Ethics and morality, (page 3)

WindRider

Jan, have you never been known to make a moronic statement, assertion, whatever? How would you feel if an American overheard it and said, "now see, that's what Im talking about....I try to like Norwegians but they keep letting me down with just such moronic statements!" Kind of absurd, dont you think?

Some of your best friends are American?? Wow! That's mighty Norwegian of you! (Im just teasing.....that and trying to get a point thru your thick skull when it comes to this issue...did I mention I was teasing??

Seriously, how many Americans do you actually know? An incredibly small percent I would wager compared with the actual number of people living here, and yet you seem to have already written the rest of us off as Neanderthal,(insert assorted unfavorable characteristics)etc. I truly mean no offense when I say that if I were not more openminded and realized that you and Kent are not(hopefully) representative of the attitude of most Norwegians, I would have a serious attitude problem with Norwegians and would cross Norway off of my favorites list to visit. I mean afterall, I am not a glutton for punishment, so why go somewhere where I would be despised and the subject of derisive comments? But I cannot in all fairness make that assumption based on you two and so will hopefully make it to your beautiful country someday soon......Who knows, I may even look YOU up! See if I can convince you there is another side to Americans as individuals.

Windrider

WindRider

See Norm, that is what I am taking umbrage with....your comment to Puppy Love was it? That you know the US is far above critisicm(obviously said in a sarcastic voice).....who said that the US was above critisicm?? I live here, love living here and yet I strongly criticize my govt. Esp. the current one. You are not being fair to write those kind of statements. Besides they are just plain wrong. And they do nothing for the validity of your basic argument.

Sincerely, Windrider

JanH

windrider,

I truly mean no offense when I say that if I were not more openminded and realized that you and Kent are not(hopefully) representative of the attitude of most Norwegians, I would have a serious attitude problem with Norwegians and would cross Norway off of my favorites list to visit.

Shit. The tourist board are gonna give us hell for this, Norm. Post 911 and everything...

So, Windrider, how many Americans would I need to know to be able to make a characterisation with, say, a confidence level of 95%?

- Jan
--
- "How do you write women so well?" - "I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability." (Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets")

Julie

Some Americans are not blood-thirsty barbarians and are trying to correct the situation. Just got this in my mail from the Justice Project:

:Statement by The Justice Project On Atkins v. Virginia
"The United States Supreme Court has the opportunity to affirm a value most Americans hold -- the execution of those with mental retardation ought to be prohibited.

In Atkins v. Virginia, being argued today, the Supreme Court will consider whether or not America's standards of decency have come to a point at which we've decided executing those with mental retardation is cruel and unusual punishment. The Court has the chance to again affirm that as a nation we learn and grow, and that practices once common are now seen as abhorrent. We moved beyond slavery. We've given all adults the right to vote. Now it's time to ban the execution of the mentally retarded.

As Americans we believe people should live with the consequences of their actions, and as such those who do wrong should be punished. We also believe that the punishment should not only fit the crime, but also the criminal. No one who commits a crime should be excused because of who they are -- but that doesn't mean we leave our values at the jail house door. We can punish those with mental retardation without executing them.

The Court should act to affirm that which America believes and values. It should rule to prohibit the execution of persons with mental retardation."

Wayne F. Smith, Executive Director
The Justice Project

----------------------------

Some of us are doing what we can to make things better, even if just a little at a time.

Julie

WindRider

Cute joke! ha-ha ha-ha....I am so laughing. Stop you're killing me with your rapier wit.

Oh, come on Jan! You are smarter than this. My whole point is that you CANT make a generalization about all Americans; anymore than I could about all Norwegians. In fact if you knew every single American there is, you would hopefully wake up and realize that we are so varied and different it becomes impossible to neatly put us in any one category or generalization. Just like any other country around this earth.
And that realization, my friend, is a beginning to ridding ourselves of bigotry and racism.

BTW, you know how a person rarely seems to notice when a house is clean but they really sit up and take notice when it is a mess? Maybe a poor analogy but my point is that there are probably thousands of American tourists that visit your country all the time that are polite, courteous, civil, interested and respectful of your country's beauty and culture, etc. But you dont notice them because they are not standing out like the occasional Ya-Hoo from America that is loud, overbearing, obnoxious, whatever. And I understand that that is human nature to focus on that person over the many, many others who are shining examples of what Americans can be like. But, the ignorance comes in to play on your part when you dont take this into account but would rather, for reasons only you personally can decide, assume the Ya-Hoo is representative of America as a whole and condemn the rest of us accordingly.

Windrider

Skeptic

So, Windrider, how many Americans would I need to know to be able to make a characterisation with, say, a confidence level of 95%?

Jan, Jan, Jan...how many Jews do you need to know to decide whether you like or hate Jews? How many blacks?

Richard

JanH

Windrider,

My whole point is that you CANT make a generalization about all Americans; anymore than I could about all Norwegians.

Of course you can. I just did. Everybody does. We have generalizations for Germans, Irish, Russians and every darned nation on this planet. We have generalizations over men and women. We need to. This is the way the human mind works. And it is surely the case that there are certain cultural traits that are much more likely to be present in Americans than non-Americans. Sensitivity is one of them

It's people who don't understand the nature of generalizations who have a problem.

- Jan
--
- "How do you write women so well?" - "I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability." (Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets")

Skeptic

It's people who don't understand the nature of generalizations who have a problem.

Where does it end, Jan? My ex's grandmother told us how "darkies" are "lazy". Was she being prejudiced or using a generalization?

What is the difference between calling blacks lazy or gays perverts and calling Americans Neanderthals?

Richard

JanH

What is the difference between calling blacks lazy or gays perverts and calling Americans Neanderthals?

That Americans are Neanderthals.

- Jan
--
- "How do you write women so well?" - "I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability." (Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets")

WindRider

That's ridiculous, and you know it. Please, I can take jokes with the best of them. Esp. funny ones. But blatantly putting down a people over and over again, rarely if ever(have you ever on this board?)having atruly good, positive thing to say about Americans, and in such scathing, rude, hurtful terms is not poking harmless fun. There is nothing goodnatured about it and you know it. It is evident in your attitude. And being able to spout your ignorance,with all it's thinly-veiled vehemence, and then want to try to hide behind the guise of "cant you take a joke!" is sad.

I love jokes; hate the ignorance that fosters hatred, bigotry and misunderstanding.

Im sure the K.K.K in our country couldnt understand why the blacks when they dropped flaming crosses into their yards, couldnt take a joke and were "so sensitive"! Go figure, huh?

Windrider, shaking her head at someone she normally holds in high esteem

Ethics and morality,

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