I can imagine how that would be discouraging as an American. When I was living in Germany I would always get a very positive response being from Canada however if I was with my American friends they would often get a negative response. And to be honest I think sometimes the American mentality of being "the best country in the world" frustrates people. Every country has their issues but a lot of Americans, maybe through how they were taught to think about their country, have a little bit of entitlement and arrogance about how they present their pride about being from the US. This combined with recent events in the US makes people from other countries confused about why so many American's don't see some of the big problems going on in their own country. Thanks for sharing your views and insights on the topic as a well traveled, culturally aware American!

“You’ve got the smartest, you’ve got the dumbest” the brotherly digs keep me watching your videos 🤣

As a U.S. Citizen age 55 I never thought that there would be other places in the world that I might want to live. In the last 5 years I have had the opportunity to travel to many European countries and have learned that there are many other countries which offer a less stressful, less political, less expensive and happier quality of life. I hope that many Americans get to visit Europe and can see for themselves that some of the problems in the US do not exist everywhere. Of course, there are good things about the U.S. which make it a great place to live. But my eyes were opened to some other countries that might be just as good or better.

I have to agree that my personal view of the US as a German has also shifted to the negative a lot in the last 20 years. The lack of social and personal safety on many levels is really my main concern, including a lack of worker protection, affordable healthcare for most, gun violence, how easy it is to fall throw the cracks, affordable (good) education. When I visited the US last, I really loved the national parks and the open friendliness of many Americans. At the same time I felt really uncomfortable and quite unsafe in the bigger cities, especially LA, but also to my surprise San Francisco. It becomes very obvious that many American are being left behind and it creates many issues for the country.

"Smartest and dumbest" i'm dying 😂😂

The trend towards a negative image of the United States in Europe may also have to do with the overall impact and influence of the US in the world and especially in social media and technology. Since everybody nowadays speaks english and american media is being consumed all over the world through the internet, people are a lot more aware of the problems within the US and the realities of its politics. Abstract generalizations and idealized/romanticized opinions of a country (e.g. "Land of opportunity") from the days of old generally do not hold up well when there is a certain level of exposure of problems and a tendency of the media to focus on controversies that is being broadcasted all over the world.

As a dual citizen (Danish-American) I can honestly say that my Danish citizenship serves me well here in Germany, whereas nobody is impressed with my US affiliation. I don't blame the Germans at all. I lived in the US for almost 30 years, and I got so tired of the notion that the US was/is the best country on the planet, and no other country could possibly have anything to teach the US. Being proud of your own country is ok (I think it's sad if someone isn't proud of their home country), but the loud arrogance coming from a lot of Americans at home and abroad is getting old. Examples abound: noisy Americans in restaurants here in Germany - loud, obnoxious and using words like "strange," "weird," "odd" etc - so many words with negative connotations. American expats asking in various fora if they "really need to learn the language" - then complain about how hard it is to get into contact with the locals. American expats complaining about how weird/strange/quaint/different etc the local culture is from the culture they grew up in. It often seems to me that too many Americans want "the European Experience" so that they check that box and have that to refer to at some dinner/cocktail party/happy hour in the future. "Oh yeah - when I lived in Germany..." The thing is, if they don't learn the language and try really hard to assimilate into the German culture in their adopted area, they will have lived in an expat bubble and will return to the States having learned very little. Americans have been used to being automatically cool, and it just doesn't fly anymore - time to wake up and start actually learning about the rest of the world. America is bigger, best, first, fastest etc -- that mindset isn't gonna earn Americans many brownie points.

I'm originally from New Zealand but have been living in the US for 7 years and am now a dual citizen. Nobody back home has a clue why I would want to live here with all the gun violence, healthcare issues and poverty. The reality for me though is a much better quality of life, the ability to afford a house, better weather and much more career opportunity. I agree with NALF's comment that it's a country of extremes and too much focus is placed on the negatives.

As a German, it's sad for me to see what's happening right now. The U.S. providing Germany the opportunity to rebuilt itself from ruins & bringing wealth, democracy & freedom to us as well as writing history with the Nürnberger-Prozesse where for the first time people where held responsibe for crimes against humanity. This is the U.S. Germany will always be indebted. I also have kind memories of American soldiers stationed in Germany, being friends. And now, since about 2000, we see the following: wars for inner political reasons, tortue prisons in clear violations of human rights, kidnapping of citizens in foreign countries (Italy afaik) to carry them off to other coutries because they allow tortue, Nazi flags being waved publicly in the US, open fascism, not accepting the legacy of the Nürnberg trials with the International Criminal Court, pulling allies into wars by blatently lying to them, ... I want my old friend back. The defender of human rights & freedom.

I don't really care about US beer or about the fitness level of Americans, I care about the influence this huge important country has on the world. Regarding peace/ wars, environment, politics (the "leaders of the free world" restricting more and more freedoms) and so on. And in the last years I don't have the feeling anymore that there are stable, reliable politics. Also we have to look on the negatives because that's what will affect us negative, too. (Sometimes it has an opposite affect like with the whole abortion topic)

19th century: people miss human rights in europe and emigrate to the US. 21st century: US citizens miss human dignity and immigrate to europe

Don't mix up "they don't like" and "they don't care". If someone doesn't immediately express their love and delight only because of meeting a living American - it's normal. It's how people usually behave. And yes, values in Germany and the US are getting different now so... As a tourist I would love to go to the US, to live there - no, thank you.

Don't worry, Nick. I think people like you are the best ambassadors to understanding and liking Americans! Of course, the public opinion is biased by the ludicrous things that are happening in the US these days. But it needs people like you to understand that not anybody over there is on the "wrong" side. And besides, the US is for the most part such an amazingly beautiful country, that's for sure!

3:21 nothing is more fun than completly destorying your brother on the internet xD

I (a German) have often travelled to the US and I really love this country and its people. But not because everything is bright and shiny and excellent. I think it´s like with a person. We do not love because of the strengths but despite of the weaknesses. Affection is irrational. I think I am pretty aware of the light as well of the shadow in the US but this would never hinder me to love them.

I'm an American and lived and worked for 3 years in southern England. Discussing America with an English neighbor who was saying a number of negative things about America. I asked my neighbor how much time he had spent in America ?? He said he did not need to go to America to know what it was like. He had formed all of his ideas by watching "Dukes of Hazard". So of course I agreed that "Dukes of Hazard" was a very good example of American life. We got along fine.

The old joke: "Why is American Beer like sex in a canoe? Because it's f__king close to water!"

What I think you often overlook AS a US American is that being a US citizen isn't just like being from any other country. Growing up in the US I think you don't fully grasp that your country is EVERYWHERE! Both literally in terms of military but also culturally. Hollywood movies are THE movies watched around the world, US tech companies make the most popular products, US brands have taken hold in every backwater region of the globe. Many of us know a Movie version of NY better than some of our mayor cities. And what that does is it makes the US less 'romanticizable' than many other countries. French people don't think Paris is a dreamboat city of love. Most French people kind of dislike Paris yet around the world it's this magical place. But US culture is already everywhere so there is no faraway longing for an idea. Plus being everywhere also means your cultural impact is in a way always 'intruding' on other cultures and some people strongly dislike that. That's my quickfire take on why. (And ofc this entire 'USA BEST IN THE WORLD' kind of mindset doesn't always help to endear yourself but that's just a side note 😄).

I was a kid in the 90s, when the US was still a land of marvel and wonder and it was a dream to go there. When everything coming from this land seemed to be great and new. It started to change slightly with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, that weren't seen as just amongst big parts of the german population. And Bush jr. didn't have an amazing reputation as well. Around 2006 I was an exchange student and lived close to Seattle, WA for a year - and not only did I experience the "melting pot" first hand, but I lived with and amongst the poor. Those who get left behind in the US. I saw what the lack of social security meant (be it homelessness for my classmates, no food, or being threatened to lose everything just because a storm threw a tree against your house). And at the same time - at the same freaking time - every US-born student would tell me how America is the greatest country on earth - and would fail to even name three other countries. I was in high school, Junior year, mind you. After active shooter drills, they'd say how the US is the safest nation on earth. Most kids failing basic maths and they'd say how america offers the best education (Harvard etc). And the list goes on - it isn't necessarily the extremes that made me rather skeptical about this country. It was its delusional conviction of how amazing it is, that makes it impossible for it to improve. Why change anything if I am the greatest nation on earth? Why change gun laws, if I am the safest? Why install social security systems if I am the richest? Why improve if I am perfect? This delusional (for lack of a better word) arrogance that the US installed into its citizens, not only keeps change and improvement from happening, but at some point the others can't hear it anymore. Nobody likes the arrogant bully on the playground. That's how it is. And I do like things about the US: the people there were incredibly friendly and hospitable and interested (some for real even). The people, individuals, are really really great. I experienced it as a mostly welcoming culture. Welcoming... and ignorant. The latter is what annoys the rest of the world. (On the up side: At least germans/europeans know about the US and have an opinion. I'm guessing more than 50% of the US-Citizens don't really have an oppinion on germany(countries in europe. Lack of interest/education/care. Not sure what's worse: Dislike or Indifference?)

As an international citizen ( who holds 3 nationalities, could've been 4 but doesn't matter) one of which being the US citizenship, I do remember back in 06 some of my friends warning me about moving to Germany by using my ethnicity as an argument since I'm half latina of german jewish heritage. They'd say things like: "but keep in mind you don t look German, not sure if they re gonna accept you. It ll probably be hard for you to get by like that. Thoughts that made me really apprehensive at the time. However when I think about the fact that I was unprivileged in the US and how everyone (latin community) would speak Spanish based on my physical appearance and how most public health care centers would treat me like a piece of meat disregarding my pain and feelings .I decided to follow my heart and move to the country of my ancestors of over 10 generations. It was the best decision ever!!! Yeah, I struggled with the language at first and would refuse to speak it just by communicating in english until I realized; Germans really appreciate when you try to speak the language/embrace it. I figured I might as well just really immerse myself in the culture. Despite all the hardships I've faced over the years I've never felt this safe or at home before. It didn t take much to adjust considering I was partly raised by my german grandpa who had instilled values in me which contributed to a more flexible mindset.I have a higher sense of justice since living here, never had a problem with the so called german brutal honesty because I was already used to that. Have I sorta unlearned the other languages I used to speak? yeah but I'm still able to get my point across. I have everything i need to thrive here, great friends( yeah, it takes time for them to warm up to you but once they do you have friends for life) currently in school to pursue a career as an OT, have 2 great employers, love the fact that most physicians are more humanitarian and patient, but what really made me stay all these years: Germans don't judge you based on your appearance,nationality or race but on your actions.

Maybe the word "greatest" has a lot do with the problem.

Your title implies one reason. The USA are not America. People in Canada, Mexico and Brazil are also Americans. The whole "our country is the best" idea (not your's, but in general) is a potentially dangerous one imo. And regarding gun laws, little employee protection laws, the healthcare system and conservatives turning the clock backwards I wouldn't want to live there. There are many great US Americans out there, but unfortunately the not so great ones determine politics as well.

I love the happiness and the pride twinkling in your eyes when you speak about your documentary. I can relate to it - it simply feels great when you share your heart project with the world. Wish you all the success you deserve ☺

That clip from the "News Room" is truly a masterpiece in explaining the "American Dilemma". I believe a large part of the anti Americanism lies in disappointment. After WWII the USA was a shining light of fairness and innovation. The western and allied countries looked up to this and appreciated the American dream and its values. Sadly, over the years, the USA failed in many ways and for many different reasons, not least amongst them; greed. The once shining light has dimmed and the west is disappointed and feels tricked. Great video, by-the-way. 😃

I feel the brotherly love :D go go 100k subs!

I think that the US going through a difficult time right now is very hard for the American self-image because being "the best in the world" leaves not much room. It was never true to begin with, but like every nationalism/patriotism historically was needed to achieve the standing of the US, that was very strong for a while. Paired with hypercapitalism that doesn't solve all the problems it claimed to solve, climate crisis and the rise of evangelical fundamentalism and restrictions in all aspects of policies makes for very uncertain times. It's very placative that there is a lot happening and that is historically very normal, the US was just lucky that there was relative calm for quite a long time. We Europeans and especially Germans know how that feels, so still hearing that we live in "way worse" places makes not for a charming impression in the world.

Hi Nick, Sorry, this is kind of unrelated to the topic of the video, but I wanted to thank you! I had some free time the last two weeks so I decided to travel across the country with the 9€ ticket. I didn't really have a plan, my only goal was to see the south, since I'm from Schleswig Holstein and haven't really been in the south of Germany before. I just took random trains and sleept in the woods with my hammock. It was a pretty cool and adventurous trip. When I finally was in the south I came close to Schwäbisch Hall. It was because of your videos, that I decidet to visit it for a day. And it turned out to be a really good decicion. What a beautiful place! I really had a good time walking across the town and seeing everything with my own eyes. It was almost kind of a déjà vu like feeling, since I had seen many of the places in your Vlogs, but I didn't know how they actually linked up to each other. I think I even saw some of your mates in the beergarden :-D. Now seeing the town in your videos brings back memories. So thank you for advertising my own country to me, I would have never thought of going there, without your videos. :-)

That Newsroom segment is one of my favorite monologues. The whole thing is amazing, as a speech, filmed, and it’s arc. I’ve rewatched many times. But also showed to my son, when he was about 15 or 16 and asked if he wanted to turn it off, but we ended up binging it over a long weekend. During lockdown I read a book, Mapping Knowledge about the great libraries and education centers after the fall of Greece. It moves through seven civilizations where education and sciences thrive and over time the er is a rift between the educated and well off and they are pushed out. The libraries move and reassemble elsewhere but the societies and civilizations that were threatened by “elites” never recovered and their civilizations regressed to never come close to that same level.

You are wrong, Nick. I think it is rather the US American policy and its actors and less the American citizens themselves who are responsible for the result you mentioned. A country that sees itself as a world policeman, that interferes in the affairs of other states and puts them under military pressure, does not make itself popular.

Nick, don't worry about the image of America in the German population. The bad rating is predominantly political and can change again quickly. When it comes to US citizens from personal acquaintances and friends, the situation is completely different. The positive rating outweighs the negative here. I was often in the USA privately and professionally because the company I worked for is very international and I made many friends in the USA. The problem is that the great political and economic power of the US often means that it sometimes puts too much pressure on its European partners, and of course that doesn't always go over well with Europeans. Overall, I think that the relationship between Europe and the USA is still good and when it comes down to it, we stand together. As always, you, your brother and your US colleagues are very welcome in Germany and I also think that your family took away a positive image of Germany and its citizens from their visits to Germany. I see it the same way with the various visits my family members make to the USA.

I think, America has changed a lot. And it seems, Germany has, too. But I do beleive, that there are waves of like and dislike and that in the end, we will hopefully find together again. A remark from my side: American expats generally do not paint the most rosy picture of your country. You have to pay, if you need an ambulance? OMG! You can not have your kids play outside unattended for a high risk of abduction? OMG! You are getting phone calls from your employer to make you come to work when you are actually sick? That seems counterproductive as the sick person might infect the healthy employees. A deeper discussion of this is not to be had on the comment section of this platform.

Hey Nick. As a German who was in a relationship with an american woman I think one of the major problems all around the world is the lack of respect to each other especially nowadays. Although there is internet everywhere it seems like it's only about fighting with people of different nationalities which makes me sad. I really enjoy visiting the USA - I have been there like 5 times and I was both fascinated and shocked about the extremes as you mentioned in the video. When it comes to the Americans' views uf us Germans I noticed some faked up stories or narratives which seem to be created a lot by the media. I already have seen some KZfaqr from the USA who live in Germany now just like you and they all said that the US media tell so many lies about the life overseas in Europe. We are all people and we should stop narrating things without talking with the people first and just start connecting each other - start conversations again. You are a part of this by doing these videos. Thanks and don't worry, there are a lot of people who loves to connect with people from the USA.

The US has a big part in my heart as I have lived there and have found a second family there. I think the biggest reason for most people having a not so great opinion of the US is because americans keep potraying themselves as the greatest and most free country as well as spreading their so called "Freedom" across the world. And the fact is they arent. I think its not always bad to be proud of your heritage and homecountry but its always important to criticise the bad and have perspective which is kind of missing in the US. And also a big thing is that the US has a really weird way of portraying its history often leaving the really bad parts out or just mentioning them in the "credits".

After thinking about this topic for a while... I guess to know one actual interesting point most Germans aren't even aware of. - For decades we've been taught it's bad to show you're proud of your country. I remember when I was called a Nazis, when I was a child, just because of being German. I've been so afraid of not knowing, what I did wrong, I avoided to tell anybody again. With that example and the greater history, grown in those decades... - And than you hear: "America first." Maybe it explains how that did feel and look for Germans, even if they are not aware of it.

Hi Nick, it is very much appreciated that you bring the positive spirit of the US to Germany. Always be aware that you are most welcome here and keep up the good work 👍. Greetings from the North Sea coast.

At 2:45 you can clearly see the impact of US presidents on the image of the US in foreign countries. - The US popularity declined under President Bush due to his wars (in particular his illegal and long war in Iraq). - President Obama has brought hope to many countries who thought things would be different (I guess everyone was captivated by the symbol of a first black president, and his message towards the rest of the world was quite positive and inspiring), which explains the huge increase in US popularity, though people started to realise nothing changed in the attitude of the US abroad (more wars) which explains the progressive decline. - President Trump was very agressive and arrogant in his message towards the rest of the world. He might not have started a new military war, but he started economic / trade wars, regularly threatened entire countries and/or their leaders, and was far from subtle in his discourse (speaking e.g. of the Belgian capital city as a “hellhole” has certainly not helped being popular in Belgium). - President Biden is not inspiring enough to change the trend so I’m not expecting a real improvement in future studies.

As a European living in the states for 20+ years I've come to the conclusion that it should be a part of everybody's life experience to spend time living in another country. Mandatorily!

I've spent my fair share of time abroad, my passport has an expired Austrian visa and stamps from all over. I've always summed it up to my friends like this: Not everybody likes America (this number is definitely seems to be increasing these days), but it seems like most people like meeting an American. It's a hard feeling to describe without rambling on for ten minutes, but just about everyone you meet is genuinely curious about and friendly towards an American.

Thank you! Living abroad currently and this is exactly what I needed to see. Glad someone else shares a romanticism about our country!

Hi Nick, thanks a lot for your video! Really love your content. Being from Germany myself and seeing how America’s image in Germany deteriorates, I have the feeling, that this has a lot to do with former admiration. It always sadder to see that something or someone gets worse, if you admired it or him in the first place (see Axl Rose). And there are - at least from the outside - some worrying developments in the USA. There are of course countries with lot worse situations (Iran, Russia, China, to only name a few), but they were never admired for being the Home of the Free, so expectations are a lower. So there is hope! Wish you all the best Sebastian

When things feel bad, just point at the UK.

German here. Every country hast there positive and negative aspects. In the US its healthcare. In Germany its a unready military. And of course you can't generalize a whole country, especially the size of the US. And thats why i would say im pretty neutral towards the US. I think a major reason, why the US isn't seen as positively anymore is probably the American patriotism. Calling themselves the greatest country in the world, pledging allegiance to their Flag just feels arrogant and spoiled, like they cant look at the facts and just crown themselves. As a European, patriotism for their country is pretty minimal. Germans and Italians, .... see themselves as a citizen, that happen to live or grew up in their country, but don't really have any special sympathy towards it. And i think the truth lies in between. While the view on the US from other countries is more negative than it actually is, it is true that Americans are more proud of the US than it objectively deserves.

Could we call it "The Fall Of A Giant"? Over decades Europeans admired the spirit and the positivity of the US but only from a distance and under the influence of Hollywood and TV series. So they got an idealized vision that had to crack once the glitter curtain was removed. And many of them were so disappointed that they now only saw the negative things. The US politics, without mentioning details but everybody knows what I am talking about contributed to this attitude. All the flaws became obvious. At the same time Europeans begin to grow as such, and are proud of their own achievements. The solution has to be to better know each other and to acknowledge that there is no such thing as "the greatest nation on earth". Germans especially remember where a sense of superiority can lead. We have a common identity: humans who want to live in peace and enjoy life, be it in America, in Europe or anywhere else on this globe.

greetings from belgium :) It's people like you that show us what the United States has to offer, and that it's not all bad!! Keep up the good work and you can always be proud of your country, just never stop trying to make it beter

For me (German) it's pretty much summed up by this one sentence: "Society(s) should be judged by how it treats their poorest" You're right, the US has a lot of the best stuff in a lot of categories. But it also has far more bad things. And I don't see a reason to judge a society, by the things I could never reach. I'm above average in some things, below in others. I'll probably have a good, relatively comparable life here in Germany. Now, I could look at the US and see that they have the best surgeons in the world. Or I could look at it and see that I could never afford them anyway, and I'd have to wrestle with a for-profit health care system. I know what I'll take... Or I could look at the best Universities there are. And know I can never reach them. So I'd rather take the Universities here, that are profoundly mediocre, but really good at this one nieche. And I'll tske the one that's good at my nieche of studies. Looking at America is frustrating to me. Nit because it's generally bad. But because it's probably the one country in the world, with by far the most wasted potential. The US could. But it doesn't.

i have friends in america who live there and they moved from germany to america i love the language and have no problem in which country people come. Take care :)

Nalf, this very subject would make a great documentary

Great video. Thank you for sharing. ❤️👍

I got triggered by the headline and am only 1 second into the video. Just wanted to say that it is absolutely not true that Germans don't like America anymore. I love the country so much that I'm almost feeling homesick every day after I had to leave Texas after four years living there. I didn't have to go because of America, I had to go because of a minority of loudmouth Americans and their cult leader. Christian Nationalists (each term already disgusting af, but in combination? hell no!) wanting to tell people how to live their lives, doesn't really sit with me. I would give everything I have to be able to hike through the Texas Hill Country with my dogs again, but I would only feel welcome because I am white, and I speak fluently English. Personally, I don't want to go to a place anymore, where not everyone is welcome. I don't want to go to a place, where the government tells people what to do or not to do with their bodies. I don't want to go to a country, where tens of thousands of radicals are getting ready for the next civil war they're hoping so desperately for. America is not the problem. The problem is people who call a legal search by the FBI a raid, who believe that the election in 2020 was stolen, and who consider Ron de Santis a valid alternative to Mango Mussolini.

To be fair, we germans, for the most part, are more the "glass half empty" type of people, which means, to look at the negatives is what we often do first and so, after seeing all the negatives, and there are some major issues from our perspective, it's pretty hard for us to even look at any positives... if that makes sense to you.

Love the content! Greetings from Morocco 🤟

Love how you work on connecting people and our countries. I learned from you why you prefer the US position of traffic lights while I German, 67yo, was used to have them in line with my stopping position.🚦🌝

I think patriotism can sometimes be a burden and nowhere instills patriotism like USA. I'm British and in many ways I'm ashamed of being British, especially since the Brexit vote. There are lots of good Brits just like there are lots of good Americans but I see both countries as being seriously flawed.

😁🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂 The picture of your brother.....great idea...🤣😂😁

'You've got the smartest!...' 😂😂😂😂 Nice one @NALF

Love the video! Subbed

LOL, Nick, I don't think that the quality of beer influenced people's opinion of the US in any way . Let me tell you why I used to like the US very much and don't like it any longer. About 50 years ago I lived there and graduated from High school as a foreign exchange student. My experiences were mainly positive ( except for my first host family) , I met tons of awesome people, I got along in school very easily because the standard was pretty low and I was deeply impressed by the bigness of everything in your country. For that reason my husband and I started travelling the US by motorhome in the 90s and enjoyed beautiful landscapes and meeting friendly people. Watching the country today ( and I'm watching very closely by consuming a variety of political opinion shows as well as news channels on a daily basis) I'm not surprised at all about the graphics you showed. A lot has changed in the US and what has changed has become extremely obvious since your 45th president came into office. Living in Germany you must be aware that we don't know that kind of political climate as much as we watch it in the US. We are not used to politicians openly offending and insulting each other in public. We are not used to politicians inciting violence against their opponents and publicly chanting to lock them up and fortunately we aren't yet as far as the US when it comes to donors buying politicians to make decisions in their favour . I was surprised to hear that the USA spends more on healthcare than every other country and my question is : where does that money go ? Because as far as I know a huge number of Americans go bankrupt because they can't afford to pay their medical bills. Since you are a passionate reader I have an urgent recommendation : Tara Westover " educated" is the best book I've read for years and it shows what is wrong with a big part of rural America today and why your country is so divided at the moment : the education system and religious fundamentalism. Other problematic points are racism , anti semitism and guns which are not issues in that book though. Of course it is not fair to only point at all those negative things, I agree, but polls always show the impression people got without digging deeper. Of course you could find as many negative arguments against Germany and of course we have a group of evil, malevolent and politically very dangerous right wing extremists with a low education level here, too. The difference is that they are not representative of the German population and the rest of the world doesn't know much about them ( thankfully).

Not only Germans, we Austrians as a whole also have a rather negative opinion of the US.

YO I WATCHED YOUR MOVIE! GOOD JOB🤘🤘🤘

So many great, well worded responses to this video. I found it interesting the segment of the Jeff Daniels speech you chose. I always think of the first part of the clip where he goes off on the college girl on why America IS NOT the greatest and begins to list all the reasons. Our leaders over the years have extolled "American Exceptionalism". The years since 2016 have undeniably proven that complete fallacy of this belief. We have a very large portion of our population that are so whole heartedly willing to embrace fascism, as reflected in the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, etc. After the last several years, I can no longer think of positive things about my country. I know they exist, just can't think of them. And, as a 70 year old American of German Heritage, who has spent a large portion of my life in Europe, that makes me terribly sad.

I believe it is more of a disappointment than dislike. The ones that are closest to your heart can disappoint you the most. Maybe that is an explanation for the low popularity index among Germans. Any nation should accept and honor another nations election results, but electing a nitwit such as DJT as the leader of the free world was simply too much for many over here. But it goes deeper than that - the hate among so many in US society that surfaced with the MAGA movement and still ongoing changed many perceptions of the land of the free. I have a love for the US that goes back many decades and is based on personal friendships as well as on a feeling of gratitude for putting our country back on its feet after a terrible war. That will not change, but what I am most disappointed about is that for many in the US the truth and decency are no longer relevant. Thankfully for many they still are, but the course the country is taking is worrisome at times and even some of my US friends say the country is not what it was even 5 years ago. If there is one good thing about Putin's war is that our countries stand together and that is my hope. This is only one German's view...I enjoy watching your videos and keep up your positive spirit! (One of the many great things you rather find among US citizens than Germans.)

its a great trilogie your getting into :)

I was gaming online with on a French server and i asked them who they liked better the USA or the British, the Frenchman all said "neither one, Britain and the USA are both enemies. " I asked who did they like and they said Italy. And i said what about Spain and they said Spain is okay.

As a American I've seen people say America is the best country in the world. But I honestly see more people being more realistic saying no and even more people saying we suck. I never understood the term "America is a third world country with a Gucci belt" that is a huge insult to the thousands of people who immigrate here from actually "third world" countries. And just speaks volumes about the privileges of folks who say it.

Ken Follets books are indeed great if you wish to mentally dive into the old medival world and mindset. There was a TV show Pillars of the Earth from one of his books that prescribes the circumstances and political hardships around the construction of a cathedral in a (fictional) medival town. I can highly recommend watching the series. It will make you appreciating the overall European cultural heritage more intensely.

I was fortunate enough to grow up here in Germany with parents, who introduced us to all things foreign that you could imagine. Naturally, your view sets on the US who as a whole is a lot more diverse, international etc. than Germany for many historic reasons that are self-explanatory. As a kid I used to idolize that huge melting pot, especially when I read historic fiction set around the 1900s in the US. The problem is the huge disparity between what the US could be and what it actually is. The downtrend on how Europeans view the US can be easily explained by the colossal failures of US foreign policy over the past 100 years, ranging from Vietnam to Irak, Iran, Afghanistan as well the numerous domestic issues such as a lack or inefficient access to universal healthcare and the ever looming spectre of gun violence. The election of Trump following the first Black president in American history is exactly both ends of the extremes that you mentioned in this video and which constantly leaves us Europeans baffled, trying to understand these huge inconsistencies. I do want to cut the US some slack though for the simple reason that as a nation it is essentially not much older than a toddler, compared to its Europeans parents. A lot of these above mentioned issues take time to resolve. However, in our current reality where Autocracies are challenging Democracies ever so openly and China is on track to dethrone the US as the worlds hegemon, time might just be running out faster than the US can solve most of these issues, both domestic and foreign, to not only keep its hegemonic status but also advance to a more modern society and nation.

I've been reading and enjoying Ken Follet's books for decades. I started out with Eye of the Needle which was riveting, followed by On Wings of Eagles, The Man from St. Petersburg, Hornet Flight, Pillars of the Earth etc. The list is endless, and each book entails a lot of details and knowledge of the time period it portrays, and a great story line spun around those places and history. I am German and have lived in the U.S. now for decades and I too feel the growing disappointment with the U.S. and have a hard time holding onto, what really made this country great. In some aspects it is really great, in others, it seems to be in serious peril and lacking in a sense of community minded thought, deed and effort and is so full of contradictions, and has become exceedingly quixotic. It's not easy right now, when you actually live through it.

Thanks for having the link to that clip of "The Newsroom" in your description box! I'd seen it before, but never realized it's from 2012. So when you add to this everything that has happened since Trump took office in 2016, and even more so what has been going on in the US since the election in November 2020, it shouldn't be a surprise at all, that citizens in democratic countries worldwide are deeply concerned, if not appalled by the turn politics in the US have taken. And it's not only Trump or the GOP and their open fascism that's frightening. It's the fact that about 30% of American citizens are okay with it and seem to feel that's the direction the country should go!?!

Glad to watch you talking about things the most people try to avoid! As a German I can just say that Americans (well British either) always inspire me by the way you are, more open-hearted/minded. Things we don't like about Americans much mostly deal with the politics of the US.

Hi man! I agree with you 100% By the way, I've really enjoyed your videos and I'm looking forward to watching your movie! Even though I was born in the USA, I'm 65 years old and grew up in Argentina as a young kid. I returned to the USA in 1976 (probably long before you were born LOL!!). So, I've lived overseas and have had the privilege to see all the view points, opinions and so forth. I wish more American citizens took more interest in listening, or reading news from Deutsche Welle, the BBC or other European countries to get a better perspective about what really goes on in the world. As a result, I'm a very open-minded person. My oldest daughter lives in southwestern Germany and I have a German grandson. I also took four years of German in High School and two years in College! I wish you the best!! Tom

One of the problems is shown here. If you say, having the richest is positive, I have to disagree. That is just one of the symptoms of the antisocial society, which seems to grow in America. I mean, the only reason why Jeff Bezos or even Elon Musk is able to become that rich, is that the American society accepts and allows them to treat the laws, the workers and the while society like shit. I mean Jeff Bezos is so rich because he developed or created a company which is the most famous example for paying their workers nearly nothing. And Elon Musk? In Germany, you can see that he is a prime example of a Businessowner who gives Zero fucks about the laws he is breaking. Even the extreme positives of America, which you are describing are often negatives for me. Sorry about the rant, but I really think this ist something many Americans or even Europeans dont seem to Inderstand. But to end it positive: I love your Videos. Especially If you are brave enough to discuss topics, that arent the most shiny ones.

As a german I think we (not all of us, like right wing schmocks) see what we have - social insurance, the health care system and so on - and we are just glad about it. You said, the US is a country of extremes. And this could be a big reason for us not to like the idea of living there. It's not safe. Even with big effort you might not make it. And then we hear from americans in germany things like they don't have to fear being on the streets at night. While in the US you always should be aware of everyone because they could have really bad intentions. I think I don't have to say anything about politics. It's a sad story considering that the US is the first modern democracy. And then I have the idea that this total freedom back fired. I mean, so many people settled in america for a new beginning. Everyone with his own idea of living. To gather everyone under one flag everyone's life style was accepted. And while other democratic countries evolved more and more socialy an liberaly - especially europe - the US evolved from "everyone may do what he wants" to "f*ck you, I do what I want". And there are also many of these aspects that take over european countries. Like the preelections. The last elections in germany were like american ones. Just fighting, no real arguments. Way to much bashing. And that's not good. It conceals the important topics and distract the people from what really matters. For years this kind of takeovers where mostly a culture thing. Media, products or helloween. Yes, we celebrate helloween in germany just because we see it in american movies. >.< But now it hit politics. And so a nerve. And that's why I personally think that the US is the richest 3rd world country in the world. Yes, america achieved much. But many other really important things were left behind. So I'm just happy to live in germany. My life is easy even with problems that would break me if I'd live in the US.

Thank God you finally got away from those horrible self-help books. Congratulations. This is your second great triumph in one week. TSGO

Certainly, there are many great and admirable things that can be said about the people and the country. The current problem is that the many hardly comprehensible developments in the country in recent years have a great impact on the reputation of the USA: That, for example, about 50% of the population supports someone like the last president (despite his lies, his obvious cognitive weaknesses, his self-centered and arrogant and ignorant attitude towards other nations, even friendly ones), that they believe in electoral fraud although there is no evidence of it, the backward-looking decisions of the supreme court, the police violence, the school massacres, the incredible waste of energy combined with a very improvable environmental and climate policy and all the other drastic and problematic negative developments, the inequality that is obviously not being worked on at all to be eliminated ... The headlines from the U.S. have simply been overwhelmingly negative in recent years. Of course, that's extremely unfortunate. One just gets the impression that the country is not addressing the problems and nothing is changing for the better. How then is one supposed to look positively at the USA? All this is very sad because of course we know that there are so many great people like you who do not deserve this general rejection at all!

Hi my neighbour from the lowlands! i am the Laird of Glencairn and live up in the Highlands!

I'm almost speechless to hear you talk like this. Bitte mach weiter so.

a picture of florida instead of your brother would fit perfectly aswell :D

I can imagine that most of the people who voted on these stats had the political rather than the human side in mind. Anyway, I personally have a lot of American friends and I think we have more in common than differences.

One of my favorite book series. The audiobook is great too.

your Video today made me think about the way we treat and judge each other in generall. I think the very basic problem of all in our days is the idea of being in a competition with each and everyone. Humans are ment to live in communities, to help and care for each other. And every single one of us is unique and with a great worth. If we could find find a way to see that there are 8 billion different ways to find happiness. -Nobody is perfect for everybody, but for yourself /herself/himself

I think on the one hand its because the US (and its people) come across as braggy because of lines like "we are the greatest nation; the best economy blabla" and on the other hand even though great inventions come from the US - it also exports so many problems with its inventions to the rest of the world...

From 2015 onwards, the US "demystified" itself. We in Germany took a closer look at the politics over there, learned about the gun violence and the extreme bad policing and of course the school shotings. We learned about how divided the country is, about the roe v wade decision of the supreme court, the banning of books from school librarys and how some states are going to fight LGBTQ+ rights. I guess that overshadowed the greatfulness we once had, after WWII and later on.

5:05 lol, thought I didn't see right at first.👀

I thought of that Jeff Daniels clip in the beginning of your video 🤓

Not really true… i am worried about politics and social trouble in the states - but I - as a german- very much know, we are on the same train.

I've been to the US in the late 90s and met the most friendly and open minded people there. Everyone was excited to meet someone from Germany. Based on how we were represented in American movies, I expected them to call me a Nazi. The opposite happened. Everyone I talked to had some connection to Germany. I met a school bus driver outside some crocodile farm show I didn't want to see and he served in Kaiserslautern, Germany and loved the Oktoberfest of course. 😃Very nice people and very beautiful country. I think only in recent years Trump and his hardcore Repuclicans destroyed how people view the US nowadays.

One issue Ive noticed is that Europeans in general have a natural inclination to judge more on stereotypes. I believe this to be due to European cultures being more insular and hence the individuals follow suit the stereotype more often. America, being known for its extremes, has many an off putting stereotype and Europeans lean on that judgment. It’s often I’ve had incredible friendships with people who say they can’t stand America, but think I’m different. I wish they understood how truly diverse America is.

3:21 - 3:24 haha

As a German: We love you and we dislike you. Why? You know all the reasons. We wear your trousers and your sneakers, your caps and your T-shirts. We see your films and hear your music. We'll eat your burgers and drink your Coca Cola. We even speak your language and learn it at school. You helped us after World War II. With money and care packages and with a new chance. We were shocked when President Kennedy was assassinated and when 9/11 happened. For me - all of this is love. --- On the other hand, we don't understand you. The role of religion (In God we trust). Parliament sessions begin with prayer. We don't understand that you love guns but hate abortion. We don't understand why you believe lies and vote for Trump. Your fear of socialism is childish and your healthcare system inhuman. But why do we care what happens to you? Why don't we care what happens in Indonesia, Mexico or Pakistan. Because we love YOU!

Oooookay.... What I love about the US of A: - the immense diversity - in people, landscapes, food, ideas, oppinions,.... - the spaciousness - ...gives minds enough room to "think big!" And they really do. - the (slightly fading) general optimism in people - even if I do not like it, I respect it a lot: the hustle culture. As a German I can't even imagine the strength in women who give birth and are back at their workspace one or two days later. Or men who haven't had a day off in three years. I adore this strength in people and the "typical American" attitude of "never quit!" - which reminds me of an anecdote: when I grew up I had a lot of (German) WWII veterans around me and many of them were referring to Americans as "cowards, always the 1st to flee the battle" - until my grandpa spoke up and said: "eh - shut up, with your torn away bodyparts and your scattered egos. Those Americans had somthing, which you had given to the Führer: the will to survive at any cost and the strong, sane spirit which kept telling them: the last man standing will be the one who did something right!" (and the tell tale of "cowardly running Americans" was never to be told in my surroundings again ;-) ). - I love the culture. Everyone kept telling me "there is no culture - aka "history" - in America" - yet since I was born (almost 50 years ago) almost all the movies, music, food-trends and clothes around me were inspired or directly imported from America. And because most Americans were inspired by their "ancestors" who were European, African, Asian (aso), I see a lot of "cultural circles being closed" (on a more metaphorical and/or metaphysical level ;-) - America is some sort of catalyst for the whole world. - and it is (still) just inspiring! There is a lot more, mainly on a personal level - but those were the "headlines" ;-)

The triology by Ken Follet is great!👍🏼

That smartest and dumbest comparison made me spill my Paulaner

"Germans don't like america anymore" "My movie is out now! In the US only..." 🤷 😉

Well, well, well, I have to say we love Americans, firstly for being here, secondly for the chance to criticize them ;), as we love to do with everyone, even with ourselves. A certain President of German descent and his erratic behaviour have caused a tremendous plunge in ratings. As Germans consume American media and a huge portion of News is dedicated to other countries and what is going on in the world, we have been informed about many details of his behaviour which caused not only the rates to plunge hugely but as well to scrutinize the country deeply and we have been realizing that current America is not that of 30 years ago. The majority of Germans still cannot fathom how one could elect that guy to represent the country. I think current ratings went up again, but then there was this recent shift of scuppering Roe vs Wade and Germans are not so sure anymore if we really still share the same values. We can see that the country slowly turns into one where extremist views of both ends clash and the population lose common ground. It is like there are 2 populations in one country. That does remind us of the history of our grandfathers and what they have gone through.

Nick, I can very well distinguish between people and politicians. I very much like your people and your culture, I just see your politicians the same way as I see our politicians.

i recognise the Village of the picture in Italy , I used to fly in those places with my paramotor .

Let me go out on a limb here: I sometimes think, the view on the US is swinging wildly in europe, and this is especially true for germany, because we are acutely aware that we are both dependent on the US, and at their mercy, and this is so comfortable, that we are too lazy to change it, and to afraid, lest we step on some american toes, but it also stings a bit. So the mood swings wildly from "Yeah, Team America, GO, GO, GO!" to " Ugh, America, AGAIN! typical..." There is an element of childish irresponsibility in it, perhaps. Were we able to look after our own backyard, we wouldn´t have to watch America´s every step so closely. Anyway, as a german, if you like german beer, try chech beer. Really. Please do. I can personally recommend the Krakonos brewery in Trutnov. You´ll love it.

Several times I have traveled to the USA and I am fascinated by the size of the country, by the beauty of the national parks. We have always been received and treated kindly by the US Americans. Many were proud of their German ancestors. Many people in Europe and Germany do not like the USA as a great hegemon, as a leading power. For me, the USA and its people are and remain a country of friends.

I still like America and look very much forward to visiting the States in October again. You can find idiots on both sides of the pond but in the end, the great people are way easier to find and I appreciate every person I met here and there and all the interesting talks about the cultural differences we had. I am a proud German European but prouder to travel the world and make new friends everywhere.

I always loved the US and tried to get my green card for several times between the end of the 90s to about 2006. The sports events, especially football, hockey and baseball, the vastness of the nature and much more. I tried to play football myself around Y2K, mostly as backup but it was fun. Driving for several hours in Germany can be such a pain, in the US I just started from Dallas and took a 7 hours trip to Kansas with no problem (beside that Kansas had probably the worst Interstates at that time 🙂) I am with a German-US sister city club. The stories and letters of the different people moving to Texas with a boat, like you mentioned are simply amazing and some are probably having the stuff for a big Hollywood picture. I think the numbers you put up here show clearly why that is, or because of whom that is so. I got totally alienated by Jan. 6th. I followed it through the whole year when the congressional hearings started. I was flabbergasted to what extend they found out about wrongdoings and treason and my first thought was, gosh, think about you got that green card and maybe live in the neighborhood of such people who stormed the capital. I think another problem is their "You're either Rep or Dem attitude" and I have to vote my party disregarding what obvious d*ck is running for my party as president. I am working for an US company, far away from Germany, and it is kind of nice how safe you feel there, and they seem to look after you, even if I think they are overdoing it a bit too much. I still hope that the US is going back into much better grounds and also globally stop to put people who should be already retired in the place of one of the most powerful people.