What do you think of the US?

Well, i am not a big fan of the US's policies (RIP Libya).
But culturally and geographically it's a very
beautiful and diverse country.

I'm confused? Do US citizens spend much time wondering what others think about them existing?
This is pointless.
US is like any other country. It has good and bad people, culture, etc. I don't think I should be the one telling you that...

I hate how it's run, and I don't fit in very much with all the Theist religion and right wing ideals, I don't like how we treat the natives who came here first and their culture. But I like the food, and I like the little bit of natural wildlife we haven't destroyed yet with our obsession with killing things.

To add, we treat our education system like garbage. About 5 or more schools have closed down in my town over the past few years due to the lack of funds, and public school teachers get paid diddly dick.

Hmm very interesting topic. There is so much I could say about the US, since I've lived there my whole life. I am torn at times about how I feel about my country. Most of the time I am embarrassed by systemic and cultural problems that end up being forced onto other countries (globalism). Other times I have some faith that not all of us are complete idiots.

Since I have never been able to travel outside of the US, I have never really gotten to know how we as a collective are truly viewed, though I assume not too well. Quite frankly I feel unwelcomed internationally but with a reputation for Americans being rude, inconsiderate, etc. I don't blame anyone. Tourists of any kind can become burdensome to be around, especially if they act inconsiderately out of ignorance. Anyway, I digress.

The real issue that bothers me on a daily basis, which I'm probably not alone on this, is a socioeconomic one. Money is a problem from the top to the bottom of society. The rich are legally allowed to bride and buy power with lobbying. Since this has been going on for many decades, though particularly bad since the 1980s, most government officials are at the mercy of big money. They can't perform their jobs most times because they have to spend more time raising money. Even most bills are written by big banks now, not the senators that were elected to write them. With this amount of legal corruption, there have been sacrifices made that hurt the common person. Education is lacking and teachers are under supported. We breed ignorance because most people need something better than the system that currently exists. With a poorly educated population, people are more easily mislead by misinformation. The news caters to stories that are sensationalized. After all, they are a business. In a capitalistic society, money equates success. So when people are under educated, finding a good paying job is hard. Anyone who has read about psychology can tell you that desperate people will do drastic things to take care of their needs. Sometimes this desperation takes the form of religious beliefs. Other times violent action, as seen with racial crimes and mass shootings. As a society we tend to want to treat the symptoms of our problems rather than the sources. Because of this we behave rather strangely. The US is a large and diverse group of people and with all the confused feelings of being trapped but not understanding by what, we are hitting a boiling point here soon. There is a saying that after a forest fire, it grows back twice as green and resistant as it was before. I fear the conflicts we are having will burn us all but hopefully the roots of our troubles will be removed because of it.

I didn't expect to write a mini essay. Sorry about that lol!

This is something I don't wanna talk about on Tapastic, because, ya know, so I'll just say this. The level of corruption in our government is SICKENING and INFURITATING. What makes me even more angry is the level of idiocy most citizens seem to have, blindly accepting the leaders that are shoved down our throats. I hope Trump is not elected, I hope Clinton answers for her crimes, I hope the DNC is held responsible for their blatant interference with democracy. At this point I really wanna see heads roll. And that's that, the next four years will be an insult to this country and its people. How the fuck did we let this happen?

But I love this country and its people. It's just those motherfuckers on top that ruin it for the rest.

Oh God. The Philippines loves 'Murica. Its culture, its food, its policies, everything. I guess it's because the country has been occupied by Americans shortly before and during WWII and have been pretty good allies since, but apparently the masses here think that the US is the epitome of civilization, a utopia, if you will. I observed that the country tries to copy the American way, and all the good and bad things that come with it. For example, being fluent in English is kinda seen as a status symbol, and everything made in the States is the pinnacle of quality.

I'm not really a fan, personally, if I were to base my opinion on the country's current affairs I'm hearing of.

What makes me even more angry is the level of idiocy most citizens seem to have, blindly accepting the leaders that are shoved down our throats.

Oh, and I think US and PHL have yet another thing in common.

Not an American, but my opinion is that the United States is far and away the best nation ever created. Add to that the contribution the people have given to mankind, the unparalleled opportunities the economy provides and the diverse natural beauty of the land, and frankly, I don't think any other place on earth compares.

If the right people could manage to steer the US economy in the right direction, there's no limit to what they could achieve.

Having said that, I'd still much rather still live in my own country, Australia, where we don't have a lot of the problems that the US is facing at the moment.

I'm British so will keep most of what i think to ones self.

one of the things that Confuses me about America is this obsession about following the constitution regarding guns. Now I am fully respectful that people in your history wrote this document when you kicked out us nasty Brits . But in these modern times how can people continue to keep using an history document as an excuse to sell automatic weapons ? when they wrote about "the right to bear arms" they were talking about muskets, the difference between loading a musket and ramming a clip in an automatic rifle is quite different. And if I were AN American that is one thing I would be fighting for to have that part of the constitution changed (and i don't mean defacing the document)
guns are the one reason that i wont Visit America.

All I can say regarding the US is that our government and many of its policies do not reflect most American citizens. The idea of hating an entire country feels odd to me, knowing that a government does not automatically reflect the ideas and culture of its people.

It's hard for me to generalize the U.S. when we are such a huge and diverse country. It's especially apparent to me as a native Californian whose partner grew up in Alabama, i.e. a largely liberal place vs a very conservative Bible-belt state. The difference between our respective family's culture/beliefs is like night and day.

Coming from Canada, we tend to see a lot of the backlash and gains of our American neighbours. There are a lot of fantastic things that the States have done that have really benefited a big portion of the world -they have a very loud media voice and so they can really get the momentum going. For a lot of the things that the US has done, I'm proud to be their neighbour. Canada also benefits greatly from our trade relationship, which I believe, is the biggest trade relationship in the world.

However, there are things that confuse and frighten me about the States. One being their gun laws. I'm not sure why the statistics from countries around the world are being ignored there, especially when they pride themselves on using scientific knowledge to advance the world so readily. Another problem is the amount of racism I've seen rising lately. It saddens me to see a country that is so divided. The media portrays that the States are for equality of those fighting for gender rights, but then shows that people of different races don't deserve the same treatment. Certain political figures have only been feeding the flames lately which I also find very disheartening.

Canada has also been threatened by some political leaders in regards to NATO and NAFTA, something that could potentially ruin the US and Canadian economy, as well as put many countries in danger. So even though I've heard people joke about US politics and say that if one politician is to become president that they would move to Canada, you need to be aware that us Canadians are also affected by your choice. So, yes, we do follow your politics closely -sometimes more than people who actually live there. All I can say here is that the best thing you can do, is vote. US voting rates are horrendous.

One thing we need to remember, though, is that what we see in the media, doesn't represent the country as a whole. What the world sees are the extreme faces of America. I've traveled through America, as well as having family and friends that have lived there, and it has shown me that what the media portrays is not the epitome of your country. I think it is a wonderful place to visit, with amazing and beautiful things to see. Do I think it is perfect? No, absolutely not. But what country is? Every single country is struggling with something -the problem is that the US fights their problems through the media so the whole world can watch.

I don't hate the entire nation, no.

I just disapprove of a lot of their policies, am sceptical of a lot of the things their government does, and direct my hate (which is largely fuelled by fear) at some very specific people. Like Donald Trump, and the facist tide he seems to have unleashed onto American politics.

Nowhere is perfect, obviously. There are a LOT of issues where I live as well (Sweden - if anyone ever tells you we're a fairytale country to live in, they're lying to you), but the domestic politics of my country don't have anywhere near the same impact on the global stage as the domestic politics of the US. When we pick a new Prime Minister, we just... pick a new Prime Minister and the rest of the world shrugs and gets on with it.

When the US picks a new President, the rest of us cross our fingers and hope like hell they're a good one, or we're up for four years of shittiness on a global scale.

Of course, like all of us, my perspective is coloured by the country where I grew up, and it's difficult for a resident in a European nation to fully grasp the complexities of political culture in the US - just as it's difficult for a US-resident to grasp the complexities of our political culture.

As an Amuricano all I can say is Amurica fuck yeah

Coming from a third world country to obtain a higher education and brighter future in America, I can only say... this is an amazing country. People can complain about all the bad thing about US government if they want, but to me this land is still better than my home country. Don't take me wrong, I love my own country, but not even my family who lives there wants me to be back in the country because of how corrupted it is over there. So much worse than here in the states. I'm not a political person and I'm not someone to talk about politically because I don't understand them all that much. I live my life and if whatever is going on politically doesn't affect me too bad, I couldn careless.

Oh the good 'ole US of A. I used to be a proud American when I was little, I don't know anymore. The citizens as a whole are great when they're not blind sheeple. The cold-hearted, two-faced beings who run the show, behind the scenes and the figureheads, are a disgrace to mankind. I just feel like we're the Roman Empire and it's just a matter of time before it all crumbles out from under us. Sometimes I think, why didn't my mom stay in Korea? But it is what it is. I don't hate this place, I hate the leaders and what they've done to it. Thing is, The US likes to pretend they're your friend. That we're the good guys. They hide their bullshit. They hide all the ugly truths while we consume and spend. This place has become a grand experiment.

As someone who lives in the US I honestly kinda hate it these days!

I don't like how it's run and I'm honestly fearful of who the next president is going to be because it's either going to be a xenophobic, racist bigot or a murderer.

My father's side of the family is voting for Trump and I honestly can not understand what they see in this guy, he wants to build a wall and people think this is going to be effective to keep the illegals out which is stupid, if people want to get in bad enough they will find a way in.