In the United States, Americans tend to focus mainly on how their country views itself. They do not pay much attention to foreign countries, and usually when they do they assert a "USA is better than all" attitude. Little do they know the strong opinions that other countries have regarding the Red, White, and Blue.
Usually Americans are warned of the dangers found in other countries, but the same holds true for foreigners visiting the USA. In Canada, they warn citizens who wish the travel to the USA about the drug and alcohol related violence within the country. They tell their citizens to be vigilant and low key when they are in heavy entertainment areas. If Canadians commit a crime, they will simply be shipped back north of the border to do their time (Seaney).
Australia warns its citizens that the laws are stricter in the USA compared to the Land Down Under and that drinking age is upped to 21 as opposed to Australia's legal age of 18. Australia also warns them of various hazard weather conditions as well as the pricey medical treatment in the States (Seaney).
England is mainly concerned with the traffic, crime, and weather in the USA. The crime rarely involves tourists though, and the weather mostly revolves around hurricanes and snowstorms. The speed and drinking limits are also lower in the USA compared to England. Also, England has this drug known as Khat that is legal in the homeland but not so much in the USA. English tourists caught with this drug will be detained, arrested, and might face a prison sentence (Seaney).
Finally there is Germany. The Fatherland is a very liberal country in terms of sexuality as it has many nude beaches and many citizens who are not afraid to showcase their bodies. In the USA, however, it is much different as nudity is prohibited on all beaches and changing in public may upset bystanders (Seaney).
These examples regarding these four countries show just how different the USA's culture is from that of nations all over the world. What is acceptable or unacceptable in the USA differs depending on a country's values and social structure.
Now that I am done hilighting what some countries warn their citizens about before traveling to the USA, it is time to take a look at the countries who do and do not like the USA. According to the Pew Research Center, most of the animosity towards the USA is centered in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Some world powers like Germany and Russia are on this list based on past run-ins with the USA in World Wars I and II as well as the Cold War (Stokes).
Conversely, the countries who support the USA are scattered throughout the world. Nations on this list like France, the Philippines, and Israel do not surprise me as the USA has either maintained strong relations with them (France), used to own them (Philippines), or stepped in to deal with their conflicts (Israel). The country that surprises me on this list has to be Vietnam because I figured they were still upset about the whole Vietnam War and the napalming and killing of innocent civilians. After all of that, it is very intriguing to see that Vietnam views the USA in a positive light (Stokes).
Despite cultural and political differences, the USA has found a way to coexist with other nations around it. Yes, Americans have this mega sense of national pride that stems from past successes both internationally and domestically. Nevertheless, we as Americans should still be more accepting and understanding of both our foreign allies and enemies. We should strive to learn as much as we can about them while also maintaining good international relations all around.
Sources
Seaney, Rick. "Odd Things Other Countries Warn About Travel in the USA." ABC News. ABC News Network, 16 Mar. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/odd-things-countries-warn-travel-usa/story?id=22912284>.
Stokes, Bruce. "Which Countries Don't like America and Which Do." Pew Research Center RSS. 15 July 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/which-countries-dont-like-america-and-which-do/>.
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