American Stereotypes

The soil of the middle-east stained with the blood of our American soldiers just so we can not take advantage of our right to vote. Though sometimes questionable, America's overall image portrayed to other countries is an honorable one. America is known for its democracy and as well as being a land of opportunities and many freedoms. America's assortment of ethnicities and cultures is proof that our country is a desirable one. Wars are being fought at this very moment to defend these freedoms.

1. — America is now a land of freedom and opportunity for the poor. —Americans are portrayed as ambitious, hardworking people to make a better nation by being loyal and opening to new ideas.

For many around the world, the United States have become known as the country of opportunity and success. Consequently,

Since its inhabitance, competition and dominance has been a concept that remains prevalent throughout American life. Past ideologies such as Manifest Destiny, Cultural Imperialism, and Ethnocentrism are all practices and beliefs comprising what it means to be American for many citizens, while also continually shaping outside perception of Americans today. On one hand, many countries have and continue to fully embrace American culture, globalization, and the rise of capitalism. In contrast, many countries have and continue to reject America’s stride for world assimilation regarding their ideals and values.

Many people dream about being an American. They dream because they envision America as the land of peace and prosperity. But is it? At times it has been, and at times its not. It is hard for the United States to be correct all the time because they have been unwilling designated as the “World Police”. Throughout history there have been examples politically, economically, and socially, where being an American is rewarding and times where it is embarrassing. To be an American means progress. We evolved from a world ruled by white men to a world of equal opportunity.

To most Americans the United States works on an imperial system, they are the center of the world with the United States government controlling most of the world with sanctions and leading by example. To other developed countries like Denmark, Australia, and Canada the image of the United States seems less like a hegemony and more like another country working toward the greater good. We see this in their news articles and in their responses to politicians’ speeches. For me, it is definitely beyond that. My parents and family still in Venezuela critic every action or lack thereof. My closest friends live in Scotland and England and frequently

A 2006 Today/Gallup poll found that 44% of Americans had the perception that all Muslims were too extreme in their religious beliefs and 22% of the respondents would not want a Muslim as a neighbor. Islamophobia in America skyrocketed as a result of the 9/11 attacks and changed the way that Muslim-Americans and other Americans were able to interact with one another. These statistics show that there was significant fear of Muslims in the years after 9/11. In the years following the attacks, the number of hate crimes against Muslims in America spiked and have not dropped to pre-attack levels since. As Graph 1 shows, in 2001, there were a reported 481 hate crimes and majority of these would have occurred in the months following September. Although

Why would America want a bad image, as a people and as a country? Some would believe that the U.S. is trying to flex its muscles to show its power. (Richman) However, many would agree that America doesn’t have the money or men to keep this up for much longer. The U.S. is in debt and the average American is now poorer than the average Canadian. That doesn't say much, does it? "The U.S. government is now responsible for more than a third of all the government debt in the entire world." (Snyder) Why can't America just let other countries take care of themselves and be more independent?

No matter what I tried, I could never truly have an objective mindset if I continued defining the term American as I was. If I clung to my own preconceived notion that there was something unique about Americans, I could never be objective. So instead, I began to look at other countries, trying to find parallels. To my shock and dismay, I found that America is actually similar to North Korea in some ways: citizens of both countries are raised on nationalistic pride and are told that they live in the greatest country in the world, that there is no place better. This corrupts one’s ability to look at their country with a truly objective eye. From this, I discerned a troubling fact: all people are the same, regardless of nationality or personal beliefs. There is no true separation between individuals of different countries, helping to develop my current belief that the term American holds no special regard in comparison to the rest of the world. It is simply a term used to allow an individual to feel

We are always told that we, people in America, are completely free, from speech to freedom of choices. A common known fact by all sociologists is that that way of thinking is completely false. The reason for this is the way we act, from the way we do our hair to the way we treat others, is hugely influenced by our society. To be more specific, the urge to fit in is fueled by the leadership, and crowds we consider “cool” in our society.

The United States has had significant influence in many aspects of the world for centuries. However, many cease to remember that we were once one of those influenced countries; a country that allowed others and their actions to shape how we think. Regardless, the country of America has grown into something that not even the founding fathers could have ever dreamed about, whether it be good or bad. America has had exponential growth in numerous areas and due to numerous things, especially the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and even the Moon Landing.

The eighteenth century, it was a large issue to go against anything that was in the standard ways. Now it is a big issue to believe that American Exceptionalism doesn't mean anything. Before World War II America was exceptional because it didn't have a socialized after the war America was exceptional because it stood up to socialism this basically says that what ever America does will be viewed as exceptional because people are still influenced by the idea of what America was. For an addition, America was focused on avoiding militarism and imperialism because they were European traits which they weren't a big fan of. Over time they gave up to it and imperial power and America has the biggest Military. This proves that America is indeed exceptional. America has failed to resist the fact they were founded because they were going a standard route but ended up going imperialism and their large military. Many Countries that used to look up to America has stopped because they have slowly walked away from the idea of being

With all the luxuries that Americans have, are they greedy? In fact they are not greedy but instead empathetic and helpful to others. In the past America has had a huge role in helping Europe in the World Wars. America is also playing a big role in areas like the middle east. Currently there is a war on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIS) and countries like America are helping to drive them away. While american involvement may have been from being provoked, it is important as a citizen to support America with it's influence as a world power and promote the helpfulness that it

While some find us arrogant, condescending and imperialistic, those who have come to join us in America find that there is some truth in the notion that our country is unique. Nowhere else is the freedom to express and improve yourself so widespread, and no other country welcomes those seeking that freedom so openly. Assimilation to our culture is not forced, but it is the rare individual who does not welcome it once they are here. Many people consider themselves to be the best humans on the planet, or maybe the only ones chosen by their god to succeed, but nobody can claim to be as powerful and prosperous as Americans are. To us the idea of American Exceptionalism is not propaganda or a myth; it is the understanding that the only way to the make the most of oneself is to have the freedom to do so.

“America was conducting business as usual, but others were joining the game.” (Zakaria, 221). All this time we thought we were on top, we were actually slowly becoming less and less of leader and more a bystander as the rest of the world is slowly rising around us. Zakaria shows in that quote that as America has been continuing business like always, and because of this we have failed to realize our standing with the world around us. In the book The Post-American World, Zakaria shows us the challenges that America faces today. I believe the United States is most affected by our ignorance, competition, and worldly participation.