118 Anti-Americanism

<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In foreign European-influenced countries, the adults of my generation demean everything about America: our manufacturing, our intelligence, even our military, but they still have enough memory of America’s generosity to trigger some modicum of objectivity, and they mostly act civil to tourists & travelers. Unfortunately, the children of those people, the Millennials and younger, have no such positive counterbalance. These young people hold an opinion of America spoon-fed by their anti-American elders & foreign media, resulting in disdain, scorn, and ridicule. To the rest of the world, Americans are “The Simpsons.” There is no repairing that perception & America shouldn't even try: if other people's opinions change your actions then they are in control.</p> <p>Another equally important concern is what typical Americans think of other countries. Currently, most Americans are guilty of benign neglect, blissfully unaware of the contempt in which they are held by foreigners. But people don’t like people who don’t like them, so if the general American public ever becomes aware of the odious regard of their worldly counterparts, American foreign policy will be radically realigned. America has a long history of isolationism, expect those feelings to reemerge with a vengeance if or when we start paying attention to who has the knife in our backs.</p>