How Many Of You Hate America? | Teen Ink

How Many Of You Hate America?

August 21, 2009
By Eilina Sealtman SILVER, London, Other
Eilina Sealtman SILVER, London, Other
7 articles 0 photos 15 comments

The common view of things is often different from the reality. They can be twisted, beautiful images that shield us from the truth. Sometimes people should think of it not as a shield, but as a blindfold. Because a world superpower is taking steps too far. By consuming more fossil fuels than is necessary, by standing still and making no military progression when it was needed, and by waging war on a country and attacking soldier and civilians over a mere dispute for oil. This “great” country, is America.

Many people look to America and sigh with envy at “the American Dream” . However, that dream cannot last long, while America is guzzling up precious resources left on a rapidly crowding planet. These figures speak for themselves about the evident greed of America:



Coal > Production
531,822,000 ton


Coal consumption
1,060,000,000


Commercial energy use
8,148.38


Electric power consumption > kWh
3,920,613,000,000 kWh


Electricity > Consumption
3,892,000,000,000 kWh


Gasoline prices
0.77


Geothermal power use
5,640


Natural gas > Consumption
652,900,000,000 cu m


Natural Gasoline > Production
12,275,000 ton


Nuclear electricity generation
780.1 terawatt-hours


Nuclear energy consumption
821.1 terawatt-hours


Nuclear reactors operable
104


Oil > Consumption
20,680,000 bbl/day


Oil > Exports
1,165,000 bbl/day


Oil > Production
8,457,000 bbl/day


Oil imports > Net
10,400,000 barrels per day


Oil reserves
22,450,000,000 barrels


Usage per person
8.35 TOE per person


Wall plugs > Voltage
110 V


Wind energy installation
6,740 MW






These crimes are forgivable, as other nations are guilty of many similar crimes, such as Brazilians chopping down the Amazon. But global warming is not the most important aspect that we can hold against America. America has extorted countries beyond the point of recovery. Equador, for example, was reduced to a poor scrabbling wreck once America dealt out loans to them. Now Equador only has 5% of its national budget to spend on public services, whilst the rest of the money goes into paying off foreign aid, almost all of which goes to America. Is this right? Is it fair that Americans can bully nations? Furthermore. America threatens, assasinates, and then goes to war with the presidents of countries who refused to run their countries as they like. The war with Iraq is a simple example. America wanted oil. Iran refused to give for no good reason. Why should we just let them do this to us? Us as a world?
Oh yes, because they have guns!

The U.S.A government is a trigger-happy collection of murderous power figures, They do so much to the world, and yet they have nuclear arms and their military to point at other nations, and say “give me your money!” They succeeded for so long due to pure fear, but now other countries have the chance to strike back. America doesn't have all the power anymore. A single grain of rice can tip a scale. Somehow, America has set in a system which everybody likes. A system where people don't think. Where they impulsively buy items that will break very soon. In America, only 10% of items bought for a house are kept for more than a month, and only 5% of those remain for 6 months. America designs products to be made so they break as soon as possible, but will still leave the client with faith in the product, enough so to buy themselves more.

But who benefits from this system?

The aristocrats do. Right up in their trees, lording over us. There are bankers who awarded themselves millions of dollars in bonuses whilst creating a recession that would cripple thousands of struggling individuals around the world. This doesn't cause stress for people living on government benefits, but for the people who are just above the poverty line. America makes those people struggle and work every day. It does so by enforcing a system where the elite (namely money-posessing) people take hold. Can nothing be done to create a fair and happy world?

Well, there is something you can do. You can be fair. You can be smart, and you can think before reaching for your credit card while watching an auction channel. You can PAUSE and WAIT before buying that “wonderful new shave”. We have to know our limitations, and stretch them. Whoever is reading this, YOU are the workforce. You are the people economically enslaved. There is hope. You can work together towards goals such as Project Venus, Save The Forests, Oil Conservation, and Fairtrade. These small lifestyle changes will help you sleep at night. How can we sleep after reading this, knowing that we are only here through the turmoil and suffering of potentially hundreds of other men, women and children.

When a child reaches to the future, who will have the heart to say, “we've used it up, son.”


The author's comments:
Many of you will be enraged by this article. I mean no offence to any human being, merely a minority's actions. And if you can condemn a terrorist group, can you condemn a group of terrorist that don't use guns and use the American people to shield themselves?

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This article has 392 comments.


on Dec. 28 2014 at 1:32 am
Richcoca PLATINUM, Canoga Park, California
44 articles 5 photos 71 comments

Favorite Quote:
Make as many as mistakes as you want, just don't make the same mistake.

Yassss. Down with this. America needs to stop being an avarice. Everyone, I hope you remember Sandy Hook. A hoax to deprive Americans of the Second Amendment.

on Dec. 2 2014 at 10:55 am
UltimateZeldafan SILVER, Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania
9 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
"light is only a brighter dark, while dark is the only thing that will remain."- Jay Johnston
"Its not about the mask you wear to fit in, but about the face underneath"- Majora`s Mask 3DS
"Here`s for all who died, and to the next man to die to!"- N/A

you need some counter arguments to make it better  

laura_c101 said...
on Nov. 3 2014 at 1:40 am
The United States is the richest country in the world and Americans have more opportunities than any citizens in any other countries in the world. Have any of you ever been out of the country? We are so lucky to live in this country and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to take a look around at the rest of the country. The poorest people in America own cars, cell phones, and televisions, while the poorest people in Africa live in cardboard boxes with dirt floors. I just wanted to put that out there. You article had nice sentence structure even though I did not favor the content.

on Sep. 4 2014 at 5:05 am
MichaelZhang PLATINUM, Guildford, Other
29 articles 1 photo 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
The purpose of competition is to eliminate the competition.

Perhaps American Dream seems to be hard to last long because of the huge cost of energy and recourse. But USA won't be like ancient China or ancient Rome. Because America is still absorbing talented people from 7 billion people. Talented people is always the generator of a country's dream.

luckyowl1234 said...
on Sep. 1 2014 at 10:31 am
This article states that america is a trigger happy collection of murderous power figures, which in fact is not true. America bombed Hiroshima not because we said "give me your money" but in order to insure the protection of not only America but numerous countries. Every nation has it contributions but also its faults. Lets not forget about Britain as an imperiaslt nation who killed many people in Africa, China, and India.  

on Aug. 26 2014 at 5:43 pm
MicahMorrison GOLD, Washington, DC, District Of Columbia
17 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's not too late, it's never too late" -Three Days Grace

I am American, so I'm not a stranger to people "hating" America. But I am upset at some choices we have made. You tell me that we just bomb people for fun. America is one of the biggest inforcers in the United Nations, so we have to go in a take certian people out. But I do disagree with some things. Likr, dropping a bomb into a city full of civilians with 10 or 11 enemies? That isn't worth the loss of 100 other innocent people

1998clm BRONZE said...
on Aug. 12 2014 at 11:10 pm
1998clm BRONZE, Ottawa, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
You obviously have some very strong points; however, hating what is happening solves nothing. Unless you plan on paying us stupid, wasteful Americans a visit and live amoung us you can't possibly understand our culture. The glutony of modern society may stem from our country and there is little we can do to deny it. Compared to your country ours is young and reckless. The decadence of society is not something to be belittled. We aren't trying to ruin other countries and if they can't repay loans how is that any fault of ours? I would like to conclude with this important proverb: Let anyone amoung you who is blameless throw the first stone.

on Jul. 11 2014 at 2:53 pm
Caesar123 DIAMOND, Union Grove, Wisconsin
50 articles 7 photos 103 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Madness in great ones must not unwatched go" --Claudius in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Outsider is right. At one point in time the British Empire covered a quarter of all the land in the world and lorded over dozens upon dozens of developing countries that they then exploited. Also I see that while you condemn America over its use of fossil fuels you speak not of your own country, Communist China, or the pseudo-imperialistic Russia. All of these countries are among the leaders in carbon dioxide emissions, so don’t go pointing the finger just at America.

on Jun. 22 2014 at 1:38 am
Adrian_Rivi BRONZE, Mission, Texas
3 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"And the Oracle proclaimed me wisest of all the Greeks because I know that I know nothing."

It is interesting that the author of this article is from the United Kingdom, a country upon which "the sun never set" because it had so many colonial holdings all over the world. A country that destroyed and raped hundreds of cultures in North America, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and even South America. This of course is only a small part of the terrible history of the English. Yes there are bad aspects of America, and yes, there are several stains on our history. But do not be so quick to forget the histroy of your own nation, and the atrocitites it has commited. No country is perfect, and the United Kingdom along with the United States, is far from it. 

on Jun. 16 2014 at 7:21 pm
the-unrehearsed GOLD, Calgary, Other
18 articles 2 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.

"Hate" is a strong word. Ironically enough, in America, you can be convicted at both the state and federal levels for hate crimes. In fact, it's funny that America is being hated on when it's among the most discrimination-fighting nations in the world.  I found the logic of calling America's environmental issues "forgivable, as other nations are guilty of many similar crimes," odd, especially when this excuse could have been applied to all of the crimes you've cited America as committing.  Although some of the points in this article were correct, I found it overall very generalizing and heavily biased. 

on May. 13 2014 at 1:45 am
madcupa_tea SILVER, Millersburg, Pennsylvania
6 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
When I was young/I used to think there was nothing under my skin but light/As I walk down the sidewalk of life/I scrape my knees/I bleed

I agree! Also, America is not the only problem the world has, and a lot of America's decisions have not been only American decisions. I see you live in UK and as someone who lived overseas, I see your point of view and understand the frustration you all have, but like M8Z22 said, hate is a strong word.

on May. 13 2014 at 1:42 am
madcupa_tea SILVER, Millersburg, Pennsylvania
6 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
When I was young/I used to think there was nothing under my skin but light/As I walk down the sidewalk of life/I scrape my knees/I bleed

I like your writing and I also agree with a lot of things you're saying, although I am a bit tired of people complaining about my country. You bring up a lot of good ideas, but America isn't all bad. There's good and bad mixed up in our American salad and you can't pick out one. Also, the bad happens for a reason, and it's not always people being bad people. There's always a cause and pressure that makes people make decisions that might not have been very good, but were the best options they seemed to be given at the time. So although I agree with a lot of what you're saying about America bullying other nations, we need to think critically and look at the entire picture.

on Mar. 26 2014 at 6:09 pm
Christopher Thorstenson, Tempe, Arizona
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
So I kinda get what you are saying about cutting back on fossil fuels and maybe not being in a perpetual state of war, but this does not sound like a well-thought and journalistically-voiced article. Not meaning to be rude, but it sounds like a long rant with a few statistics put smack in the middle of the paper. It could be what you are going for, but I personally make the sign of the cross and bakc away. Granted, I have a few bones to pick with our government too, but you have to see everything from the whole picture. Look at other governments. You are demeaning a free country to a status such as Russia, which is really guilty of bullying. For example, have you heard of the invasion of the Eastern European country of Georgia in 2008? Undoubtedly, you know of the goings on in Crimea. You are, intentionally or not, putting the United States on the same level as Russia and China and (Gasp!) Nazi Germany and Facist Italy, in terms of foreign policiy. A good attempt to show the issues with our country, but it's more rabble-rousing than eye-opening. Also, I suggest giving solutions to our problems. And yes, many of your points are valid. But you have yo weigh both good and bad together. Otherwise, you are simply blinding yourself with a tainted truth, which is just as bad as a flat-out lie.

on Mar. 25 2014 at 4:47 pm
Yeah, they help everyone else and neglect the people who live in their country; where 7% of Americans control over 85% of the currency in the U.S. Some live comfortably, but America's majority population lives in poverty. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, until complete chaos consumes us.

on Mar. 24 2014 at 6:10 pm
thepianist1597 BRONZE, Nowhere, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 2 comments
Quite honestly? I feel like you don't see the whole picture-it may be natural for you to take a jingoistic view of other nations, but when you stack the facts so that only the negative aspects of a subject are visible-especially considering your own country is far from squeaky clean, as you probably well know-it feels more like an ad hominem attack than any sort of honest critique of the American government, and while you certainly had some good points and  don't *think* you meant to come across as so narrow-minded, I can't in any way, shape, or form take you seriously if you're going to try and manipulate your readers into agreeing with you in this way. It's unfortunate because I think you had some really good points in regards to the Ecuador thing, which I had no idea about, and there's only a very, very small Americans who would disagree that our government needs a good sweep....but then you had to go and wreck yourself with the ridiculous "bankers control the country!" stereotype without even bothering to support that argument with facts. So, almost a good argument. You should have edited it before putting it online.

Virgil BRONZE said...
on Feb. 25 2014 at 12:46 pm
Virgil BRONZE, Bessemer City, North Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...[T]he most desirable to do is the one in which there is the most trouble."

-Montaigne (The Taste of Good and Evil)

I am a Socialist, Middle-Class, liberal, American who agrees with many points you have brought up in this artical, sadly, I do not actually apriciate the way you conveyed them. Why? You see, you make claims, assuming that ALL Americans succumb to this massive capitalist consumerism which plagues, actually, the entire world. You make claims of mindless killing, while your own government, and every government for that matter, is responsible for the deaths of millions of otherwise innocent civilians. My major problem, however, is the uneducated call for an uprising, or what seemed like a call for an uprising. For the working class to actually try to turn things around AND do as you say, it would cause us to drop even further into debt. That would not work. Also, you made a claim about America 'bullying' other countries because we are calling in our loans upon them. I do not think, however, that you understand how much pressure the United States is feeling with debt right now. We need the money back so we can pay our debts. All in all, I believe that you are a somewhat decent person who has somewhat decent opinions. Now, what you need to do is educate yourself more upon the topics and come back to use with a strong, sound, document with sources cited. You could actually make a point.

on Jan. 30 2014 at 11:40 pm
I am a American personally but I definitely don't fit the "ugly" American stereotype I'm brutally aware of.  I have encountered many of these types of articles before and see the same points brought up usually.  Yes we do use energy up at some pretty extraordinary rates. I know the reason we receive so much criticism is because of globalization and the spread of information. It is also the fact that we are a lone superpower and that means we draw a lot of attention.  There are several flaws to these arguments,  first you are mostly hearing these things from your media I presume. Media is never unbiased so you cannot find the truth within the internet. You must actually experience the true situation to get the full truth.  I can say that all Muslims are terrorists but that certainly doesn't make it true. From the historical perspective the superpower of the world has always exacted tribute from the conquered peoples and cultures faded and combined. We in America don't support imperialism or conquest but we can't help if our culture is overpowering other peoples.  It is our culture so don't expect to just turn around and completely reject it. Next, many other countries have massive flaws as well. For example I could take Great Britain and critique their bombing of German cities in WW2 which killed many civilians. I could also say they are the most guilty of imperialism and colonialism.  China is a huge violator of human rights and have some of the worst pollution problems on the planet.  I could say Russia has had corrupt after corrupt government for more than a hundred years. Humans are quite imperfect creatures with a long history of violence and we can only move forward and improve the current situation.  

on Jan. 8 2014 at 10:56 pm
Caitlin_Marie SILVER, Antioch, Illinois
7 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
Doing nothing is for the dead.

I agree with your article for the most part, but the honestly the US isn't the only country with isses such as these

Hilton BRONZE said...
on Dec. 7 2013 at 11:45 am
Hilton BRONZE, Louisville, Kentucky
4 articles 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
Lao Tzu

“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Anonymous

“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and som “An obstacle is often a stepping stone.”

I like this article. But I don't understand how you can criticize another country without looking at yours? UK is also part of the problem. You do know that your own country attack soldier and civilians over dispute of oil? You do know your own country also bully nation’s; from its history and to this day. Is that fair? I don't think you understand America usage of the figures you provided given that your country is small. America is a big country, with a big economy; without these figures there will not be this great economy we know today. In order to power this big country, it has utilized its God given resources. I don't think it'll make sense to have an abundant of resources and don't use it. But then again, this site is not about debating. So I will not go into a lot of detail. I do like the rhetoric question you ask in the end though…it has me thinking a lot.

on Dec. 2 2013 at 3:13 pm
madi_28z BRONZE, Falls Church, Virginia
4 articles 0 photos 3 comments
I think you had the right idea but you portrayed it poorly. As an American citizen, I agree with some of the things you say. However, you tended to state a few things as if they were facts without backing them up with any evidence.  Hate is a strong word. I understand the rest of the world's frusteration with the United States. Even United States is frusterated with the United States. You fail to mention that it's the government bringing our country down, not necessarily the people. As for me, I would never go as far to say that I hate an entire country.  To put this nicely, I think there are better ways for you to express your opinions about the United States. Maybe do a little bit more research and use kinder words?