General Discussion

Lydia Leftcoast

(48,223 posts)

85. Not really

Sun Mar 17, 2013, 04:45 PM

Mar 2013

Most of our foreign aid goes to Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, and much of our total foreign aid is either military aid or subsidies to companies like Haliburton to build roads in some Third World country (i.e. the country that is supposedly receiving the aid never sees a dime).

Read "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" for the details.

My parents had friends who were missionaries in Liberia, and they were SCATHING about U.S. foreign aid projects. They felt that the money wasted buying expensive equipment and maintaining the American "experts" in luxury could have been used to hire Liberia's vast numbers of unemployed young men to build things with appropriate technology for what was then the prevailing wage of 10 cents an hour (this was in the 1960s). As it turned out, those unemployed young men became the main foot soldiers in Liberia's incredibly brutal civil war, which featured, among other things, the massacre of 300 people who had taken refuge in the church that my parents' friends had served. (They were retired by then.)

As a percentage of total GDP, the Scandinavian countries give more foreign aid, and almost none of it is military.

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The United States is the most hated country in the world. [View all] L0oniX Mar 2013 OP

uhhhhmerica is a virus datasuspect Mar 2013 #1

I don't give a flying fuck what "the world" thinks. slackmaster Mar 2013 #2

Sounds like a good moto for the Koch brothers ...and Cheney. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #3

It's a healthy state of mind. Dwelling on what others think can drive a person crazy. slackmaster Mar 2013 #8

I'm already crazy. It can't hurt me. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #10

True, blind loyalty is always better than thoughtful consideration of why sabrina 1 Mar 2013 #48

Actually, I put a great deal of thought into my decision to stop caring what other people think slackmaster Mar 2013 #54

exactly. Niceguy1 Mar 2013 #57

What makes you think anyone needs the US to 'make them happy'? sabrina 1 Mar 2013 #142

Countless requests.... NCTraveler Mar 2013 #156

Generally not by the people. By corrupt, greedy despots, like Mubarak who was hated sabrina 1 Mar 2013 #169

Very often the requests are done by the people through their governments. NCTraveler Mar 2013 #170

We ARE occupying several countries. We have military bases in dozens of countries around the world sabrina 1 Mar 2013 #171

Our intervening in Africa with respect to AIDs has been amazingly helpful. NCTraveler Mar 2013 #172

We have killed untold numbers of people, innocent people in various countries and backed brutal sabrina 1 Mar 2013 #173

I fully understand what you are saying. We need to change. NCTraveler Mar 2013 #174

Okay, I see your point. But I was being honest, I could not think of any examples but you have sabrina 1 Mar 2013 #175

They have control over you. sabrina 1 Mar 2013 #140

For you, that is a quick trip... awoke_in_2003 Mar 2013 #75

part of the problem..nt xiamiam Mar 2013 #26

The rest of the world is no different from the USA. Half of the people are ignorant peons. slackmaster Mar 2013 #30

Since it's not that difficult to sort out an ignorant jerk from a person whose opinion sabrina 1 Mar 2013 #141

Why don't you care? Cirque du So-What Mar 2013 #31

The opinions of most people are junk, the product of the propaganda they've been fed. slackmaster Mar 2013 #34

You're just regurgitating more of the same Cirque du So-What Mar 2013 #43

+1 innernational haters gunna hate flamingdem Mar 2013 #80

...yet. I'll bet that you will really begin to care a lot once it obviously effects you personally. Egalitarian Thug Mar 2013 #87

I don't see how it could ever affect me personally slackmaster Mar 2013 #137

People also dislike our arrogance LiberalEsto Mar 2013 #4

And American tourists don't help the image GP6971 Mar 2013 #7

Having a US drone blow up your family and friends also gets remembered. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #13

That too!! n/t GP6971 Mar 2013 #15

Yep, that would do it. Brigid Mar 2013 #167

Every country has rude and arrogant people treestar Mar 2013 #22

No disagreement there. n/t GP6971 Mar 2013 #50

Agree with you. Paper Roses Mar 2013 #74

When living in China, I automatically expected the worst of American tourists... Marengo Mar 2013 #99

I can relate, being born in Germany gopiscrap Mar 2013 #102

How long has it been since your childhood in Germany? Jenoch Mar 2013 #125

29 years gopiscrap Mar 2013 #136

We've enabled Richie rich to steal the world blind and deplete resources without regard to common lonestarnot Mar 2013 #5

Not productive treestar Mar 2013 #6

Well that makes it easy then. If they were in our position they would do the same things. L0oniX Mar 2013 #9

Don't you think they would? treestar Mar 2013 #16

I don't accept that line of thinking. So if I were a banker I would do what Wallstreet did to us? L0oniX Mar 2013 #24

Conceivably treestar Mar 2013 #29

Hmmm interesting. What if France or Britain were the gorilla in the room. L0oniX Mar 2013 #38

Would Britain or France have had health care for their colonies or lands they dominated? treestar Mar 2013 #44

If only the British had sold us St. Johns Wort tea people would not have been depressed... L0oniX Mar 2013 #60

LOL treestar Mar 2013 #62

A gentle giant? Comrade Grumpy Mar 2013 #11

We had the 911 excuse treestar Mar 2013 #18

We had the Gulf of Tonkin excuse too. How'd that work out? n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #39

Then we thought we were saving the world from communism treestar Mar 2013 #45

agreed bossy22 Mar 2013 #19

Result of the American Empire Benton D Struckcheon Mar 2013 #63

and also Americans are so stupid hfojvt Mar 2013 #12

The world hates U.S. corporations ... Auggie Mar 2013 #14

Sounds like it's really hated by you, and you want backup. Dreamer Tatum Mar 2013 #17

You are welcome to your "dont worry be happy". L0oniX Mar 2013 #35

Why do I need Miss Cleo Dreamer Tatum Mar 2013 #61

"America - Love It or Leave It!" What the fuck kind of response is that? Hissyspit Mar 2013 #111

... L0oniX Mar 2013 #161

yeah that's a big surprise liberal_at_heart Mar 2013 #20

wowzer. even by the low standards of Information Clearinghouse, that is a terrible article cali Mar 2013 #21

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner! nt COLGATE4 Mar 2013 #79

If the U.S. is the most hated country in the world, Jenoch Mar 2013 #23

Deceptive images ....for one. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #37

right. because no one from Mexico, for example, has family in the states or cell phones. cali Mar 2013 #46

"for one" of many reasons ...but go on with your attack and insults. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #51

So you can't respond cogently to the points I and others cali Mar 2013 #53

Certainly ...insulting someone will make them want to have a reasonable discusion with you. L0oniX Mar 2013 #56

Deceptive images? Jenoch Mar 2013 #123

Well market-tested propaganda used to project an America BlueCaliDem Mar 2013 #131

Let me know when you actually read what I had to say. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #144

So far, you have not said what you meant by Jenoch Mar 2013 #153

Note that the vast majority of current immigrants are from poor countries Lydia Leftcoast Mar 2013 #82

You are correct. However, Jenoch Mar 2013 #124

That's because it's really, really hard to get permission to live in a Western European country Lydia Leftcoast Mar 2013 #135

I know two guys who Jenoch Mar 2013 #154

Post removed Post removed Dec 2014 #177

We're so hated that no one wants to immigrate to the US Lurks Often Mar 2013 #25

we would if we had money ..lots of places to live which are better at this point in time xiamiam Mar 2013 #36

doesn't Niceguy1 Mar 2013 #59

We would leave, and Others I know would also. n2doc Mar 2013 #92

Sounds very exclusionary and elitist ProudToBeBlueInRhody Mar 2013 #113

Why does it have to be English=speaking countries only? Common Sense Party Mar 2013 #126

For me personally, because I suck at other languages n2doc Mar 2013 #133

I do speak other languages, but none of the First World countries want older Americans Lydia Leftcoast Mar 2013 #152

does this go back to the " Ugly American " times ? olddots Mar 2013 #27

As an expat, I can tell you we aren't even close to the most hated country in the world Recursion Mar 2013 #28

I hear there a lot of cheap homes available in Camden. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #41

Our house is burning down RandiFan1290 Mar 2013 #32

You know ProSense Mar 2013 #33

Wow. What a turnaround for Germany! Yavin4 Mar 2013 #47

"Improve" from what point? It does take a long time to recover from Bush/Cheney hate. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #55

Does it ProSense Mar 2013 #78

I thought the idea here is to discuss the issue. It may be a false statement as to the US being... L0oniX Mar 2013 #83

Wait ProSense Mar 2013 #84

It is not false that the US is hated. How much it is hated could be discussed... L0oniX Mar 2013 #86

Really? ProSense Mar 2013 #89

Really? Not my words. My words are at the bottom. I never said "most". L0oniX Mar 2013 #93

Well, ProSense Mar 2013 #98

You started this thread with Jenoch Mar 2013 #127

Your OP is titled "The United States is the most hated country in the world" ProudToBeBlueInRhody Mar 2013 #115

"assholes" ??? Maybe you should read the first line in the article. L0oniX Mar 2013 #120

There's something missing from that graph. UnrepentantLiberal Mar 2013 #134

Apparently that doesn't matter to some here. Graphics is everything ...an example of deception. L0oniX Mar 2013 #159

Nobody beyond the borders buys our song about spreading freedom and human rights malaise Mar 2013 #40

For the record, the world ProSense Mar 2013 #42

The irony from this graph is that Jamaal510 Mar 2013 #58

And the country Romney tried the hardest to evangelize and convert to Mormonism aint_no_life_nowhere Mar 2013 #91

I believe the world hates Bush Life Long Dem Mar 2013 #49

We shamed ourselves in the late 20th century-early 21st Century... Cooley Hurd Mar 2013 #52

I think that was because we still had the USSR to keep us in check. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #64

Apparently very true at Democratic Underground... OneMoreDemocrat Mar 2013 #65

Yeah. I see this a lot from "expats" in the industrialized social democracies Recursion Mar 2013 #66

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh datasuspect Mar 2013 #67

Yea ...no reason to change anything here ...when we can try to change it everywhere else. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #76

Now, the actual *data* say the opposite... Recursion Mar 2013 #68

The "Confidence in the US President" one is more telling.. sir pball Mar 2013 #121

Yeah, but nobody hates America more than Americans who know how valerief Mar 2013 #69

Countries Newest Reality Mar 2013 #70

We are hated because in many ways we deserve to be libtodeath Mar 2013 #71

Look up thread and see others who want to argue about "most" being false. L0oniX Mar 2013 #95

I thought ProSense Mar 2013 #97

Another Dictater we installed after we overthrew their elected Dustlawyer Mar 2013 #72

Yep, I have lived abroad and it was bad Cleita Mar 2013 #73

"Fred, a keyboard mercenary with a disorganized past..." says the world hates the United States. cherokeeprogressive Mar 2013 #77

America also gives the most foreign aid. So I'm guessing it's partly the media of other countries, Honeycombe8 Mar 2013 #81

Not really Lydia Leftcoast Mar 2013 #85

In terms of absolute value, the U. S. gives the most $ in foreign aid. Honeycombe8 Mar 2013 #100

Note that the top five are all countries in which the U.S. has military interests Lydia Leftcoast Mar 2013 #110

This ... L0oniX Mar 2013 #88

What I have seen of foreign aid, it goes to the elitists we keep in power to Cleita Mar 2013 #104

Wouldn't go quite that far, BUT... Lydia Leftcoast Mar 2013 #90

I hate to think what the world sees of the United States in the news aint_no_life_nowhere Mar 2013 #94

I've read UK blogs where the US is called barbaric for its healthcare system ...I agree. L0oniX Mar 2013 #96

Actually NK, Isreal and Iran are the most hated countries on Earth. Rex Mar 2013 #101

How could someone hate N Korea? JVS Mar 2013 #128

And they got Rodman! Rex Mar 2013 #168

Because Fred Reed says so? tabasco Mar 2013 #103

I have been fortunate to have been able to travel in 41 countries. former9thward Mar 2013 #105

You think they really are going to say something to you? Cleita Mar 2013 #112

Depends how you approach them. I've been in about half as many countries as that person and my stevenleser Mar 2013 #114

Yes people from Latin America really hate us. former9thward Mar 2013 #116

Trust me the ones who aren't trying to get here for jobs really do hate us Cleita Mar 2013 #117

I won't trust you because I have traveled in Central and South America. former9thward Mar 2013 #118

Oh they do. It's not fun being an immigrant from either country there. Cleita Mar 2013 #119

They don't hate us for our freedoms mokawanis Mar 2013 #106

What gets me is how some people say we're supposedly the greatest nation, Jamaal510 Mar 2013 #108

Of course it matters what the majority of this planet's citizenry think. chknltl Mar 2013 #107

The link in the OP doesn't include a source, which makes me suspicious. Donald Ian Rankin Mar 2013 #109

well, if a rant at information clearinghouse makes that claim, it must be true! Godhumor Mar 2013 #122

Whether or not the US takes the top spot is not so much an issue for discussion... L0oniX Mar 2013 #143

Only two countries are hated by anyone? geek tragedy Mar 2013 #129

Obvious propaganda piece is obvious slackmaster Mar 2013 #138

Propaganda or an example of BWI? geek tragedy Mar 2013 #139

Well that's nice. So no one hates the US in your book because the US isn't the "most" hated. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #145

Where did I say that no one hates the US? geek tragedy Mar 2013 #149

Not to mention North Korea.. SomethingFishy Mar 2013 #146

I have lived overseas for 9 years in South Korea davidpdx Mar 2013 #130

I agree. Perception is everything as in any victim of a drone attack will hate us the most. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #147

People don't want to hear it Prophet 451 Mar 2013 #132

+1 yea that's what I mean ...deception. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #148

Bound to happen The2ndWheel Mar 2013 #150

Propaganda like this article is very effective on uneducated people. NCTraveler Mar 2013 #151

Your right ...no one hates the US ...now go back to sleep. n/t L0oniX Mar 2013 #157

Who said "no one hates the US"? NCTraveler Mar 2013 #158

OMG well gee by all means do not discuss the hate but attack the messenger unless it is from... L0oniX Mar 2013 #160

I said it was poorly written and not accurate. What does that have to do with.... NCTraveler Mar 2013 #164

50th rec. We're just the latest Empire in decline. Never a pretty sight, anywhere. leveymg Mar 2013 #155

Wealthy private interests control our media, government, and our military. Zorra Mar 2013 #162

To be clear about my opinion. I do not think we are the "most" hated. It's a matter of perspective. L0oniX Mar 2013 #163

Brought to you by Fred Reed. NCTraveler Mar 2013 #165

More of Reeds brilliance NCTraveler Mar 2013 #176

We are an empire. That's why! RedCloud Mar 2013 #166