Why is America so arrogent?

Post Reply New Topic

I don't get why most other Americans are so damn arrogant and this is coming from another American.Not only are most of them arrogant but also xenophobic esspecially those from the south and mid west.A lot go to great lengths of saying I only buy American yet their cloths are made in China and most American flags are made in China they get pissed when I tell them that.

Do you mean arrogant like, "You foreigners should stop exporting your cultures to our country; and if you don't stop, we're going to attack your citizens with suicide bombers, your embassies with rampaging mobs, and your buildings by flying planes into them"?

Or do you mean arrogant like, "Your business advice was appreciated ten years ago, but now that we're becoming a global economic power, you can stay out of our country and let us enslave our citizens in sweatshops as we see fit"?

Or do you mean arrogant like, "If it weren't for your junkies, there wouldn't be a drug problem; never mind that we are the world's biggest producers of cocaine, and that we look the other way when our druglords order the kidnap and execution of anyone who stands against them"?

Or do you have another definition of the word "arrogant"?

More along the lines of the first 2 paragraphs mentioned.^^

What really annoys me is the constant "we're better than everyone else attitude and constant gloating.

I think (some) American's are the way they are because they don't really have any contemporaries in the modern world. Europe set itself back several decades after destroying itself with two world wars and rebuilding itself. Meanwhile the American's sent people to the moon, created Hollywood and got to feel very good about themselves with their successes and spreading their culture around the world. The fact that a lot of people are very critical of America probably makes them feel like being all the more defensive and patriotic.

If America faces economic hardship, the collective psyche might find it hard to take if they're not able to continue being a superpower and are over taken by someone like China. But I think it would be healthy for them, at the very least to start acknowledging the rest of the planet a little more, and that they're not the only one's capable of making a valuable contribution - and in fact a lot of their success is built on their past ancestors, especially the British!

I generally like American's, their arrogance doesn't really bother me, but it is a little tedious, but I can understand it, they have much to be proud of.

All I gotta say is with pride comes a fall.

Many are arrogant. But there aren't many that show their arrogance (or more like thinking they are better than everyone and the gloating) as much as the Americans. You have no chance of avoiding those comments and impacts on your own state/country, because American culture is everywhere. I don't like much of it, I find it questionable, and it is questionable, by facts and scientific analysing. When they have their position, they should really acknowledge their responsibility and do some "soul-searching" (lack of better word), no matter why they are like they are. I really don't like the derogatory attitude they have towards other countries, you are right to question that. I don't think it is uncommon to recognize, or controversive anymore. It is pretty apparent.

Personally I don't like being looked down upon or facing up against an extremely influental, authoritarian supremacy, when the reasons behind it being like this are not clear to me at all. I may be alone on this opinon. I'm not talking about all the inhabitants, obviously.

Ok, I think the issue is the following:
1) The US is pretty isolated. It is not easy for the US to interact with other cultures, and so misinformation about these other societies is significantly easier and there is less intermixing. This also means that the US has often avoided the failures of other nations, such as the European powers, because it's distant from them, or even found itself in a position of cleaning up the messes of these other nations, or taking responsibility nations that are geographically quite distant.
2) The US is very strongly defined by its ideology, and the US as a nation was founded on some ideological grounds and is self-conscious of this founding. Most of the other nations don't share this ideology, leading to some notions of superiority from that, particularly given that the ideology that the US represents, has defended, and was a forerunner in accepting is now considered broadly correct, even if American practice is not. (The US is a democratic republic with a market based economy and a free society and today these traits are almost universally shared among developed nations. Yes, Sweden and most of Europe count as "market based" for my purposes, as they are not traditionalist economies, or socialist like the USSR, but rather involve markets to a high extent)
3) The US is very powerful and a dominant figure on the world stage, and has been for the last few decades. This includes significant accomplishments, as well as a mentality that is developed from power and success.