American articles about non-Americans hating Americans (New Zealand = new haters now)

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003072531_hatedus20.html

This time, New Zealand... America haters!

Granted, there are several reasons for anybody in the world in his/her right mind to not like the U.S. administration... but the growing number of "oh, THESE people hate us?" articles is just getting over the top and ridiculous. (I can only think of that shocked woman's mug in the "Pornography... on MY COMPUTER?" ad from years ago.) One person has a bad experience, and all of a sudden, that country is unsafe for American visitors.

Perhaps it's because I was just in NZ, and didn't hide my American accent, and - gasp shocker - didn't get called on or questioned about anything politically, strangers or not, and didn't get persecuted at all that makes me scratch my head about this article... Maybe I looked "young" enough, or just played it down-low or something.. I dunno... in particular, Palmerston North, where I got on really well with a band from there who i just saw play in Wellington is the source of Total Anti-Americanism according to this article.

More to the point, the whole melee of "this country hates America and Americans by proxy" articles is so fucking transparent.

― San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 13:14 (nineteen years ago)

that shocked woman's mug

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/5331/centipedes2fw.jpg

This one?

― kingfish du lac (kingfish 2.0), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 13:21 (nineteen years ago)

Donut overlooks the possibility that HE (she?) is the very reason Kiwis hate Americans. That "geting on really well" was just them being polite. ;)

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 13:25 (nineteen years ago)

It must have been all the centipedes I put in all their vaginas.

(then again, maybe it was the Americans like the fellow who said I was from "Kommunist Seattle" who fueled this.)

― San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 13:27 (nineteen years ago)

That STILL slays me.

― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 13:28 (nineteen years ago)

On a more serious note, I would be curious to hear about the relationship between New Zealand and Australia. You'd think that if "young New Zealand were on a quest for national identity" it would be their nearest neighbhor they'd be focusing on. Heck, when Split Enz -- arguably the country's biggest cultural export besides Sam Neill and LOTR backdrops -- mounted their 30 year reunion tour this year, they did it in Australia, with nary a word about the homeland.

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 13:29 (nineteen years ago)

I love how if anyone doesn't like America, there is obviously something wrong with THEM. Yay America. :DDD

(xpost) Isn't there kind of an NZ/Australia rivalry? I don't think it's a very serious thing, but I've heard jokes from New Zealanders about constantly being mistaken for Australians; that could have led to a kind of desire to form an independent and well-recognizable identity.

― Jessie the Monster (scarymonsterrr), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 13:31 (nineteen years ago)

Isn't there kind of an NZ/Australia rivalry?

From my perspective visiting in April... aside from sports, not really. I think there's more bile between Sydney and Melbourne than Oz and NZ combined, and even that's more frivolous compared to almost-any-European-country vs. almost-any-other-European-country.

There are subtle differences in society vs. government. OVerall, folks in OZ were far more open about being "freaky" in public whereas I got the impression the government was "anti-freaky", whereas in NZ, the government seemed very progressive, but socially, Kiwis seemed a less interested in be "freaky" in public.. a lot more "frat boy" type behavior on the streets instead in NZ than in OZ, if that makes sense. These are generalizations, yes.

― San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 16:15 (nineteen years ago)

I'm more focusing more on the "our 'supposed' allies hate us" type propaganda.

I'm all but used to "Arabs and Russians hate us" propaganda since I was born... but this is the first time I'm noticing the subtle "our FRIENDS hate us too!" type articles bubbling up like this.

― San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

I didn't get any shit for being American when I was there a couple years ago. The only time politics really came up as an issue was when some Israeli tourists we met there got all gung-ho about Dubya and were a little disappointed that I didn't share their enthusiasm. I loved NZ, everybody there treated us great.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 17:06 (nineteen years ago)

It's great that Americans get all the blame for an illegal war my country was entirely complicit in! I can roam the globe at will!

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 17:27 (nineteen years ago)

I do remember chuckling to myself about what was on the radio in the taxi on our way into town from the airport after arriving - a call-in show debate about whether or not NZ should pull its cadre of a few dozen civil engineers out of Iraq (oh to have that problem...)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 17:41 (nineteen years ago)

Well, that is the problem: New Zealand has typically regarded its small size and geographic marginality as reasons not to get involved. I'm not talking about Iraq, Vietnam. and similar: its record in the Fiji coups and East Timor (its "sphere of influence") has been horrible, vis a vis the Australians.

New Zealanders are anti-American not just because it politically costs them nothing and because they feel risk-free; the current national assertion of cultural difference relies on a strawman: the US provides that, as long as the image of the US is that of sitcoms and fast food.

Tbe irony: New Zealand is also a nation of sitcoms and fast food. Vive la difference!

― paulhw (paulhw), Tuesday, 20 June 2006 22:42 (nineteen years ago)

We've got articles like that here too!

http://www.thelistener.co.nz/issue/203/features/6019/upping_the_anti.html

Hi Donut!

― Bill E (bill_e), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 00:49 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.tommaertens.com/presentation/images-old/img013.GIF

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 02:02 (nineteen years ago)

http://web.olp.net/bgriffin-olp/tpf/IraqHC/IraqHCPt3/img10.jpg

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 02:06 (nineteen years ago)

Photoshop that last bit to spell out O-R-L-Y plz.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 02:07 (nineteen years ago)

these look like fascinating powerpoint presentations!

― ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ (chaki), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 02:10 (nineteen years ago)

Next slide has awesome bald eagle animation!

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 02:14 (nineteen years ago)

Dumb move, New Zealand. The Dixie Chicks said they were embarrassed about President Bush and we burned their albums and country radio stopped playing them. Similar actions on your part could result in decreasing tourism to the Lord of the Rings filming locations and Flying Nun mp3s getting deleted.

― Cunga (Cunga), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 02:50 (nineteen years ago)

Done, Ned.

http://static.flickr.com/44/171740664_9280ccad86.jpg

― Jessie the Monster (scarymonsterrr), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 02:57 (nineteen years ago)

Dumb move, New Zealand.

Kiwi re-named "Freedom Fruit"

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 03:05 (nineteen years ago)

George Costanza: "Like I need you to tell me I'm pathetic"

― nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 04:36 (nineteen years ago)

"We are secular and modernizing"

― miele kitty (miele), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 05:13 (nineteen years ago)

Haha I love that "they hate us because we're rich!" bit. Isn't the Bin Laden family (and other such Saudi al-q related types) as wealthy as Scrooge McDuck?

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 05:37 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, which is why OBL v GWB should be called When Spoiled Rotten Rich Kids Go Fundie.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 06:17 (nineteen years ago)

OBL and GWB square off for control of the free world:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0944599281.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 06:21 (nineteen years ago)

HI DERE MY AMERICAN FRIENDS ITS BEEN SO LONG, BLOOD FOR OIL I TELL YA

cant help myself on this one,personal reduction of nation state = moral being is understandable but limited? (also naive +hypocritical for small countries in regard to US??)

paul otm post 84 but more caus idealist mindset ie unconcious free ride on US caus wdown here we live in a "strategically benign environment".

"Split Enz -- arguably the country's biggest cultural export"

dude: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005O83O.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg re

keep cool till after school

Peace!

― Kiwi (Kiwi), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 07:14 (nineteen years ago)

Heck, when Split Enz -- arguably the country's biggest cultural export besides Sam Neill and LOTR backdrops -- mounted their 30 year reunion tour this year, they did it in Australia, with nary a word about the homeland.

Australian tour only happened because NZ promoter fell through and they'd already booked the time to get together, innit

(also: last round of reunion shows were only in NZ)
(also: 1972-2006 /= 30 yrs)

― kit brash (kit brash), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 11:18 (nineteen years ago)

Hmm.... Didn't know that, my kiwi acquaintances have been annoyed and didn't mention that.

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 12:07 (nineteen years ago)

oh, touristpaws.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 25 June 2006 21:17 (nineteen years ago)

I lived in NZ for almost two years and people were constantly racist towards me for being Australian. Even some members of my boyfriend’s family were rude to the point of being abusive. Once, at the engineering company I worked at, a customer came and said I should burn with all the other poofters from my hometown of Sydney. Ahh good times in H-town!

― Ferjitsu Noodleski (Ferjitsu_Noodleski), Monday, 26 June 2006 03:51 (nineteen years ago)

My highschool homeroom teacher in Western Australia told us about how the only time he shoplifted was when he was pointedly ignored in a general store in a country town in New Zealand. So he swiped a pocket knife off the counter. Heh.

― badg (badg), Monday, 26 June 2006 04:00 (nineteen years ago)

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