by Englishman 28 Replies latest jw friends
Well said, Prop.
The Constitution is indeed what continually imposes itself on the will of the leaders, including whoever holds the Nation's highest office; and IT is what determines what direction the country takes. It is an amazing document.
There isn't another country on the face of the earth that would behave any differently given the opportunity.
Indeed. Many nations, governed by the Idi Amins and Pol Pots of the world, would act much worse, you can bet on that!
I don't think it's possible to know anything about a person by the examination of a nation. What can you tell about a single cell, removed at random from a human body, by an examination of the entire body?
As an American, I am utterly puzzled by the apparent resentment of the world toward my country, and particularly at me. What did I do? I'll tell you what I did. I taxed myself to send aid all over the planet. To fund a military to help insure that some nut like Hitler, or Stalin, or Mao and his heirs and assigns don't turn the world into one, giant totalitarian state - where there is freedom for none.
Have you ever loaned money to a relative who was in straights? Or to a really good friend? Have you noticed that after whatever the emergency was that your relative or your good friend seemed to bear some resentment toward you? This is a very well known, but little understood phenomena. You help someone and then they resent you? What is that all about? And I think on a much grander scale, that's what's going on with the world resenting the US.
As an individual, I don't understand it. And although I've never been there, from what I hear from many, many, many sources, there's hardly an unfriendlier place in the west to go than to France, especially Paris. Those people are said to be down right deliberately nasty. And I seem to remember that we gave tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, of the flower of an entire generation to get France free again. That was after France, with the largest standing army in the world, stood by with its collective thumb up its ass while the Germans marched into the Rhineland, where they weren't supposed to be. After the war, a German general said that if France had called Hitler's bluff, had run the Germans out of the Rhineland, that Hitler would have fallen politically, the generals would have deserted him for going into the Rhineland in the first place, and there would have been no WW II. And all those live were lost in WW II due IN THE MAIN to French cowardice. And of all things said in WW II, I'm proudest of the American general who said, while standing on the beach at Normandy, "Lafayette, we are here," in tribute to the French officer who came over and helped us kick out the British.
I don't think a realistic assessment of America is possible. There's way too many facets to that gem to come up with anything even approaching fair.
My two cents. And I'd love to know your reactions and explanations and such.
Francois
Those people are said to be down right deliberately nasty. And I seem to remember that we gave tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, <rant based on hearsay snipped>
Some people in France, particularly in Paris, don't like anyone who doesn't speak their language. They seem to hold special grudges against Germans and Americans, but mostly it's a language thing, not an "evil America" thing.
I spent some time in France during my teenage years. My French was bad, but as soon as I stammered what little I knew of the language, people became extremely friendly and helpful. The key was to show some effort.
I agree people in France seem to be a bit extreme in that regard, but what would you think about a Frenchman who comes to America and refuses to speak English?
f.
I was in Paris briefly a few years ago, and I did not meet anyone who was rude or nasty.
I did get a hoot out of watching "Beavis and Butt-head" dubbed into French.
Handy phrase to remember: "Je ne parle pas français."
FROGSGinnyChapter 21
1 But their practically unbroken string of humiliations in foreign affairs did nothing to make the Frogs more humble. After all, it was Frogs who invented culture and poetry and music and science and sex,
2 And practically everything else, too,
3 Which made them very proud of themselves,
4 In fact, very very proud of themselves,
5 In spite of the Franco-Prussian thing.
6 And if they ever had the least inclination to feel even the tiniest bit humble, all they had to do to feel better was tell some foreigner about all of France's stupendous cultural accomplishments.from The Boomer Bible by R.F. Laird
Fodeja,
You said:
but as soon as I stammered what little I knew of the language, people became extremely friendly and helpful. The key was to show some effort.Spot on Matey! I learned many years ago, that to assume everyone understood your language was a fatal mistake. Now, when abroad, I have learned to make the effort to say "Please" "Thank You" "How Much" etc etc.
The most important phrase for me was " Cervejas, vache favor" / "Ein bier, bitte" which somehow does give you at least some credibility in the right places.
Englishman.
Truth exists;only falsehood has to be invented. -Georges Braque
TimB asked:
I wonder what the rest of the world thinks that the Americans feel. Do they think we feel superior? Do they think we feel compassionate? Do they think we want to conquer the whole world?
Do we think the Americans feel superior? Of course we do. Whenever we hear sentiments such as "America is the best country in the earth" from people who haven't been outside their own country borders, then it is the height of ignorance and supposed superiority on the part of those Americans who say this.
Do we think they feel compassionate? I've been to America and have stayed with Americans, and I realised that they love their children too (to paraphrase a Sting song). Sure, the USA gives billions of $$ in loans that may not be paid, but what is the political cost? What is the cultural cost? Not everything can be gauged in terms of money.
Do we think the Americans want to conquer the world? It seems that way. Whenever a country is in trouble, in come the Americans with their gum-chewing soldiers ready to blast the nasty boogey-man away. In return for their help, the USA expects some kind of deal. There aint no such thing as a free lunch, my boy. No sir-ee.
Even if the USA hasn't taken over politically, it has taken over culturally. I have eaten McDonalds at my local shopping centre (which was based on its American counterparts) and I have eaten McDonalds in Moscow. It tasted exactly the same. Our cable television is based upon the American standards. The majority of our sit-coms and dramas are American. I grew up watching Sesame Street, and learnt to pronounce the letter Z as "Zee" and not as "Zed". So even though America is not the political leader of Australia, it has threatened to take over our culture.
Prisca,
You are really getting on my nerves. You bring up some really heavy duty stuff, right at the moment when it is very late at night, here in the midwest, part of the states, and I am soooo tired I can't respond. Well, Prisca, you know I love you anyway.
Now, before I go, how can I judge my home land objectively. I don't think I could do it.
larc, you naughty naughty boy,
I thought you had said in an earlier post that you were going to bed. And you are still awake and reading posts? Bad bad boy!!
I think it is hard to view ones own country objectively, while finding it easy to criticise others. However, it does require some education and experience in the cultures of other countries.
PS. larc - I love you too, but dont tell Zazu
Prisca:
Even if the USA hasn't taken over politically, it has taken over culturally.That's an interesting subject. Has the US really "taken over" other countries culturally, to the detriment of their own native cultures?
I'm not sure that we can say it has. Lots of people in places like Britain and Australia will say that, but when you step back and look dispassionately, really how "American" are these places? I think that both these countries, while absorbing American cultural output, remain extremely unique in their own culture.
It's also interesting to look in the other direction. How much do other countries still influence American culture? Take a look at a lot of the most popular movies and books in America over the past couple of years and what do you see?: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Bridget Jones' Diary, Pokemon, The Count of Monte Cristo etc etc. All products of non-American countries. And I haven't even mentioned the god-like Paul Hogan. So cultural influence is still a very two-way street.
Actually, we shouldn't be discussing this. If the Americans realise that their whole culture, language, laws, government, etc etc are merely an example of British cultural influence, they may get a bit pissed off.
Expatbrit
