Why are people so pre-occupied with America

It provides good distraction for the Chinese who are up to much worse human rights abuses

In addition to the points made above, you’d better keep up to speed on a country that can basically park an air base of your coast and bomb your country into the stone age, or simply air drop an entire division onto your heads at minimum notice. While China is certainly gearing up to replace the US in that regard, they’re nowhere near that capability yet, and also have nowhere near the cultural or social impact on the western world that the US have.

I like America, but unlike many here I am able to distinguish that Ireland and the USA are not the same country. I cannot understand why anyone here would have any reason to dislike Trump for instance as he as done nothing to us or why anyone here would get carried away by this BLM rubbish all because an African American criminal got killed by a cop. Nothing to do with us.

Kylta wrote: »

I personally have no interest in America, but an awful of irish people seem to have an interest in America and I curious to as why?

There's lot of Irish in America.
They speak English, therefore we absorb their popular culture in books, film, toys, hobbies, music and TV. The US in the late 20th century was seen as 'the place where it happened'.
US politics was always seen as important in Ireland, Irish politicians in the past would have tried to involve the US as an honest broker in the Troubles in N Ireland.
We have a lot of major US companies based here.

However, I don't think US influence on Ireland has grown since say the days of Reagan in the above spheres.
The internet has brought the world closer together, if you follow US websites, you are exposed to a lot more of their content than when it was 'mediated' through Irish outlets.
Another thing that has changed is the amount of space devoted to US politics in Irish news and media. I could be wrong on this but, for example, I don't remember US primary elections getting the amount of coverage they get now on RTE. We now seem to be exposed to the minutiae of US national politics, as if they are stories of major importance to Ireland, usually with a very pro-Democrat liberal agenda.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

It's not just here. The US dominates global culture.

For now.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

Primaries have grown in importance over recent decades. Candidates used to be picked in a much quieter fashion closer to the convention.
I've heard Americans make the same complaint about now being bombarded with election news over the course of years. It's not a change unique to Ireland.

You could be right on the profile of primaries in the US, but what seems curious to me is that its higher profile also jumped across the Atlantic to us.
The coverage it gets in mainstream Irish news seems totally out of proportion to its actual impact on our lives.
Compare the amount of (non Brexit related) coverage of EU institutions which actually make far more decisions that impact us than the US federal government.

You could say US politics has a celebrity factor as much as a politics factor.
Maybe the people crafting the news today grew up watching the West Wing.
Maybe it's an outlet for those people to express their opinions on US politics.

Google, Facebook, Microsoft to name but a few, working for US companies, emigration by Irish people to the states, television, film, books, and that is just the start.


It would be more surprising if they was no interest in it.

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Well the Chinese sure won't be taking over unless they decide to speak English as first language and no one else is going to be as dominant on a global scale.

You realise language can be translated?

It's kind of funny when Western countries were falling over each other and pretty much stealing PPE from each other all manufactured by...guess who?

mr_fegelien wrote: »

It's funny that many Irish people consume American media (Netflix, American TV Shows) yet so few watch CNN International. Technically it's actually the UK version but still American based.
Am I the few people who watch CNN International? I'm technically not Irish as I was born in East Africa and lived in the States for some time.

I think people would watch Sky News more, probably largely because it was one of the channels on the old analogue lineup with NTL \ UPC \ Virgin Media.
Or BBC News 24 now.

CNN wouldn't register really.

tonycascarino wrote: »

I cannot understand why anyone here would have any reason to dislike Trump for instance as he as done nothing to us

Agree to some degree but what the POTUS does can have a massive effect on Ireland.

The 2008 crash fúcked this country up yet it was American made. Dell pulled manufacturing out of Ireland and we lost 5% of all exports.

The GOP for some weird reason tend to treat environmental policies with total disdain. A constant game of the Dems implementing regulations and the GOP rolling them back. Of all the things leveled against him, many of them flimsy, Trumps environmental policies are indefensible and fairly abhorrent.

And look Bush's mental foreign policy (and his Dads which was excellent) and see how it can impact the world.

Etc etc.

The Nal wrote: »

Agree to some degree but what the POTUS does can have a massive effect on Ireland.
The 2008 crash fúcked this country up yet it was American made. Dell pulled manufacturing out of Ireland and we lost 5% of all exports.
The GOP for some weird reason tend to treat environmental policies with total disdain. A constant game of the Dems implementing regulations and the GOP rolling them back. Of all the things leveled against him, many of them flimsy, Trumps environmental policies are indefensible and fairly abhorrent.
And look Bush's mental foreign policy (and his Dads which was excellent) and see how it can impact the world.

The US has the largest footprint but in terms of impact here - aside from the US multinationals and finance - it doesn't dwarf that of China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Canada, Australia combined. Together they huge impacts on prices we pay, on the environment, foreign policy (e.g. Russia in Ukraine).

Yet you would think that from its level of coverage here given to global affairs.

mr_fegelien wrote: »

It's funny that many Irish people consume American media (Netflix, American TV Shows) yet so few watch CNN International. Technically it's actually the UK version but still American based.

Am I the few people who watch CNN International? I'm technically not Irish as I was born in East Africa and lived in the States for some time.

The only reason anyone watches CNN International is whey they're in a non-english speaking country, and it is literally the only english language channel on the tv in their hotel/apartment.

Rodney Bathgate wrote: »

Guess who gave the world the pandemic?

No one is going to bring them to account.

Australia tried that and got burnt.

rossie1977 wrote: »

I bet 9 out of 10 Irish people on the street wouldn't be able to name the Chinese leader or 3 Chinese cities most likely.

Thats where you're Wong

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

But right now its a car crash that you can't look away from.

This.
We are rubber-necking to see what the idiot in charge will mismanage next.

rossie1977 wrote: »

We get the Americanised version of the PlayStation not the Japanese one.

How many French musical acts do we listen to or when was the last French movie we went to cinema en masse to watch. What French TV programs do we consume. What French sport do people watch in Ireland.

Sony are a Japanese company. Their products are in huge numbers of Irish households. I used them to illustrate the point that the source of the product doesn't mean anything in terms of interest in the source country.
As I did with France - enjoying its output does not lead to interest in its domestic politics (even though through its role in EU it can have an impact on us).

And if you want to talk about TV and sport it is Britain we are closer to than America, Coronation Street, Eastenders, the Premier League, horse racing, Wimbledon.
Boards.ie had a slowdown last night because the Premier League was back. It doesn't do that for the Superbowl or the playoffs in basketball or baseball.

biko wrote: »

Most of the music and films you like are from there.
Even the language we speak and write is influenced by it.

Also, it's a pretty nice place to visit.

It has everything you'd want for a holiday.
Gambling, go to Vegas.
Sun/ sea Florida California or for more exotic Hawaii.
Mountain climbing,hikes, sling Rockies or Alaska plus desert and vast plains. The US has everything given its huge size

Yeah it's pretty cringe how everyone cares about their social issues and everything so much. I think Michael Collins had a quote about Irish people who were more concerned about things going on in England then their own country as poor British people and fake gaels or something along those lines. I understand America is huge and such a domineering presence but for God's sake we're from Ireland and live here. Different country, different laws, different culture.

rossie1977 wrote: »

Again we get the American versions of these products not the Japanese ones.
We are close to the UK but their culture is not in our face like the US culture is. You picked a few things out but far far more American products/services etc influence our lives than British ones.
Our version of Santa Claus is based off Coca Colas ad. Irish kids could identify Ronald McDonald or John Cena before they could Boris Johnson.

It's a Japanese product from a Japanese company.
It's not a demonstration of US culture in our faces.

Christmas cards and Christmas trees come to us as traditions via the UK.
The British cultural influence is so deep and pervasive people don't register it anymore as British.
In the products we consume and how we shop and live our lives, we are much more like the British. We shop in Tesco, Boots, Marks & Spencer. There's times our high streets could be mistaken for UK ones.
We import more goods from the UK than US, we import more from the EU than from the US.

I don't even know who John Cena is, not sure how it is relevant.
How many Irish kids could identify Michael Martin or Paschal Donohue?
Politics is not their strong point.

Irish kids could identify a huge number of athletes from the English Premier League namely footballers. More than that, they follow English football teams regardless of the current playing staff composition.

America has a deep and huge influence for sure, but to suggest it represents the vast majority, or even the only significant player, in terms the impact or influence on us from the outside world is not valid which is the point I was rebutting.