America

[Estreeter]

My own experience with people who are anti American, not just on VEF but throughout my whole adult life is this ..............They're always anti American, no matter if the Republicans or Democrats are in power on the particular day. They always seem to find some way too bash or complain about the US, and many times draw in it's history as a back up.......just an observation from my own experiences

Originally Posted by billybunter

No disrespect. But to tell me and Vef your view is not simplistic, is only your opinion.

As I said, I wont get involved in anti US discussion. The US is far from perfect, which nation is apart from my own which is close My views seem a bit simplistic, but should I post how I really felt and wanted to get involved is a serious debate over the US, then one of the Mods would be banning myself. That's fact so nobody even attempt to draw myself into a serious debate

[teatsfan]

Originally Posted by botogames

But remember, I live in a country where I can write about this and other issues without the government causing me issues...

That in itself is true but is it a real consolation? Or does this consolation merely come from comparing your status quo to that of other countries? Aren't the sources who provide these comparisons (through media for example) the same sources who tell you how good your life is?

My point is, there's a constant propaganda going on in all countries, telling their citizens how free they are, by denouncing conditions in other countries, ofcourse nations economicallly poorer or those running under different political systems. This could be well observed with all the news from North Korea when KimYongIl died.
The underlying tone was always: "see how good you have it, you don't need to idolise your leader as a godlike person, nor do you get sent to prison if you don't mourn him as expected" All this is a vicious trick.

In an era where the so called civilised nations pride themselves with freedom and humanitarian values, real freedom should be taken for granted. Personal, intellectual, spiritual freedom, and not only the freedom to buy products they dangle infront of our noses like the proverbial carrot.

[-Edge-]

Originally Posted by stardust2003

Many Americans seem to feel that they are already living in a fascist state.... as though that by dismantling the Nazi fascist states in Europe , the American Government and the CIA had learned all the fascist tricks................ concentration camps, mind control etc... and the state is ready to use them on the American population.

There was no way I was NOT going to respond to this thread. It just took me a little while to decide which comment was the most laughable.

The above quote rates the highest on the Laugh-O-Meter.

I do have a question for our esteemed thread starter.........

Do you speak from the experience of living in my home country, The United States of America??...... Or from the newspapers, magazines and television programs that are available to you on the East side of the Atlantic.???

Just wondering.....

Anyway, I love my country, as I do others that I have visited. But I could never comment on the culture of living elsewhere without actually having lived there.

I don't really mind what other have to say about the USA, or any other country for that matter, whether good or bad, since it doesn't affect my life.

Opinions vary. Facts are facts. Things are what they are...... or what WE make them.

All I ask is that each of us take a good look in the mirror before posting any narrow-minded comments on that which you do not know of (first hand).

Sincerely,

Sergeant -Edge-
United States Marine Corps
Semper Fidelis

[Warren G]

Ooh-rah!

[dbailey]

I dont know if this is still to topic and I should declare an interest.

Declaration of Interests as follows:

1 My family takes vacations to the USA almost every year and sometimes twice

2 I have worked a total of 12/30 years in my sector for US companies

3 My cousin moved there 16 years ago and became a US citizen

4 My grandma was Called Emily Kathleen Doyle ( work out where she came from)

I too have seen great changes in the USA over my visits. On the latest trip I saw a lot more charity collections outside of Walmart for homeless and unemployed

I rented a flat in a condo on a gated community in Kissimmee Fl and around 20% of the stand alone houses were up for sale.

My wife fell, broke a bone in her hand and we needed to go to the emergency room which was clean, well staffed and we were treated and on the street inside 90 minutes with a bill of just under $1000 going to the travel insurance, but we were well looked after.

The same treatment in the UK would have been free but we would have waited 4 hours to be seen and then two more hours to get out, I know, it happened about 4 years ago

I am glad the USA is there, I enjoy the vacations. The economy is in a pit and when America sneezes, the UK catches a cold

The economy in the UK is bad also, my 18 year old is unlikley to find any employment and I will be out of work at the end of January.

The USA has bailed out the world on a couple of occassions and given us much in terms of culture, thinking, human rights, automobiles, art, etc

We in Europe are pretty good at starting our own wars too remember.

Would I want to live there....probably not, its not quite English enough and yet maybe

Anyhow, I hope all your Americans get through this and return to prosperity and keep to the right path.

Best wishes

[palo5]

Originally Posted by blueballsdc

I have guns and ammunition.
I have knives.
I have swords.
I have axes.
I have bows & arrows.
I have enough food and drink to last me a couple of months.

I guess that makes me a weirdo survivalist.

No Comrade, it means you have too much to carry

I only have an old bayonet and a bag of rice

And very strong teeth

Many Americans could also survive with so little

Australians too, of course, because they are strong people. Except when they say that -20C is cold

[billybunter]

I find it amazing that posters are lambasted for being "anti-American" everyone is entitled to their opinion. As long as it's not offensive. You have to take the rough with the smooth. Of course if someone started a thread called Russia or China, you wouldn't hear a peep

[dbailey]

Originally Posted by billybunter

I find it amazing that posters are lambasted for being "anti-American" everyone is entitled to their opinion. As long as it's not offensive. You have to take the rough with the smooth. Of course if someone started a thread called Russia or China, you wouldn't hear a peep

Yep agreed, but lets keep it specific and with detail, not just generalistic.

There are things that could be better, speaking as an outsider.

I think that they should have a safety net nhs style system to catch really sick people with no employer provided insurance.

Its ok for the middle class to have quality insurance as often it is part of an employment package but if a waitress on minimum wage with a young child and the child through no fault develops leukaemia....poor little sod is a gonner.

Ok, I see that they dont like state interference in their lives and they like the ecomony to have free reign to grow, hence not likling liberalism ast this is alosp percieved as a nanny state.

From an outsider perspective, I see bits of Republican and bits of democrat policy that I admire, my cousin who is now American is born again Xstian Republican, and I get on well with him although I lean towards social reform and I am a non-believer.

I like a free market approach and again I tend to buy products from smaller providers to try and shut down monopolies, I dont have an ipod or an apple mac or a Canon or Nikon Camera or an iphone, but what I have is at least as good and enures market diversity. I dont like to conform and yet in that I am a confoming non-conformist.

The Tea-party set seem too right wing, too insular and just a little bit too Xstian for me and I tend to see them as lacking in any intellectual rigour.

I am not sure that I am all in favour of how much gas the cars guzzle, I cant see whey they havent gone with diesel like Europe when I can get almost 60mpg on a highway ( us gallon) or 70pmg (imperial gallon) if they did that they could half the consumption of oil.

[billybunter]

Originally Posted by dbailey

Yep agreed, but lets keep it specific and with detail, not just generalistic.

I agree as well mate. But respect for opinion is needed, not blind ignorance.

[RowanMooreFan]

Diesel is, as Clarkson says, Satan's fuel, nothing less, polluting beyond imagination and causing lung diseases.

We need other fuels, but please, I will beg you, not diesel, please, not diesel.