Paratrooper @ Moorewatch Makes an Excellent Point

Are any Americans out there astounded at how little leftist Europeans and other foreigners know about the American people, seemingly relying on almost cartoon-like stereotypes of Americans? Well, it seems Paratrooper at MOOREWATCH has a really good theory about that, and it seems the very people who decry our beloved "image" in "the world" may have a part in this little game:

I have often heard how “decadent” and “immoral” and “violent” Americans are from folks across the pond, even though many of the most opinionated among them have never been here. But who could blame them? Would not a Englishman or Spaniard who saw “Bowling for Columbine” have a lesser opinion of us “racist” Amerikkkans as a result of having seen that film? Would not people from Syria or Saudi Arabia think that Americans revel in the thought of killing Arabs after watching “True Lies”? Would not people from Denmark think we’re a violence worshipping people after watching “Kill Bill, vol.1”? Do the Germans think we’re all as stupid as Ernest P. Worrel or Joe Dirt? Probably so.

Source: http://moorewatch.com/index.php/weblog/
is_hollywood_to_blame/

Yes, Hollywood does indeed have a part in this unfortunate trend. The real tragedy is that these people are intelligent enough not to make such judgements based on media imagery. Some, in my opinion, don't want to believe otherwise. The desire to make a straw man out of Americans in the European left is far too great. Why give credit to the point of view Americans who believe in less strict gun laws than you would want when you can just consider it derived from brainwashing and a "glorification of guns and violence in American society"? Such attitudes give a feeling of superiority over the other argument without looking at the other side. However, as most of us Americans know, the average American who is against extreme gun control like they have in Europe is not basing his opinion on a cultural glorification of guns, but on their belief in being protected should a potential violent attack on them take place, and because they believe that if they are using guns responsibly and making all the necessary precautions, they should be able to own these guns and not have the government confiscate them. But, such acknowlegements are inconvenient, because they feel having an argument that would take into account these views would be too much work. Their ideological bretheren in Hollywood advance such stereotypes through film, and thus, the system is re-inforced. Hollywood's fault is to blame in the re-inforcement, but in the other cases that I have mentioned, it is the viewer who should bear the blame of their thinly-veiled ignorance.

Anyways, read the article I linked to, because it is an excellent, quick read.