Why is it? World

[Scootter]

Originally posted by Nilsen10
At least 2 reasons Scootter

Most of us in europe has access to plenty of american media and americans dont have the same access to european media. The issues over here has to be pretty serious before you hear about it and all the everyday crap that happens over here dont reach you in the same way.

American politics has a greater effect on the rest of the world than european politics has on you.

Thanks for you post Nilsen, I see your point. I learn about other countries by the use of short-wave radio as I find it fascinating to listen to foreign news reports. The information we receive here is very little and most has to do with how events effect the US. I realize this is a problem and would like the spread of information to be more evenly applied to the masses.  


Regards,





Dead:

Thanks also for your insightful post, I wonder what would things be like if we keep out of things around the world, Korea, Berlin Airlift, Panama ect, would things in the world be better or worse? We may never know, we as a Nation would be better off if we keep to ourselves. Some day perhaps we will take care of our own and let the EU handle things on that side of the pond, I for one would be ok with that. Thanks again for your input and discussion with out the rhetoric many like to throw around, take care.

[miko2d]

Scootter: Why is so much energy spent on trying to understand the USA and also trying to change us?
 It seems to me that 80 percent of the posts here have to do with what�s wrong with the USA and how we are such dim failures to the rest of the world.

 US is the single major power in the world and quite eager to to throw its weight around. It is only natural that people are worrying about it more than they are worrying about some minor powers.
 If you lived next to a rabbit and a moody elephant, which one would you watch more carefully?

not ever about what is wrong in say Germany or Russia or even Denmark, why is that, are these countries so perfect or not worth talking about?

 Exactly right. For most of us those countries are not worth our time talking about.

miko

[lazs2]

there is of course some envy.   There is also some desire to foist 'culture' on us... the main export and product of most of these countries.

socialism... it only works if everyone agrees its a good thing... well... it doesn't really work then but everyone is in the same leaky boat so it doesn't feel as bad...  Not good to have a vibrant economy do well.

and.. fear.. possibly.  That one is weak... certainly the U.S. has dropped some ordinance and moved some carriers around but... most would admit that the U.S. is far and away the most benovolent and fair superpower in the entire history of the world...  Who else before or since could take over the world and didn't even try?

And... it does amaze me that there are so few girly men in the U.S. pounding the keys on their puters..  The game attracts a little older crowd.  As you get older you see things more clearly is probly the reason that the liberals are outnumbered in a media that they should dominate.   Therein lies a little more of the bitterness.

and yes sandie... ra is right... you like the euros because they are flaming liberals like yourself.  You should think tho... do you really want the U.S. brought down to that level?   The reason socialism doesn't work isn't because it needs a tuneup... It doesn't work because it is wrong.

lazs

[-dead-]

Originally posted by SunTracker
I am informed about why B-17s had to drop 650,000 tons of bombs on Europe to settle the 'problems' there.

If the U.S. has any problems, I have not been effected by them.  Gas prices are the only thing that has an influence on my life.

I was always lead to believe that a large number of Europeans were strongly opposed to those bombings, too. Not just left wing liberals either! Just goes to show there's no pleasing some people.

[Curval]

Originally posted by miko2d
not ever about what is wrong in say Germany or Russia or even Denmark, why is that, are these countries so perfect or not worth talking about?

 Exactly right. For most of us those countries are not worth our time talking about.

miko

Hmmm...took 2 mins to do a quick search:

Finland

Europe in general

French Canada

An attempt to gloify America..much like yours Scooter

A thread about a movie that turned into a Soviet Bash

Want some more?

[miko2d]

Scootter: It seems to me that 80 percent of the posts here have to do with what�s wrong with the USA..
...why is that, are these countries ... not worth talking about?

miko: Exactly right. For most of us those countries are not worth our time talking about.[/i]

Curval: Hmmm...took 2 mins to do a quick search:
...
Want some more?

 I want some more explanation what you mean. You are apparently adressing me but I have no idea what you are saying from  the content of your post.
 Could you please clarify? What kind of search did you do, what was it supposed to discover or illustrate? Were the resusts supposed to substantiate of my agreement/explanation of Scootter's assertions or refute them?

 miko

[Curval]

You said "for most of us those countries are not worth talking about"...

I put up some threads that evidence lots of discussion about other countries..most of which isn't very positive.

[miko2d]

Curval: You said "for most of us those countries are not worth talking about"...
 I put up some threads that evidence lots of discussion about other countries..most of which isn't very positive.

 I see. I was talking in context of Scootter's assertion that apparently (to him) 80% of the posts have to do with USA. Which means about 20% should be expected to discuss other countries.
 I also said "most of us", not "all of us", so I expected some of us to sometimes find it worthwhile to discuss countries other than USA.

 Besides, the threads you cited are not really dedcated do the discussion of a foreign country only - they also involve discussion of USA. For example the tread Finland only involves 18 posters and contains the discussion of several general issues and the ways they are handled in Finland and US. So are the others.

 miko

[Frogm4n]

Originally posted by john9001
i thought CNN was owned by that guy that married jane fonda?

No she became a born again baptist and he devorced her. then sold Cnn.

[Curval]

"I read post after post from other countries and most deal with what�s wrong here, not ever about what is wrong in say Germany or Russia or even Denmark, why is that, are these countries so perfect or not worth talking about?"

Miko...this is what Scooter said.

It is nonesense.

As to the Finland thread, the title was "Only in Finland"..in other words.."This could never happen in the US."  Rip was fishing again.

Here is what YOU said in that one "Does that constitute the finns' admission that wealthy are to be kept to higher standard of behavior while poor riff-raff is just mindless scum from whom not much can be expected in terms of good behavior?

miko"

You said earlier "for most of us those countries are not worth talking about"...

You yourself seemed to have been interested in talking aout Finland at least.

[-dead-]

Originally posted by Scootter
Dead:

Thanks also for your insightful post, I wonder what would things be like if we keep out of things around the world, Korea, Berlin Airlift, Panama ect, would things in the world be better or worse? We may never know, we as a Nation would be better off if we keep to ourselves. Some day perhaps we will take care of our own and let the EU handle things on that side of the pond, I for one would be ok with that. Thanks again for your input and discussion with out the rhetoric many like to throw around, take care.

Well thanks for the interesting topic. It's true we'll never know whether the world would better or worse off for any war or avoided war - and every war, interdiction or what all has its pros and cons, and every war has at least two sides. Right or wrong, they're all guaranteed to spark off a debate.
An old Taoist story touches on this with an old man who the rest of village reckon is nuts because he sees what they view as good or bad fortune as being indeterminate - "could be good, could be bad: hard to say for sure". The story illustrates it thus: It's good to have a son - but if you have a son he may lose his leg - but if he loses his leg he can't go to war, so he won't die like the other men - by which point the rest of the village understands the old man's behaviour and decide he's wise.

As to why people should have a negative view of the US, I think Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favourite writers (an American, no less! ) and a much wiser and kinder man than me, says it best in Cat's Cradle:

'I guess Americans are hated a lot of places.'
'People are hated a lot of places. Claire pointed out in her letter that Americans in being hated, were simply paying the normal penalty for being people, and that they were foolish to think they should somehow be exempted from that penalty.'

[Nilsen]

Its when we stop debating current events that it gets really dangerous.

[miko2d]

Curval: Miko...this is what Scooter said.
It is nonesense.

 You are correct. It mostly is nonsence. I replied to a specific part that was actually correct and that seemed to surprise him - that people would talk about US more than about other countries on this board.

As to the Finland thread, the title was "Only in Finland"

 The title - yes, only about Finland. The content - not entirely.

Here is what YOU said...
You said earlier "for most of us those countries are not worth talking about"
 You yourself seemed to have been interested in talking aout Finland at least.

 "Most of us" does not necessarily include me all the time. In that particular thread I was not so much interested in a discussion of Finland but in discussion of egalitarian socialism, using Finland as an example.
 I did discuss Finland and other countries on occasion without regard to US but most of my posts are about general issues and their effect on US.

 miko

[Eagler]

America and her news is Europes best "Reality TV" series. They all tune in thinking/hoping they can be/live part of the American dream. thus being this virtual American, they feel compeled to give us their opinion on issues we don't care a rats arse what they think of

[Nilsen]

lol Eagler

More like an X-rated comedy.