"america's Ignorance Of The World Is Now A

**Rat Faced** · 11-25-2003, 01:32 PM

Originally posted by Billy_Dean+25 November 2003 - 04:41--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Billy_Dean @ 25 November 2003 - 04:41)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Rat Faced@25 November 2003 - 03:30
There are a lot of good stuff come out of the USA. I cant stress how much i admire the Peace Corps, for example... I doubt you will find one member on here with anything bad to say about them.

The Peace Corps! Are you kidding? This organisation is so infiltrated by the CIA that it may as well share offices. They are also responsible for huge amounts of drug smuggling into the USA and Canada. I know this from PERSONAL experience.

[/b][/quote]
I stand by what i said..

The idea behind the organisation, and the 1000's of legitimate americans that join this organisation have my greatest admiration.

The CIA are a bunch of wankers that get there grubby little hands into anything and everything and corrupt what they touch... just like most of the Worlds "Intelligence Organisations"

It wouldnt surprise me in the slightest re: The CIA etc, if your allegations are true. It would not detract from my admiration of those that are in the Peace Corps......just increase my contempt for those that control the CIA.

**Arm** · 11-25-2003, 02:08 PM

Americans are dumb motherfuckers I agree. I am also 15 years old and an American.

**j2k4** · 11-25-2003, 04:15 PM

Originally posted by Arm@25 November 2003 - 10:08
Americans are dumb motherfuckers I agree. I am also 15 years old and an American.

Many studies indicate Americans (especially those in their mid-teens-specifically 15 year-olds) are developmentally challenged with regard to their ability to interact gracefully in cyberspace.

**clocker** · 11-25-2003, 06:26 PM

Although I would certainly be in favor of Americans broadening their knowlege/experience of the rest of the world, I find this frequently expressed ( and apparently, lovingly held) belief that we are somehow deficient when compared to Europeans to be pure malarkey.
I have traveled widely in Europe, not as much as some, but more than most I would guess, and found the people there to be strikingly similar to myself. Outside of the obvious differences of language and local culture, Europeans didn't impress me as being glaringly more intelligent or involved in the world than my neighbors at home.

Currently, about 130,000 of the nation's 13 million full-time and part-time undergraduate students participate in university-sponsored study abroad programs each year, the report said.

By contrast, Simon said, 584,000 students from other countries studied at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2002-2003 academic year.

How many of these foreign students came here because we offered a standard of education/living far superior to that available in their home country? Maybe they preferred not having goats grazing in the classroom.

More than half of all students who do study overseas go to Britain, Italy, Spain or France, the report said. To combat that, the program wants to encourage students to consider countries outside Western Europe, such as China and those in Africa.

Well no shit, Sherlock.
Africa? Half the continent is either a warzone or racked with disease. Yessir, sign me right up.
China? An ex-girlfriend attended school in Beijing. Had a nervous breakdown.
My brother has business interests there ( just returned 3 weeks ago, in fact) and is always completely stressed out after returning. Just the setting for a productive educational experience.

As I said before, we are far from perfect.
I just don't think that we are all that different from ya'll, either.

**j2k4** · 11-25-2003, 06:32 PM

Originally posted by clocker@25 November 2003 - 14:26
Although I would certainly be in favor of Americans broadening their knowlege/experience of the rest of the world, I find this commonly expressed ( and apparently widely held) belief that we are somehow deficient when compared to Europeans to be pure malarkey.
I have traveled widely in Europe, not as much as some, but more than most I would guess, and found the people there to be strikingly similar to myself. Outside of the obvious differences of language and local culture, Europeans didn't impress me as being glaringly more intelligent or involved in the world than my neighbors at home.

Currently, about 130,000 of the nation's 13 million full-time and part-time undergraduate students participate in university-sponsored study abroad programs each year, the report said.

By contrast, Simon said, 584,000 students from other countries studied at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2002-2003 academic year.

How many of these foreign students came here because we offered a standard of education/living far superior to that available in their home country? Maybe they preferred not having goats grazing in the classroom.

More than half of all students who do study overseas go to Britain, Italy, Spain or France, the report said. To combat that, the program wants to encourage students to consider countries outside Western Europe, such as China and those in Africa.

Well no shit, Sherlock.
Africa? Half the continent is either a warzone or racked with disease. Yessir, sign me right up.
China? An ex-girlfriend attended school in Beijing. Had a nervous breakdown.
My brother has business interests there ( just returned 3 weeks ago, in fact) and is always completely stressed out after returning. Just the setting for a productive educational experience.

As I said before, we are far from perfect.
I just don't think that we are all that different from ya'll, either.

If you'll listen, I'll create an echo.

Well stated, sir.

**hobbes** · 11-26-2003, 01:15 AM

Originally posted by Rat Faced@24 November 2003 - 19:30
The USA is a collection of 50 States, each with different Laws, Cultures and Traditions. The only thing they have in common is Federal Taxes and Foreign Policy.

Think.....why do you think Americans are so misunderstood?

A bit off topic, but I cannot understand this perception. You know that Clocker, J2, and myself lives 1000s of miles from one another, but seem to have many common touchstones. Statehood is a political construct, not a way of distinquishing one "culture" from another. We use statehood only as a means to "create" sports rivalries. Missouri hates Kansas in college sports, but in real life this has no "teeth" to it. Simple fun. Differences in laws between the states are mostly trivial, execpting perhaps the death penalty here in Texas, but there is really no difference in cultural identity. I have lived in Texas, California, and Missouri, there are local quirks but nothing major.

National stability takes precedence over local interests, that is why Clocker is not allowed to dam the Colorado River and steal all the water from the people down south in Arizona.

As posted before, in response to MyFiles when he stated that we have no culture:

Myfiles, this is very narrow minded of you. There are plenty of things that bind Americans. I could tour the country asking people what it means to be American. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and justice would be the common thread, the ideal we are pursuing. Not to mention our unity through professional sports, rock and roll, the spirit of invention, the spirit of adventure, mass production, automobiles, etc. I would say America does have a culture (with good and bad elements), but beneath this there are many sub-cultures.

To say we are strangers with a common passport is not supported by what I see everyday.

A great example is the Macys 4th of July Celebration. In the audience I saw black people, white people, asian people, hispanic people all standing shoulder to shoulder with little flags in their hands. Unified under passports, hardly, they were celebrating what this country provides them: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

That is what is so great about America, potentially. When people of different cultures mix freely, they find that although they may look different, people are basically people.

Original Thread

Obviously, this is not a flame, just wondering how you came to this conclusion.

**Rat Faced** · 11-26-2003, 02:08 AM

So Californians think the same way as New Yorkers? (as an example)

I better call my Stock Broker.....

Seriously, I havent met many Americans "In the Flesh" as it were, maybe 450 or so..not a lot....especially since 400 of them was via an exchange visit with a Kansas National Guard Reg't

I have to say here, that i got on with the vast majority...and maybe 4 or 5 were the "Steriotyped American" that appears to be getting drawn on this forum more and more recently

I do talk online to loads of you though. I find that in a chatroom, you get to know people quite well, and i find the people from different parts of the USA have distinct differences on their outlook and beliefs. I dont find this on a message board.

As an example... myself and SuperJude on the boards would argue black was blue, and to anyone looking at these message boards, it would appear that we had no common ground. In the chatroom, you get to know the person however; we actually get on very well, and agree on a lot more issues than we disagree.

The culture in the North will, by its very nature be different than the culture in the South, if only due to climatic differences and its History. By "Culture", i am not refering to "Opera", "Ballet" and McDonalds, as i'm sure you realise...

In the North East States, there is left over influence from British Colonialism, in the South East by French Colonialism, the South by Spanish and the North West probably has none of these influences....

Parts of the USA had large influx's of German Settlers, yet others Irish.... the list goes on. All of these influxes will have effected the culture of an area; as will current hespanic influx.

Basic Laws are the same the world over, they wont change from State to State...Murder, Theft, Kidnapping, Fraud, etc etc etc

The Laws/Traditions that are affected by "culture" are different though...

A couple of examples:

In some States Brothels and Prostitution are 2nd nature, in others they virtually still have chaperones for the under 21's (j/k).

In a few States they are the Christian movement is so strong as to affect the teaching of the Theory of Evolution in Schools.

I hear that in NYC they are seriously considering not acknowledging the Nativity at Christmas, can you imagine that in the Bible Belt?

Age of Consent varies from State to State, and the Laws as regard to Marriage (Basic stuff, not how much each gets on Divorce....although that varies horrifically as well

)

These types of things can only happen due to the different Culture and current makeup of the individual areas.

I hope that explains what i mean to your satisfaction sir

**clocker** · 11-26-2003, 02:20 AM

Rat, Do all Belgians think alike?

Some Californians think just like some New Yorkers.

And probably just like some Brits, French, Germans, etcetera, as well.

@ hobbes, I may not be able to dam the Colorado, but I piss in it every chance I get. Those fuckwits in Arizona and Nevada who insist on maintaining golf courses in the desert deserve nothing less.