Thread: Please Don't Take This The Wrong Way...

When I visited the USA at the beginning of last year, I found Americans to be really nice, kind, and hospitable people. They are probably my favourite people around the world.

But I don't understand a few things about your society.

1. All the flags. In the UK, you only see the Union Flag over military installations, and maybe Buckingham Palace or the the Palace at Westminster. But in the USA, there's loads of the Stars and Stripes everywhere. Over every school, every post office, every government building, and over every second house. Even flying from cars and lorries. Why? Everyone knows in what country they are, so it's not like your going to get lost and have to like find your way by means of your national flag.

2. Lots of talk about supporting the troops. What does this mean? In the UK and Australia, nobody talks about supporting the troops any more than they talk about supporting the postman. They are both just doing a job they chose to do. Why do we need to 'support' them? And especially when they do bad things, why do we need to come to their defence?

3. Lots of talk about America, being un-American, and the American way of doing things. Like nobody ever says something is un-British in the UK, or talks about the British way. Nobody says the word 'Britain' like it's the next thing to God, like Americans say the word 'America'.
Like OK, it's a great country, but why this sort of hallowed approach to being American? Like I'm not knocking it, but I don't understand.

4. Why do some Americans (but only some) want to attack (as in go to war with) any society who does not agree with them?

5 Why do most Americans sort of criticise Europe all the time. Like they don't like our 'socialist' systems, and they call us weak and apologetic because we don't go about 'kicking arse' all the time.

Like Europe has been the centre of the arts, culture, civilisation and social and technical development for many hundreds of years, so we can't be that ineffectual. Can we?

Just wondering.

Leo,

All excellent questions, and I would be glad to give you the best answers I can. The view of America from the outside in can be quite confusing to those who do not share our upbringing and way of life. Since you honestly asked, I'm going to be as honest as possible with you.

I won't repeat your questions in quotes, but number the answer appropiately.

1. Our country is based on open expression and Patriotism not as a requirement, but a thing of Pride. We have more than one Nationality in our country, here legally as well as illegally, and we do our best to represent them all. The Irish imigrants and the Cuban immigrants wish to show pride in their origins, and fly the Flag they were born under. Our Flag, which is flown above theirs, is showing that not only do we respect their origins, but we represent them even here in our country. That was by way of example, as we have almost every Nationality here. Our flag is as imortant to us and we are not shy of showing it.

2. Our Military is currently all volunteer. Most countries other than the US have mandatory service requirements, and everyone out of school attends a minimum of 2 years of military service after graduation. The United States, being all Voluntary, these people choose to put their lives on the line for their country, choose to follow orders even though they may get killed, and because of that, deserve our support. Knowing that you lay your life on the line every day and also knowing it's appreciated by the people you defend goes a long ways. Unfortunately, stress is a major factor. All people make mistakes, especially under loads of stress that could cost a life. We believe a person is innocent until proven guilty, and such punish accordingly. A mistake is punished, but not as severely as someone who was downright evil, who would get the death penalty if hsi or her actions resulted in the deaths of innocents.

3. A good deal of people here in America have roots from countries and/or times when things were not this good. Some come from countries where free expression is forbidden. Some come from countries where toilet paper is a hard commodity to come by. And some come here so they don't starve to death. Britian has its established populace and their history has people who ranged back from centuries of being on the homestead and having roots. America isn't even close to being 300 years old. Give us time, the idea of being free and not being oppressed may take another few hundred years to fade down the excitement levels.

4. Another popular saying in America... opinions are like assholes. Everyone has them. And here, we can express them. Openly. It doesn't matter if you agree or not, you're also free to disagree. We also have our 'Doves', people who feel that no matter how bad you are to them, they would love you and so their best to make you comfortable. We have folks who are skeptics of everything before them, and we have folks who would rather stupidly commit crimes. However, just because Jimbob decides he wants to invade Peru next week doesn't mean it's going to happen. Nobody would listen to such an idiot.

5. Most Americans are not like that. A region can be decidely one opininated, like my old home town. They all feel that Italy is the center of the universe and Rome a world treasure. And they feel like France is the world's most stuck up place on the planet. This doesn't mean they are.

Overall, you're going to find that the normal civilian down to earth Citizen of any country are people just like you and me. It's the Government and the policies that are mistaken as the way the people want to live their lives, when sometimes, it's just the opposite. I can garuntee you there are people in the UK whom I can find are very friendly, kind folks, but their personal opinion about people in Mexico can be very negative. Oh, the Mexican Government is not that great. But they associate it to the citizens. Having known many Mexicans myself, the people are fun, open and a riot at parties. Also having known some people from Korea, Romania and Russia (My old co-workers in Texas) they are happy as hell to be here, where they can live and work and enjoy life without the Korean being told which party to join or else, without the Russian being snatched up by the KGB because he question Communism, and to Romanian can marry whomever she wishes.

1. You will find lots of flags in mny countries. Americans are very proud of our herritage and country, and we show that pride by displaying our favorite emblem - the American flag, for all to see.

2. Many American soldiers get disheartened by the war. Showing our troopers that we are proud of them and stand behind them is a moral booster for many of them.

3. Once again, many countries face this issue. Our econonomy is suffering from a lack of good jobs, and much of that is partly due to outsourcing to countries that pay lower wages. The concept of "buying American" is to try to get more jobs into our economy by partially or fully boycotting the purchase of products made outside the country. In other words - make clear that the money will go to support our home first.

4. I don't understand this concept of aggression against different types of socioties. If it was up to me, we would leave them be.

5 I don't know why some Americans criticise Europe. Maybe it makes them feel better about the ridiculous things our own country has done lately?

1. Americans are like that. I agree it's strange, and I wouldn't put a flag in my home, but they have another conception of nacionalism.
2. Yeah, that's also surprising. I don't spend any time caring about the troops, and normaly, for a lot of europeans the military means repression. This is because of our history.
3.Well, this is again due to nacionalism.
4. There are stupid people everywhere.
5. Do they? well, Europe also criticises Americans, so they have that right.

Like Europe has been the centre of the arts, culture, civilisation and social and technical development for many hundreds of years, so we can't be that ineffectual.

I totally agree with that.

I have nothing to add being neither Americn nor European... however I LOVED this thread. Everybody so well-spoken and polite and intelligent and shizzle.

Just wanted to hand out kudos to all. And will do so with reputation thingys.

Oberdan;Leo,

All excellent questions, and I would be glad to give you the best answers I can. The view of America from the outside in can be quite confusing to those who do not share our upbringing and way of life. Since you honestly asked, I'm going to be as honest as possible with you.

A very good post Oberdan.

1. Flags. It's pretty. And it makes us feel good, knowing it's still there. We even have a song about that, written when we were perhaps losing a fight with Britain over the freedom of the seas. It's a symbol.

2. What does "support the troops" mean? During the Vietnam War our domestic fifth column of socialists, marxists, pacifist pansies, and communist sympathizers worked actively against US success in the war. Jane Fonda sat at the controls of a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft battery and openly wished for a US aircraft to fly over. Our Democrats fomented internal discord to create political advantage, never mind what it cost our men who were over there getting shot at. The movie "Rambo" illustrates in part how our returning veterans were treated by these dispicable people.

Real Americans were determined that whatever our political differences, we were going to make sure our men in uniform weren't treated that way again. Naturally, the surrender monkey types that cost the South Vietnamese their freedom in 1974 hijacked the "support our troops" concept by claiming the only way to support them is to stop them from accomplishing their mission and bring them home like cowards.

What can ya say? They're not real Americans, after all.

3. American. That's because being American is the next best thing to being God. Better, probably, since we know Americans exist. Actually, I don't know if a non-American can understand it. Not to worry, though. The surrender monkeys I discussed in the last paragraph are doing their best to destroy "America" and turn it into a park bench in the "Global Village".

4. Why do some Americans (but only some) want to attack (as in go to war with) any society who does not agree with them?

Because only Americans understand what price freedom has. The ones that don't understand the price aren't really Americans, they're passengers. And it's not any society that doesn't agree with us, but any threat. There's a difference.

5. That was then, this is now. That center of "culture" created Nazism. It created freedom- and independence-killing socialism. That center of "civilization" started WWI and WWII. Before that, it destroyed a burgeoning society in Africa and turned the Africans into slaves. I'm descended from Irishmen, and no Irishman would accept any claim England made to either culture or civilization.

And Europe has FRANCE. Come 'on, no one takes them seriously.

Originally Posted by Freedom for All

3. American. That's because being American is the next best thing to being God. Better, probably, since we know Americans exist. Actually, I don't know if a non-American can understand it. Not to worry, though. The surrender monkeys I discussed in the last paragraph are doing their best to destroy "America" and turn it into a park bench in the "Global Village".



Because only Americans understand what price freedom has. The ones that don't understand the price aren't really Americans, they're passengers. And it's not any society that doesn't agree with us, but any threat. There's a difference.

5. That was then, this is now. That center of "culture" created Nazism. It created freedom- and independence-killing socialism. That center of "civilization" started WWI and WWII. Before that, it destroyed a burgeoning society in Africa and turned the Africans into slaves. I'm descended from Irishmen, and no Irishman would accept any claim England made to either culture or civilization.

And Europe has FRANCE. Come 'on, no one takes them seriously.

I don't have words...

Europe is amazing, and I love the people there, but the dark, dark, dark history turns me away...

European colonization destroyed the world, but hey, we would've done the same thing, so what can I say?

Originally Posted by Feslin

Europe is amazing, and I love the people there, but the dark, dark, dark history turns me away...

European colonization destroyed the world, but hey, we would've done the same thing, so what can I say?

America has as well a dark history.
Anyway, you can't hate a country and its people because of something that happened in the past. Most of the people now were not by far part of it anyway.