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| Europe |
| Germany: US Sux |
| 2003-04-02 |
| Die Deutschen aint crazy about us these days Nearly nine in 10 Germans have lost their respect for the United States because of the war in Iraq, according to an opinion poll by the Forsa institute published on Wednesday. Nine out of 10, huh? The poll for Stern magazine found 89 percent of the 1,003 Germans surveyed said "No" when asked "Is the United States still a role model?" Only nine percent said "Yes" and two percent said they had no opinion. Which pretty much jibes with what the US thinks of Germany Germans have long harbored an overwhelmingly positive image of the United States -- especially in the dominant western part of the country that was protected during the Cold War by a large U.S. military force. Was haben Sie fÃŒr mich kÃŒrzlich getan, huh? Many also admire the United States for defending West Berlin during the Berlin Airlift and Berlin Wall standoffs with the Soviet Union. Close business and cultural ties have flourished between two of the world's three biggest economic powers. Großvater bores us to death with those stories about the Yankees and their chocolate bars. But the German government and about four-fifths of the public have firmly opposed the U.S.-led war to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, harshly criticizing the United States for failing to get explicit U.N. backing for its action. Yeah. How dare we go after dictators without getting France's approval? The Forsa institute found 62 percent of Germans surveyed expect the United States to emerge from the Iraq war weakened and only 19 percent see it emerging stronger. A further 19 percent had no opinion. Rerun this poll when the US, Britain, Australia and the rest of our allies are rebuilding Iraq and Schroeder takes the German economy even farther into the tank. |
| Posted by:Christopher Johnson |
| #24 Sorry but even if they didn't like me (my last name is Hess so I kind of think that would not hold true.) I still will drive German cars. Everyone need not love the US but right now staying out of the way is prolly a good idea if you are not going to help out. Some folks do need to get that clue. I drink Dutch, English or Irish beers anyway. |
| Posted by: FlameBait93268 2004-08-12 07:31 |
| #23 ### Germany in it's ###. It's like during the Nazi holocaust when they all came out...surrounded by Russians and Americans and said "but we didn't know". German backbone runs about as far as the nearest pub. They've already bilked the US and it's WWII allies of enough money to rebuild their country from a burned out brick into a model economy. Thanks to us and our policies toward them. Who CARES what the Germans think of what we do next. They sure don't, because they don't "need" anything from us anymore. Anyway, you know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, France is accusing the US of arrogance and Germany doesn't want to go to war! Vell den grabben der beeren, mit der women, und sitten sie back, und watchen das blinken lights! |
| Posted by: jambora 2004-08-12 07:16 |
| #22 Wonder what they will need the F-16s for in peaceful Europe? Fighting terrorists? Or the Russians? Germans? |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-02 23:09:26 |
| #21 Well, they are getting 16 F-16s for free. Ok, they do have to pay for them but in return they also get $2 billion for defense spending and related contracts. It's not like Israel... yet. |
| Posted by: RW 2003-04-02 22:57:23 |
| #20 LOL, RW if the US military moves on to Poland, be prepared to hear an old German joke about Poland: "Come visit Poland, your car is already there." Well we'll have to deal with "New Europe"... somehow. But know that they are the new allies of America, the U.S. will foot their bills, right? Or not? |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-02 22:31:38 |
| #19 Southern Germany was occupied.. err liberated... by US troops. Obviously they did a good job, right? Maybe they should send some of the old folks to Iraq to show how it is done :-) People in Hamburg (liberated by the Brits) are not more hostile, just cooler, more reserved, that's all. Guess which German states have a better economy. Old Patriot, the people you know will not change even if they might not agree with you on certain political points. America is not the Bush administration and Germany not the Schroeder gov. It's true though that the South votes conservative, the North left. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-02 22:25:16 |
| #18 ask the citizens of Spain, Italy or Poland (coalition members) the same question about the U.S. being a "role model" for their countries Yeah, Poland. The country where they bitch & complain about having to pay US$150 for a tourist visa application, a visa that doesn't even guarantee entrance, yet they still come out in droves. Most people would prefer to be somewhere other than in Poland. They're just waiting for the EU floodgates to open. TGA, be prepared to batten down the hatches. |
| Posted by: RW 2003-04-02 22:20:32 |
| #17 TGA - right on! Love the Bavarians, especially once you get out of the big cities - Munich, Stuttgart, etc. We met a couple in Fussen that helped us around the city, up to Neu Schwannstein, and all over. Never met them before I stopped to help them change a flat tire. Now we've been friends for 25 years. WONDERFUL people. Wiesbaden is a gorgeous city, and has many friendly people who actually LIKE the US and its military people that came there. As for Hamburg, I don't know - we only made one trip up there, and we just passed through Hamburg. Do know that Mohammed Atta and several of the 9/11 highjackers spent quite a bit of time there. Would love to see the raw data for that poll... 8^) |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-02 22:12:22 |
| #16 In the South people are friendlier, not just when it comes to politics. So does that mean that people in Hamburg are more likely to be hostile to Yanks? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-04-02 21:19:04 |
| #15 Noted that too ;-) |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-02 21:15:40 |
| #14 TGA, Interesting about people in the South of Germany being friendlier - same thing over here ;-) |
| Posted by: Bman 2003-04-02 20:36:23 |
| #13 Small Business American, you will be way safer in Germany than in the U.S. The worst that might happen to you is the exchange rate (and some serious rip offs in redlight bars..lol). Old Patriot: Only believe in polls you rigged yourself (quote attributed to Winston Churchill). In the South people are friendlier, not just when it comes to politics. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-02 19:37:37 |
| #12 RIGGED RESULTS? If Stern conducted the survey in the north,or in the former East Germany, I could believe those results. If they conducted it in Hesse, or Wurttemburg, or Bavaria, I'd bet the results would be far different. I lived in Germany for a total of ten years between 1971 and 1990. It's a gorgeous country, with friendly people. However, the further north we went for visits, the less likely we'd be to find 'friendly' people. BTW, if you want to read a more "middle of the road" magazine, "Der Spiegel" is a good one. Wonder what THEIR poll results would be... |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-02 19:32:12 |
| #11 "Is the USA still a role-model"? That's quite a stupid question to ask. What if the USA hasn't been a role model before? There weren't much people before who said that the German government should emulate the USA, as Germany was always very intent on independence. I'd like to note again that the Stern is not only quite leftist, but also probably on the lowest level of all news magazines. It's more like a weekly tabloid with lots of pictures. That set aside, it's not as much far from the truth as I'd wish it would be (the results of the poll). What would you expect from a country where all the rebellious students from '68 are now in leading positions in the government and media? |
| Posted by: mhd 2003-04-02 19:03:59 |
| #10 Leaving for Hamburg/Hannover Friday. Am I going to be confronted at the places I go to every 2 years when I attend Hannover Messe? Is my wife going to be bothered while there? I am in the auto industry, and have no choice about going unless I want to go bankrupt. Any help? |
| Posted by: Small Business American 2003-04-02 19:00:07 |
| #9 Time to pull the troops out of the Fatherland and either bring them home or base them in Poland. While the Poles haven't really helped out that much they have helped. I can see it now. "Camp Kosiosko" outside Krakow. The Poles have a tradition as calvary, lets teach 'em how to be 21st century calvarymen. I can see a new center of power in Europe emerging centered on the Poles, Czecks and Ukranians. as for the French we will know the French have committed national suicide when Notre Dame is converted into a mosque. |
| Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire 2003-04-02 18:34:08 |
| #8 I sure hope that those reports of rude treatment are isolated. I'd hate to think that Germany has changed that much since October. I went to visit my brother in the southern part, and the people couldn't have been nicer. I even thought of taking German lessons before I go back so I could talk to the locals more (picked up a little while visiting, didn't speak a word when I got there). |
| Posted by: Former Russian Major 2003-04-02 18:25:25 |
| #7 From what you hear... I LIVE here and nobody spits at anyone or refuses service. You may always find a few idiots of course... anywhere. I have been wearing a US flag pin since 9/11. Nobody has ever said a bad word to me. Sometimes I get into a discussion, but that's about it. Also no Coke spilling into German gutters. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-02 18:21:33 |
| #6 As long as we get to rule the world, who cares what the germans think. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2003-04-02 18:20:12 |
| #5 That won't change and U.S. visitors still get the same friendly treatment as always. From what I hear Americans are spit at in Germany right now and refused to be served in restaurants, etc. Not all Germans of course but Americans just aren't liked. |
| Posted by: g wiz 2003-04-02 17:41:41 |
| #4 What about Audis? Should I be ashamed that I drive one? Hell no, I shouldn't. Or anyone else who buys German cars. Why? Somehow they're able to make them like no one else can. Maybe it's because they're not busy thinking through moral and political issues. But who cares about that as long as they can produce things we want. We're overly sensitive when it comes to world opinion. The only opinions we should care about are those willing to blow themselves up to kill us. |
| Posted by: Matt 2003-04-02 16:49:36 |
| #3 As always I'm here to provide the details and the clarifications. First of all this poll was ordered by the STERN, a positively leftist magazine. Forsa, who did the poll, is Schroeder's favorite. So take all this with a grain, err spoon of salt. Then, nobody was talking about "lost respect". The poll talked about the U.S. being a "role model" for Germany. Well, I don't know how you define that but if the Germans liked the idea of being the military superpower in the world I can just imagine how you would like that, right? The war is not popular here, right, so the country leading it can't be extremely popular either... for the moment. Still you would be hard pressed to find a more "americanized" country than Germany. That won't change and U.S. visitors still get the same friendly treatment as always. Schroeder will not be able to sever these ties. OK, now please go on and ask the citizens of Spain, Italy or Poland (coalition members) the same question about the U.S. being a "role model" for their countries. Then we talk again. 9 out of 10 Germans: I seriously challenge that result. It's rigged. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-04-02 16:49:28 |
| #2 *sigh* I suppose this means no more braunschweiger, no more Moselblumschen (darn good white wine)... Ah, well. As for the US emerging from this war weakened, No. Bruised, maybe, weakened, no. Maybe 9 out of 10 service-men and -women will see it unlikely to come to Germany's defence, or France's for that matter, should the need arise. We'll get yelled at then, too. Damned if we do, damned if we don't. We'll begin as we mean to go on, then. |
| Posted by: Tadderly 2003-04-02 16:23:22 |
| #1 if being liked by the germans and the rest of the world means putting our security in the hands of the un then forget it. we must come to the conculusion that we have very few true friends in the world and our politics and diplomacy should reflect this. the world takes the united states for granted, we can protect our so-called allies but we cannot protect ourselfs. during times of crisis your true friends will show thier colours. thankyou britian, australia and spain. ALL OF YOU WHO DRIVE BMW'S AND MERCEDES SHOULD BE ASHAMED OUR YOURSELFS. the german ecomomy is sinking and sinking fast, lets put another torpedo in her ship and stop buying their dammed cars! |
| Posted by: Dan 2003-04-02 15:50:54 |