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Anti-Americanism or '''Anti-American sentiment''' is a consistent hostility towards the Government , Culture , or People of the United States . Anti-Americanism is often described as a phenomenon that is uniformly hostile to the United States independently of the real attributes of the nation and has characteristics of a distinct Ideology . However, whether the term represents an actual ideological movement or merely a rough composite of Stereotype s, Prejudice s and Critic isms towards Americans or the United States is strongly debated. Critics of the term question whether Anti-Americanism can be isolated as a coherent phenomenon and often claim the label primarily has a Propagandistic or suppressive function over political discourse. USE OF THE TERM "ANTI-AMERICANISM" Perceptions of anti-Americanism are widespread, yet hard to define and isolate. The term itself does not imply a critical attitude based on rational objections but rather a prejudiced system of thought. Therefore, the term is rarely employed as a self-identifier (i.e. "I am anti-American...") as this inherently implies bias. Instead, it is often used as a Pejorative by those who object to another individual or group's stance toward the United States or its policies. Advocates of the significance of the term argue that Anti-Americanism represents a coherent and dangerous Ideological current, comparable to Anti-Semitism . While the ' -ism ' suffix does imply a school of thought, isolating a definitive ideological basis for anti-Americanism is difficult given the numerous strands of criticism of the United States. However, various genealogies of the phenomenon as an ideology have been attempted. Critics of the term view it as a Propagandistic label used to undermine legitimate criticism of U.S. policy insofar as it may conflate legitimate criticism with hateful Rhetoric and prejudice. To be against American policy or perhaps ''anti-America'' in a particular instance (and to express this peacefully) is different, many argue, than being anti-American in one's fundamental belief system. Finally, it is argued that a consistent anti-American ideology is defensible if based on an economic or political foundation rather than on hatred of American culture or American ethnic or racial composition. HISTORY Strong feeling against the United States (and at times the North American continent) has persisted since the country's original settlement, with criticisms varying greatly in content and motive. Degeneracy thesis Anti-American sentiment in Europe originates with the discovery of America, the study of the Native Americans , and the examination of its Flora , Fauna , and Climate . The first anti-American image ("the degeneracy thesis") saw America as a regressive and culturally bankrupt continent and soon-to-be nation. The theory that the Humidity and other atmospheric conditions in America actually weakened its animals and human residents was commonly argued in Europe and debated by early American thinkers Alexander Hamilton , Benjamin Franklin , and Thomas Jefferson . This sentiment was expressed in 1768 when court philosopher to Frederick II , Cornelius De Pauw , a chief proponent of this thesis, described America as a bunch of "degenerate or monstrous" colonies and claimed, "the weakest European could crush them with ease". The thesis was extended into arguing that the natural environment meant that the United States could intrinsically never produce true culture. Paraphrasing Pauw, the Encyclopedist Abbé Raynal famously wrote, "America has not yet produced a good poet, an able mathematician, one man of genius in a single art or a single science." The degeneracy thesis sometimes described America as a threat to the world and as the novelist and gradually ignoring other American powers. Romantic hostility The French Revolution , seen by some as prompted by the American Revolution, created a new type of anti-American political thought, hostile to the political institutions of the United States and their impact upon Europe. Furthermore, the Romantic strain of European thought and literature, hostile to the Enlightenment view of Reason and obsessed with History and national character, disdained the American project. The German poet Nikolaus Lenau encapsulated the Romantic view: "With the expression ''Bodenlosigkeit'' (rootlessness) I think I am able to indicate the general character of all American institutions; what we call Fatherland is here only a property insurance scheme." Racialism In the middle of the Nineteenth Century , the Racialist theories of Arthur De Gobineau and others spread through Europe. The presence of blacks and "lower quality" immigrant groups made racialist thinkers discount the potential of the United States. The infinite mixing of America would lead to the ultimate degeneracy. Gobineau said that America was creating "greatest mediocrity in all fields: mediocrity of physical strength, mediocrity of beauty, mediocrity of intellectual capacities - we could almost say nothingness." Anti-technology and consumerism With the rise of American industry in the late Nineteenth Century , intellectual anti-American discourse entered a new form. Mass production, the Taylor System , and the speed of American life and work became a major threat to some intellectuals' view of European life and tradition. Nietzsche wrote: "The breathless haste with which they (the Americans) work - the distinctive vice of the new world - is already beginning ferociously to infect old Europe and is spreading a spiritual emptiness over the continent." This thesis transformed into a . The Heideggerian critique, incorporated into Existentialist ( Sartre ) and Leftist thought after the war, played a central role in the political rhetoric of many Western European Communist parties. Political hypocrisy subjects by European powers. "The Other" Just as the United States has defined itself against Monarchical and Communist countries during its history and may now be defining itself against Terrorism or Radical Islam , the use of anti-American ideologies may represent a way for nations to unify the country and bridge political divisions and/or to cover up evident flaws in its political or economic system. Certain forms of social identity theory argue that the existence of "an other" is crucial to the development of group identity. In the case of a claimed European strand of anti-Americanism, it is possible that it partially exists to assist the creation of a coalescing European identity. Some critics argue that anti-Americanism ideology often correlates with other forms of perceived extremism, such as virulent nationalist movements, radical Islam, or communism. Self-proclaimed French anti-anti-American, Bernard-Henri Levy , described this view: "Anti-Americanism is a horror. ... It is a magnet of the worst. In the entire world and in France in particular, everything that is the worst in people's heads comes together around anti-Americanism: racism, nationalism, chauvinism, anti-Semitism."1 MODERN ANTI-AMERICANISM Early Twentieth Century and Cold War As European immigration to the United States continued and the country's economic potential became more obvious, anti-American stances grew a much more explicit geopolitical dimension. A new strand of anti-American sentiment started to appear as America entered the competition for influence in the conspiracy was common in countries ruled by Fascists before and during World War II , and in the Middle East after the war. The reverse - the belief that Israel was an American Puppet State - also became common in some circles during the last third of the 20th century. During the at its worst, though supporters were willing to forgive the misadventure given the larger priorities of the Cold War. In addition, the United States' support for right-wing authoritarian regimes and numerous covert operations during this era had been likewise criticized. Post Cold War era from the Spanish trade union federation uses anti‐American imagery to encourage citizens of Valencia to attend a demonstration]] , Switzerland .]] Paradoxically, the fall of the Soviet Union may have brought an increase in anti-Americanism, because the U.S. was left as the world's only superpower, and people who formerly saw the United States as a bastion against Communism or needed the American security umbrella no longer felt the need to support the United States. Globalization , often portrayed as an American Neoliberal project, while improving international contact, has also magnified the visibility of trade conflicts and increased societal insecurity about jobs. While the U.S. is not seen universally unfavorably in Europe and other Western countries, feelings of distrust and dislike toward the United States are widespread, particularly in some states in Western Europe . A survey in June 2005 showed that a majority of Europeans have an unfavorable image of America; however, two-thirds of those people opting for the "unfavorable" option declared that this was due to George Bush and his political actions.2 Islam The Middle East region has been a focal point of much Anti-American sentiment in the latter decades of the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st , often blamed on specific US policies in the region. The term Great Satan , as well as the chant ''"Death to America"'' have been in continual use in Iran since at least the Iranian Revolution in 1979. According to a Zogby International poll of Arab men and women in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, negative attitudes toward the United States grew from large majorities in 2002 to practical unanimity in 2004 3. According to the Zogby poll, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were tied in fourth place on a list of most admired world leaders. CRITICISMS OF THE UNITED STATES Some of the most common criticisms of the United States involve:
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For a more detailed breakdown of anti-American rhetoric and sentiment by country, see Anti-American Sentiment In Various Countries . CRITICISMS OF ANTI-AMERICANISM Due to the variety of motives for anti-American sentiment, criticism of this sentiment varies with context. Similarly, some motives are viewed as more legitimate by both Americans and non-Americans. Some common points of criticism:
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