Untitled Essay Research Paper Lee Greenwood a — страница 2

country was considered to be a prized possession. To Poland and the Polish people, America was doing more than helping democratic reform, they were trying to mold Poland into a mirror image of the United States just as the Soviets tried to mold Poland into a miniature Soviet Republic. This overbearance of American help borders on imperialism. Such overbearance which disturbs the Polish people is the recognition of such American holidays as the Fourth of July. All over Poland, particularly in Warsaw, extensive news coverage of American Independence Day spans the entire day through such mediums as television, radio, and newspaper. Poles view this as Americans having a superiority complex. While the general consensus all over Poland is that help from America is a godsend, Many Poles

agree that the intermingling of American culture with Polish culture is unacceptable. Never has the US ever extended another country such equal treatment. A large section of the Polish population views Americans as wealthy and powerful on the positive side, and imperialistic and egotistical on the negative side. The American true image is comprised of more than self-perception. How other countries and cultures perceive Americans is a important part of what it truly means to be an American. Americans see themselves as free and righteous while other countries like Poland view Americans as ethnocentric. What many Americans fail to see in their self-perception is, that intermingled within their beliefs and practices, hypocrisy. Hypocrisy dominated the American containment policy of

the Soviet Union in the Cold War era. As Americans were condemning the Soviets for pushing a communist government, Americans themselves were pushing democracy in weaker, dependent states. To find the truth of what it is to be American, you must combine other countries perceptions into your own, otherwise you will only achieve half the truth.