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And in turn most Americans don't know or care about the rest of the world. It's been this way my entire (relatively long) life. The only new thing that is the

And in turn most Americans don't know or care about the rest of the world. It's been this way my entire (relatively long) life. The only new thing that is the last couple decades brought the internet where many of us can learn about what's going on out there.

fermienrico 6y ago
That's true for pretty much any large country. Do you really think some middle family in Xiamen really gives a shit about American politics? Do you think that a 55 year old farmer in Ohio, USA gives a damn about the the rest of the world? People are just getting by for the most part.
- etherealmachine 6y ago
  My girlfriend's father in Malaysia watched CCTV and a few other Chinese language broadcast news stations that had stories on what was happening in the US every day, so if the family in Xiamen has a TV then they might not "follow" US politics, but they definitely get informed about what's happening here.
totalZero 6y ago
Dare I say, that's a little unfair to America. About a quarter of the population of the USA is either first-generation or second-generation American. Very few other countries have as much of a connection with the rest of the world.
- unishark 6y ago
  True I'm not really familiar with what gets covered on Telemundo and such. But I'd still bet Trump/Obama/Bush have gotten far more coverage in other countries than, say, Xi or Abe get in the US.
  - totalZero 6y ago
    I could see that being true. I think there are reasons for it. I would argue that in many cases, American foreign (incl trade) and domestic (incl fiscal) policy have a greater impact on other countries' economies than do their own respective heads of state/government. Whether you like it or not, the strength of the relationship with the US is a major factor for the prosperity of many nations. I think this is a big part of why people like Bolsonaro and Netanyahu use Trump's imagery when they campaign. Externally, it signals receptiveness to US interests. Domestically, it signals prosperity and security. Also, the USA exports its culture to the rest of the world via TV, film, music, and the internet. Politics is a natural offshoot of that. Some countries circulate US currency. Others peg their currency to the dollar. Petrostates do business in the dollar because that's the base currency for crude oil trading.

fermienrico 6y ago

That's true for pretty much any large country. Do you really think some middle family in Xiamen really gives a shit about American politics? Do you think that a 55 year old farmer in Ohio, USA gives a damn about the the rest of the world? People are just getting by for the most part.

etherealmachine 6y ago
My girlfriend's father in Malaysia watched CCTV and a few other Chinese language broadcast news stations that had stories on what was happening in the US every day, so if the family in Xiamen has a TV then they might not "follow" US politics, but they definitely get informed about what's happening here.

totalZero 6y ago

Dare I say, that's a little unfair to America. About a quarter of the population of the USA is either first-generation or second-generation American. Very few other countries have as much of a connection with the rest of the world.

unishark 6y ago
True I'm not really familiar with what gets covered on Telemundo and such. But I'd still bet Trump/Obama/Bush have gotten far more coverage in other countries than, say, Xi or Abe get in the US.
- totalZero 6y ago
  I could see that being true. I think there are reasons for it. I would argue that in many cases, American foreign (incl trade) and domestic (incl fiscal) policy have a greater impact on other countries' economies than do their own respective heads of state/government. Whether you like it or not, the strength of the relationship with the US is a major factor for the prosperity of many nations. I think this is a big part of why people like Bolsonaro and Netanyahu use Trump's imagery when they campaign. Externally, it signals receptiveness to US interests. Domestically, it signals prosperity and security. Also, the USA exports its culture to the rest of the world via TV, film, music, and the internet. Politics is a natural offshoot of that. Some countries circulate US currency. Others peg their currency to the dollar. Petrostates do business in the dollar because that's the base currency for crude oil trading.