Anti-Americanism

Anti-Americanism, Americanophobia or anti-American sentiment, is dislike, fear or hostility toward the United States or the American people and their culture, business practices and technology, or the policies of their government, especially its foreign policy. Common contemporary negative stereotypes of Americans include the assertions that Americans are: aggressive, arrogant, ignorant, overweight, poorly dressed, obsessed with making money, too moralistic and also too materialistic, too involved as policeman for the world, and generally obnoxious.Political scientist Brendon O'Connor of the United States Studies Centre suggests that anti-Americanism cannot be isolated as a consistent phenomenon and that the term originated as a rough composite of stereotypes, prejudices and criticisms toward Americans or the United States, evolving to more politically based criticism. French scholar Marie-France Toinet says use of the term ""is only fully justified if it implies systematic opposition – a sort of allergic reaction – to America as a whole"".Discussions on anti-Americanism have in most cases lacked a precise definition of what the sentiment entails (other than a general disfavor), which has led to the term being used broadly and in an impressionistic manner, resulting in the inexact impressions of the many expressions described as anti-American.