What's your opinion of Americans?

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out of interest what does k** mean?

And yeah i try not to laugh at the different types of people unless its oly in the form of a joke without any bite intended if you get me?

 

America is the styrofoam that replaced wood because it's more efficient. Most Americans have no idea what else there is in the world and still scream "Patriotism!!!" at the top of their voices.

America is the automobiled, dressed-up Mormon to the ancient Christian knight - the new to the old, the remake, the remodeled, and because of that our children play safer, our parents live longer, and our brothers earn more money.

That's why people live in America.

Most Americans are sleek, trimmed-up flyers-by through life living in a styrofoam castle.
America is about conformity for the good of a group (be it or be it not including itself), although its claims differ entirely.
It is going nowhere through this conformity except to more and more styrofoam.

America is like a dead atheist, all dressed up and nowhere to go.

What a good place to live.

THAT...depends on the definition of LIVE.

 

Wow... those are some rather all-consuming generalizations, my friend. All of America is a conformist bunch of trendy yuppies living out their plastic lives? Come now, I have little to no patriotism for my country, as it has proven itself moronic in times past, but I cannot allow you to stand here and say that we are catatonic dreamers living empty lives. I can pledge that my country often reaks of ignorance- but this is a problem of politics. On a social level, who can claim that we don't have as much fun as the next guy, dream the same dreams and dance to the same merriment? We are not the cookie-cutter masses you think we are, not all of us, hell not even most of us. Most of us are just people tryin' to get along and have as much fun as we can while we're here. If that makes us look like assholes, why do you keep watching? If it bothers you, stick to your own affairs. But do not claim to be holier than me, or my people, by way of living the technicolor dream of life. I am havin' plenty of fun, thank you very much...

Oh- and why would the atheist be dressed up? Is he/she at a funeral service? And he/she wasn't expecting to go anywhere anyway.

Amon-Ra

 

I think someone's trying to look like a bitter poet. That's way deep, man.

 

And suddenly my views are indefinitely changed...

Damn the decided...

 

Things i hate about America in order of most important (1 being most):

1) Capital punishment: makes every man and woman who watches it or takes part in it in any way is just as bad as the murderer/peidophile/wrongly-accused themselves.
2) Obesity: I have nothing against fat people who have that problem because of medical reasons. However if it is because of overeating and laziness then i think it is a lack of respect for themselves and for people in other countries who suffer from starvation. Obviously this is not the whole of America as obesity only effects 47% of the population and 99% of the overall mass!
3)Government: Egotistical, pompous and domineering. The whole country panics when one man chokes on a pretzel! how pathetic. I won't go into depth about what i think about their revenge policies.
4)Ego: If there is one thing in america more huge than one of the 47% of the population is the ego of the entire country. sportsmen like Maurice Green show off when they win and say they are injured when they lose. that being just one example as i have precious little tie to type anything more.
5)Accents: Possibly the most annoyng collection of accents of any country. Calafornians with their golden skin and beutifully shaped bodies and personalities are very much an acceptable people until they open their bloody trap!
6)Tourists: I live in a place called Devon in england which just happens to be the biggest tourist area in the country. If i hear some old fat couple in bright green and orange coats, socks pulled up to their ears and expressions like they were given the wrong glasses look at my house and screech the words 'How quaint' once more i will personally declare war on you.
7) Basically the Americans treat the rest of us like shit.

Things i like about America:

Shralp.

 

Okay, I'll respond to that.

1) Capital Punishment is definitely a strongly debated proposition here in the US. It is, in fact, legal only in some parts of the country. Even where it is legal, its rarely invoked because it is especially difficult to get an American jury to convict on death penalty charges. However, it is not a public spectacle anywhere in the US.

2) Obesity in the US results more ofen from the kinds of foods eaten than the quantity. It also has little bearing on the plight of the malnourished. The US is more than capable of growing enough food to feed the world (assuming it could be distributed), but it doesn't. Why? Because it is a money losing proposition for the farmer and it destroys the economy of the rest of the world. If you removed the price supports, production limits, and other factors of the US agrobusiness sector, it would in most cases be possible to export food from America to the rest of the world cheaper than it could be grown locally. The EU certainly spends alot of effort to ensure that doesn't happen.

3) All governments with dominant international power are like this. This was the exact complaint most of the world has with Britain in the 19th century. So it goes.

4) This is pure garbage. There is no more of this behavior in Americans than in anyone else.

5) Tourists are tourists. Some have a clue, many don't. I live in Hawai'i, so I know. We have an average of about 180,000 visitors in the state on any given day. That's about 10% of the total population, btw.

6) This is too stupid to bother commenting on.

7) Every 'faceless mob' treats everyone else like dung, that's what has made this world such a great place to live. Its hardly a trait unique to Americans.

Aloha
Vormaerin

 

1)fair enough
2) yes but that still doesn't make them any less disgusting
3)yes but this is the 20th century when everyone else has become CIVIL and treat each other as equals.
4)It is a problem in your country more than anywhere else because your country is bigger, more powerful and richer than every other western colony in the world and every single american i have spoken face to face to mentiions it constantly (and that totals over a thousand......i work in a resturant that spends most of its time serving yanks(if we can fit them in the door))
5a)learn to count the tourist thing was number 6
5b)Actually it clearyly asks what you hate about america....just beacause it ain't a normal opinion in your opinion it is my opinion get it? no i didn't think so..
6) glad you agree
7) No but we don't use violence like the you.

oh and i am glad to see you didn't slag of shralp else i would have had to eat your genitals.

 

Sir Dargorn, overeating and laziness are my main hobbies so watch it.

I utterly sympathise about the tourists though. I lived for a while in the house the Winnie the Pooh stories were written in, and we had literally busloads of tourists coming to the house. And, sad to say, there was a distinct difference in the way different nationalities of tourists behaved. The Japanese (and the occasional rare German) stood outside the front gate taking pictures. The British tourists- if there were any- were so discreet I never noticed them. But when a total stranger rang the doorbell and demanded to look around the inside of my house, or took pictures through the living room windows, it was always, ALWAYS, an American. But in the defense of Americans, I honestly don't think they realised they were being rude. They seemed to think I'd be delighted to meet them! I think they just have totally different ideas from Europeans about what constitutes acceptable manners. Probably you could ring a stranger's doorbell in America and ask to take a look around their home and they'd be flattered. I just wish they would learn that other societies prefer a more aloof relationship among strangers.

 

Dargorn,

2) Lots of things are disgusting to one culture and not to another.

3) What planet do you live on? Exactly whose government is being civil and polite to every one else's? Didn't the EU just have a big brouhaha because the English, French, and Germans tried to have a meeting without everyone else. Seems to me the others were complaining about how highhanded and rude that was. Its a bit worse in other places, where they are, or easily could be, shooting at each other. All nations act in their self interest and act unilaterally when they feel they can and/or should.

4) Uh, sure. And when I lived up by Niagara, most of the Canadians I met loved to brag about the superiority of their health care system if given the chance (this was a while ago). Are you saying because Americans supposedly have more to brag about, they are bigger braggarts? Maybe, but I haven't noticed that.

5) Oh no! I misremembered the order of your points. I'm sure that says a lot about my math skills. Anyway, I am aware that its your opinion, but just because you are entitled to an opinion does not mean that your opinions have to be taken seriously. If you think having a vehement dislike of people because of how they talk is acceptable, I'm glad you don't live in this country.

7) Uh, what? America uses violence and other countries don't? That's a joke, right?


Sprite,

I think most Americans would not expect to just walk up to a random house and expect a tour. However, in the US tourist attractions generally are open to visitors unless specifically mentioned otherwise. The idea that you would live in a such a place and not welcome visitors wouldn't occur to many Americans. I don't know the specifics of your old house, but I assume it was in the guidebooks or something?

There is a certain amount of parochialism in some Americans that stems largely from being so far from any other culture. Large tracts of the US are 500 to 1000 miles away from any appreciably "foreign" culture. Canada, except maybe for Quebec, isn't *that* different culturally. With all the European countries being so small and so relatively crowded (both in population density and relative closeness), it tends to force them to be either more cosmopolitan or more nationalistic. Fortunately, the former seems to be winning the struggle now, but it hasn't always. High population density also correlates to higher standards of social privacy. The two Dakotas average less than 10 people per square mile and have only one city between them of even 100000 inhabitants. Compare this to Germany (which is slightly smaller than the Dakotas) with its 80 million (600 per square mile or so) and three cities at least 10x the largest in the Dakotas. That's why it is usually midwesterners whose 'brashness' is mocked. They aren't raised in an environment that requires the same level of social distance. This isn't nearly the same in Americans who live in the east and west coast metropoli, though the midwest image is part of America's cultural ideal to some extent.

Aloha
Vormaerin

 

lets just discuss point two shall we: I have recently been watching a program called fat club on the TV in England which is about a group of lazy overeaters who have put on so much weight that it has become dangerous to them and they are trying to lose it. I have watched the blood the sweat and the tears of these people and i admire them for there willingness to be normal once more but i feel in no way sorry for them.
And here is why: (it may not seem like it at first but this does have a point)

My Grandfather had a double bypass at 70, my great uncle at 71, my Grandmother has extremly high blood pressure. On my mums side of the family, my grandad i never saw, his heart exploded from the blood pressure caused by his polysistic kidneys when my mum was 14. My grandmother had a failing heart and died of aalzeimers 6 years ago, my mum as high blood pressure and polysistic kidneys. the history ges further back too.

I have asthma, polysistic kidneys and high blood pressure. Yet everyday i train at running cycling weight lifting and gym exercises because i respect my body and i want to live a longer and more happy life.

Now two days ago i went into the doctors to get my asthma checked up on. and in frot of me was a man who was huge. And i listened to his conversation: he said that he was ill because of his obesity and that the doctors had cleared him of any medical reason for being and fat and that 'deeply hurt him' when they told him he was that way because he ate too much. he was in to check out his cholestorol.
I have an illness which i am born with (nomatter how minor it is) and he has an illness caused by laziness and greed. Yet i have to still sit in the same queue as that piece of filth.
the same goes for smokers (or faggots as i like to refer to them as). I know people who have spent half there life in a wheelchair because some idiot drove into them or they fell from scaffolding, and yet there tax paying money stil gets shared out with these losers!
In England we have the NHS and that means free health service.
When i am older i am going to campaign that any smoking or obesity related ilnesses which come as fault of the patient are to be paid fully for and then i will campaign that these people will not be treated at all!
That is why i feel so strongly about it and it is not anything to do with culture. You want my honest answer.....the other reasons were not that real (apart from the tourists). but i do hate 47% of Americans because they are a disgrace to the human race.

 

Sir Dargorn- your post, and therefore mine, is off topic but such unrestrained hatred of those whose lifestyle choices differ from yours shouldn't go unaddressed.

a)American life expectancy is higher than British life expectancy. So if health concerns are the true reason behind your dislike of Americans, you need to rethink your position- and maybe have a Big Mac.

b) It's a slippery slope indeed to condemn those who have, in any way, contributed to their own illness. What about people who accidentally crash their cars because they drove tired? Most of the human race does so at one time or another. What about people who have peanut allergies and are so foolish as to eat a biscuit cooked by a acquaintance?

Most illness has far, far, more to do with genetics than with lifestyle choices. The until-recently oldest woman in France- who died last year at 114- was a heavy smoker and drinker and lived on the pork-fat-heavy diet typical of the region in which she lived. I myself eat a very high fat diet, only recently quit smoking, and drink like a fish- but I have blood pressure that's almost too low, perfect cholesterol tests, and I was fit enough to beat the snot out of the last man who tried to mug me. In fact, thanks to my brilliant choice of parents, I'm a hell of a lot healthier than most sanctimonious health-twits like you. If you're going to say that people who make choices resulting in poor health are a disgrace to the human race, you must logically also believe that your parents are a disgrace to have brought a genetically booby-trapped person like yourself into the world, asthma, polycystic kidneys, high blood pressure and all. But fortunately, no one with a fraction more compassion than yourself would hold such a heartless opinion.

[Edit: Varg, sorry to have neglected to answer you in my reply. There is a "plaque" system in England to identify private residences of historical interest, and there are guidebooks available to help tourists find them. Unfortunately, from the point of view of those who inhabit the houses. Also, about the cultural difference between the US and Canada- actually, I think the biggest, if not only, cultural difference is that Canada observes Northern European standards of social- and physical- distance. Thank God, as far as I'm concerned! In France it's frequently observed that people from the North and South "chase" each other in conversation- the Northerner discreetly backing away to increase personal space, and the Southerner unthinkingly advancing to reduce it. I have observed this dance among different groups of immigrants in Canada as well as between Canadians and Americans- or Americans and Brits. This is not criticism!- just observation of a cultural difference.]

[This message has been edited by Sprite (edited January 20, 2002).]

 

Dargorn,

Do you hate all fat people, or just fat Americans? This is the most ridiculous reason I have heard for hating Americans yet. Because 47% of the people are fat? Could you be more superficial? I think unhealthiness is sad, but I would never hate a group of people because they live an unhealthy lifestyle. Your attitude is a disgrace to the human race.

On the tourist thing, it seems overwhelming (based on responses here) that a lot of Americans are bad tourists. That's a bitch. Too bad it's paying your bills. You don't hate it enough to stop dealing with them, so it can't be that bad.

Capital punishment is indeed bad and should be outlawed. But hating "Americans" because of a governmental policy is a little short sighted.

The rest of your rant is to subjective to bother with.

 

Yes Jack Funk, the tourists pay some people's (not ours) bill, but there are non-american tourists too, who aren't loud, uncivilized, and pompous. So maybe these american tourist should change their attitudes...

 

How could you even make this post!

 

Yeah, I suppose Sir Dargorn hates Samoans and Tongans, too, since being "fat" is pretty much the cultural ideal there (despite the constant bombardment of western pop idols, which is causing a serious anorexia problem amongst the younger ones).

As for tourists, some tourists of every nationality are obnoxious. This is true whether they are European, Asian, or American. Its part of the culture clash. Regional tourists already know and act according to local norms, so they are less likely to make the social gaffes that annoy the locals. Everywhere that has a significant tourist industry whines about the tourists themselves and the foreign tourists in particular. Its the way the world works.

Aloha
Vormaerin

 

What do you think of when you hear Americans? Do you all think of caucasians? Since America is expandin with various cultures, I just thought do you think of Africans Americans also, or Asian or Latino Americans? It is interesting that America has a huge European heritage and yet its ideals can mix all the peoples of Earth. This is so evident that they appear everywhere, even in games that we play, like the BG series. (Yoshimo is Asian, Valygar and I think Dynaheir are African, and I believe Cernd is Native American; he sure acts like one - at least when before America was established.)

 

Well, in the state I live in (Hawai'i), less than 1 person in 5 is of primarily European descent and 60% of the marriages are between people of differing ethnicity. While English is the 'common' language, it would be a very odd day in which I didn't hear conversations in five or six other languages as well. And that doesn't count any of the tourists, either.

Aloha
Vormaerin

 

Alyr Arkhon, my comments were directed to Dargorn, who works in a restaurant that primarily serves "yanks". My point was that it isn't so bad that Dargorn can't (or won't) do the job.

I agree that some tourists (American or otherwise) can be "loud, uncivilized, and pompous". But to take out your anger with these people on an entire population is intolerant and ignorant. I would not judge the population of Hungary based on my limited experience with you.

 

First of all you cannot condem me for my loathing of people who are fat and lazy. If all the people who spend their lives loafing got up and kept fit the world would be a lot healthier.
Yes of corse there are to be quite a few people who's laziness and/or high fat diets etc cause them no health problems.....but it is scientifically proven that being obese does pose a very serious risk to your health. That is a fact. People in tonga and places like that are fat because it is part of their genetics plus the fact that they are also some of the fittest people in the world along with sumo wrestlers. I am not talking of that i am talking of the type of fat which is prportional to increased cholesteral and that is because people do not take care of the perfect bodies they have been gifted with.
Some people spend their lives in hospital with life threatining diseases. Can you imagine how insulting it is to find a person in the next door bed who had abused their perfectly healthy body to the point of danger? It is a bit like someone giving you a gift and you refusing it.

As for people's accidents caused by bad driving or tiredness:
there is a line between knowingly abusing your body for a long period of time in the full knowledge that it will cause a risk to your health and a temporary moment of insane idiocy. If a man crashes his car because he was driving badly. He still set off from home with absolutely no intention to cause and accident and get himself hurt. This is far different to the years of abuse an obese person will put their body under.

The average age for both Britain and America is 77. You also have to take into consideration that America has a thin 53% of the population who are all quite healthy plus America has more efficient methods of forcefully extending someones life by pumping drugs into them. Britain is about 5 years behind with life pro longing medicine like this.

As for smokers:
I have an even bigger problem with this. What gives someone the right to smoke and abuse their body while making us breath in the fumes against our will. Passsive smoking can cause health problems too and over 100,000 people die of tobacco related health problems everyyear who don't actually smoke (got that of my friends dad who is a consultant).

On to the subject of America. I gave my reasons fr hating America. However i think i phrased it wrong. I do not hate most of the people i just can't stand willingly Obese people and America just happens to have the highest percentage int he world. Sorry.