I think a large part of the problem is that the cultural conflicts a lot of nations are having have their roots in a struggle between "old" traditional ideas and the "new" Western ideas, which seem to emanate completely from the United States. The civil rights discussions, questions about law, freedom, and what not that one used to see in US campuses and in US entertainment is now being seen everywhere. And, not all of what the US has been exporting is good, in the opinion of some Americans too.

Americans are all obnoxious, Brits are all snobs, Frenchmen are all oversophistacated, Germans are all robatic, Italians are all mobsters And people who go to this website are all skinny people with glasses who never got to have a date. But then I suppose I would qualify for the above

I think the self-righteous and arrogant American attitude is reflected in US foreign policy.

"Americans have, for a long time now, been regarded as obnoxious, rude, and even a little y." Well, lets see, as someone who spends much time in southern Florida, amongst many foreign tourists from all over, here's my take on rudeness from this side of the pond: #1 most rude group: Germans #2 most rude group: Germans (they're so rude they deserve two spots!!) #3 most rude: French Canadians, especially drunk ones #4 most rude: hmmm.....hard to think of anybody who comes close to the above....... #1 most polite: Brits #2 most polite: Americans #1 most funny: Austrians (when they make fun of Germans) What I mean by this is, you don't need to speak a word of German to understand. When you see a group of Austrians at dinner or whatever, and all of the sudden one straightens up and starts sputtering in harsh gutteral German while the others laugh at him, maybe while using a butter knife as a pretend moustache, and sometimes goose stepping, you don't need to understand the language, you know EXACTLY who they're talking about. Just my opinion anyway.................. :-)

American policy has been remarkably restrained, considering the things that have been thrown at America for the past 10 or 12 years. That's not arrogance, it's being sick and tired of being the punching bag for terrorist cowards. And people who thought Americans were just going to keep on taking it on the chin are now looking at the US and thinking different.

Americans were regarded as obnoxious, rude, and overbearing long before we were recognized as a dominate military power. In fact, Europeans already considered Americans obnoxious, rude, and overbearing back when they made fun of American military power. To begin with, read Alexis de Toqueville 'Democracy in America'. Then read (or watch) 'A Room with a View'. Notice how the American is portrayed as loud, well meaning, but fat, clumsy, and socially inept. This is how European 'high society' has always viewed America and Americans. I think a fair assessment of this would note that Americans are often rude, obnoxious, and overbearing, but that there is alot more to people's prejudices against America than that. Americans seem rude to many cultures do to some quirks in its culture. Its worth noting though that conversely, non-Americans often seem rude to Americans precisely because non-Americans aren't conforming to thier social expectations either. For example, Americans due tend to talk more loud ly than most non-American cultures. This comes off as rude. Conversely, European speakers often come off as stand-offish and 'snooty' to Americans. Americans and Europeans maintain different kinds of personal space. An American speaker will stand further away from who he is talking to than a European speaker. This is one of the reasons for the American habit of speaking loudly. A European typically seems invasive and overly intimate to an American. Americans only engage in physical contact with intimate friends. So when a new friend comes in the door and hugs you as a greeting, it often seems awkward. Likewise, an Americans unwillingness to 'greet' a European with a physical gesture seems rude to them. Conversely, Americans have fewer social taboos about broaching intimate subjects even with strangers or new acquaintances. So Americans seem socially inept to Americans, while conversely Europeans seem overly quick to take offense at to what is (to the American) a gesture of socially expected concern. Americans don't have or are usually not aware of class heirachies, so they don't in most cases have anything near as sophisticated as the 'manners' and 'fashion' of the Europeans. In plan fact, 'manners' and 'fashion' are means of distinguishing one social class from another. Americans just don't have much use for this, and heaven help the European if the American ever figures out that the European is acting in this manner not because the European is trying to be gracious but because the European is trying to establish that he belongs to a higher social class than someone (especially the American). Words like 'Eurosnob' and 'Eurotrash' will start flying. Conversely, to Europeans, Americans always act like they belong to a social class beneath them. On the other hand, Americans mark social class with money, and assume that any thing that is broken, old, or rundown is broken, old, or rundown do to slothfulness on the part of the owner. Thus, Americans are likely to see entire countries - including some European ones - in highly negative terms, if the plumbing isn't modern or the building has a smell or the paint is peeling or whatever. It's not that the Americans don't intellectually understand necessarily, its that it hits an American at an emotional gut level that many aren't even aware of. I highly encourage anyone that wants to understand anti-Americanism, and who doesn't happen to have long standing European friends to go to the video store and pick up a copy of a little known movie called 'Barcelona' about Americans living in Spain. It's spot on in alot of ways. As for the roots of the current Americanism, they are more recent and more vicious than the older prejudgedices and are grounded in something far hateful than differences in custumns. In brief, we are still suffering the after effects of the billions of dollars the Soviets spent on memetic weapons in Europe, to say nothing of the blow to European pride suffered when those rude, uncultured Americans came and saved Europe from its own barbarism.

Another reason could be attributed to the belief that Hollywood is America. Or that our media tends to be sensationalism.

If you think about the great powers from the perspective of their particular times and culture of those times, the greats had plenty of periods of great benevolence and wise hegemonic rule...if that can be said of the US, which I think is not thusfar the case(since our initial moves into the singular hegemon of our age is lackluster so far).....it certainly is in no way a dimunition of what the former greats like india and china had and were in their own great age. I think it besmerches and unreasonably skewers their accomplishments to talk about them from the perspective of giant toddlers that would be a menace to us and everyone if they had that power under present circumstances. I think it more likely that there is a relationship of parallels between the development of great wealth and power and the promotion withing such cultures of the things that lend themselves to the indefinite continuation of those riches....the learning, the experimentation, the innovation of progressive systems, the adoption/development of smarter learning environments, the promotion of wiser people to critical centers of society, the foundation of self-sustaining systems which serve those critical centers......to be sure these these fall, degenerate, or are overthrown in their own time by even greater ideas, or by greater nations or cultures....but while they last, they are magnificent to behold, much as americas might magnificent to behold...look at what we are capable of, is it not wonderous, and at times sad at what we do not take advantage of.....our time is not yet past and so we are rightfully proud of what we have, and those that scorn us are to be pitied somewhat for they have either never known, and perhaps never know what it is like to be like this.....but our time will also pass eventually and perhaps come again in future centuries or millenia....if India and China can reascend after millenia...so can we. So I take it in stride...I don't believe the former great powers need be denigrated in order to be proud and happy of our achievements and power, and I don't much fear what they might do if they rediscovered that power they once had....it's all the cycle of life, replaying ad infinitum.

But the answer is siply yes to all three. We dominate, the enemy is dominated. Call it arrogance, but it is actually true

I found your post only now. It is very interesting, but with some of your points I can't agree. "Then read (or watch) 'A Room with a View'. Notice how the American is portrayed as loud, well meaning, but fat, clumsy, and socially inept. This is how European 'high society' has always viewed America and Americans." High society for me means the nobility. They are very few with little or no influence. The European societies are divided by the financial differencies. Very similar to American society. Europe is not an other planet. We basically live in the same culture. "Americans due tend to talk more loudly than most non-American cultures. This comes off as rude." Yes this comes off as rude because usually uneducated persons used to speak more loudly than the necessary. (In Europe) When a kid is 3-5 years old she/he has to learn not all people around she/he want to hear her/him. Not disturbing others is the basic of politenes! "An American speaker will stand further away from who he is talking to than a European speaker. This is one of the reasons for the American habit of speaking loudly." Nice theory but I can hardly believe it. It would be credible in the case of 10 meters of personal space. "So when a new friend comes in the door and hugs you as a greeting, it often seems awkward." I don't know what does it mean to you "new friend". Acquaintances? Perhaps in some latin countries in Europe there is a greater willingness to hug each other, but in general phisical contact is mostly reserved to close friends and family members. Except handshake. "Americans have fewer social taboos about broaching intimate subjects even with strangers or new acquaintances." This is why they are often thought to be good willing naives. " In plan fact, 'manners' and 'fashion' are means of distinguishing one social class from another." In which European coutry you were, and when? (Before ww2 in Hungary it could be true. But now?) "Americans are likely to see entire countries - including some European ones - in highly negative terms, if the plumbing isn't modern or the building has a smell or the paint is peeling or whatever." It is not America or Europe. It is the have and the haven't. Poor or rich. "little known movie called 'Barcelona'" Director, country of origin, something to identify plz! "we are still suffering the after effects of the billions of dollars the Soviets spent on memetic weapons in Europe" Those bastard Soviets! "the blow to European pride suffered when those rude, uncultured Americans came and saved Europe from its own barbarism" I don' even know how could we Europeans live without your help! Perhaps Europe would be an uninhabitant desert! As I see the basic problem with the Americans is that they think all other nations are stupid and they know everything better. They think the problems in the world exist only and exclusively because the others were impotents. Some problems they think they could solve. (IMHO most of them were only swept under the carpet) These "successes" give the Americans a drive to solve all problems. As they used to say for a newborn all jokes are new. The learning period will be expensive and unfortunatelly not only for the US will pay. Don't say that talking about the "youngness" of the US is "Eurosnobism"! US crossed her own border as a political and military power only a few decades ago. That's an extremily short periode in history. Shortly I think Americans are good willing village people who think a bit too much about their abilities.