Anti-Americanism prompts push for "citizen diplomacy"

[ckramer]

With anti-American sentiment at unprecedented levels around the world, Americans worried about their country's low standing are pushing a grassroots campaign to change foreign perceptions of the United States "one handshake at a time."

The idea is to turn millions of Americans into "citizen diplomats" who use personal meetings with foreigners to counter the ugly image of the United States shown in a series of international public opinion polls. They show widespread negative attitudes not only toward U.S. policies but also toward the American people and, increasingly, even American products.

link

Yeah, that would work. (eyerolling)

While individual Americans shaking hands with foreigners, the US government continues to invade other countries and supports Israeli brutalities against Palestinians.

Yeah, that willl work.

[tanyev]

1. If they'll pay for my trip to Europe, I'll be happy to do my part.

:patriot:

[ixion]

2. it's the war crimes, stupid... all the PR campaigns in the world are

not going to help that one bit.


What we need to do in order to improve America's image is stop invading other countries just "'cause we can", and start acting like a civilized nation, rather than a psychotic one.

[baldguy]

3. "...one handshake at a time."

And that has worked so well for us in the past.

http://www.vinceandjessica.com.nyud.net:8090/images/bush_handshake.jpg

http://policypete.com.nyud.net:8090/images/BushSaud.JPG

[Demit]

4. That should be something people do all the time.

The image of the Ugly American has been around for a long time. Everybody should always be aware they are acting as a representative of their own country when they're in another country, for heaven's sake. The fact that somebody thinks this is a bright new idea is kind of pathetic. Although, in these days of having to go on record as thinking the President really ought to have good table manners, maybe it's just a sign of the times.

[itzamirakul]

5. The sad thing is that there are always those die-hard supporters

who refuse to see the truth and who will accept this as "at least a start" toward remedying American foreign behavior these past six years. They will have a few Americans shaking a few foreigners' hands for a few photo ops and they will show some churches taking part in welcoming strangers and then it will all die away and go down in history as a success. Another made-up piece of fluff to satisfy those who willingly follow the GOP into hell.

Shaking hands will surely convince foreigners that even though we have allowed this government to continue to rule and institute these criminal activities including war against an country that had not attacked us, that merely by shaking hands they will forget that we live in comparative comfort and luxury while nine-tenths of the world lives in or near poverty levels, they will forget that we are not suffering as a result of this war and we DON'T CARE that we are not suffering. They will forget that we send in "others" to do our dirty work. They will forget that we have not exercised a fair and balanced approach to ALL of the countries involved in this and other conflicts. Yes, foreigners will certainly forget all of this...just by shaking our hands. Welcome to LaLa Land.

There are none so blind as those who WILL NOT SEE!

[krkaufman]

17. We pretty much screwed ourselves by "re-electing" * in 2004.

Until then, the US people were being cut a great deal of slack by the international community.

[itzamirakul]

18. If by "we" you mean Democrats, then you KNOW that we did not

"re-elct" Bush. If you are being facetious, then I wholeheartedly agree with you.

[krkaufman]

19. Not sure if you agree, but my point was ...

we = American voters
"re-elected" (quoted) = I don't consider * to be legitimately the President. I'm not sure he was actually re-elected by the voters in 2004, or if there was fraud. I *do* know that his position in this second election was ill-gotten -- based on the fact that he was illegitimately appointed in 2000, and would not have run in 2004 if not for the fraudulent 2000 election. (Like a bank robber collecting interest or dividends from the investment of stolen money.)


Regardless, the international community cut the American people some slack when * stole office in 2000; however, to have allowed him in for a second term (along with his continued incompetence) was too much -- as predicted by George Soros.

[itzamirakul]

20. Yes, I do agree...nt

[The Wielding Truth]

28. Maybe on 9/12 when children were asking,"Why do they hate us,Daddy?"

Americans should have found the answer, and worked to change the our actions.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Will they pay me to go to Ireland and be a diplomat for them?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. DU, among other things, have been doing just that.

The best PR America can get in the world right now is the fact that there IS some internal opposition to its evil policies.

Bushies smiling and condescendingly shaking hands just isn't gonna cut the mustard.

[Bhaisahab]

22. Yes. Thanks to DU,

I get a chance to interact with some of the most progressive, intelligent, and humane Americans there are. It helps me when I am faced with 'americans are fucking fools'-kind of discussions with friends and colleagues.

[Amonester]

30. Same as Mr. paagal kutta here (+ reading, lurking, and posting) on

DU gave me the great opportunity to become a close friend of one amazingly nice American citizen in real life, who, like a lot of DU'ers here, just can't stand the ** cabal, to the point of wanting (and working for) a permanent leave.

Thank you, DU!
Merci, DU! ;)

[sendero]

8. I have a better idea..

.... let's get rid of the administration that has caused our loss of standing in the world one vote at a time!

[bemildred]

9. How about if the assholes in Washington fix their own goddamn mess? nt

[leesa]

10. Funny. Sponsored by the business industry. Hate to break it to you boys,

but they know all about your business practices. I can just imagine a bunch of Republicans shaking hands with foreigners and 'making nice'.

[Jack Rabbit]

13. There's nothing funny about it. This is doomed to failure.

This is not a philanthropic mission. "American companies should care about America's standing in the world, first of all, because sooner or later anti-Americanism is bad for business," BDA President Keith Reinhard said at the Washington meeting. "Corporate America needs a world that welcomes and values American brands. Unfortunately, this is becoming less and less true."

Elsewhere in the article, Exxon is identified as a board member of BDA. This is the same corporation that sicks Nigerian authorities on the local population when it gets uppity and sponsors global warming denial. Corporations like Exxon are a greater part of the problem than the Bush administration; to put Granny D's formula in the right order: Neoconservatism is the enforcement department of neoliberalism.

Exxon is the poster boy of unbridled global capitalism. The "free market" approach has failed everywhere it has been and is rejected by popular vote almost everywhere it has been tested. The only way to impose a neoliberal regime on a nation is by force, as it has been done in Iraq.

What BDA is about is separating the image of corporate America from the image of the Bush junta. That can't be done. While Exxon was sponsoring conferences to cast doubt on established scientific facts concerning climate change, it was also footing the bill for the political rise of G. W. Bush.

[sutz12]

11. Once again...

the administration fux up, and we citizens are supposed to bail them out. Time to dump the PR regime and get some peeps in office that work for some common good.

[LynnTheDem]

12. US team the only ones asked to NOT display their national flag

on their bus; Germany World Cup.

2/3rds of poeple under 30 in our good ally South Korea say they'd side with North Korea versus the USA.

Yeah, the world hates us.

THANK BUSH for making us so much SAFER now that most the world hates our guts! Only total hatred towards us can make us SAFE! RAH! RAH! RAH!

[raccoon]

14. And which Americans might those be?

"...Americans worried about their country's low standing are pushing a grassroots campaign to change foreign perceptions of the United States "one handshake at a time."

...leaders of more than 30 civic organizations formed a "Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy" two years ago."

I thought it was some Murikans at Heritage Foundation or American Enterprise Institute. Of course, they could be advisors.

[melody]

15. People who hate Americans for being Americans are bigots

Anyone who has generally negative opinions about any group of people based upon one aspect of their identity, is a bigot. There's no point in citizen diplomacy to bigots.

Intelligent people realize we're trapped by the same negative power elements that exist in all countries - ours just happen to be wealthier and more powerful.

[AlphaCentauri]

16. Question: "citizen diplomacy" = Hypocrisy? n/t

[sueragingroz]

21. Actually it would

Speaking as one of those foreigners that tire of the "ugly american" that trundles off of the cruise ship, I think that it is an excellent idea!

It was joining boards like these and spending time in the U.S. having serious conversations with liberals and thoughtful folks like yourself that has completely changed my opinion of the country and its inhabitants.

But the effort was mine. I sought these boards out and I sought out the conversations that I have had in the U.S. and the friends that I made.

It would be so nice for someone who isn't as inquisitive as me to have a similar experience/change in perspective...

[magellan]

23. Ah, but there's a catch

You wouldn't be meeting Americans like those here on DU. You'd be meeting Americans who are non-apologetic for US government actions -- proud of them, actually -- and feel it's necessary to convince you of that as well.

Please don't shake hands with them -- they've got germs and we'll have to stick you in decontamination. lol

[sueragingroz]

35. Don't worry... I do my best to

Keep my distance...

What I really can't get over is how condescending some of these cruise boat types can be.

Yesterday, one of them asked me where the good shopping. I was giving directions and couldn't remember the name of one of the streets (Bermudians never use street names when giving directions - it's all about landmarks here....)... anyway, she said "And how long have you been living here?"

I said "6 months. We don't use street names here. Good luck getting around." and then I wandered off to the meeting that I was late for...

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. Handshake instructions: Say "I didn't vote for the idiot" or

"my vote for the warmongering bastard was the worst decision of my life", and there's a possibility this might help. A recent poll in the UK had a choice of "Bush is a great leader". Just 1% chose it. 15% said "reasonably satisfactory", 34% "pretty poor", and 43% "terrible". And that's in a country supposedly allied with the USA, and sharing its aims.

[mainer]

25. Most Americans traveling abroad are anti-Bush.

Yep, whenever I go abroad my brand of diplomacy involves telling everyone that Bush is a disaster and I'm embarrased by my country. If the Bushies are encouraging Americans to engage in citizen diplomacy, they'll get results they didn't plan for. Last year, I was in a bookstore in London when I heard a group of American teenagers giggling over a book containing Bushisms. They were saying, quite loudly, "Our President is a moron!"

[sweetheart]

26. most?

The simple fact that the rich can afford to travel abroad and the poor cannot, indicates
that the upper classes are more likely to be travelling abroad. Then when most international
travel is national security related, the remainder outside tourism, are business people,
skilled labour who cowtows to the big money for the house slave priviledge of being shifted
abroad.

Then if you took your microphone to london high finance and met the american contingent of
big money bags, it is very corporatist, and i would disagree with your statement.

American corporatism is projected abroad and most americans abroad, military inclusive are
the bush supporters. The liberal opposition is hit economically and is less likey to be
abroad.

[mainer]

27. Americans who travel abroad are, by nature, more open-minded

And they're more likely to question Bush policies. Remember who Bush and his supporters are -- narrow-minded people who often have never stepped foot outside the U.S. because they think "this is the best country in the world" and everyone would want to move here.

I deal with high-income people in media all the time. And they are at least 90 percent against Bush.
I go overseas to London all the time. And the only people who spout pro-Bush stuff at me are the rightwing cab drivers over there.
Talk to the rightwing Bushies here who love to pound on Sweden and France and European countries in general as "failed socialist societies.' Why do they say this? Because THEY'VE NEVER SEEN EUROPE FIRST-HAND.
Send a kid to Europe. It's the best way to turn him into a liberal.

[sweetheart]

34. Getting people to travel more would be a great benefit

The conservatives (neocrims) have always been distant from the big
urban scene, and wall street is totally misunderstood by bush's hicks.
Surely the rebellion of urban peoples is well entrenched.

but those rightwing cabbies are the voice of britain, likey the
voice of a conservative government after blair takes down labour,
and london is a foreign country even in england.

And you as well, to mix with the crowd you do, are middle class,
not working poor.

Its not uncommon for elites to speak for the poor, being heartfelt
progressives, much respected, yet you are an elite. The cabbies are
working class, and they are the canaries in this coal mine.

[BooScout]

29. Bullshit....

I am an American living abroad. Most Americans living abroad are more liberal......simply for the fact they realize there's a world outside the US Borders and not everything revolves around the US. As to your comment about only the rich can afford to travel abroad? What century are you living in? You can travel roundtrip to Europe for two weeks, staying in moderate hotels for no more than it takes to visit Florida.

I'm in touch with a lot of Americans living abroad and I can assure you they are not all Bush supporters. Most loathe the man and reiterate that often....we have to in order to let the rest of the world know that not every American is an idiot marching to the Bush Doctrine.

Ya gotta get out of Scotland more often.

[sweetheart]

31. You are not working poor

The rich travel in europe and the poor work 2 jobs to pay the rent,
cuz they can't take time off, or get childcare. You are elite
middle class, and/or upper class, you can write a coherent paragraph
and are not in the urban poor sector, so "bullshit" to you, middle
class person. You are not poor, or working class, and your argument
bears little weight when you truly take in to consideration the
real world of a poor person today.

I do agree that many americans are better educated abroad, by the
mere fact of being vented from the faux-media environment. This does
not change the fact that the majority of americans abroad are there
as business apparachiks, state department /cia and military.

In terms of making waves abroad, its cover/overt ops or economic ops,
where bankers and moneymen buy up infrastructure using private equity
vehicles across the planet, untraceable and far ahead of the media,
a new elite bushist corporate government is being carlysled out of
the public sphere, and all the liberal masses who are well informed
abroad can not have their votes counted.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

32. Dupe

:shrug:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

33. My experience with Japanese people and with tourists from elsewhere in

the U.S. is that they like Americans just fine--as long as they know that said Americans didn't vote for Bush.

[daleo]

36. It's not anti-Americanism, it is anti-BFEEism

The world had quite a favorable impression of Clinton, on the whole.