Originally Posted by
Kiri
Part of the reason why much of Europe was and still is watching so much American stuff for example is because of the appreciation shown to the US. For decades, the US has been a global leader that everyone looked up to. I know very few people here in Europe that actually 'hate' the US in any capacity. What you are calling 'hate' is simply disillusionment. The US, especially under Trump, has forsaken its role as a hero to European and thus lost the hero worship it had had before.
Think of it this way - the US has always considered itself the greatest country on earth. Your politicians repeat that often enough. But in the past, that felt like it meant 'leader that leads everyone to more prosperity and a better world'. Now, it has become something more akin to 'we are better than you in any way, so you better do as we say, or else'. The first is the kind of behavior that led to the 'America saves the day' trope in movies. People just assume that the Americans are the big goods, so it is easy to accept that they defeat the aliens or volcanoes or whatever. The second kind of behavior simply runs against that. It is hard to accept a hero that looks down upon you. That merely seems to 'tolerate' you as long as you want the same things he wants, but throws around the threats as soon as they dare to have a different opinion.
I think the last of your paragraphs exemplifies that best. You speak of hate and no appreciation, but there you just put it bluntly: you are sick of Europeans complaining about the US. That is what is happening. The hate is not. A lot of people here in Europe don't complain about America simply because it is America. But you are taking 'complaining about an American policy' as 'complaining about America'.
To bring it to your example with that friend, in order to better illustrate: that is no friendship. If you buy someone a car to race against them, but expect them to owe you and be super thankful to you; but to never call you out on what they deem problematic behaviour; that you can treat like insignificant people, insult and overall be a jerk to - yet still expect them to like you. Because you bought them that car one day. That's not friendship, that's buying a cronie and a yes-man.
Europe has been grateful to the US for decades. Europe has all but worshiped the US. It has followed its lead and supported its endeavours. The former does not just cease to exist just because today we ask more questions or do not follow that lead every time. Especially when the US is led by someone who clearly subscribes to 'America first, at the expense of others', instead of former presidents that had more of a 'America first, so everyone else can join us'.