You Get What You Ask For

I understand that a lot of the world does not have a favorable impression of the US and am fascinated by the topic of how other countries view America and Americans. That being said, I probably should not have brought up the topic with my coworkers, four Hungarians and one Slovak, in the middle of a four hour hike in the Alps this weekend.

The response I got was that America / Americans always butt in where they don't belong. I understand this sentiment and agree to a certain extent - most Americans agree Vietnam was a disaster, and the majority of Americans believe it was a mistake to invade Iraq. My response to my coworkers was that there is a gap between what the majority of informed Americans want and how the US actually acts. Obviously this is a huge problem.

Feeling compelled to defend the US at least a little bit, I then pointed out that the US "butted into" WWII and asked my coworkers if they thought the US involvement in the war was a good thing. I thought this was a rhetorical question. However the response I received was "yeah I guess it was good, but they should have gotten involved earlier."

Although you shouldn't fault someone for stating their opinion (especially when asked!), I was annoyed at how my coworkers were defending their position. So they are criticizing the US for not getting involved earlier in WWII but for becoming too involved in other conflicts? That seems like a specious argument.

Sensing my annoyance, my coworker told me that he was sorry that he shattered my illusions that America was beloved by all countries. I am naive, but I am not stupid. And the fact that he believes I think this after knowing me and having multiple discussions about this topic with me pisses me off.

I know America has and continues to f-up. But I also believe that it has done positive things for other countries. And the fact that my coworkers refuse to acknowledge this is what made me mad.

I think my coworkers see America as an easy target on which to blame the historical plight and current situation of their country. I say this because they also frequently blame the EU and other "higher powers" for their problems. This seems like a cop-out.

On the other hand, I am probably too quick to the defend the US. However, for as many faulty "illusions" I have about the US, it seems fair that that other countries also reevaluate their "illusions" about the US as they may be based on similarly faulty arguments.