I was not surprised by the opinions that people from other countries had about the United States. If I was living in the the same country as them, I probably would have the same opinions. People living outside the United States view this country as a superpower which indirectly controls the world. I think that the decisions that America makes as a country affects all the other countries as well.

— Sachin Honnudike, Medfield (9/6/2007)

When viewing the videos, many of the foreign citizens were being interviewed touched upon some of the important aspects in life we Americans don't think about. When talking about the United States in general, many of the people described it as a powerhouse and economically thriving country and many of them look up to us as role models, which I felt was not so much surprising, but the other countries depend a little too much upon the United States for guidance and their beliefs. Knowing the average American voter doesn't understand what they are voting for in regards to foreign policy, can heavily impact citizens' lives of other countries. This trait has given us signs of being self-centered which many foreign citizens agree with. When talking about the United States' point of view on other countries, one man being interviewed brought up a good point in saying, "Americans mainly view our country through political and economical perspectives, not the other aspects such as history, art, and religion." This comment really got me thinking of how true that statement was. We, as Americans, generally assume things about foreign places and don't take the time to understand their culture and history behind them. All in all, i believe by watching these interviews, the eyes of many people will be opened about the world.

— Mike Dolan, Medfield, MA (9/6/2007)

It is difficult to just describe America. Many of the people are completely different, and most of what others see from in other countries is probably just a small portion of what Americans are actually like. I'm not disagreeing with the videos; it is just I feel that they are talking about one group when there are others in America that completely agree with them.

— Greg, Massachusetts (9/6/2007)

While watching the first video from Lebanon, it was interesting to see how the people of Lebanon felt that our voters choices impacted them as much as citizens of the the U.S. After hearing all of the interviews i realized many of the people felt our media was bringing down our the country, which i agree with. The media often concentrates on negative aspects and you rarely hear about something positive in the news. Additionally, the news always concentrates on the internal problems in the country, and you rarely hear about what other nations are going through and their struggles. This gives the U.S. a selfish label. I did expect more negative attitudes toward the citizens of the U.S., but most of the criticism concentrated on the media and the government.

— Jake, MA (9/6/2007)

I think that other nations make harsh generalizations about our country as a whole based on the Bush administration, while there is a lot they don't know about our country. They judge our culture based on what they hear about us in the news, while there is so much they are missing. The US is misunderstood.

— Ibby, Massachusetts (9/6/2007)

After viewing several of the videos posted, I had the sense that most of people interviewed thought of America as being self centered. Although I do disagree with some of the opinions shared, this topic of being selfish was one that I do agree with. As a country we're one of the strongest powers in the world. With such power comes responsibility, many of America's decisions impact other nations significantly. More often than not we're thinking of ourselves and what will be the best outcome for our country. This I have no problem with because that's what we should be focusing on, what is most important for our citizens. With all the power that America has, it is vital that we start to become more worldly and think of other nations aside from ourselves. There is no doubt that we have done this in the past and in the present day, but in helping out those other countries also included benefits for America. In such places like Africa where our help is much needed, we need to focus more in helping them out and getting them to stable state again.

— Brendan Bodi, Medfield High School (9/6/2007)

Hearing other people's thoughts on what they think about America has changed my thoughts on the rest of the World. I realize that some countries view Americans as rich and powerful people, however, there are people who like America for its power. As I was viewing the Venezuela video, I saw that some of the people in the interviews stated that they view America as a "father to the world." Along with the responsibility that America carries, I feel that America should focus more on other nations that are struggling and are in need rather than focus just on ourselves.

— Galen Farrar, Medfield, MA (9/6/2007)

I believe that what people said about America is true for some people living here. I also think that not everyone living in America are greedy and narrow minded.

— maggie, medfield (9/6/2007)

It was very interesting to hear what people from other countries think of the US. It does make me feel bad about not knowing that much about other countries. The only aspect about what people said that bothers me is some of the generalizations about us. Watching these clips does compel me to learn more about other countries.

— Ali Bo, Massachusetts (9/9/2007)

I agree with the South American man's view of America, which says how only the good things are being shown about America and not the conflicts within it.

— Student, Massachusetts (9/17/2007)