Of course there are many levels to anti-Americanism, from dislike of American foreign policy to absolute hate of all things American, including people. This question was inspired by yet another talk about America recently...
Anyway, say you meet someone and you seem to get on fairly well. Let's say that you two have a conversation and somehow America gets brought up, probably when talking about your roots, and say this person has obvious anti-American sentiment. Is it a deal breaker between you two as friends? Obviously a lot of it can be laughed off, however, is there a line for what you will tolerate and won't tolerate?
The person I was speaking with was a bit rude about it and seemed a bit close-minded. Somehow we got on the discussion of where I was from, he asked after all, and then he began to list all the things he thought was wrong with the US. For one, he refused to listen when I argued against the fact that he believed that America and Canada 'were practically the same place.' Yes, we have some similarities in culture and we do like to joke about it, however we have completely different histories, differences in culture, differences in systems, etc.
Another annoying comment of his was how he believed that the South-West of the US was 'practically the same as Mexico.'
While both sides have drawn from one another, there is still vast differences in culture. In fact, in Texas for example, there has been the creation of Tex-Mex culture which is obviously different from American culture and Mexican culture.
He also claimed that Americans are extremely money-driven, in his words, 'more so than anywhere else which means there's no warmth in Americans', though partially true, this could be said for every where else. After all, he was talking to a uni cash cow
Again, he also claimed that there is a lack of warmth in all Americans. I tried to explain to him that the experiences you face from one side of the country to the next will be different. For example, using experiences in Massachusetts to judge the rest of the nation is unfair. You wouldn't visit the South-West of England and expect the same things in the North-East of Scotland. I asked him thrice about where he had been in the US and completely dodged the question. He also said that such coldness in people isn't found in Europe.
Also, he was bothered how Americans don't have passports. To this, I explained how up until a few years ago, Americans only needed an id card to travel between Canada and Mexico. Also that individual states have their own culture and with a place so massive as the US, one doesn't necessarily have to own a passport to try something different. I also said look at how Britons get their passport but to only travel to Spain and France. By the way, here is where he said that 'surely there isn't much differences in culture between the US, Canada, and Mexico.' Oh yes, because people travel to Ibiza for culture
Perhaps this sounds too ranty for Expat life, but I suppose that in this case, my first impression of this person was marred by his lack of understanding. Though it happens a lot, I don't like meeting someone and then ten minutes later be expected to be the audience of their monologue about things they dislike about the states. I often feel like a charity case for people to enlighten or a punching bag for people to take out their frustration about US foreign policy. I certainly can't remember the last time I made someone sit through my list about things I dislike about their respective country. If I calmly counter their statements, it makes them believe that I'm a "US patriot, my country can do no wrong!" However, by opposing their position, I can generally tell if they're a bandwagoner or if they have done their research.
To get back to the question, though his comments weren't very anti-American (I didn't list everything that he said) but this post was inspired by them. Is there a line between things you will and will not tolerate about what people say? And is or has it been a deal breaker between you and friends?
