[Cid_Yama]

Instead the real reasons as seen from Europe and Latin America stem first of all from stupid, arrogant and self-defeating US foreign policy. At the same time, French or Dutch can hardly believe the ignorance and naivete of Americans about the world. While many Americans boast of their anti-intellectualism and their president has trouble finding strange places like Kenya or even Afghanistan on the map, the “green” media inform French and Italians that the waste and consumerism in the USA is destroying planet earth and Germans and Scandinavians are realizing that American democracy is a sham and has defiled the very word.

People are more and more aware that the USA PATRIOT Act and legislation subsequent to 9/11 have eroded America’s civil liberties. That the divide between rich and poor has never been more profound, the word “social” is taboo, and American capitalism has become more and more savage and vicious. For many others, American culture seems to be limited to mall shopping and TV sports, while America’s absurd theories of exportation of democracy and globalization as a solution to world poverty are widely scoffed at: exportation of democracy means war and globalizations means loss of jobs in Italy or France.

Europeans are right to wonder why Americans, even well intentioned people of the Left, cannot see the obvious. The answer is that their continuing faith in a mythical Americanism blinds them. And their false consciousness created and maintained by disgraceful corporate media that distorts the concept of freedom of the press.

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish ... 2953.shtml

[Peepers]

You mentioned the bad and the ugly in your subject line. Where's the "good" part??

[Micki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')ermans and Scandinavians are realizing that American democracy is a sham

[Cashmere]

I'd like to quiz the Swedes and Italians on where Kenya and Uzbekistan are.

[RSB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cashmere', 'I')'d like to quiz the Swedes and Italians on where Kenya and Uzbekistan are.

[Nickel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Peepers', 'Y')ou mentioned the bad and the ugly in your subject line. Where's the "good" part??

[Micki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')'d like to quiz the Swedes and Italians on where Kenya and Uzbekistan are.

[3aidlillahi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Micki', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')'d like to quiz the Swedes and Italians on where Kenya and Uzbekistan are.

[the_sword]

CID,

What the heck does this have to do with peak oil?

You should really seek professional help. There is medication that can that will assist with the symptoms you display.

[3aidlillahi]

Looks like you have an admirer, Cid.

And sword, this is under the Americas Discussion. Since this is about Americanism, I think this is an appropriate thread for the forum it is under. If emerson thinks otherwise, then he's free to move it to Open Disc.

[Denny]

I think evrybody seems to get categorized by their extremes and wow! America sure has them.

I met an older guy years ago who fixed copiers and had emigrated form the U.S.A. (not so different for me in some ways) and his name for the States was the "Excited Snakes of America". Well, he explained, that everybody seems to be hyper to succeed in America. And, then those who who try to succeed and get hyper but do not succeed become the angry ones. The scary ones. His take anyway.

You see it in guns and in drugs and in trying to show off. My SUV is bigger than yours. My wife is hotter than yours. An so on and so on. But, it also cuts the other way.

When you look for extremes of achievement and generosity and education and wisdom you shuld start by looking in America.

If only America coould have a cull of sorts, to clean out the riff raff and the cling ons. But, again, maybe not, they'd likely end up in Canada.

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Denny', 'B')ut, again, maybe not, they'd likely end up in Canada.

[KingDavid]

Don't be too proud of the european intellect. Look at our television programs, how stupid they have become, we're just catching up. If you would ask an average european to pinpoint an american state on a blind map, they would have a hard time to. According to a lot of people here the high oil prices are due to the muslims. Yep the muslims done it again, shame on them....

Edit: dumb european grammar-mistakes

[Cashmere]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')'d wager you'd get a higher success rate than with Americans.

[bodigami]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Denny', '(')...)
When you look for extremes of achievement and generosity and education and wisdom you shuld start by looking in America.
(...)

[bodigami]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KingDavid', 'D')on't be too proud of the european intellect. Look at our television programs, how stupid they have become, we're just catching up. (...)

[Nickel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cashmere', 'J')ust like the 300 pound man laughing at the obesity of the 400 pound man doesn't make him fit.

[Denny]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('zensui', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Denny', '(')...)
When you look for extremes of achievement and generosity and education and wisdom you shuld start by looking in America.
(...)

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Micki', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')ermans and Scandinavians are realizing that American democracy is a sham

[Micki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')nteresting Miki. My background is Swedish on father's side and my brother visited for the first time, a couple of years ago. He had glowing reports of the country, but something about his descriptions of it, turned me off a bit. It was really odd. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm really glad my grandfather emigrated to Canada, when he did, because I don't think I could live there. I honestly think the people would get on my nerves