During the days of the great geographical discoveries, Europeans dominated the rest of the world on all continents. The situation finally changed in the XX century, during World War I, when Europe lost its superiority to America. However, does this American phenomenon still exist? One thing is certain: no one is neutral in relation to this land. Many believe that a new wave of American Dream is coming to us, mainly concentrated on USA. At the same time, especially in France, anti-Americanism is growing and getting more and more popular.
American lovers are generally young people, who were brought up on Hollywood films and series, which dominated our cinema and television. They adore this country and regret that they weren't born on the other side of ocean. However, they are not only attracted by fascinating cities and the opportunities offered by America. Nowadays, a good job is also at their fingertips in Europe. It's not about money, but something much more important: lifestyle. Teenagers are crazy about this, although it's often idealized. In their minds it's a real paradise. They want to go there and touch what they've seen in films. This is not entirely a myth, because even people who have visited the US say that in 99% of the cases everyone welcomes you. Every American will smile and help you and the question "How are you?" is much more than just insincere politeness. In Europe the spell is broken. People also pay attention to the lifestyle of American students, who after years are still attached to their old universities. Celebration of academic sport and the way universities compete with each other fascinates them. It's amazing how much people can pay attention to basketball or football teams. Another thing that attracts Europeans is the American passion for freedom, democracy and their own country. Americans care about tradition; they are not ashamed of it and proudly participate in the important moments of the nation. One of these holidays is celebrated on the last Thursday in November. It's Thanksgiving Day, when the whole family meets to eat a traditional turkey and a day later stands in long queues of the legendary 'Black Friday'. American celebrations are so popular that sometimes they displace the native traditions of other countries.
One example is Poland, where we currently celebrate Valentine's Day, and have forgotten about the old Midsummer Festival. Increasingly popular is also Halloween, but some people are trying to fight it with the new tradition of arranging parades and balls for All Saints' Day. Another proof of American influence is the widespread use of English borrowings. I guess everyone in the world knows the meaning of the word 'OK'. In summary, it is difficult not to be fascinated by American culture. However, most people don't want to go permanently to the New World. They only want to bring customs of that place to their own countries.
In contrast to those people, however, there are also those who actually sow hatred for America. They call it “the country of the dollar and Coca Cola flowing” or “U$A”. They believe that everything is merchandise there and the value of a man is measured by the amount of zeros in his bank account. The President's authority is limited by heads of major companies and unimaginably wealthy people watch scenes of disgusting poverty from behind the tinted glass of limousines. However, negative postulates are more often connected with economics and the policies of the state, not the culture.
These people don't tolerate wars and the legalization of guns, but most often derided is American obesity. A wide range of fast food restaurants like KFC, McDonald's' and Burger King is known throughout the world. Unfortunately, in spite of the visible effects of consuming their products, these places are becoming as popular in Europe as in the USA. Who doesn't want to eat, from time to time, a bit of junk food? Now people on our continent are becoming fatter and looking for who to blame (America, of course). Another thing that Europeans reject is well known American stupidity or lack of education. A few years ago, on Youtube, there was very funny videos of shows checking people's knowledge. The most popular one was of a woman who was asked the question, "Budapest is the capital of what European country?" She replied, "This might be a stupid question .. I thought Europe was a country." Many people also believe that America is suffused with commercialism. They laugh that the USA joined World War II last, but has made the most films about it. Nowadays people in America are always in a hurry. They are overworked. But usually they aren't familiar with anything that doesn't apply to their profession. They are calling the special companies to mow the lawn, kill a fly or drain the water in the toilet. Of course, it's exaggerated statement, but the enemies of USA believe that this is true.
To sum up, America might be loved or hated. However, there is no field of human activity in which Americans wouldn't be one of the leaders. It's enough to look at the list of Nobel Prize winners or of their sporting achievements. Their culture sets new trends in fashion, music and much more. The rest of the world, whether they like it or not, has to absorb the American way of life.