True American views of the world

[david petley]

It's a poorly drawn picture with horrible type.

yes, I am glad I didn't produce or post it (or even agree with it).

david

[david petley]

Take that, kangarooland man.

...this is as near as I get to ever seeing kangaroos...this is a shy little bush wallaby (distant cousin to the kangaroo) browsing on my lawn late one afternoon.



david

[argonauta]

all im saying is the world needs to stop hating on us because our president is a dill hole

Well, let me expand on the 'hate' a bit more.

I've seen a lot of negative opinions towards the US, as a country, for its politics, and for its corporations. For example, treehuggers in Ecuador kind of don't like US oil corporations, because, more or less, it's true that they kind of mess up the environment...though that doesn't mean that if the oil is handled by ecuadorian corps. it'd be a better scenario. People just like hating. The US has really (and probably you can ask everyone outside the US with a similar answer) has been very interventionist in its politics, with not really possitive results, and that kind of has affected the image of the US. But that hate towards the US, is for their politics and corps. which, ironically, seems to be shared by people inside the US. Over here, people are very friendly with 'gringos', when they meet them, people eat at MacDonalds, go to see movies from Hollywood, Spiderman3, drink Coke, watch desperate housewives, and we have pretty much assimilated a lot of the export culture of the US. But about its government, yes, people hate it, and I think there are enough good reasons to do so.

Now, the other part. People outside of the US think people in the US are dumb. While I don't think they are dumb, I'd say they are pretty ignorant about the outside world. There's a lot of intelligent and wise people (like members here at FK), but man, really, from personal experience, I've seen a loooot of people in the US don't have ANY idea of what happens outside their country. I've heard one too many times such stupid comments like 'how do you feel other countries feel that they live in a continent that has the name of our country', or people complaining that everybody should speak english, or really thinking that everybody from their south border to the south tip of Argentina is 'mexican', or thinking 'they hate us because we are free' (come to Ecuador and see what free really means....the after 911, you guys have lost so much freedom is not even funny anymore).

Sadly, people like to generalize, the same way you say 'everybody hates us', the ones who 'hate you' hate you because of what they know of the US. You cannot complain about that, if you do the same.

Last comment: from the 'what they eat' thread, that picture of Ecuador, that's how everybody outside of Ecuador sees us, and it's pretty funny when I travel and people meet me, as I could pass as 'white', everybody is amazed because they think 'everybody in Ecuador is an indian'. I have to accept those conceptions people have, eventhough in my own case, that wouldn't be true. For you, you might be bright, smart and a good guy, so people have no reason to hate you, but people will see you as the other US people they know, and unfortunately, most people will relate the US to Bush, an evil government and evil corporations.

[gerbick]

Argo, I'm quite sure that people on this board knows exactly how the typical non-American member here feels.

It's said over and ****ing over. We got it like 4 years ago.

Say something new people. You're saying the same stuff over and over. Even bad comedians and story tellers have something new to say every once-in-awhile.

[jAQUAN]

A lot of that is true, but a lot of the misconceptions we gathered honestly.
Prior to 911, we were arr-o-gant with a capitol A, I just didn't know it. While I was aware of our presence in other parts of the world, I had no idea it was causing so much hatred. Our news made other countries out to be child-like nations who needed our help to settle their differences. I myself thought it must have been because 3rd world nations are just too damn juvenile to not shoot first. We'd watch footage of a protest turned riot or a flag burning and think, "those silly rag heads".

I had heard talk of "world police" but shook it off as a buzz word. I honesty saw our presence as a good thing and felt underdeveloped nations + modern weapons = quick genocide. They'd never make it unless we helped.

The hard part for us is a lot of that is still true. If we drove a wedge through Darfur with the sole intention of saving lifes, some impressionable people who bare witness will inevitably draw a connection between their hardships and the US. After a generation, hate is taught at birth.

So while I hate what we've done with our foreign policy, I still think we need one.


In response to stereotyping, I do it. Only I don't subscribe to wide-misconceptions. I use no other basis than my own personal experiences and its only human to learn from them. I use what I've regularly been exposed to to prepare for what I'm likely to be exposed to. I don't think everyone below the border is ignorant, incapable of adapting, indifferent towards the country providing them opportunity, or a drain on our tax dollars, but the majority of immigrants I've met, worked with and shared a road with are.

All I can say is I'm sorry if one day we meet and I act in accordance and that maybe it'd just be easier if people grew thicker skin.

[gerbick]

...this is as near as I get to ever seeing kangaroos...this is a shy little bush wallaby (distant cousin to the kangaroo) browsing on my lawn late one afternoon.

I was honestly joking. Cool pic, btw.

[Planet]

It is unfortunate that after all the things the US has done for the world that Georg Bush can come along and single handedly destroy our reputation as a freely giving, caring and compassionate nation.

The truth is George Bush, his administration, his lawyers and his corporate sponsors are using time-tested tactics to close down our free society and they are much much further along then most people would believe.

Hitler, Mussolini, Pinochet, they all followed the same m.o.

Step one: Summon a terrorizing internal and or external enemy
Step two: Create a prison system outside the rule of law.
Step three: Outsource the military by creating a thug caste
Step four: Create a comprehensive internal surveillance system
Step five and my personal favorite: Harass citizens groups with such tactics as sighting them as terrorists, failure to pay taxes and finding illegal items in their possession like drugs, child porn or other socially unacceptable items
Step six: Target key individuals groups who may create an organized opposition to the conquest
Step seven: Control the press
Step eight: Cast dissent as treason or betrayal and criticism as espionage or spying. Everyone remember the “Patriot Act” and the “Military Commissions Act of 2006?”
Step nine: Suspend the rule of law!

That’s it, just 9 simple steps to loosing what we call freedom and these tactics are well underway, stinks to be us I guess. But even with that said, personally, I still love the US

[david petley]

oh you America hater you

[sk8Krog]

Wait...if that's not where the commies are, where are they?!

[gerbick]

I seriously like the name Pinochet.

[david petley]

if that's not where the commies are, where are they?!

under the bed.


d

[david petley]

I seriously like the name Pinochet.

...is that the guy with knickerbocker trousers and a wooden nose?? hangs out with slightly seedy children and a fairy?

d

[argonauta]

Argo, I'm quite sure that people on this board knows exactly how the typical non-American member here feels.

It's said over and ****ing over. We got it like 4 years ago.

Say something new people. You're saying the same stuff over and over. Even bad comedians and story tellers have something new to say every once-in-awhile.

when things change, people will probably complain about something else. But 4 years, and still the same speech? maybe nothing's changed.

I know enough people and friends there to know that the US and any other place I've visited is about the same: people just wanna leave their lifes, and their governments are messing everything up for everyone. Besides, I get my money from the US, so I cannot really hate the country, can I ?

I, at least, have been on a campaign to love the US. They got great stripclubs in Houston

[bvgroote]

Argo, I'm quite sure that people on this board knows exactly how the typical non-American member here feels.

It's said over and ****ing over. We got it like 4 years ago.

Say something new people. You're saying the same stuff over and over. Even bad comedians and story tellers have something new to say every once-in-awhile.

seriously.

[Frets]

I, at least, have been on a campaign to love the US. They got great stripclubs in Houston

From what I've seen of Texas they must be immigrant strippers taking away work from the locals.

[FlashLackey]

seriously.

amazingly, even i am getting bored with it. how many US compared to x discussions do we need at once? cant even talk about a comedy show without it going that route.

[TheOriginalFlashDavo]

Ahh... so now we can't even discuss the differences between UK and US comedy when it involves a UK comedy being remade by a US TV station?? Okay, let's forget about any discussion of culture on FK then.


Whoa is me guys. Sorry, but while the US is involved in other people's affairs - rightly or wrongly - deal with it. The same as I'll deal with any criticism coming from Australia's involvement within the Pacific and Asian region, more and more of it deserved over the past decade or so. I'm involved with an Oz design forum where we are far more critical and vicious on matters concerning the Oz government than any of the US discussion here. Fine to have issue with the way that some want to convey their point if they do so with no aim of engaging in discussion, but saying you're tired of the criticism is much the same as many folk saying they are tired of certain aspects of US foreign policy. It ain't changing, so the criticisms are still valid.

Anyway, flame away.

[hurricaneone]

Wasn't that map thingy one of the first things to be sent on the internet?

Talk about old, that's a veritable antique.

But it's nice to see it got you guys chatting.

[david petley]

7 years, same topics, same protagonists, same arguments and accusations.

dp

[gerbick]

Ahh... so now we can't even discuss the differences between UK and US comedy when it involves a UK comedy being remade by a US TV station?? Okay, let's forget about any discussion of culture on FK then.

Did you miss posting this in the "The Office" thread?

I suggest that you all drink some ghetto blasters and spread the fliff all over the town.