing up my parents (mainly my dad) had basically nothing nice to say about America. Any conversation we had about the country basically lead to my dad calling it an authoritarian hellhole. I remember one conversation I had with my dad about this with him basically saying that America society and Americans are racist. I then pointed out to him that racism towards traveler communities (in the UK and other European countries) is still a problem as it is tolerated or opening acceptable by many people who are otherwise perfectly nice. To propagate racist stereotypes which often goes unchallenged. Which shows that fundamentally prejudice is a global problem not an American one. He then reluctantly agreed with me on that.

[@trolliffy115]

The Brits were the imperialists of the world which is why I find that viewpoint so ironic

[@RougeOX49Unknown]

@@trolliffy115 Yeah at school we aren't really taught about the many atrocities committed under the British Empire. From what I remember they mentioned the mistreatment of Indians, but even then they sugar coated it. I'll give my Dad this he thinks the way British schools gloss over our history of imperialism honestly disgusts him. He knows a lot about history.

[@jhonklan3794]

@@RougeOX49Unknown Eh compared to most countries, Britain does fixate on thier horrors a lot. You would never see an Arab school talk about the arab slave trade, or an Indonesian school talk about the east timor genocide, or an indian school talk about how the country was locked in religious violence until they were united by/against the brits for instance.

[@jhonklan3794]

@@RougeOX49Unknown As an indian descended person, the horrors of the british empire are greatly exaggerated. India was not a utopia before the british came. Yes, the Brits treated indians poorly, but indians treated each other and the brits poorly as well. The brits were just better at conquest. Colonialism was bad but is also responsible for the current stability and economic growth of india.

[@RougeOX49Unknown]

@@jhonklan3794 I didn’t say that India was a utopia before the British Raj. I do know that the British Raj did outlaw Sati (widow burning) which is pretty good. But the empire was also responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, partition of India and famines during coronation of Queen Victoria as the Empress. None of this was even mentioned while I was at school.

[@SentryWill]

Europeans on their way to call America racist after I ask for their thoughts on the Roma people

[@The_king567]

Europeans literally invented racism. I never understood that logic, though like only Americans are racist that makes no sense to me.

[@The1920sChannel]

Living abroad can definitely give an American a more positive view of their country. The people saying that other countries are better in every way have usually not lived in another country for an extended period of time. I often had a lot of bad things to say about America before I moved, and I still do. But now, after being away for more than 4 years, I'm much more aware of the positive things as well.

[@minnesotasteve]

I've lived abroad, and what you learn is things are different. Things are better, things are worse. I agree you start to be more aware of the positive things, but you also have a different perspective on the things which are bad.

[@A_reasonable_individual42]

​@@minnesotasteveeverywhere has their pro's and con's

[@ECKohns]

I hate the “I don’t hate our country. I’m just acknowledging its faults and want it to be better.” But when was the last time the people who said that acknowledged America’s strengths? The people who say this also turn it into gaslighting of “If our country is truly great, then talking about it’s flaws shouldn’t ruin it.” Because I don’t believe that the people who say this actually believe what their saying.

[@JJMcCullough]

It’s true. Like imagine if you were in a marriage and all you did was complain about your spouse. At some point “it’s because I care!” wouldn’t be a persuasive excuse.

[@ericmacrae6871]

The US is the world greatest tyrant that the world as ever seen and they need to be stop. As far for capitalism screw capitalism it has screwed us over and needs to be abolish.

[@ericmacrae6871]

​@JJMcCullough how about we recognize that the US is the world greatest tyrant that the world as ever seen? How about Gen Z are actually right that capitalism is a hell whole and needs to be stop. The whole argument about but it is better than other place. Bull shit the reason that we have better we steal all of their resources. On top of that the US will make their lives as miserable as they can possibly get away with if they go agaidnt their hegemony.

[@ericmacrae6871]

​@@JJMcCulloughoh and I am saying this as a Canadian where i want to say that PP is a smart Trump that needs to be stop before he ruin this country even further with more neo-liberalism nonsense that as screwed us over. But of course since Canada is just a lapdog of the US they will not stand up agaidnt the Tyrant and go against the neo-liberal policy.

[@jerrodshack7610]

​@@JJMcCulloughThis is way too simplified to be a decent analogy for the situation, my spouse isn't running a country with 300M+ people

[@joewalker36]

A couple other reason behind the rise of anti-patriotism JJ didn't mention 1. The rest of the world has caught up; the US was ahead of the rest of the world in nearly every metric for most of the 20th century in large part due to WWI and WWII destroying Europe. Now that everyone else has caught up it gives the impression that our progress is stagnating in comparison. In other words, the more successful other places are the easier it is to be pessimistic about the US. 2. Rise of social media; negativity draws more views and with so many people across the US something bad is always happening somewhere (a violent crime, a fire, someone being racist) so it feels like a constant never-ending cycle of bad things happening. 3. Lack of a great leader to rally around, the string of presidents in the last 20 years have all received mixed public opinion at best.

[@uchennanwogu2142]

greatly said

[@LittleLordFancyLad]

"it gives the impression that our progress is stagnating" Canadian here, American (and Canadian) progress really has stagnated on the infrastructure and economic side, and I'm not entirely sure why. I've considered over-regulation, education, etc. but none of it really clicks. When I visited Korea recently it really drove the difference home.

[@mbogucki1]

Th first point is very true. By most metrics the EU, Canada, some other Commonwealth and Asian nations have long ago caught up and in many cases surpassed the US. Heck, even in how they run a proper democratic election and government has been done better in those nations compared to the US of A which seems to be stuck in a bygone era.

[@WasatchWind]

I wonder if the lack of a great leader has to do with the way that we perceive our leaders in the information age, or whether it's because legitimately we're getting worse leaders. Being a student of history, it is quite hard for me not to feel like even the leaders from the past I disagreed with, that they were much more competent. And when I look at someone like Teddy Roosevelt, I just make a sigh. I feel like one big change that can improve this is have an age cap on running for offices. There's something to be said about how older experienced people can have a lot of wisdom, but I think that people Trump and Biden's age are just a bit too old for the office of president. Whatever the case, that one's just my opinion. I'm sure someone more well versed in modern politics than I could come up with some sound reasons why the office isn't attracting (or is inaccessible to) better leaders.

[@whitelasagna6786]

@@LittleLordFancyLadToo many people slinger burgers or selling insurance. We sent so much of our manufacturing to foreign countries so we don’t really build anything. It falling out of our culture.

[@dudeawsomeness1]

I am proud to be an American. I think it is so easy to look at all of the sensational discussions people have online and give into the fear because there are real unique problems that need to be solved and that becomes all people think about while ignoring what we do have. We have so much mobility and drive to tackle these issues, but we need to look where we're going before wrenching the wheel to one side or the other.

[@DioTheGreatOne]

As someone from an *ACTUAL* third world country, I laugh my ass off everytime I see americans describing their country as if it was some kind of post-apocalyptic distopian nightmare. Yes, you have a lot of problems, but no, you're not a bad country. Same goes for Canada, you have your own problems, a.k.a Justin Trudeau, but you're not a bad country either. Even my country is a relatively ''good'' country compared to a lot of places around the world.

[@whitketchum]

We have a failing infrastructure as one of the richest countries in the world. People in flint still don't have clean water, pardon me for not wanting to jerk off America

[@skyistaken1605]

Is it fair to think the only way we can label something a bad country is in reference to its current peers? That metric seems silly.

[@DianaBell_MG]

Honestly any time anyone tries to talk about a "third world country" seems really silly to me now, the whole point was 1st world allies of the US, 2nd world allies of the USSR, 3rd world everyone else. There is no USSR, so the worst you could be is 2nd world.

[@janewaysmom]

​@@skyistaken1605they use two different methods to label the countries good or bad right in their comment. What do you mean, "... the only way"?

[@petera618]

Very interesting. I'm American from an immigrant family from Sicily. We frequently visit my relatives there and they visit us here in the states. Iately on social media I listen to a lot of Americans that just came back from their trip to the Mediterranean and now want to live there but vacationing in the summer at leisure and actually living there year round are two different things. Don't get me wrong, I love Sicily, it's a Mediterranean paradise, I've wanted to live there myself but they definitely have their problems as we do and it can be very frustrating dealing with their beurocracy. Recently, I just said goodbye to some relatives from Sicily that were here in the US for a visit and one of my cousins commented that he's aware of the problems the US is facing at present but so are we in Europe but I will say this, "America is still America".

[@gaston6800]

I've been living in Argentina since late 2016. The main problem with Americans is they've never left the country so have no idea what the rest of the world is like. Calling the US a failed state or a third world country is SO far removed from reality that it's actually insulting. As for other developed countries, there are things that are better, sure. However, many things in the US are also better than in Europe or other developed countries that Americans take for granted.

[@nutmaster7794]

But they're not wrong

[@gaston6800]

@@nutmaster7794 The US has literally nothing in common with a third-world country. People in the third world live in huts where there's no paved roads, running water, the electricity goes out periodically and the installations are unsafe. Rule of law doesn't really exist and it's pretty much the law of the jungle. The poor in the US is relative poverty. In reality those poor people live better in many ways than the small middle classes in many third-world countries. Buying a damn phone or other electronic is basically years of work, for example. Forget basic city services too. Cars are a luxury of the rich. In many places people are LITERALLY starving, not like the US where food insecure among a small section of the population is when they eat unhealthy food. The only aspect the US actually has in common with the third world is violent crime in the inner cities. The inner cities do have crime that is at literal third-world levels.

[@ZaeBean]

8 years of Bush. 8 years of Obama. 4 years of Trump. 3 years of Biden. That is the entirety of my political understanding of the United States. I mean.. I suppose I also had 3 years of Clinton. But I wasn’t really taking in any passive political messages as a toddler. I bring this up to say that at least 16 years of my life gave me some kind of promise that as an American I had a bright future. And as a black person, that we turned some kind of corner with Obama. Trump got elected at the same time I was becoming a young adult and I think that had a profound impact. I was starting to really make my own money and seeing first hand how little it stretched. And I’m old enough to be able to think back to my childhood and know that things weren’t quite this bad before. Sure the recession was a bitch to get though. But I was already 11 in ‘08. So I have memories of things being different. And with Trump being the result of my first ever election I could vote in, a man that did not win the popular vote, that was a bit of a kick to the teeth. And then his presidency was spectical and scandal that made me rethink that whole turning a corner thing. Top all that off with a less then stellar response to the pandemic and it left a mark. Now we have Biden who isn’t doing a terrible job but he’s pushing uphill and everything feels like it’s getting worse. I’m 26. My whole life has felt like a decline in quality of life and my ability to trust my neighbor. And I know I’m not the only one. This is another reason why Americans might feel so pessimistic right now.

[@thebigteem]

I completely agree with this. I'm 25 and I feel like I've watched what my parents could attain drift further and further away from reach. As well as the fear and anger so many people have in public now.

[@squeakybb]

Thank you! You put this so well. I think a lot of the older people like JJ and other commenters are missing this point, that a lot of the generation vocalizing about the disatisfaction of the US as a whole grew up being given the pro-American rhetoric that did not meet the reality we experienced. No country is perfect, thats an ignorant thing to say, but there are places that are better, and I feel like we all get shamed for wanting better.

[@KanyeTheGayFish69]

@@squeakybbwhat place is truly better than the us? You just haven’t seen how good you have it. You haven’t traveled around the country, you’ve lived in a bubble and you don’t know the real world.

[@Hashtagcris]

​@ImafukinGayFish I am going to agree with you. All of the people that I know personally complain (usually rightfully so) has never been out of the country or has rarely traveled. Like jj said we have some deep problems, but everytime I have traveled abroad for an extended amount of time my appreciation for the united States grows more and more. A lot of my travels have been in the Scandinavia countries. Don't get me wrong they have a lot of good things going on there, but it's nothing like the US. You have to experience other things to develop a great appreciation for what you have, even in more difficult times.

[@billcoleman4258]

I hope you realize that the Trump scandals turned out to be fake whilst the cascading Biden scandals are all too real.

[@scarfmaker560]

I honestly also can't help but see that a lot of this "American Doomerism" seems to come from a position of built up political malaise. A lot of people in the US have concerns that have been too inadequately addressed (gun violence issues, the cost of living crisis, labour rights or the active violation thereof, at least on the Democratic side). All of the built up anxieties and anger that this causes as one sees their politicians routinely not solving issues that are very important to them, that tug at the heartstrings, can oftentimes make many Americans so enraged that they actively hate on their country. The US does a good amount of things well, but it seems like a classic example of unaddressed long term political problems leading to mass ennui, even if otherwise many Americans have fine lives.

[@bruhdudeguyman]

This is absolutely true- very well said.

[@jhonklan3794]

I sincerely doubt that even if those issues were solved, that this anti-Americanism would go away. I think its deeper cultural shift brought about by technology and the poliferation of anti-American propaganda by genocide deniers like chomsky and the like. Communists who could not get over the fact that their pet project, global communism, had failed.

[@nutmaster7794]

Gun violence has gone down since the 90s

[@harsh3948]

@@nutmaster7794That was due to the lead inside gasoline braindamaging the general population

[@8thFurno]

Something that I feel also ties into the extreme political rhetoric is that there’s always campaigning going on. And with politicians adopting this doomsday rhetoric, people never really get a break from feeling that the end of the world is never more than a few days away. Like, even as a Canadian, it felt like in the buildup to the 2022 midterms it felt like it was being painted as the end of America.

[@pielero70]

As an American I agree and it seems to be repeating itself again. Donald Trump is handily beating his primary challenger Gov. DeSantis and Pres. Biden; all the while still claiming that he won the 2020 election.

[@hopefulhyena3400]

As an American who tries to stay well-informed about at least our neighbors, it can be odd when people make a fairly reasonable complaint about America and then ruin it by saying something along the lines of “not like Canada” as if Canada was this flawless wonderland. I also think the exaggerated talk of living in a dystopia is bupkis. A dystopia is supposed to be a worst possibility, and as bad as America’s problems are I think it’s unhealthy not to realize it can get worse if we stop thinking it matters.

[@TheseUseless]

Canada is a better place to live than america- america has no excuse to be so shit it literally has the largest economy on the planet

[@keiththomas1180]

I think this is the exact problem with many decent comments here, pointing out fair problems that America has and suddenly throwing "but other developed countries-", its so infectious 😂 Coming from a developing country, I love America and all the good it stands for, you guys keep rocking on 🎉

[@macattack5863]

As a young American who goes back and forth on my feelings about my country I have a story that I think reflects my feelings. A while ago I had the chance to visit the north east for the first time. The revolution and the values it encompassed are heavily mythologized as most national origins are. Anyways I was going through a museum and read an old newspaper snippet from 1910ish. A young woman describes how when she was a child she immigrated to America this land of promise and hope. She went to school and on a field trip to the state capitol a senator stopped and took time to tell them all about our democracy and why it was so important to vote. This little girl, a recent immigrant asked him a question and so he had a one on one meeting with her and her family just to answer her questions. At the time the article was written the senator wasn't running for office as far as I could tell. For me it often feels like I live in a soulless nation. Their is no sense of shared purpose or meaning. The idea of any government representative caring half as much as that senator is the punchline to some killer joke. It seems we share no commonalities or goals. Just an infinite wave of noise and the slow but steady erosion of what seems to have once been a great but imperfect nation. I love democracy and freedom I just have nothing to put faith in (as far as politics/society go) so I don't. But I want to. Which is kind of dangerous unfortunately.

[@tuckerchisholm1005]

But your faith in Jesus

[@macattack5863]

@@tuckerchisholm1005 I have faith in family and friends. I'm not sure what my religion has to do with anything here though I suppose it's possible US history being as Christian as it is.

[@amooreperiod]

I think beyond normal political disagreements and discourse, a large part of the pessimism is that there is an formerly respected part of the political class that has been blatantly and actively lying to Americans and sowing discord for political expediency at every opportunity. It’s exhausting, frustrating, and dispiriting. And I think that is what many American are reacting to.

[@zeroxlulu]

As a first generation immigrant, all my family that was born and raised in Mexico have nothing but positive things to say about the US. Meanwhile some of my cousins, who were born and raised in the US, are the ones that are pessimistic about the US while never having to endure a lot of the hardships our parents did.

[@merosepearl6325]

Well everyone experience keep in mind if different in America and ive mived here my whole life and gave had gen of family going back to being actual slaves and my grandfather was a sharecropper and my great grandfather still alive today grew up in the jim Crow South . Things are both better and worse in allot of ways because we have to deal with police brutality and the rights we once had like abortion rights are slipping away so it verry hard for alot of us to have a positive outlook for future gen when we have to struggle in a global north country for generations and just because someone complains about the u.s as an actual citizen doesn't mean there claims are any less valid than ppl who migrated from a worse situation

[@dazedneptune]

Coming from an immigrant family myself, I think this makes sense and I don’t think this should be a ding against our generation. Of course our parents will be optimistic in part because they weren’t taught the dark sides of American history that we were taught. The other part is that back then, the economy was better. Despite having a college degree and making twice as much as my parents, I will never be able to afford a house, much less two, like they did in the 90s working “low class” jobs. Sure, we never starved or were in real danger compared to our parents in their home countries. But it makes no sense for our generation to compare a 1st world country to a 3rd world country. We’re in a different league now and should strive for better.

[@MrMike855]

That reminds me of my coworker. He was born in Iraq, a year after the invasion, and his family became refugees who eventually fled to America. When I brought up how surprising it is that they wanted to move to the country that started the Iraq War, my coworker said his dad didn't see it that way, and saw America as the land of opportunity. Obviously, not every Iraqi would share that view, but it got me thinking about how immigrants see America.

[@InverseAgonist]

Huh, why did your parents have to endure those hardships, I wonder? You don't suppose there were any macroeconomic or geopolitical events that might have shaped your parents lives?

[@zeroxlulu]

@@dazedneptune My take on it was, our parents know how much harder life is outside of the US meanwhile us, the first generation children, only ever knew life within the US. So, we go online and see all the cherry picked positives from only the best, most developed countries and we go on to think the US sucks because everywhere outside the US must be a western European country while not realizing that much of the world does not have a lot of the day to day privileges we take for granted. All that being said, I do agree the cost of living your standard 'American dream' life is becoming unattainable. I'll never understand how my parents were able to raise 4 children and buy a home off of just my dad's $30K-ish salary, that sounds so outlandish today.

[@daaave_]

As an American, albeit a relatively young adult, I feel like American pessimism being so common is a whiplash effect from decades of cultural patriotism being the default. Even for those who weren’t alive for its peak, decades of passionate and largely uncritical love for our country has led to many slingshotting in the opposite direction. Throw in the 2008 financial crisis and the internet forcing some difficult truths to be confronted and many are easy to forget how great it is to be American. I personally, being relatively well traveled for my age, have a very complicated relationship with my country. I hate many things about the US, largely with its politics, but I know I’m born with an incredible privilege and am aware I owe the good quality of my life to the fact that my parents grew up in a society that allowed them to work their way out being in the bottom of the lower class to where they are today. I mean for fucks sake, my own grandfather went from being completely homeless to owning a few restaurants in his lifetime. There’s a limited number of places you can do that …

[@Arthas30000]

Exactly how I feel as a young adult in Canada. A lot of Canada can be criticized, but we are a great country. Wish the people who keep saying that we are just colonizers, settlers, and live in a dystopia would stop to smell the roses once in a while.

[@肉骨粉]

It's not really normal for "(insert country) is the Greatest Country in the World!" to be a common statement. Backlash was inevitable.

[@Radar_of_the_Stars]

Yeah I agree, America is a deeply flawed place, but it is not *uniquely* flawed, or more flawed than most other places

[@MattMcIrvin]

I think we are still living in the long shadow of Ronald Reagan, and Nixon before him, adopting patriotism as the belligerent, social-services-slashing, hypercapitalist right's brand, and the left of the time losing control of that narrative.

[@Arthas30000]

@@肉骨粉 I mean, that's largely what patriotism is. Having your country be #1. I'd argue it ought to be normal or normalized in some way. But you are correct - the backlash was (sadly) inevitable

[@RhombusOfTheJ]

The corporations are actually a problem, what with lobbyists and all.

[@stowlicters8362]

and social engineering

[@RhombusOfTheJ]

@NJP-Supremacist Ok Nazi

[@person3070]

@@ValentinMausespeck Corporations can only do so because they are pocketing the government

[@aarong2374]

From my perspective, it's been upsetting to see families go bankrupt due to medical bills. That should not be a thing.

[@abyssalvoid336]

Yeah that’s what this country is all about. We venerate people based on how well they can exploit and fuck over others. It’s a nation of scammers, liars, and people with no scruples; the types who value money over human life, natural beauty, and actual freedom run this country and it’s seen as a great thing to aspire to. It’s disgusting.

[@MikeIzzle_]

Agreed. It’s hard to be proud of my country if they let that happen

[@robertgronewold3326]

What's so upsetting about our awful healthcare is that we keep being told that those bills are what make our healthcare so great. That if we didn't give money to those filthy rich pharmaceutical companies, we would have horrible healthcare. And people buy this, demand the bills, and never really think about change until it's too late and they have their own medical debt to live with.

[@Mark12434]

Also US should stop intervening and playing around in other countries (Assassinating their leaders, installing US favourable leaders and funding coups). Then the US has the audacity to be crying saying that other countries are doing human rights offences asking for sanctions. Makes your country look so obnoxious and self righteous.

[@nutmaster7794]

Doctors don't work for cheap

[@bing_chilling6143]

Throughout primary school I was always taught of the superiority of America. So when I found out that there were places in the world with a comparable standard of living that may even eclipse the US in some areas, I felt like I had been deceived and I went through a period of resentment in my teenage years due to this. But now, as a more well-travelled and insightful person, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to live in a prosperous, free-market democracy. I think that many Americans are oblivious toward the sheer luck to be born in a nation so prosperous and free, keeping in mind the world population is overwhelmingly concentrated in much less democratic and much less wealthy nations.

[@jhonklan3794]

1) Prosperity is never what made america great, it was the things that generated that prosperity 2) There are maybe like 5 countries with a comparable standard of living to the US.

[@Maelstromme]

@@jhonklan3794 That list is growing quickly. US has been rapidly falling in the rankings for competitiveness, education quality, social mobility. Some former iron curtain countries are starting to surpass us on the latter, like Lithuania.

[@zacharymartin4683]

As an American in his 30s I have watched throughout my life as criticism of America has grown in the culture from good-natured ribbing to the genuine Anti-Americanism. Many of my peers seem to hold this view. I will even admit to holding similar views throughout my twenties. As I grew older and learned more I came to realize that many of my criticisms of the country were either hyperbolic or largely applicable to many countries (most, probably) throughout human history. Yes, there are problems in this country, many of which are very serious, but that has always been the case. It would do Americans good to remember that many of these problems are not the same ones we dealt with in the past, probably because the United States has an excellent track-record of self improvement. I love my country, and I think it is a very good one.

[@bonecanoe86]

People from other countries seem to have this notion that we Americans are all extremely patriotic. But in reality, Americans--especially young Americans--are much more self-hating than one might think. A lot of young Americans tend to hold up Europe or Canada as some sort of paradise without the understanding that these places have their problems too. I guess the grass is always greener.

[@JJMcCullough]

The myth of the ultra patriotic American is often used as a pretext for being very harsh and mean to America.

[@tiredox3788]

Honestly, a lot of foreigners outside of the US. Don't realize how diverse the US is.

[@Nathan-jh1ho]

It's funny how quite a few foreign country has higher percentage of people with favorable towards the US than Americans. Even freaking Vietnam

[@Adventureclone]

As a European, German to be precise, who is grateful for the good things America has done, especially in Europe and appreciates the good things about the USA. I often came into arguments with other Europeans about the US. I've met very few Europeans who have a net positive view of the US. Personally I see two main reasons for that. First the "Malevolently well-informed" view hits the Nail on the head. And secondly I think that, especially on the right side of the Political spectrum, there is a sort of envy about the position that the United States has in the World, as the world's leading superpower. That might be because between the 1700s-1920s European nations held similar positions of directing other countries policies. there is a common view, that the US should mind its own business and should not act as an sort of "evil/egotistical world police". Combined with a atleast subconscious believe, that western European countries are somehow more civilized. This arrogants leads to the spreading of anti American rhetoric, might be because it is easier the critique others, than to look a one's own flaws or there might be the hope that someone else takes the lead on the world stage. (China or even better, the EU) These views are obviously not shared by all people and this is just a list of my thoughts on why there is so much anti americanism. That is my take on the situation as a foreigner, thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

[@eddieibarra356]

The Germans brought us scientists, engineer, psychics, psychology, and medicine as an American I really admire Germany and the Germans.

[@cathysamborn4709]

Look the world is free to criticize the U.S. We are a country with a large economy, military, technological, pop culture footprint. We are not China or Russia or Saudi Arabia, we don't send a hit squad to murder journalists who question the regime. We are an easy target and sometimes we do need to be called out. People know they are free to trash us without fear of retaliation. I think jealously is at the heart of anti- american sentiment sometimes.

[@asurrealistworld4412]

Anti-Americanism in Europe not today but in its origins has its roots in white supremacy and a type of ecological racism (not trying to sound so "woke" but it's true). Some European geographers way back during the age of discovery thought the environment of the Americas made it incapable of developing any high civilization and made its inhabitants inferior and those moving to the Americas to "degenerate". They said some pretty wacky stuff too like America's "immense forests" and "noxious vapours" from swamps stagnate its air leading to human degradation, the "silence and gloom" of America's forests causes its inhabitants like the "Tunguses of Siberia" to have few words in their language, to barely speak, and like to get drunk. Also they denied that the Aztecs really had a calendar because there's so way American "savages" could make one when they supposedly don't have "words to count above ten"

[@VideoSpectator1223]

I've always wanted to visit beautiful countries in europe like Germany, ireland, and The Neatherlands. But after watching some tiktoks of Comstant anti American belittiling and Amercans being harrassed abroad simply for being American, I have reconsidered.

[@jadeabyss9978]

​​@@VideoSpectator1223 I think that you should visit. There are many beautiful things to see and experience that would likely make it worth it. I say that because the anti-Americanism you MAY encounter would probably be fairly minor. Now, I'm an American who lives in the EU. Living here is another story. Most people are neutral to my face, very few positive, but I prefer neutral. I have, however, been shocked at the treatment I've received from a not-so-small minority of Europeans of different backgrounds. I think it also has something to do with me not being white as well, but the anti-Americanism , even in the little kids has made me reevaluate my future here.

[@lyddie8]

I’m a 44 year old Hispanic American who loves her country, my children do not and it honestly makes me sad. They can’t even give me good reasons for feeling this way and I have to suspect they’d be embarrassed in their friend groups to say otherwise.

[@christianmoore7109]

As a 22 year old American man I don’t bring it up because it’s a point of serious disagreement if I try. Disliking our country has become gospel and questioning that line of thinking is seen as what The Bad Forces (insert boogeyman of choice) do

[@tuckerchisholm1005]

Absolutely, its social pressure and they are also taught in school only bad things and no good things. There's one message being pushed onto kids which is to hate their country

[@jacksauce]

Thank you for making this video JJ. I’m American and am pretty right leaning on most issues but am fed up with Trump’s doom and gloom messaging. Thankfully not everyone on my side is like that, but it gets super tiring. I especially liked seeing how both right and left pundits have the exact same talking points about the doom of American with relatively minor variations.

[@BigBoss-sm9xj]

same here

[@scottdoesntmatter4409]

do your best to avoid media outlets like Fox News and MSNBC. When you read something outrageous, try to verify the claim by reading other sources' accounts. If there is no actual evidence, the story you read is bull.

[@Idekwtph]

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, America’s best days are yet to come. Our proudest moments are yet to be. Our most glorious achievements are just ahead. America remains what Emerson called her 150 years ago, ‘The country of tomorrow’ … May every dawn be a great new beginning for America, and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill.” I’ve always believed that my country is capable of achieving the greatest goals, and we can get through every problem and make it out better than where we started. Sadly many of my cohorts would disagree vehemently about the goodness of this country

[@stowlicters8362]

You are delusional because you say this while America is on the brink of Balkanization, at that point which America is the real America?

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

​@@stowlicters8362 lmao the only people talking about balkanization are lolberts

[@stowlicters8362]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD listen to some White Nationalists

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

@@stowlicters8362 So former lolberts

[@stowlicters8362]

@@ChucksSEADnDEAD No, some former liberals, former skinheads, former depoliticized people. You're changing your original comment, "so loberts", now it's former? No, never has been.

[@SuperMustache555]

JJ’s videos always speak to a feeling I had, but struggle to word. This video is exactly what I needed right now

[@13ced]

I agree with you completely about non-Americans being 'malevolently well-informed' about the United States. I've noticed a trend on KZbin as of late that's akin to this in the context of urban planning where you have droves of non-Americans harping on about how wonderful European cities are and how North American cities by comparison are soulless hellholes devoid of any character because of their focus on cars as the main method of transportation rather than public transport such as subways, trams, buses etc. This trend has really bugged me especially as I'm British and I can tell you now, I personally much prefer North American cities to European ones. I find the large spaces of North American cities and their respective sprawls actually quite freeing. It's nice to actually have a bit of space. Europe to me feels far too cramped by comparison, but god forbid anyone criticises Europe in any way.

[@BigBoss-sm9xj]

oof I never expected to hear a european say that. But it goes to show how one side the conversation has been. Thanks for the perspective!

[@klondike3112]

I think a certain amount of walkability and access to intercity rail transport would be a great addition; particularly in particularly sprawled out cities like Chicago or Houston, or geographically constrained cities like San Francisco which are particularly prone to bad traffic congestion. That said, from personal experience, those cities are the exception to the rule. The majority of towns and cities in the US have a half-decent functional foundation of metro systems and bus routes and bike lanes with which to expand upon. People also tend to really lay into the "bad areas" of big cities as if they're representative of the area and people as a whole and then talk about how the entire city would (actual rhetoric I've heard!) "be better off as a smoking crater."

[@lauramarschmallow2922]

I also get a lot of videos about american expats living in Germany constantly telling people how awesome it is here while living in the most privileged parts of the country somehow getting better medical treatment than me, a native German. Since they all come ftom privileged backgrounds they can afford to live abroad and then, of course, they don't need to live through poverty and the worst discrimination is that the people here have limited knowledge of english.

[@tuckerchisholm1005]

I speculate that Americans having more room to sprawl, buy land, etc. leads to us having a slightly higher birthrate than european countries. If everybody is urban its hard to have big families

[@yarielrobles9003]

I grew up in Puerto Rico in a strongly anti American family, and, from my perspective, it seems like many of these views had been bubbling under the surface for a while. In my personal life, I grew up around two opposite views, one from people like my family, who hated this country and sometimes were straightup racist towards its people, and another from people like my great grandfather, who admired the us. I've always been part of the latter group, and the rhetoric from anti americans has always been very conspiratorial in nature, many of them would call any pro American talking point propaganda and would have a sort of fake intellectualism when it came to talking to people they disagree with, often seeing them as uneducated or brainwashed. My school never once portrayed the us as positive in it's curriculum, nor in it's assigned reading and still, my high school history teacher viewed those of us with pro American views as being propagandized, despite the fact that we were only ever exposed to her viewpoint. From my perspective, it seems like the only way to change this trend is to remove the air of sophistication that comes with spouting anti American talking points.

[@blazer9547]

Puerto Rico hates the US and they still wanna be a state.

[@samuelkatz1124]

I'll be honest, I can understand anti American rhetoric in Puerto Rico. it's in a limbo of colonial restrictions and a general apathy of the federal government to do anything about it, according to a friend of mine from Cidra. I think he has a point in that Puerto Rico deserves independence, but I can also understand why many would want to fully join the States. If nothing else, just have the government actually care about things instead of Pierluisi and friends pocketing more money.

[@gabrielborges9438]

As a fellow Puerto Rican, I agree with you. I am pro-independence and while I believe that the US has its flaws, we shouldn’t just blindly hate on it, because going around repeating the same “US bad” rhetoric like “el papagayo” doesn’t make you any better than the so-called “brainwashed” pro-Americans.

[@The_king567]

And that’s why Puerto Rico is a shit hole and will never be independent

[@The_king567]

@@samuelkatz1124nah Puerto Rico is clearly better off being under America

[@MrTwarner]

Nothing gets Americans to the polls faster than discontent. Add to this the internet and the polarization of news, and politicians and other organizations have found ways to funnel a constant stream of pessimism to voters to keep them angry and engaged. Not to mention, whenever I feel the desire to disengage, I feel the fear that doing so will lead to the other side taking advantage. It’s exhausting, but there seems to be no escape as of now.

[@jakebizzell6580]

As an American and someone who is fairly politically active (well, as politically active as normal 18 yo can be) I think that a lot of the pessimism within this country comes from the binary ways people view certain labels. For example, I think the word "Patriot" has started to mean something completely different from what its supposed to. To me, being a patriot means that you stand up for what your country can be. That means that you support your country when it does good, and when it fucks up, you call it out and work to make sure it never makes the same mistake again. However, to a lot of people, both right and left, it has taken up a very "us vs. them" meaning. Either you're a "patriot," meaning you unconditionally support your country in everything that it does not matter what, or you're not. I feel like more and more people have latched onto this idea, with people on the right proudly declaring themselves as "patriots" for defending "traditional American values," and people on the left distancing themselves from that term and their pride as Americans in general for fear of being associated with those same values. Personally, I'm proud to be an American, to be the citizen of a nation that has long stood as a beacon of democracy and hope. But I can still recognize my country has flaws, and has done some absolutely horrible things during its existence, and I can also be quite critical of it when I want to be. I think that more Americans need to realize that loving their country and being critical of it are not mutually exclusive. If anything, that's the whole point of being a democracy.

[@savethebees7281]

this exactly

[@LeandroCapstick]

As a foreigner, I love the USA. I love the people, I love the culture, I love the nature, I love the food, I love the art.

[@prouddegenerates9056]

🎉🎉USA🎉🎉 Much love to you brother, keep on rocking!!!!!!

[@samsca8529]

Pretty sure the art and nature isn’t what most Americans are talking about when they complain about this country

[@prouddegenerates9056]

@@samsca8529 We complain about art all the time, then bitch about the environment. These activities are best enjoyed, while eating low density cholesterol meals as we watch or play another remake of the thing we used to love.

[@animeartist888]

@@prouddegenerates9056 Ouch. It hurts because it's true.

[@Thed538dhsk]

As an American, good for you. You clearly don't know enough about this nation and it's people's. Keep learning

[@trombonegamer14]

Pretty big misunderstanding of Bernie Sanders as a political project. For a lot of young progressives, Bernie is literally the only breath of optimism we have had in our politics in our entire lives. He is the only politician that your average American young person might view positively, rather than cynically.

[@tylerl4320]

Bernie might be a fantastic man, but that doesn’t mean his policies are correct or will work out.

[@conlanvanhook2452]

Bernie is a sellout who thinks that Biden should be the democratic nominee.

[@0smundSaddler]

@@tylerl4320 His policies sure seemed to have worked well in literally every country that ranks higher than America in wellbeing like Norway and Sweden.

[@whitketchum]

​@@tylerl4320 we won't try them so how do you know? Also this is bs because people LOVED FDR

[@tylerl4320]

@@0smundSaddler it’s almost like those countries are completely different in population, demographic, and culture.

[@jean-lucamadeo4156]

Americans can make fun of America’s problems, but when other countries make fun of us I turn into a hardcore patriot

[@jacksevert3099]

I sometimes have debates with my international friends over which country tortured the most people in it's history... America starts out slow and we catch up quick but we ain't the most

[@Thot_Patrol_USA]

i thought that’s how everybody did it it’s kinda like making a fat joke to your friend. he laughs it off. but when a stranger joins in it suddenly becomes weird and offensive.

[@FictionHubZA]

I get how you feel.

[@davemccombs]

@@Thot_Patrol_USA ... That's weird.

[@NotFunctional-ever]

Well sometimes those people are complete hypocrites, and they need to be put in there place

[@BOABModels]

In the UK, especially in the post-Brexit referendum political environment, there has been a lot cries from the side of the Conservative government and their supporters to 'Stop putting Britain down' whenever there is criticism levelled at the country. I don't imagine they will keep saying that when they leave government.

[@leovnambo]

Hey JJ, been a viewer for a few years now. Started with the Fauxthentic food stuff then moved on to the cultural takes. Eventually I delve into the political stuff and have always enjoyed listening to your takes on issues. I have always been an active consumer of history, geopolitics, philosophy and psychology which has help me to develop an understanding of the world that continues to evolve. I was never afraid to try to understand the world for all its faults but it’s only been recently that it’s taken a toll on my personal well-being. It’s something I’ve been struggling for the past three months and only this week have I been even been comfortable talking about it to my close friends. I had decided that perhaps I needed a detox from all things related to politics until I got to the bottom of why I was feeling this way. This morning on my commute to work I saw your video and told myself that I’ll watch just one more and am so glad I did. It was almost serendipitous how you made the exact video that I needed to watch. Although, it doesn’t fully explain the angst it really struck into what might be the core of this feeling. Although, this might have been you intention it really did help me understand something that I have been feeling but hadn’t been able to bring to the surface of my disdain for what I have been consuming recently. Thank you so much for the content that you make and I look forward to viewing more.

[@gabingston3430]

I remember Paul Barbato from Geography Now making a post about how people from the developed world were always complaining about bad their countries were while those from the third world were always proud of where they came from and showing him the best they had to offer. The phrase "first world problems" exists for a reason.

[@unusuarioimportante]

I think that idea is totally fake. I live in a third world country and nobody is overly proud. I've met a lot of other third world countries and nobody is overly proud. However some Europeans are really proud about their country (spaniards, swedes, french). Also it is funny how looking into the comments people turned the idea of the video into something to be proud because only developed countries complain about their countries.

[@grantdurow384]

When I was working in France (as an American expat), one of my colleagues told me randomly that she could never live in the US. I was simply shocked and bewildered because nobody asked her to?? It's weird.