Originally posted by: Number20
Why has this thread become the anti-American rant thread?

I will tell you why it are often people from Europe who rant about America.

The truth is, we look up to America. When we look at America we see some things we would also like to see in Europe. I think a lot of people are (a bit) jealous of America.
So when you're big example does things that you wouldn't expect from it, or you don't want it to do you tend to be more angry than when Russia, or South American countries or China (from whom you know they are more corrupt, don't pay as much attention to international right, human right etc.) does something like that. You expect bad behavior from other countries but not from America.
Our expectations of the biggest western country are much higher than the rest of the world. Yes, everybody is bitching about Guantanamo although they know it is much worse in Chinese or Brazilian prisons. We bitch because the US of A is our example and we expect much much more from you than we do of other countries.