Penis envy?

[WriterDom]

From the CIA website

The US economy continued its remarkable sustained prosperity, growing at 4.1% in 1999, and accounted for 23% of GWP. Western Europe's economies grew at roughly 2%, not enough to cut deeply into the region's high unemployment; the EU economies produced 20% of GWP.

Is America's success fueling the anti-USA feelings of Europe?

 

[Desert Amazon]

Re: Penis envy? You show me yours & I'll show you mine...

 

[Ally C]

Is America's success fueling the anti-USA feelings of Europe?

No. Anyone with the least amount of intelligence will welcome seeing a country which is at peace with itself, prosperous, successful etc. I'm not being sarcastic when I say that either, just answering your question from a generalistic standpoint in relation to an equally generalistic idea of "success". If you were to offer some specifics about various successes, and how they were acheived, then my answer would still be 'no' to your question as it is presently worded. It [the question] leaves out so much that I'm surprised the void hasn't been filled with some so-called 'America bashing'. I don't go in for this practice; I'll judge others by what they do, and not by what they call themselves.


The fact that this source is from the CIA website sort of bears out what Desert Amazon was saying in a round-about kinda way ...

 

[Closet Desire]

Perceptions...

...too you must remember that not everyone judges "success" in the same terms as Americans. This is reflected in everything from products that are sold, food that is eaten, and how leisure time is spent.

Take the French for example. They work fewer hours per week and take longer vacations than the US and many of them take off for country homes on the weekends. This is many people's idea of "success" and not whether they have a crackin' portfolio. They do have higher rates of saving (and lower rates of consumption) than their American counterparts.

The animosity I see has little to do with envy over perceptions of success and more to with an attitude that the rest of the world (to quote the Spanish) is America's back garden.