Rant: US Bashers

[BoberFett]

OK, I'm drunk, depressed and pissed off. Good time to rant, eh?

Where the fsck do foreigners get off bashing the US?

The English have oppressed so many cultures it's not even funny. The French. The Scots. Much of Asia and Africa. The Japanese oppressed the Chinese. The Australians and the Aborigines. I'm sure I could find numerous examples for every country in the world.

I jsut got done watching Braveheart (that is one sweet flick BTW) and sure, I'm sure it's been Hollywoodified, but damn, all you foreigners who tell us in the US that we're so backwards in gun control, whatever, blah blah fscking blah, you can KISS MY SMELLY @SS. We may have our problems, but until your sh!t doesn't stink, fsck off.

 

[glenn1]

Bober, for the most part, it's called jealousy. Despite what most folks from other countries think about our culture, etc. our economy and the dream that is America is still something that nearly all the world envies.

Oh, and in the case of the French, they are just morons, who can't understand why the rest of the world doesn't acknowledge their superiority and start speaking French. They (correctly) perceive that American culture is overtaking much of the world, and arrogantly believe that their culture is the obvious, and better, second choice.

Ironically, the U.S. has achieved a level of world dominance, militarily, technologically, socially, and economically, that perhaps the world has never seen before, and all without firing a single shot.

 

[dennilfloss]

"OK, I'm drunk, depressed and pissed off."

You PMed Thunderbooty, eh?

Keep On Dancing (Bay City Rollers)

 

[BoberFett]

BUAHAHAHAHAHA!




no

 

[nickdakick]

<< You PMed Thunderbooty, eh? >>


LOL Denis

 

[dennilfloss]

&quot;all without firing a single shot.&quot;

That's how they got their western border expanded to the Mississippi, 'acquired' Puerto Rico, Texas, California, Hawaii, a bunch of other Pacific Islands, bases in Japan, etc...

Ask the Amerindians how the Americans slaughtered bisons without a single shot to make the western native culture collapse.

Theodore Roosevelt had flowers in his rifle and just kissed his way into the history books.



Demolition Love (Jann Arden)

 

[BiB]

You're fairly correct Bobber and also very correc when you say that Braveheart is not totally accurate!!

 

[Moonbeam]

Thank God, it's OK for me to criticize it, I live here. It took me a while, though, to figure out that it was why I was always drunk, depressed, and pissed off.

 

[Czar]

BoberFett

Not every foreigner is from england you know, Braveheart is such a great movie


glenn1

Its not jealousy, from where I stand I call myself lucky that I dont live there, at least I can walk where I want and go to school and not being shot at. So strange that allmost every american think its jealousy, its probably just because you cant handle the truth, your country is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from perfect.

The french speak only french because they dont want to loose their language, their language is a big part of them, something all the english speaking nations will never understand.

, and all without firing a single shot. Har har har, your country has been in more wars in the last 100 years than any other country.

dennilfloss

Nice of you to point that out

 

[EmperorNero]

<< all you foreigners who tell us in the US that we're so backwards in gun control, whatever, blah blah fscking blah, you can KISS MY SMELLY @SS.

Ironically, the U.S. has achieved a level of world dominance, militarily, technologically, socially, and economically, that perhaps the world has never seen before, and all without firing a single shot. >>



first of all, before you go psycho on me, I'm an american so don't give me that &quot;you damn foreigner&quot; crap. anywho, my ap u.s. history was lecturing and one of the things that stood out the most was &quot;the u.s. is born in violence - so it's no surprise that we have more murders in new york per year than all of england.&quot; he was giving us examples from colonial violence such as the stono rebellion, king philip's war, paxton brothers, etc etc to modern day violence such as columbine, oklahoma or rodney king. if you look at statistics, violence here are extremely high, if not the highest.

and secondly, the health plan sucks: canadians are generally healthier than us. but then again, our govt system/economic system is probably the best in the world so there's a plus.



<< Oh, and in the case of the French, they are just morons, >>


and glen, it's that type of ignorance and ARROGANCE americans are infamous for - and you're here wondering why the hell we are being criticized.

 

[glenn1]

Czar... i'm not saying that everyone in the world necessarily wants to BE an American. Again, it's the American economy, and the idea of the freedom the U.S. represents, that most of the world wants. Ask someone from all but a handful of countries in the world, and i'm sure they would trade the economic and political situation that exists in their country, for what is present in the U.S., and i think you'll find the American standard would be the vastly preferred choice. And i speak from the experience of talking to, and getting to know on a very close level, more folks from more countries, than you will ever meet, much less speak to. As for you not wanting to be an American, and your jabs at our shortcomings, well, you're from Iceland. No offense, but i don't see Icelandic culture sweeping the world, in the same way the U.S. has done.

I am not saying, nor do i think, that the U.S. is a perfect country. We do not enjoy the advantages of a heterogenous society, such as exists in places such as Japan, Germany, or countless other countries. I think a lot of our &quot;problems&quot; can be traced to that... of course, it is also in certain ways a great strength for the U.S.

Dennilfloss, you're thinking a bit too literally. Unquestioned American dominance has been mostly a phenomenon of the last 50 years. The major factor which led to this was the decimation of the major European powers in the two world wars, which the U.S. participated in (and not without great hesitation, and even dissent and dissatisfaction from many). When i said &quot;without firing a shot,&quot; that referred more to the fact that America's rise to pre-eminence has occurred mostly outside of the historical pattern - an invasion, followed by an active and ongoing effort to impose a new culture on the conquered peoples. In this sense, the only invasion the U.S. has mounted has been a relatively peaceful onslaught of McDonalds, Disney, and other touchstones of American culture being exported, and for the most part embraced, by the local cultures. I challenge you to name a single country in world history that has been as spectacularly successful as the U.S. at bringing other cultures closer to their own, in a similarly peaceful manner.

The French are their own worst enemy on the culture wars, and i believe they are tilting against windmills in trying to set up their own culture as a &quot;second way&quot; versus the increasingly dominant American culture. I think in the end that they, too, will be assimilated into an increasingly Americanized world, or risk becoming considered a cultural backwater. You can fret over that fact, and it might indeed be a sad thing to see the ebb of French culture, but i think the tide is running against them.

 

[Fathom4]

I hear you Bober and I agree I get P.O.'d at times myself.

I gave up alcohol totally (even though I never drank much) and found I didn't get pissed nearly as often.

Have a good one my friend.

 

[Eli]

I'm an american, and I'm a US basher. I think the United States' society and many of our ways are just plain sick. Not saying that other countrys aren't, but I think we pretty much take the cake ...


Much of the modern world has the same problems the US does, yes, I agree. It's sick, twisted, and just plain wrong. But I still think the US is one of the worst.


Our history is full of complete and utter crap. Not saying other countrys aren't, but we are by no means perfect.

The history they teach in schools is a joke.. Most of it isn't even true.. George Washington, the tobacco farmer? Give me a break!


I know I'm not the only person that can easily and without hesitation say that I'm not exactly proud to be a whiteman ... :disgust::frown:

 

[piku]

Hey Boberfett, I just got done watching that movie too. I agree that is was pretty good too - some really dumb parts, but it was good overall.

You didn't watch it in a high school in the city of Dallas, did you?

 

[DABANSHEE]

Its not Jealousy Bober or Glen, its a reaction to the cultural imperalism of the US.

Actually all the Americans I know are jealous of the way all Australians get 4 weeks annual leave a year (&amp; shift workers get 5 weeks annual leave a year &amp; if you work on a public holiday as well as getting triple pay, you get an extra day tacked on to your annual leave, consequently when I was on the railways I got about 7 weeks annual leave a year), plus 15 sickies a year &amp; 2 or 3 months paid long service leave every 5 years under the same employer (depending on the award), plus we have more than dubble the public holidays as the US. Its even more so in Europe where Germans get 6 weeks annual leave. Consequently most Australians &amp; it seems Europeans will save most of their leave up &amp; every 3 or 4 or 5 years go on a 2 to 6 month holiday overseas. Also its normal after school kids do their HSC (the exam they do at about 18, when they leave school) to deferr going to Uni for 1 year &amp; instead will spend a year backpacking across the US &amp; Europe.

Hence I don't think I've met an Australian who hasn't been on a long holiday overseas, hence we are all shocked when we here about Americans who fly over for a 5 day holiday or like the girls from Washington who I met in Amsterdam who flew over for just a weekend, the Dutch I was with couldn't beleive it either. Actually I remember reading/hearing somewhere that 60% of Americans will live all their lives without applying for a passport, which means only 40% of Americans actually ever travel OS.

Plus my relatives in the US are so envious of our health system an aunty of my in the US with dual citizenship has flown over twice for free hip operations.

I know Americans who go on about there reconomy having about the highest mean average wages in the OECD, but that still doesn't alter the fact that the US also has about the lowest mode average &amp; median average wages in the OECD, which means of all western nations the gap between rich &amp; poor is higher in the US than anywhere else in the West.

But its these sorts of things that make countries different &amp; make it fun travelling arround. Plus if Americans are happy with their health system &amp; working 'conditions &amp; awards' its really no one elses business.

BTW, Glen, you should study your History a bit more - do you know how the US ended up with California &amp; Texas, &amp; environs in between? By invading Mexico, that's how, &amp; it was an invasion with the expressed purpose of gaining &amp; occupying those parts of Mexico. Also look at the Genocide of the native Americans which they succeeded in doing by a margin of 99%. Actually one of the core reasons for the American revolution (the others were a reaction to British sedition laws &amp; to avoid the taxes the British introduced to pay for the standing army that was a left over of the 'French &amp; Indian wars') was to overthrow the English common-law rights to native title that the British Indian allies had. Actually one of the very first acts of the new Congress was to do exactly that.

 

[dennilfloss]

Glenn 1,

Your 'peaceful manner' involves a lot of economic war in terms of pressure, blackmail, hostile takeovers, etc..., for example, hindering the release of Canadian movies in Canadian theaters that are part of large chains of cinemas now owned by US interests, so that they get played only in independant theaters. A lot of capitalism is very warlike in its objectives, strategies and procedures. As for being 'embraced by local cultures', I think that shoved down their throat is often a better term.

To put it simply I don't like bullies on a planetary scale any more than I do on a personal scale.

Lookin' At Us (Black Rob)

 

[chess9]

BobberFett:

Having a downer day, eh? You need to get laid, doood!

The French don't want to give up French because it is the most beautiful language in the world. English is a pale fourth, at best, after French, Italian, and Spanish. Of course, Russian (which I took for 5 years) is a dreadfully gutteral language and is near the bottom of the heap.

What you need is a week in Cancun with a sexy French girl!

Many people think their country is best. Jingoism is still the order of the day, but fear not-the international cartel of control is just around the corner. Soon everyone will be using McSpeak and American culture will have ruined much of the world's beauty.

No need to be depressed, see!?

 

[Czar]

glenn1

I can tell you that 90% of europe wouldnt change their government structure for your thing. Look at it, Clinton gets a BJ and that becomes the biggest political argument in all his administration, that is not good. Most of the rest of the world would rather have their own structure than yours.

Your fredom and economy is to the extreme, you let just about anyone own a gun because of freedom but some people just should net even to be allowed to hold a gun. Your economy is to the extreme also, in countrys where there is free healthcare no one would want to change it to your system.

Its a good thing that you realise that your country is not perfect, as I do with Iceland. But I can say that Nostradamus predicted that iceland would be the center point of the world someday, well he was right about some things

an invasion, followed by an active and ongoing effort to impose a new culture on the conquered peoples, har har har again, your country has done that so many times. Look at all the Communist countries you have invaded and how you have tried to change it to something else.

And also, each country has their own culture, countries like France have a very old culture and its theirs, they will not trade something of their own to something that someone else has. All of europe have their own culture, its not an american culture or anything like that. I´v been to many countries in europe and they all have a different culture and none of them are like the one usa has.

 

[DaBoneHead]

Incoming!!! My $.02.

Dabanshee,

You are right. I am jealous of how much 'holidays' other countries give their citizens, and life is too short to continue with 1 - 2 weeks a year (if you are lucky) for time off to spend with family and friends. Should I ever run for president, that (and universal health-care) will be my platform.

The US is more than a country. Think about it, France is a country, yet in size it is just larger than the state of Colorado. In florida, you could start at Key West and drive at 70 MPH (110 kph or so) for 18 hours and still be in Florida! (just follow the gulf coast). If you drove for 18 hours in europe, you could have crossed 5 countries. The shear size, diversity, and majesty of the US means you could spend a life time traveling and still not have come close to seeing everything. So, alot of people, especially people with lower incomes, don't travel to another country, but then its a hell of a trip just to get to another country from most points in the US.

About France. The French's greatest treasure is their history, culture, and language. Like it or not, where ever Americans go, we tend to &quot;export&quot; our culture. This isn't an attempt to be rude or to dominate a foreign culture, it is more a side-effect of the American mind-set and economy. *We* can export our culture. Any Froggies out there? Any agree with me? Oh, the only thing I would like to see is for Parisians to lighten up, and get control of the gypsies... one still has my brother's wallet! (no joke! You want trouble, lose your wallet with all your papers in a foreign country).

 

[dennilfloss]

The US is more than a country. Think about it, France is a country, yet in size it is just larger than the state of Colorado. In florida, you could start at Key West and drive at 70 MPH (110 kph or so) for 18 hours and still be in Florida! (just follow the gulf coast). If you drove for 18 hours in europe, you could have crossed 5 countries. The shear size, diversity, and majesty of the US means you could spend a life time traveling and still not have come close to seeing everything.&quot;

Funny how Canada (9,976,139 sq. km) is 6.5% larger than the US (9.363,123 sq. km) and still sees itself as just a country. China and Russia are also bigger.

Pink Houses (John Cougar Mellencamp)

 

[DaBoneHead]

Canada bigger... but waaayyy fewer people... I think they have more mooses than peoples...

china is slightly smaller.

CIA Data bank site

This is a good site for comparison of country sizes, populations, and general demographic stuff.

Still, Canada and Russia are larger, but the two together, or any five countries in the world, do not have the total number of miles of road that the US has. Ya have to admit, our internal infrastructure is amazing. Roads to everywhere.

Believe it or not, it is a big reason that the US economy is so good. A country is only as good as its infrastructure. Just look at Russia...

 

[Isla]

The French produced Laetitia Casta.

Don't they get credit for that?

 

[FettsBabe]

hell yea for holidays and vacations...you have my vote!

 

[BoberFett]

Whew, I'm glad I didn't stir up more trouble than I did.

<< You need to get laid, doood! >>

That is the least of my problems right now.

<< What you need is a week in Cancun with a sexy French girl! >>

Got one for me? My bags could be packed and ready to go in minutes.

It's just that I get a bit tired of the snobbish attitude I get from many foreigners. I agree, there are some less than desireable aspects to the US. The prudishness when it comes to sex and drugs is one. I'm sure I could list others, but I'll just leave that to you bashers.

But like I said to begin with, don't point out our faults until you've completely conquered your own.

 

[Moonbeam]

I try to remember that what I am is mostly accident, not something I want to get attached to or identify with.