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[Kathian]

From the rest of the world's POV? Yes.

America either needs more house and senate oversight on foreign policy (which would mean making it easier to push out a sitting President) or Americans need to realise that when they vote for a President they are basically choosing foriegn policy. Domestic policy gets so much debate but it's really controlled by the House/Senate.

This is who America is on the international stage for the next 4 years.

 

[Krixeus]

Were the last 8 years defined by Barack Obama?

 

[Kathian]

Yes of course. Do you think people around the world would realistically take the time to learn about every single way of life in America? You are judged by your head of state, doubly so if that person is elected democratically and not a dictator.

America is a country that elected one of the least qualified person to the highest position of power- That's how you would be defined by the world.

Internationally no one cares about the qualified bit. There's a civil service. Many countries elect people that Clinton would shout down as under qualified (whilst, and not looking to start an election debate, pointing to the positions she's held but not any achievements she made in those positions or popular policies).

The problem isnt Trump's background in government. It's that hes driven by his ego and bluster rather than pragmatic and reasoned politics.

 

[Acorn]

Were the last 8 years defined by Barack Obama?

Yes and the obstructionism of republicans. Also could make a case for trump being a rejection of Obama's policies.

 

[Ecotic]

Not totally. The U.S. has massive cultural influence in certain industries like film and tech that will not diminish (much) with Trump. The U.S. is also large enough to have enclaves with their own international identities like New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and so on.

 

[Kurt Angle]

the south doesnt even represent me as an american

so a president that those 3rd world states elected doesnt either. My states still blue and I will be paying taxes for their fuckups anyways like the coastal states have always done

 

[SmackDaddy]

He doesn't define the America I want to live in. Things are feeling bleaker than before, but Id like to believe I have the chance to help change things for the better.

Also, I'm an anxious person, so resigning myself to the fact that the USA is fucked doesn't jive well with my state of miND lol.

 

[Camper Van Beethoven]

Every 8 years or so the other side wins and the people on the other side scream to the sky.

This is no different to Bush. It's pretty much exactly the same as Bush, complaints about popular vote included. The country is "defined" by a small swinging one way or the other every few years. The country is no different today than 4 years ago.

 

[Chumley]

Every 8 years or so the other side wins and the people on the other side scream to the sky.

This is no different to Bush. It's pretty much exactly the same as Bush, complaints about popular vote included. The country is "defined" by a small swinging one way or the other every few years. The country is no different today than 4 years ago.

Oh lord

 

[Deleted member 1235]

I'm 37 and remember well the perception of Americans both in NZ and EU during the years from Bush and Obama.


Bush: stupid americans, war mongers
Obama: built the goodwill back, didn't see americans pretending to be canadians anymore. General positivity (although you all still talk too loud on the train).
President Elect trump: OMG AMERICANS ARE IDIOTS WTF

Trump will massively affect (already has) how you are perceived on the world stage. He's surprisingly stupid and I expect way worse than bush. I mean he's already pissed off china real bad and he's not even president.

 

[Kthulhu]

Trump is the physical representation of everything bad about America. He is literally a walking stereotype.

Is Trump an accurate representation of America itself or the majority of its people? No.

Edit: as a Texan, I feel that there are a combination of reasons the right wing has gotten so powerful.

One of the biggest reasons is their media bubble. Every time a right winger is challenged with evidence they are wrong, they can simply hide from the facts.

Another is an underlying layer of racism of different degrees. I'm not going to claim a conservatives are racist, but it is there, and needs to be cut out in order for progress to be made.

There's a laundry list of other reasons. Ones which the Democratic Party would be smart to adopt. Such as not getting pissed at slight disagreements on policy positions. IMO if someone agrees with you on 90% of the issues, you have no reason to argue with them.

 

[Foggy]

Yep. We're a diseased, festering wound of a nation and Trump is the accelerant.

 

[Bisnic]

Americans want to think otherwise, but like it or not, Trump will represent the USA to the rest of the world.
So if he does stupid shit every weeks/months for 4 or 8(god I hope voters won't be THAT stupid again in 2020) years that make USA look like a country managed by complete morons, they'll have to deal with how the rest of the world looks at them, republicans or not.

The only thing I hope is that his presidency won't create another 9/11 or worse. Pretty sure it will already encourage more terrorists to commit smaller scaled attacks like Berlin, Paris, Nice, etc. though, unfortunately.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

We'll be defined by how we respond to him.

And God help us if he's a moderate success.

 

[13ruce]

Only if you look at the satire/parody side of America then it's a perfect fit.

 

[br0ken_shad0w]

Americans want to think otherwise, but like it or not, Trump will represent the USA to the rest of the world.

.

 

[Always-honest]

No, but it is how people from other countries will look at you.
It's less and less of the potential that the USA could have been for a lot of people.

Sad, when you think of it.

I kinda hope there is some good in this man and he won't disappoint as much as we fear.
But americans should keep a close eye on him and revolt when stuff goes out of hand.

 

[kmfdmpig]

It's not really a binary yes/no choice though, is it?

I mean Trump will have a significant influence both as the public face of the US (embarrassing) and his choice(s) for the Supreme Court.

With that said, if we say that the election of Trump defines the US then we're really saying that a very small number of Americans in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin define the entire country. It's not like Trump won in a landslide. It was a deeply divided election with two candidates that most people disliked. Both were flawed candidates and Hillary won a very poor/lazy campaign marred with the "deplorables" line which likely cost her the election. I don't think it's reasonable to say that the election represents a tectonic shift in the thinking of the American voter so much as it was a close/bad result due to many factors.

 

[Camper Van Beethoven]

Oh lord

Gaf has a reputation for being good for discussion. You're a detriment that reputation.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

The USA has a huge cultural presence across the world. Trump is pretty annoying and undiplomatic so he would only cause the USA to fall back on other sources for reputation. Unless there is a major crisis that needs a "strong leader" but that's just speculation.

 

[Horns]

In the short term, yes.

 

[psychowave]

No. It's defined by the 60+ million people who voted for him.

 

[John Kowalski]

When i'm with folks who are very critical of the America that elected Trump, i make an effort to always mention disprivileged groups just to make sure that Trump's America is not associated with them. That's my christmas gift to you america.

 

[Herr Schwarz]

I'd say its more defined by Hollywood

 

[LiK]

The horrible GOP is all he represents to me.

 

[RoadHazard]

I'm 37 and remember well the perception of Americans both in NZ and EU during the years from Bush and Obama.


Bush: stupid americans, war mongers
Obama: built the goodwill back, didn't see americans pretending to be canadians anymore. General positivity (although you all still talk too loud on the train).
President Elect trump: OMG AMERICANS ARE IDIOTS WTF

Trump will massively affect (already has) how you are perceived on the world stage. He's surprisingly stupid and I expect way worse than bush. I mean he's already pissed off china real bad and he's not even president.

Basically this.

 

[KonradLaw]

Defined? Probably no. But among it's defining features right now he's probably the biggest one. Both negatively and positively. On one hand you could say he personifies a lot of what's wrong with USA, but at the same time..everybody treated him like a joke candidacy. Everybody thought he had no chance. He had all the media against him and most of republican establisment. He also had a lot less money for campaign. And yet he still won. There is something very deeply american in prevailing against such odds.

 

[The Last Wizard]

The majority (as in those holding power, not the % of popularion) has spoken. Look at the justice system, look at the police. It's rotten at the core.

Aptly put.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

It sure as hell influenced my opinion of America as a whole. I wouldn't move there.

 

[RibMan]

The president of a country is the face of a country. For the next 4 years, a guy who said he wants to ban Muslims (1.6 billion+ humans) and grope women will be the face of the United States. Unless Trump flips on his promises and proposed initiatives, the reputation of the United States is not going to be good.

To be completely honest, the rest of the world has always viewed America as either the land of opportunity or the land of stupidity. It's disappointing to run into someone who believes the latter, but the appointment of Trump won't do any favors for the former. In my experience, I've found that the main reason people think we're all stupid is because of the image that's portrayed in popular entertainment, e.g. action movies, sports, reality shows, hip-hop videos, YouTube clips etc. We all know stuff like The Real Housewives of *blank* is 95% fake and 5% real. But to the rest of the world, those numbers are reversed, and this leads to the perception that everyone is a loudmouth, everyone is into shopping and partying, everyone is in love with gossip and 'talking reckless' about others, etc. So to be completely honest, Donald Trump isn't the cause and won't be the reason why people think the United States is the land of unintelligence.

 

[Shmuppers]

It definitely does from the outside looking in, but as far as I'm concerned the U.S is defined by the people in it

I don't know if that's better or worse

 

[ChryZ]

Like it or not, Trump is the face of the US now. He might not be your president, but your stupid system made him your president.

We all know that many US citizens are as terrified as the rest of the world by this.

Personally I have to say, to me Trump personifies the absolute worst of USA: racism, bigotry, loud ignorance, unadulterated capitalism, etc.

There are good people in the USA, Trump isn't one of them.

 

[CryptiK]

What's the second most racist country?

Probably India.

 

[Grover Cleveland]

Symbolically, nominally, yes Donald Trump is the most direct representation of the United States and its values to the world. That is one of the key functions of the Presidency, to project the voice of the American people abroad.

But there's a few things that have to be considered:

A: Donald Trump was not elected by a majority vote of American citizens. It is so incredibly important to never lose sight of this. Over 70 million Americans decided that someone other than Trump (be it Hillary Clinton or one of the third party candidates) better represented their core values.

B: To the OP's point about white nationalism. No, it is not more popular than ever. In fact, I would argue that Trump did not create anything that was not already there. White nationalism and distrust of the other is woven into the very fabric of this country and has been from the very beginning. It predates Trump, will outlast his Presidency, and will probably be an underlying part of our Great Union for as long as it stands. The only thing Trump did was channel it in a way that led to electoral victory (the same thing that the Grand Ol Party has been doing for a half a century with "softer" words)

 

[ebullientprism]

As someone outside the US? Of course, yes. Your leader is country's representative, which as a president he is and will be. You can yell and shout popular vote till you are blue in the face if you want though.

Were the last 8 years defined by Barack Obama?

Also yes.

 

[The Albatross]

I hope not, but beyond my hopes, no.

If you feel that Trump defines America to non-Americans, I disagree, America is defined by the brands it has created. Mickey Mouse, Nike, Barbie, and Ronald McDonald will always define America more than whoever the existing president is.

America is probably the most racist country out there, only fitting they get a racist President.

Jesus christ, this may be the most stupid thing I've ever read.

 

[KillerMan91]

Symbolically, nominally, yes Donald Trump is the most direct representation of the United States and its values to the world. That is one of the key functions of the Presidency, to project the voice of the American people abroad.

But there's a few things that have to be considered:

A: Donald Trump was not elected by a majority vote of American citizens. It is so incredibly important to never lose sight of this. Over 70 million Americans decided that someone other than Trump (be it Hillary Clinton or one of the third party candidates) better represented their core values.

And over 40% of voters didn't vote at all so they passively accepted the option that Trump could be a president. So over 65% of Americans either voted for him or didn't care enough to vote the other candidate. In my eyes that means that most of US is fine with Trump being president.

 

[Netherscourge]

He lost the popular vote by ~3 million votes.

He only represents MAYBE 40% of Americans.

MAYBE. So many people didn't vote that it's hard to tell how unpopular he really is.

He does NOT represent the majority of Americans. And he sure as FUCK doesn't represent me.

 

[Kayhan]

Ivanka Trump is the voice of her generation.

 

[flkraven]

As someone outside the US? Of course, yes. Your leader is country's representative, which as a president he is and will be. You can yell and shout popular vote till you are blue in the face if you want though.



Also yes.

I agree with this. I am not American either, but your President is like the #1 spokesperson for your country.

For the American's saying he doesn't define the US, it is like looking in the mirror. You may think something looks great when you look in the mirror, then you ask all the people that are close to you (mom, dad, best friend) and they all think you look awesome. However, an objective outsider can clearly see that your colors clash, your ass looks fat, and your shirt is 3 sizes too big.

 

[Sinfamy]

Living overseas during part of the Bush administration, I'd say partly.
The president is the face of its nation.
Any goodwill Obama might have brought is probably gone come January.

 

[Regulus Tera]

The fact that a racist and ignorant TV celebrity became president after getting the first African American in the position is one of the most American things that could have happened, yes.

 

[Theonik]

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Trump represents the established sterotype of the American people that is prominent in those countries thus re-enforcing it.

Strange to have the US trying to 'regain respect' by becoming a caricature.

e: The president and their policies is the face of the nation whether it likes it or not. If it doesn't it should vote different.

 

[Xando]

Americans want to think otherwise, but like it or not, Trump will represent the USA to the rest of the world.

Pretty much.

He is basically america for people outside of the US.

The only news we have about the US is either the president or some kind of violent event (terror, riots, police shootings etc.)

 

[benicillin]

No, but he does define NeoGAF OT.

 

[The Albatross]

I agree with this. I am not American either, but your President is like the #1 spokesperson for your country.

For the American's saying he doesn't define the US, it is like looking in the mirror. You may think something looks great when you look in the mirror, then you ask all the people that are close to you (mom, dad, best friend) and they all think you look awesome. However, an objective outsider can clearly see that your colors clash, your ass looks fat, and your shirt is 3 sizes too big.

I think when we're thinking simply politically, of course a country is defined by the head of state, but broader, when thinking about that country we're more likely to think of the cultural contributions.

When I think of what defines a country like Italy, I don't think of Paolo Gentiloni the Prime Minister (and truthfully, I had to Google who the PM was), I think of wine, food, and fashion. When thinking of Australia, I think of the country as being defined by beer and beaches, not Malcolm Turnbull. The UK, I think of pork pie, double-decker busses, pubs, and phone boxes, not Theresa May (although in fairness, I do think of the Queen as well, though I think for semi-permanent heads of state or dictators [not that the Queen is a dictator] this is probably more likely). Likewise, I think when somebody wants to stick it to a country they say, "Well, yeah, of course your unpopular leader defines your country that I want to dislike," but in actuality when they're not trying to be argumentative, they're more likely to think of those persistent brands or features that persist far longer than the temporary head of state. For billions of people around the world, the Nike swoosh or McDonalds arches are more recognizably American than whoever the president is.

Though, this phenomenon of associating cultural contributions to a country rather than its sitting head of state could also be different for people looking in at the US, rather than me, looking out at other countries from the US. US politics generally gets far more media coverage in Italy than Italian politics gets in the United States, and so our top politicians might become household names after an election.

 

[lazygecko]

As the world has gotten increasingly globalized and connected, it has also become more and more apparent how the United States is more like one of the outliers of western culture and values rather than the beacon it once represented.

For that you can mostly thank the unique way in which the GOP and their corporate allies have spent decades of effort via think tanks and the likes to subliminaly frame issues in politics in a way that benefits them, blanketing the nation's way of thinking with a radically conservative slant unlike anything in Europe which the democrats constantly have to adapt to since they don't have any equivalent strategy of their own to shape the culture and frame their value (seems to be only LGBT topics where they have some marginal success on that front).

That's not taking into account the current extreme right populist wave sweeping across the world, but I classify that as something different and separate from traditional right wing conservatism (none of the issues on the agenda have much if anything to do with economic policy).

 

[npm0925]

Yes. America is the laughingstock of the modern world with its worship of monetary wealth at the expense of general well-being, its horribly educated populace that cannot differentiate reality from fantasy, its rampant jingoism and mass incarceration, its unwillingness to address the problems it created (ISIS, global warming, etc), its political system that is designed to polarize, and so on.

 

[gutter_trash]

hell yes

 

[clevbrowns94]

No, he didn't even win the popular vote.

To me, that doesn't matter. He should have lost the popular vote by 10-20 million. It should have been a 1964/1972/1984 mega landslide. The biggest problem we face is partisanship. You could put David Duke on the ticket, and he would likely win all the red states. The more partisan we have become (which, as it pertains to the right, was definitely made worse by Fox News, Breitbart, talk radio, etc.), the easier for horrible candidates to win because people will just say to themselves, "at least he/she isn't an evil Republic/Democrat."