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The headline of this post refers to the results of a poll of Britons' knowledge of America, but I think the problem extends far beyond Great Britain. Uninformed anti-Americanism pervades Europe and Canada.
A poll of nearly 2,000 Britons by YouGov/PHI found that 70 per cent of respondents incorrectly said it was true that the US had done a worse job than the European Union in reducing carbon emissions since 2000. More than 50 per cent presumed that polygamy was legal in the US, when it is illegal in all 50 states.
. . .
The survey showed that a majority agreed with the false statement that since the Second World War the US had more often sided with non-Muslims when they had come into conflict with Muslims. In fact in 11 out of 12 major conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims, Muslims and secular forces, or Arabs and non-Arabs, the US has sided with the former group. Those conflicts included Turkey and Greece, Bosnia and Yugoslavia, and and Kosovo and Yugoslavia.
The poll, commissioned by a new lobby group, America In The World, indicates that anti-American sentiment in Britain is largely based on erroneous conceptions and mistaken beliefs about the United States.
You can sign AITW’s declaration here.
"Ours is a better world because of America. The world is safer because of the American soldier. The world is wealthier because of American enterprise. The world is healthier because of American technology. No nation is perfect, but imagine the world without America. I reject anti-Americanism. I declare myself a friend of the United States of America."
Amen to that!
British Conservative Party leader David Cameron is to be the guest of honour at America In The World’s official launch in London in October.
h/t: Andrew Bolt
Previous related post: Anti-Americanism: NDP’s guiding principle
And that’s a fact. There are many people judjing without even having good arguments to do it
No, the poll indicates that Britons hold erroneous conceptions and mistaken beliefs. The presence or absence of anti-American sentiment (or the reasons for that sentiment, if it exists) are not indicated by the poll, and given the questions asked, cannot be inferred from the poll. Even if both anti-American sentiment and erroneous conceptions co-exist, it does not necessarily follow that one is the basis for the other.
From what I remember when I lived in the UK, anti-Americanism was based on prejudice (it was in my case).
It was easy to dislike the stereotypical American tourist: fat, loud and too many cameras.
Entirely unfair, of course.
Then there’s the ‘two people separated by a common language’ problem; easy to dislike someone who pretends to speak English, but can’t.
It’s taken time, but I’ve overcome these foibles and am now profoundly grateful for America and Americans.