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Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

pudding.cool

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Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#31

What's interesting is if you did this for just about any other country, there would be a wall of star spangled banners. If you ever travel outside the US, you inevitably hear about what the US is doing, what they're discussing, who the important people are, etc. The reverse is not true: - Everyone outside the US knows the top US politicians. You even know what issues they are discussing, like gun control and healthca…

I agree that there is certainly a US focus in the world, but you could frankly replace “US” with any G8 member or China, and everything you’ve listed would be true for me. It would also be true for all our Scandinavian neighbours.

I’m part of what you could fairly call the cultural elite of my country, and as such I’m not representative for every Dane, but knowing what goes on in important countries, is frankly part of being a small nation.

Anyway, that also means the US doesn’t dominate as much as you might think. Even with Trump, the most important countries in our news sphere much of this year have been Sweden (election), Germany (der mutti crisis and CDU chairman), France (reforms and later revolts), Russia (Putin being evil in a new way each month) and Britain (brexit).

Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#32

What's interesting is if you did this for just about any other country, there would be a wall of star spangled banners. If you ever travel outside the US, you inevitably hear about what the US is doing, what they're discussing, who the important people are, etc. The reverse is not true: - Everyone outside the US knows the top US politicians. You even know what issues they are discussing, like gun control and healthca…

Knowing about France is equivalent to knowing about California.

US states behave a lot like EU members and knowing many US states is not indicative of anything.

Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#33

As someone from India it is probably a good thing that the US has seemingly not had us in mind at almost any point during the last 100 or so years, except for a brief period when we conducted some nuclear tests during 1998(?)... /s

Also during the Nuclear deal in the end of 2008

I would think the November 26 attacks were responsible for the spike in November and December of 2008. I didn't even think of the nuclear deal.

Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you’re going to be dismissive and somewhat pompous, You could at least point out specifics of what you see wrong with this and how you would’ve done it differently or liked to have seen it done differently. At least that way people could engage with you beyond down voting you. Personally I think this visualization is quite neat. Sorry.

Putting Russia and the Soviet Union under the same flag is the obvious one.

"...Through the Eyes of the US" they mean the same.

Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#35

What's interesting is if you did this for just about any other country, there would be a wall of star spangled banners. If you ever travel outside the US, you inevitably hear about what the US is doing, what they're discussing, who the important people are, etc. The reverse is not true: - Everyone outside the US knows the top US politicians. You even know what issues they are discussing, like gun control and healthca…

> You'll know the names of the states. How many other foreign countries do you know the subdivisions of

I prefer to compare the USA with Europe as a whole, its member countries as states. In that light, I wager many Americans would know quite a few. Norway, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Ireland surely would make the majority? Maybe even Belgium. Are we still allowed to say UK?

Americans love to chastise themselves for lack of knowledge of foreign countries. But, to compare a >300mm economic powerhouse to a <10mm sideshow? Neither would I. Don’t be so hard on yourselves :D

Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#36

What's interesting is if you did this for just about any other country, there would be a wall of star spangled banners. If you ever travel outside the US, you inevitably hear about what the US is doing, what they're discussing, who the important people are, etc. The reverse is not true: - Everyone outside the US knows the top US politicians. You even know what issues they are discussing, like gun control and healthca…

Not so sure about all these statements, but regarding to the headline count on newspapers I mostly agree.

Wars have a very strong role in it. Both in the countries in this map and in US dominanting headlines here in Brazil when they go to war.

Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#37

Why was Germany not more prominent during WWII (but apparently during WWI)?

Because as I understand it, the US was largely aloof until Germany started pursuing atomic weapons and even then the Manhattan Project was done very secretively. So until Hitler started incarcerating millions of people and threatened all out war on Europe, the US wasn't really bothered all that much. So naturally Germany hits the headlines for the final 2 years of the war, and then Japan for a year because Pearl Harb…

> until Hitler started incarcerating millions of people and threatened all out war on Europe, the US wasn't really bothered all that much

If by US you mean the public, many in the public did care, insofar they were aware. Generally not enough to want refugees in their country, but they still wanted to see the atrocities of the Nazis condemned by their government more than they were.

But if by US you mean the US government, parts of it were bothered enough to block reports, at the very least:

https://exhibitions.ushmm.org/americans-and-the-holocaust/ma...

> In early 1943, US State Department officials blocked reports about the mass murder of Jews from reaching the United States. Some at the State Department wanted to avoid any increase in public pressure to aid Jews and thought that if the American people did not have information about the atrocities, they would not protest.

[..]

> In November 1943, a group of congressmen, influenced by activist Peter Bergson, introduced bipartisan resolutions in the House of Representatives and Senate calling for President Roosevelt to create a government commission to rescue Europe’s Jews. In secret testimony before Congress, Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long declared that the State Department already had admitted 580,000 refugees, a claim soon publicly proven false.

> At the same time, US Treasury Department staff investigated the State Department’s delays and obstruction in sending relief into Europe to aid Jewish refugees. They discovered that State Department officials had deliberately suppressed reports about the murder of Jews. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr. agreed to present their findings to President Roosevelt.

> As a result of Treasury’s efforts, Roosevelt signed an executive order on January 22, 1944, establishing the War Refugee Board. It was charged with the rescue and relief of victims of Nazi oppression as long as it did not interfere with the war effort.

Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#38

What's interesting is if you did this for just about any other country, there would be a wall of star spangled banners. If you ever travel outside the US, you inevitably hear about what the US is doing, what they're discussing, who the important people are, etc. The reverse is not true: - Everyone outside the US knows the top US politicians. You even know what issues they are discussing, like gun control and healthca…

> You'll know the names of the states. How many other foreign countries do you know the subdivisions of I prefer to compare the USA with Europe as a whole, its member countries as states. In that light, I wager many Americans would know quite a few. Norway, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Ireland surely would make the majority? Maybe even Belgium. Are we still allowed to say UK? Americans love to chast…

What percentage of Americans could confidently name one state of India or one province of China? Our education system somewhat talks about Europe, but most of the world is basically ignored.

Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#39

What's interesting is if you did this for just about any other country, there would be a wall of star spangled banners. If you ever travel outside the US, you inevitably hear about what the US is doing, what they're discussing, who the important people are, etc. The reverse is not true: - Everyone outside the US knows the top US politicians. You even know what issues they are discussing, like gun control and healthca…

I ve noticed that most americans are not aware how important the US is for the rest of the world.

I don't even think it is a matter of education, except for some elite northwestern european countries, where it matters. Most people learn a lot about the US through the movies and random news headlines. It's what always happens with global leaders.

Re: Countries that have preoccupied Americans the most since 1900

#40

What's interesting is if you did this for just about any other country, there would be a wall of star spangled banners. If you ever travel outside the US, you inevitably hear about what the US is doing, what they're discussing, who the important people are, etc. The reverse is not true: - Everyone outside the US knows the top US politicians. You even know what issues they are discussing, like gun control and healthca…

> You'll know the names of the states. How many other foreign countries do you know the subdivisions of I prefer to compare the USA with Europe as a whole, its member countries as states. In that light, I wager many Americans would know quite a few. Norway, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Ireland surely would make the majority? Maybe even Belgium. Are we still allowed to say UK? Americans love to chast…

Do be hard on yourselves, because the rest of the world isn't so proudly uneducated.
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