Opinions about america, NOT A PISSING MATCH BETWEEN PRO AND ANTI
- Thread starter Fatewarns
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One of my friends from England was in Baltimore, MD for a meeting and his company (also based in England) called him up at 11:00 AM and asked if he could drive out to Detroit, MI for a 5:00 PM meeting they needed an extra guy for.
"The difference between Americans and English is Americans think 100 years is a long time and the English think 100 miles is a long way."
To be honest, I don't think we need to know that, just to know where the whole country is, same as I wouldn't expect an American to know where Scotland, England, Nothern Ireland and Wales are in the UK, or the different States of Germany.
On the US, I think that they are generally a nice bunch. The country has done the World good in the past, but has made some iffy, though understandable decisions.
I see it as a country which needs a little redirection, more like a puppy that needs a little retraining, but is still cute (democratic) and Cuddly (wealthy). I think that their opinions of other countries is a little off, a little bit of looking down on as non-superpowers is a tad common, but I'm sure we did the same (Britain)
To summerise, I think the US is overall a power for good, It just needs to remember Democracy isn't for all and remember that they didn't win the war single handedly, and that we did help quite a bit.
Background = British Student studying in one of the few Grammar Schools Left
Since when did we claim it? We just call ourselves Americans, and considering the name of our country, the United States of America, there aren't exactly many other (polite) ways to shorten that.
And besides, I'd like you to define imperialism, just so I know where you define it. You'd be surprised how many South American nations can be accused of "imperialism" depending on the definition.
Dean: witch words someone chooses to use implies an ideological election as well as a linguistic one. It's subtle, but not unimportant. When a way to call a country and the people born in that country is chosen by those with liguinstic capital witch is closly related to political capital such a decision is in no way an inocent one. Generations later, when people get used to call a country such a way they are, probably without knowing, supporting the ideology - or the legacy of such ideology - witch created such a linguistic and ideological choice centuries ago. Without realizing, that's nearly always for sure, but supporting it nonetheless.
For example, when someone refer's to Latin America as "America's backyard" for instance, is not only implying that one country counts for an entire continent (witch you might not think today as I assume that you guys are told that the continent is called Americas, but I highly doubt that it was called like that in the 18th century), it's also implying that Latinamerica belongs to the USA. Why? because in the election of such a metaphor refers the subcontinent to something that it's owned: if you have a house, the backyard is part of your property, with all it's other connotations. It's not all the same as saying, ie, "USA's neighbours". The difference is ideological and, therefore, political.
As for imperialism, I agree with you. There's probably imperialism in every continent. But of course, it requires more than blindness to not note that the USA is one of the mayor imperialistic countries in the last hundred years. Not the only one, but one of the most important, for sure. And once you notice what imperialism means when you aren't precisely in the imperial capitol, you would hardly call any imperialist power "something good for the world". And I'm not intending to be flamish here. It's just that somethings - like torture and starvation - are simply wrong by definition.
America is a country with serious problems. It is a country is an increasingly untrustworthy media which is more interested in sensationalism than real news and an apathetic public because of it. It is a country where people protest by doing the one thing guaranteed to make things worse: staying home from the polls on election day, if they've even bothered to register.
It is a country whose children, and adults cannot locate even the general area in which a country is located. Case-in-point: I was speaking to a friend about an article that I'd seen about the recent unrest in Georgia. His first question was where's Georgia? He could not even place it as Eastern European. And he'd gone to a decently affluent school in a state that regulates almost every aspect of eduction through exams.
It is a country that makes no effort to teach its children about the outside world. Everything I learned was from my family or through direct contact with people from different countries, where I had a chance to ask questions. This does no one any favours. The children of my generation may be happier with no knowledge of the outside world, but when that world is therir's to play a significant role in, there will be hell to pay.
Background:
White, middle class, American, college student, grew up in a fairly liberal Catholic household but is an atheist.
It is a country whose children, and adults cannot locate even the general area in which a country is located. Case-in-point: I was speaking to a friend about an article that I'd seen about the recent unrest in Georgia. His first question was where's Georgia? He could not even place it as Eastern European. And he'd gone to a decently affluent school in a state that regulates almost every aspect of eduction through exams.
It is a country that makes no effort to teach its children about the outside world. Everything I learned was from my family or through direct contact with people from different countries, where I had a chance to ask questions. This does no one any favours. The children of my generation may be happier with no knowledge of the outside world, but when that world is therir's to play a significant role in, there will be hell to pay.
Background:
White, middle class, American, college student, grew up in a fairly liberal Catholic household but is an atheist.
My youngest is takeing US History and they are studing WWII . He was the oly person in his class that could go up to the map and point out all the Axis nations His teacher asked him why he knew so much about were dountrys are and that and he told her his father made he learn how to read a world map .
Back about 25 years ago I was takeing a college class and the history prof. Hand a world map to us and asked us to name all the countrys on it , I got 97% of the countrys right that on the map and the next best person in the class got 48% right .
I brlive that the children today are not taught were states , nations and rivers are any more . His teacher was shocked when he brought in some pictures of the War against Japan and a Japanies battle flag my father took of a dead Japanies soldier in the War. Yes my son has the oldest parents in his class .
I would have to blame the NEA for how bad teachers are these day's and all the PC that is out there.
The School systems no longer teach children how to make change any more . And the think children should use Calculators in school from a young age. My son 4th grade teacher though we were wrong in forceing my son in learing how to mutlyply in his head and know mutupcation taples up to 10 .
When he hit high school I got in an agument with his calcalise teacher when she wanded him to use a calculator in class and I sad he had one and she refused to belive you could do higher math with a slide rule .
I a 60 year old retired farmer who never had much colege and was married at 18 years old .
Back about 25 years ago I was takeing a college class and the history prof. Hand a world map to us and asked us to name all the countrys on it , I got 97% of the countrys right that on the map and the next best person in the class got 48% right .
I brlive that the children today are not taught were states , nations and rivers are any more . His teacher was shocked when he brought in some pictures of the War against Japan and a Japanies battle flag my father took of a dead Japanies soldier in the War. Yes my son has the oldest parents in his class .
I would have to blame the NEA for how bad teachers are these day's and all the PC that is out there.
The School systems no longer teach children how to make change any more . And the think children should use Calculators in school from a young age. My son 4th grade teacher though we were wrong in forceing my son in learing how to mutlyply in his head and know mutupcation taples up to 10 .
When he hit high school I got in an agument with his calcalise teacher when she wanded him to use a calculator in class and I sad he had one and she refused to belive you could do higher math with a slide rule .
I a 60 year old retired farmer who never had much colege and was married at 18 years old .
In all fairness, a look at maps of the USA and europe makes it quite clear that geography, foreign languages, and knowledge of other cultures are much more useful skills in Europe than in the USA.
In Europe, we probably do not quite realize how knowledge of things like foreign countries is more of a "luxury" skill in the USA. Something that is good for your inellectual development to know, but not of that much practical use.
As opposed to someone living in the middle of europe, who might have considered a shopping trip over a border highly normal since the days when the currencies were different.
In Europe, we probably do not quite realize how knowledge of things like foreign countries is more of a "luxury" skill in the USA. Something that is good for your inellectual development to know, but not of that much practical use.
As opposed to someone living in the middle of europe, who might have considered a shopping trip over a border highly normal since the days when the currencies were different.