ex-idaho

I think O'Reilly represents something in the US that I have always found a little troubling. We can't laugh at ourselves! We take ourselves so seriously and are utterly offended when anybody else even tries to claim "greatest nation in the history of the universe" title. If we are truly so goddamned great how come we can't take a freaking joke much less a little criticism?

Evangelion

I have been trying to explain this to Americans for years.

They just don't get it. :banghead:

But I have learned something important. I have learned that in order to have meaningful dialogue with Americans, you must first speak their language.

So these days, I simply knock them down and smash their heads against the pavement a few times.

Violence is a language that Americans always be relied upon to understand. After all, it's what their culture's all about, really.

Blixy Sticks

This is a sad statement, but it has a great deal of merit. Bullying is sociologically accepted in the USA. Further, it is promoted and fostered. One only need look as far as the school system to see this first hand. Bullies rule the roost in America's school system.
Among other things, bullying was at least partly responsible for the Columbine Massacre. The two kids involved were ostracized and bullied mercilessly by the avante garde, yet this little known fact is never discussed. The issue of bullying is swept under the carpet.

You see this bullying exemplified in the actions of our government. How can we take such pride in simply rolling over a severly unmatched and essentially harmless foe? I'll tell you how. Because we are bullies and bullying is an acceptable way of life for the majority of Americans.

Not this American, though. Never has been and never will. I take a stand against bullying in my everyday walk of life and my ultimate wish is that more people would do the same.

pz

Mark Twain. Ambrose Bierce. Garrison Keillor. Al Franken. Molly Ivins. Dave Barry.

We've got a pretty good history of Americans mocking Americans.

I think you're confusing right-wing assholes who totally lack a sense of humor with Americans. Let's not mix them up.

pz

Not this American, either. I suspect that if you talked to most other Americans, you'd find that they also do not think this way. I think there are also a lot of good things in American history and thought that we should be proud of, and that we should be striving to establish as representative of our country. The Declaration of Independence, for instance, shows that at least once upon a time this country stood for resistance against bullying. Let's not get so pissed off at the idiots running this country that we think the people are all bullies.

Instead, let's recognize that there are certain selfish, slack-jawed right-wingers -- the neo-cons, the freepers, the dittoheads, reactionary Republicans, greedy corporate executives -- who have seized the voice of the media via entities like Clear Channel, Fox 'News', and most newspapers, and who have manipulated popular opinion to get their representatives in power. Those representatives have then done their best to keep the country in ignorance while they concentrate wealth and power into the hands of the few; they work to gut the educational system, further corrupt the media, and distract the people with fear and jingoism.

They are the enemy.

They are not America.

Evangelion

The only problem here is that these people appear to represent the majority of your population.

Mark

Do the majority of the population really swallow what they and the media say? If that's the case, there isn't much chance of Bush being voted out, because many will say that voting against Bush is a vote for anti-Americanism or whatever.

pz

Ignorant yahoos are the vocal minority who've been able to grasp some significant political power. Don't judge the US by our worst; I'm sure you can find idiots like that in any country.

If we can't throw these assholes out in the next election, though, we'd appreciate it if you foreigners would form a coalition to come over here and kick them out for us. I feel like my own country has been hijacked.

If you want to haul Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Wolfowitz, and that scummy lot off to the Netherlands for a war crimes trial, I'm all in favor of that, too.

Jat

It is more a case of the noisiest wheel getting the oil. Even though the Ugly American is quite xenophobic, ironically enough they also like to travel the most. Maybe they do this so they can lord it over other people? But, anyways, not all Americans are like these Ugly Americans. They are an embarrassment to their fellow country men and the real shame is that this is mostly all of what the rest of the world sees of them and thinks that ALL Americans are like them.

Jat

The sad thing is that we couldn't even if we wanted to. Remember, Bush didn't sign that agreement with the World Court about including America in the possibility of being prosecuted when it would commit any war crimes.