America vs. the world

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I grew up in Southern Alberta, but now I live in Las Vegas. As for which country is the best? It's like apples and oranges. They're both great, and both suck, just depending on where you are, and what you're doing. I do have to say, I've found many Canadians living down here in the states to be a little more patriotic of Canada than some Americans I know. Not bad, just interesting. Personally, I love both countries, but I will always be a Canadian, though I doubt I will ever live back there.

[This message has been edited by Relic (edited July 13, 2001).]

 

Kit, you are simply blinded by your prejudice and bigotry. I am truly sorry.

As for multiple climates within two hours' drive, it's Arizona all the way. Besides, it has the Grand Canyon. What more could you ask?

 

I am not blinded by anything... everything i have learned i have learned through experience. My experience with Americans is they think Canada is a state and are very uneducated to what is around them. Not only have i experienced this first hand but have seen it in their media etc.. ie South Park the movie!

 

Oh man, I don't want to reply to this thread but I have to!

I'd like to point something out here that no one seems to acknowledge... virtualy every country in existence has some sort of complete stereotype that everybody sees them as (unless its just the view point of Americans, in which case I will be appropriately, justifiably and completely shot down! haha), yes the sterotype of Americans is that we're gun sporting bastards and arrogant - fine.

Now lets look at some more completely nationalistic archetypes of other countries,
we'll start with Canada since this seems to be a shootout between them and the US:

Canada - a suburb of Vermont

Ireland - they're all drunks

England - they're all snotty tightwads

Germany - they're all racist

Whatever, anyone with a half of a brain cell can figure out that there are drunks, snotty tightwads, and nazi bastards in just about EVERY country in existence (Heck I'm an American and I think my president might be a nazi bastard...), the stereotypes are completely rediculous.

Also, Kit, do you really believe everything you see in the movies or TV to be completely true? The SouthPark movie as evidence that Americans see Canadians as... what? The logic in that is a bit bizarre. Dangerous habit to get into.

Everyone thinks we're stupid: Well considering that much of the world is running on technology developed by US companies, listening to US music, watching US movies (not that they're any good) and er... playing US GAMES (like er, say D&D? Isn't Wotc from the US? TSR? Am I mistaken?)I'd say that accusing all Americans of being stupid is a little strong, unless you're assuming that the rest of the world is worse, or just lazy.

Which leads me to a question: "Which Americans are you reffering to as the stupid, arrogant, trigger happy maniacs?" The US is a melting pot of people from different cultures... are you referring to the Chinese Americans? the Irish Americans? the Russian Americans?

To be fair, I'll point out the things I really don't like about my own country:
- Bush is insane,
- our multi-global business model is extremely destructive, and exploitive of other countries resources and laws that don't account for the crap that we pull,
- because there are so many cultures mixed together there is a ton of intolerance
- Canada is next door (haha, just kidding, take it easy there!)

Incidently I drove up to Quebec to see Nomeansno a couple of years ago (14 hour drive!), and I gotta say, we got treated like CRAP (except for a really nice lady in a chinese resturaunt). Granted it was a van full of punkers, but still... at least the band was really cool to us, and they're Canadian, so it was pretty much a mixed bag.

 

Ah, yes, Quebec. Well. Have you ever been to France? Quebec standards of "politeness" towards "foreigners" (e.g. anyone not from their own city) is pretty much in keeping with their provincial obsession with being French, not Canadian.

I am not saying this to assert any kind of Canadian superiority over the French by the way: I am actually from France myself, although I've lived in Canada more than half my life. The French just have different virtues than Canadians: much better food, much worse manners. This is also true of the Quebecois. Culturally, Quebec is a totally different country.

 

A funny map that was posted here a while ago about the American view of the world: http://www.xerph.com/pics/america_big.gif

 

Kit, remind me to introduce you to my friend Sarcasm. <wink>

Don't take me too seriously.

 

BTA is one of those ppl with sence of humor . I want americans that will flame because of that map!!

 

My sweet jesus, are you really believing a stereotype from south park??!! those jackasses are part of why people think if americans as they do, because they get some damn movie out that is a total blow off.
(and... it's paper anyway, so there is no reason to believe anything from south park)

and artEchoke(whatever you spell it as), i actually agree with all of the examples of how the US is not so great, and also with the fack that we are not stupid, gun toting, lunatics.(though, i do own a gun and enjoy using it)

 

hmm ArtEchoke i have experienced this stuff first hand as well.. not just from tv.

I used to work for a 1-900 line that dealt with american customers but the girls were in canada. And i must tell you that your southern states are very uneducated as to the world around them. I talked to hundreds of men.. (and no it was not all sex talk, alot were just lonely.) I found that alot of Americans truely do believe canadians live in the ice age, or they are a state!

 

Blackthorne:

 

Well let me just say USA hasn't got the best image here in Denmark.
If you could trust the television USA stands for:

Guns.

Gene-manipulated food.

Execution of criminals.

Pollution.

Money is a religion and religion is money.

I wonder what you americans have heard about Denmark...

Oh...and we make better beer. Nyah nyah!

 

Well Jack, if you own a gun, and enjoy using it, I'll stay out of your garbage.

Blackthorne, I'm glad you laughed, because I just sat there and stared at the post for awhile, I was not at all prepared for the "it wasn't all sex" defence. I'm still kind of stunned, so when I saw your post I snapped out of it.

Well jeez Kit, when I call a sex-line I usually talk about the effects of multi-national corporations and their effect on the rain forests and the indigenous life-forms within...

But let me guess, most of the time you probably heard this, "heh, heh, heh, you shewr sownd purty! Ah bet yew smayel guuuuud... ga-heh heh heh"

Well, that was me .


In any case, so now you're just talking about the south, so that's 1/3 of a really big country. I have to point out that its a country that allows its individual states govern (for the most part) its educational standards. Now some of the states are extremely EXTREMELY influenced by religion, particularly Christian Fundamentalsim.

Christian Fundamentalists are not your friend. They're a little (just a tad) narrow-minded. As a result alot of schools don't teach some basic things like, say Evolution.

I admit, this is a big problem, and it doesn't produce the most productive people I've ever seen. However I can't really say that I think most of the people in the South US are dumber than a bump in the road. You just hear about them more often, or in Kitiara's case, she hears FROM them more often. haha.

Kit, where was this number advertised? "the Jerry Springer Show" or, "60 Minutes?"

Try to be a little objective at least.

 

that is correct. Christian Fundamentalists are not your friend. THey are your savior. Acknowledge the glory of God and Christ, and you shall be saved. For we are all sinners, and must be saved from ourselves!

*voice from the back* If we're all sinners, and God made us in his image, what does that make God?

STAND AWAY SATAN!! GET BACK!!! BLASPHEMER!!!

etc. etc. etc.

*snicker*ChristianFundamentalists*snicker*

 

Actually the number was advertised in adult magazines only..lol But you would be surprised what guys wanna talk about. One guy ran the bill up to $10,000 and we only talked!!

I actually do believe there are a**holes in all races and colors. However, i do believe the americans are just a little toooo concerned with weapons and warfare.. and too high on their horses.

 

I can't give a notable point to the US-canadian flamewar nor can I explain the strange attitude of the british to the americans. As a german I always wonder about the odd attitudes of americans and british towards germans:

The british seem to vary from region to region: I once met a welsh who noted, when he found out I'm german, that it was long overdue that Hitler teached the damn brits a lesson - making me feel really uncomfortable - and I heared similar stuff from irish people as well.
The british and the scottish on the other hand usually tend to feel the need (after about 30 minutes small talk) to state that britain won WW-II despite the fact that Rolls-Royce is owned by BMW today and that germany is richer - fullstop.
On the other hand british can be exceptionally polite, which is really nice for a while but makes it difficult to see through it and can result in you, as a guest, to be rude or impolite unnoticed and of course - unwillingly. On the other hand it is great to go to a pub in britain for it is very common that you find yourself in a friendly conversation with strangers.

Americans on the other hand have the great tendency to refer to the holocaust when germans dare to question somthing on their country, for example their IMHO unreflected, emotional patriotism. They seem to know not very much more about germany except that we are all bavarians, build good cars, brew good beer and eat sauerkraut and wurst all day when not plotting plans for another blitzkrieg and that we live somewhere in europe ... which is far away ... somewhere ... in the east. If they have relatives in the army stationed in germany the even know more about it, that east is just across the atlantic for example.
In general I never got rid of the feeling that a majority US americans are somehow 'blind' that there are other developed countries outside and they are usually convinced that the american way of life is not only right but the one and only one. GOD BLESS AMERICA! BLAME CANADA!

I don't know much about canade but I remember that they have the best dressed policemen in the world. Generally they seem to have stronger transatlantic links than the USA, making them far more sympathetic in my eyes.

So *I* don't dislike the USA - I just wonder about them

[This message has been edited by Ragusa (edited July 14, 2001).]

 

I don´t really have an oppinion about Americans, but I do have my oppinion of one American I know. He´s a pain in the ass.
BTW ArtEChoke, why don´t you have swedes in that list?
I wanna be called a drunk too!!