What's your opinion of Americans?

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You all should be very happy that your having this cnversition. Think of it this way, if their was no cave man then their would be no us. Weather we like it or not we all came from the same line of evolution and we are still going through it together. Debate's like these are how we change for the better. Recanizing each others different oppions and such are the way of life for all because lets face it. When some one does some thing that you dont like your going to have to try to see it from the other persons eyes. They might be more right then you are. So please look at it from all ways and see that each and every one of use are the same.

Also what you all are doing is almost predajust(I know it's spelled worong, sorry). When you attack another persons oppion then you cant call your self a human. Humans look at every one's view and come to a resalution that helps all. Now not every one does it nor will they ever. So here's something that you all can do before you post next. Read the post of who you dont agree with and try to see it from their point or ask them what they ment by it. Who know's they might have been a bad mude or they just misspelled some or many words and the meaning was lost. For getting mad is no sulition to succeuss. Post with some love and who knows, some thing bigger could come out of it.

I could say more but then I would be writing a book.

 

Well, I really was trying to stay out of this one....but one thing did catch my eye. I'm sorry Damona Silverlcloud but unfortunately, your wrong again.

The Forgotten Realms were created by Ed Greenwood, here in Toronto, Ontario. He's a librarian in the neighbourhood I grew up in.

Oh, that's in Canada, for those who don't know

 

Ah yes, but where would Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms be without J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy delvings? And technically, he was African . And where would he be without the Inklings? Maaan... my point is, sure you can be proud that your country might have credit for the most recent of the developments of certain areas, but who are you to bask in their light? Who of German descent can say, hey- My country produced Karl Marx, a great philosophical mind- when Marx himself would have denounced the German government? Unless it was a federal/governmental project, individuals do not owe their credit to the countries in which they reside. They can bestow it- but this gives the country no bragging rights, and especially not the citizens several generations later. Do not float on someone else's wings.

Amon-Ra

 

Pollution! It's january in Finland and it used to be -20 in the good old days... now it's like +2 and it's all wet. Bastards..

This is what global warming is about? I know Finland is not responsible for it because there are about 5 million of us... but americans.. there's like 300 million or something sick like that.

Americans annoy me a lot. You didn't even sign the damned kyoto deal to reduce your pollution.. "it can hurt our economy blaah... blaah.."

Clean your mess or die says I.

 

Gary Gygax, American. Out of Lake Geneva Wisconsin. He created D&D. TSR, the publishers of D&D novels also an American company. Without these, Ed Greenwood wouldn't have a job writing about the Forgotten Realms which was owned by TSR (now Wizards of the Coast which is based out of Renton, Washington), because he started out creating modules for AD&D.

Ok, what we've proved here is that any country can take credit for anything if people dig hard enough. It's moot, at this point. I half expect someone to post that Hemingway's great granddaddy was British, so technically so was he, or some such nonsense. I give up. This has become so nitpicking and gone far off topic.

The statements I made about things originating or flourishing in the US were to make a point.

Point being, stated clearly: The US and it's people is not the sum of it's stereotypical parts. This nation can generate good things as well as bad. Yes we are a proud people, and no it isn't because we're brainwashed. Finally, I can accept anyone's opinions, as long as they aren't personal attacks, and as long as they are based in knowledge, not heresay.

 

Seems to me what we've proved here is not that "any country can take credit", but specifically that there are plenty of Americans who'll take credit for their countrymen having invented everything from capitalism to Drizz't with no basis in fact whatsoever.

I find it amazing that it is even possible to think that the person who owns something should take credit for having created it. Sure, an American company bought The Forgotten Realms from a Canadian librarian. A Japanese company owns Van Gogh's "Sunflowers", but that doesn't make it a Japanese painting.

Good thing this isn't a real-world debate. The Americans probably would have shot everyone who disagreed with them.

 

Hey Sprite,
Just remember one thing, America is the only thing keeping Mexico from kicking your Canadian ass.

 

I'm sorry to admite it but Jack Funk is right. I'm just waiting for them to attack us will for force since they popluate more then 70%(could be lower, that's the pop. in my town)or more of the US. Some congress men want to change the national langage to spansh in stead of english. Also you have to account that the US will let any one stay in America. Thats why we have so many people, they dont like it one place they all come here. They say this is the place to get a better life, ya right, thats why I'm moving to Germany as soon as I can.

 

Erhm, the US dont have any official language. IIRC you can demand to get official documents in greek if that is what you wish. English is the biggest language by far but it isnt official.

 

Really? English isn't my offical language? Hmmmmm...and all this time our teachers said it was. I told them we shold be learning something from across the Alantic!

 

It may be your official language but I am quite sure of that the US as a country doesnt have an official langugage like say Italy there italian (doh ) is the official langugage. Wasnt the the lack of an official language one of the thing that made alot of people move there? As I am not completely sure of myself, I would appreciate alittle support.

 

Lukki, I know how you feel. The moment I got my winter coat from storage, the temperature rose to this hellish non-wintery weather... (Before that, I risked -35 degrees with a really thin coat for weeks...)

But to stay on the topic: I don't thimk anyone has brought up one thing that affects people's views on Americans quite a lot upyet. (I take no responsibility for the grammar in the last sentence...)

American tourists.

How many people get a twisted view on Americans because of tourists? I have met some really obnoxious and rude ones, those who say that back home all is bigger and all that. And those people pissed me off.
I know this is probably true for all tourists *whistles and tries to ignore the whole "obnoxious drunken Finnish moron" stereotypical tourist thingie* from everywhere.
People who meet Americans meet tourists who create stereotypes. Stereotypes are a thing to be avoided at all costs.

I mean, people who think Americans as stereotypes don't really see them as persons, just typecast things...

Ara
(Sniffles. I'm back! Yay....)

 

stereotypes are indeed the problems... They give people a image they don't really have.

Ah.. about tourists.. the Japanese ones are always worse

 

I would argue that the US have an official language (American or some such), but it sure as hell isn't English!

Stop being too lazy to spell words properly. Get a dictionary and compare. It isn't English.

 

Out of interest, do americans pronounce envelope as either...

En - vol - ope
or
On - vol - ope

Just a simple question which should lead to hopefully an easy anwser.

 

A word about "American Tourists"

I use to live in Las Vegas and now live in "Mickey Mouse Land. Just to back up my point of view.

Americans hate American Tourists. Well for the most part anyway. I think the popular attitude for this is that People the world over hate Tourists of any nationality. When someone goes on "Holiday," they check their brains at home. Just an observation.

Sniper- We pronouce it both ways. Confusing isn't it.

[This message has been edited by Garret Jax (edited January 17, 2002).]

 

Garret Jax: As I would oppose to anyone who was not American supporting a stereotype, I must oppose an American lumping one opinion as a basis of belief for millions of people.

Do you think Walt Disney or Bugsy Segal hated tourists?

[This message has been edited by Xenecor (edited January 17, 2002).]

 

A few days ago we got to see a slideshow at school by Jacob Holdt, called American Pictures. It clearly shows that the US has a very weird system, where the lower-class people still are living in a day pr day life (that meaning trying to survive each day).

He also showed how black people were still used as slaves in many places and found it rather ironic that the situation had become worse since he first was there. I don't mind American's in general since they're like so many other people, just America as a whole that went wrong somewhere.
http://www.american-pictures.com

anyway, it's a terrific show that every American should see if given the opportunity. The effect isn't quite the same for the "outsiders" like us on the euro-side

[This message has been edited by Lokken (edited January 17, 2002).]

 

It's odd that right now in school we're talking about stereotyping. It's odd that we do all this stuff and no one here's about it. Today we played a game in English class. We were all secertly given a card that says what you had to act as. Their was every thing from the k** to gay's. I had to play the gay guy. It wasn't all that bad every one had a fun time. But I noticed something, every one lauged at each other for being some one one else. For a moment I looked at every one as a whole and relized that we were all being really mean because if you really did that to some one their feelings would be hurt. I didn't have any more fun after that. Now I see that America is really screwed up. I dont know about where all of you live but it's really depressing over here now.