I couldn’t sleep.
So I lay staring at the ceiling and thinking about my Saturday morning missive. I went from trying to figure out how folks were seeing the phrase, “Make America Great Again” to wondering how people on other shores saw our country.
I searched Google on several terms with these results:
Perceptions of America
- How Americans are Perceived by the Rest of the World (August 4, 2016)
- Perceptions of America (April 4, 2011)
That led me to look into:
Is America great Again?
- Is America Great Again? Data Say No. (January 23, 2018)
America’s International Image
- America’s International Image Continues to Suffer (October 1, 2018)
Research Reports don’t get at individual’s emotions.
I started trying to drill down and had a phishing attack on my computer. But I had seen enough. Governments around the world thought significantly less of America under the current president than his predecessor (by huge amounts in many cases).
All those countries I’ve always thought of as allies now see us as rich, technological wizards with weapons that are the best in the world but tending toward being bullies led by incompetents in government at all levels.
The American Dream
The few reports that included interviews with individuals all showed the same skew. People still spoke of the “American Dream” in terms of “equal opportunity” and ‘rule of law” and “technology leaders.” They see us as “friendly, outgoing people.” They think we are “over tippers” and “eat too much” and we are “loud.” They look to us for movies and music and entertainment of all kinds.
Most of them don’t understand why we are involved in so many wars. They don’t want us to be the world’s policeman. They want help with getting rid of fascist governments but fear the drift of our government in that direction.
I think it is safe to say that they see us as both a beauty and a beast.
The Base is happy
I’ve asked Trump supporters how they feel about how things are going. Those I’ve talked to seem to think everything was better when Reagan was president. They are happy with the President’s “progress” so far. They think, “the outsider we elected is doing just what he said he would to DC and it’s “about time we had somebody that would tell off foreign governments.” A few are beginning to be concerned about healthcare and how they are going to be able to retire but they are not expecting the government to take any action.
The Progressives are looking for direction
Those are the folks that used to be called the “Left” or “Liberals.” They are the ones the Republicans are now terming Socialists. The difficulty is that this opposition to those in power have no singular viewpoint. There is no one cause that they all rally around. That may be their last great hope. Would they join forces for the real American Dream? Could we get them together?
Do you have a Vision for America?
Jerry Fletcher is a sought-after International Speaker, a beBee ambassador, founder and Grand Poobah of www.BrandBrainTrust.com
His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.
Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
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