Brits: how much do you hate Americans

Originally Posted by russotto

"Does anyone say ‘George W Bush’ or ‘Donald Rumsfeld’ or Dick Cheney’ when they fly into these tirades? No. In fact, the visceral, hurtful and in-your-face America-hatred goes back long before the days of the Bush 43 regime. "

Perhaps, although when I traveled last in Europe - more than ten years ago, now - I saw little evidence of anti-Americanism. Everyone was pretty nice, all in all. I experienced the "ugly American" syndrome only when I traveled to foreign countries at the height of Vietnam. I have no recent experience overseas, so cannot comment further than that. If you look at the link I gave above, however, you will note that it consists of research done by a reputable outfit concerning changes in European attitudes since the beginning of the war in Iraq - not historical outlooks, but recent.

Originally Posted by russotto

If they go back to Poland because they think the economy is stronger there, they're justifying a rather large number of Polack jokes.

No, I think they are reflecting the man in the street's dismay over outsourcing. The wife is a skilled craftsperson and artist. Her local job got outsourced and she feels pretty fed up. Poland is joining the EU and its economic prospects look brighter than they have in years.