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In international terms, “trust” is only code for fear a/o respect, meaning largely the same thing. Any nation that actually trusts another is pretty damned stupid.
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Imagine Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin and the Donald meeting officially, Donald’s hands would create an unfavourable diplomatic incident. Not unlike the time he patted Queen Elizabeth II on her back , breaking royal protocal.
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Link to main survey data:
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I dunno, I used to live next door to a crack/meth house. Fun times.
These days, as a Canuckistani, I’m getting a sense of deja vu all over again as they say, on a rather larger scale. “Trust” is not exactly the first word that springs to mind when thinking of the USA these days.
(Nor are man woman person camera come to think of it)
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The thing is, despite you guys electing Reagan and George II in my lifetime, there always seemed to be an adult in charge somewhere, so the damage done wouldn’t be too bad (unless of course you happened to live in Central America in the one case, or Iraq in the other) but with this current fool, there’s no telling what he might do, and no-one seems to want to stop him.
That tends to mean that NATO members (for example) might take him at his word and walk away.
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I cannot wait to get my Japanese citizenship (fingers crossed) and renounce my US citizenship (which Japan requires as part of the naturalization process).
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The exact question in the survey was asking about “how much confidence you have in X doing the right thing”
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Apparently elections have consequences.
We elected Trump and now we’re the laughing stock.
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To be honest, I still view US more favourably now than during invasion of Iraq, but that doesn’t mean much.
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I don’t think one could say that America has ever been anything than divisive in the world. Not a part of the world. Always working in self interest on the governments side historically, not the people there or elsewhere.
The premise of the idea that the “US image at an-all time low” pre-supposes it actually had some respect and trust in the first place by ‘the people’ of the world. Traveling to Europe and throughout Asia I learned quickly to promote that I wasn’t from the US.
I suspect this kind of rhetoric is aimed internally in as much as talk show hosts will claim that New York is the greatest city in the world as a given. Your president has only just made it obvious that the rest of us live in “shit holes”.
You can always depend on self interest.
I’m genuinely curious when you say “our” and "we’ (please believe me when I say no snark intended). I find it hard to say “we” as an Australian. Kinda find it hard to think of “our” Australia when “we” have ripped the shit out of the original people in this country. Me being part of the “we” that has a voice.
When you say “our” I’m assuming you are talking internally in the US with pride (perhaps conflicted pride?). But with pride I would say that we live in the greatest country in the world… As would do any person who has a sense of being part of their country.
I am also conflicted about having any pride in our country and the governance it allows.
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That’s one of the things that make Trump so disastrous, though. You can’t actually depend on him pursuing his self-interest, because he’s an impulsive narcissistic idiot who sabotages himself all the time.
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We’re #-1, We’re #-1!
USA, USA!
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If you think this is just about Trump take a look on the comment following yours and you get an idea:
Trump is the latest symptom, not the sickness. Though it seems sickness and symptoms are accelerating lately.
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I think doing nothing to encourage putting thought into exactly what’s wrong with that line of thought is one of the worst things any country can do to its citizens. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t have pride in your country, assuming it’s deserved, but perhaps that pride should stem from something other than the fact that you happen to live there. I don’t know about Australia, but in the USA we aren’t exactly encouraged towards introspection about our history or social policies, particularly in comparison to other countries. While travel is considered desirable, it’s often taken with a view towards looking down on the places you visit, mostly because they do things differently than back in the US. (“What do you mean you don’t celebrate US Independence day here?”)
It’s difficult to improve anything when you are indoctrinated with the idea that everything you do is “the best way” and actively discouraged from learning information to the contrary.
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No. I’d have to be crazy / propagandised to the hilt to believe something as mad as that. Maybe your country or something. But just no.
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