Aren't Americans wonderful?

I have a lot of friends from a 5 year period working in California (in the bay area which is not as crazy as LA). Marc is one of them.

I revisited the bay last January and stayed locally for about 3 weeks. I did not spend more than one or two nights in a hotel. I just e-mailed my friends saying I was coming and universally received an automatic invite to stay with them without even asking. What great hospitality.

They are all also very normal caring people with an honesty that admits to the failings of America as readily as anywhere else.

Saving my pennies for my next trip back.

regards
geoff

This is a really interesting thread, but the title could perhaps do with some editing Jeremy... I think tarnishing all Americans with the same brush is far from fair.

My own take is that yet again this illustrates the problem where you have a group defending either a religion or a belief taking advantage of their freedom of rights to do so, and yet not allowing any such freedom within said religion or belief. We may not like it (this particular incident is heart breaking!), but so long as the over-riding concern is to protect freedom rights, then you have to take the rough with smooth.

Isn't one way of looking at it ,that should people be "allowed" to impose their set of rules on someone who hasn't reached an age when they can make their own informed opinion?
Slightly different if they are "murdered" before reaching the age of consent?

It sickens me that this little girl was subjected to torture thru neglect. On the other hand, it's one small step for Mr. Darwin.

Maybe these people will be incarcerated before they spawn further.

yes I"ve known a few people suspicious of medicine an Drs. Those were really ignorant people and sad they didn't die instead of the little girl.

Yet my own sister and husband in Oregon never go to Drs for medication. They take huge amounts of supplements and used to sell these. UGH! He graduated in the Air Force Acadamy and sister educated too, but they wouldn't allow their daughter to get vaccinated yet they both were as kids. Imagine her going to college and getting everything passing thru the dorms. Many schools wouldn't allow her in so they "Home Schooled" her to keep her away from the nasty public school kids.

They also have very strange views on investing and politics to say the least, totally out of step. Start with a newsletter they sent to my parents that said AIDS was god's retrobution on gays.... and Bonds are a bad investment in government. They also make little money and don't pay on some income yet use public services. Social security and Medicare are evil as is big government.

She's recently had breast cancer and had breast removal and wouldn't do chemo and says 'if it's god's will.'

Darwin will take care of that.

Anti-Americanism is pathetic. Only the sort of nincompoop who likes easy answers to complicated questions could possibly be interested in it's stupid generalisations.

Grow up.

In my experience America is a land of extremes. The good is very good, and the bad, well...

I find that I like most Americans on a one to one basis. Always polite and generally pleasant people.

In the aggregate, the good ol' US of A with its Rah Rah Sis Boom Bah, and the resulting world view. Not quite so attractive I feel.

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Lorenson:
In the aggregate, the good ol' US of A with its Rah Rah Sis Boom Bah, and the resulting world view. Not quite so attractive I feel.

Each of us has to live with some embarassing social constructs we can do nothing to moderate or obscure. The Rah Rah Sis Boom Bah always has me heading for under my bed :-)

As an American I often feel embarrassed for my countrymen, but then i realize the source of my embarrassment is the very foundation of our nation. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and all that jazz.

Of course we have a different world view, we live in a different place with different circumstances. The big question is what can we learn from others and adapt? And vice versa?

Having had a few great visits to the UK recently, You guys don't seem all that much different than us at the end of the day..

You do have better manners though and that is something I am trying to pound into my daughter! I'd love to see us use, please, thank you and pardon me a bit more here in America!

I like the US, but would move to the UK in a heartbeat, just to have a different experience. A little bit of seeing how others get along goes a long way in reforming your opinions.

All we get is our wacky news media (and some BBC as well). When I was flying home from London last week, I spoke with a lady from Mexico City and asked her if life there was as bad as CNN and Fox News portray it. She just laughed and told me a bit about life in her neighborhood.

I'm sure there are a good percentage of you that make the same mistakes we do when traveling to each other's respective countries; you try and hit the big tourist spots, which aren't necessarily indicative of the way things really are, but it's all you have time to squeeze into a ten day holiday!

Just like hifi, you can't unravel the nuance with a brief visit!

Well, Americans are basically the renegades from Europe the went to seek a new life, sometimes live in poverty, live off the land, make their own rules. These people often were the unwanted, uneducated, or explorers who didn't want to be tied down. Independent people at heart. You expect proper etiquette and things done by your rules? Remember we broke away from all that to rule ourselves.

yeah there's a lot of sissboombah after making America what it is. But then I"m more interested in the renegade, have been ever since the 60s

sorry if I offend anyone

quote:

Originally posted by mudwolf:
Well, Americans are basically the renegades from Europe...

Remember that Americans are not only the European descents (and renegades)! However, the European descents might be a majority and play a bigger role than other peoples.

I'm the first to admit we have huge problems and faults; political, social and environmental.

But huge amounts of people still want to live in the states.

"Give us your tired, your poor......"

Mudwolf

quote:

But huge amounts of people still want to live in the states.

..and I will probably be one of them.

I will take the US optimism over the pessimism that seems to pervade life in the UK. I had been living in the US since 1997 before returning last September. Despite saying I would never live and work in London I sold out when I was offered a great job with a huge European corporation. Ho hum, we all make choices...

I obviously picked a lousy time to return but I have to say I am astounded by how badly us Brits (see a Scotsman can admit to be being a Brit) denigrate the country, the politicians and anything else that moves.

So, I have a choice to make in the coming months. I have the opportunity to return to the US (where I still have a house etc) or stay here.

If I do return it won't be to Illinois, it will be to Texas...plenty of renegades there Mudwolf...except too many of them have guns for my liking!

Cheers

Jim

Given a choice I would go to either New Mexico or Arizona.

Certainly cheap housing in NM and AZ right now.....however, my work would dictate that I would need to be in Houston. Luckily there is a thriving music scene there and it's cose to Austin shoud I really need a live music fix.

No Naim dealer in Houston though, which I always found a little strange.

Jim

Given the choice (in the US) it would be Montana, Wyoming or Utah for me.

My pick (in North America) however would be Nelson or Bowen Island in Brit.Columbia

Mat

Given the choice, mine would be Alaska. A long way from anywhere but it's like Scotland on steroids...except when I'm out in the Scottish hills I'm top of the food chain but that's not the case in Alaska of course!

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Exiled Highlander:
Mat

...except when I'm out in the Scottish hills I'm top of the food chain

Jim

only because the midges are cunning enough to be waiting for you at the bottom.

Ian

Aye, that would be a true statement regarding the midgies. The worst I ever came across was when camping in the Fisherfield/Letterewe area.

The mozzies in Alaska though, are big enough to carry off a small child (or preferably one of the Krankies)...Scotland on steroids again!

Cheers

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Exiled Highlander:
Ian

Aye, that would be a true statement regarding the midgies.

The mozzies in Alaska though, are big enough to carry off a small child (or preferably one of the Krankies)...Scotland on steroids again!

Cheers

Jim

What are midgies and mozzies?

Mike,

Find out about midgies here - vicious little blighters.

Mozzies = mosquitoes

Ian

quote:

Originally posted by Ian G.:
Mike,

Find out about midgies here - vicious little blighters.

Mozzies = mosquitoes

Ian

Thanks. We have the big mozzies down here too, but not bad this year.

People from all over the world seem to take great joy in bashing America.
From what I observe though, it sure seems many people from all over the world are trying to relocate here as fast as they possibly can.

I have read that more immigrate to the USA than all other countries combined.