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Author Topic:   The crazy land in the west

Kirel posted 11-16-98 07:56 AM ET
You Americans may think You are the coolest people in the world,and that's fine.
You should know though,that the rest of the world isn't too impressed.(You can be REALLY silly at times.)
Just wanted you to know how I feel.

Roland posted 11-16-98 07:59 AM ET
Agree, but it was it necessary to start a new thread for this (or was it just an error) ?
Kirel posted 11-16-98 08:09 AM ET
Well,lets just saythat i dislike it when threads get so long that the topic discussed in the initial statement and the one discussed at the bottom of the thread is two different subjects,or the thread so long that it takes half an hour just to read through it.
Furhermore:It's fun to start new threads.
Jeje posted 11-16-98 08:35 AM ET
Kirel: Live at let live. At least until the release of the game
One doesn't have to read all the threads.
And yes I also hate some of the discussion.
Jeje posted 11-16-98 08:36 AM ET
Kirel: Live at let live. At least until the release of the game
One doesn't have to read all the threads.
And yes I also hate some of the discussion, but most of it is OK.
Yo_Yo_Yo_Hey posted 11-16-98 05:31 PM ET
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!!! We all know America has problems!! Stop pointing them out!! We don't need to hear 'em, we already do on the news every night!! Maybe a lot of Americans are jerks who think we're perfect & no one can beat us, but this is just an insult to people like me who attempt to fix this country, with any means possible(no matter how limited they are). Your country has problems too, I'm positive of it, point them out too, if you're gonna yell at us!!
Your faithful & hell-bent NIMadier general,
YYYH
jonesEv posted 11-16-98 05:41 PM ET
Yeah! Fix the country! Cut the tax rate, build more libraries, build more luxuries!
Wise men say, only fools build an empire without luxuries, King---
DHE_X2 posted 11-16-98 06:28 PM ET
Hmmmm, Sweden. Hey Kirel, isn't Sweden's largest industry sexual reassingment? Or tourism due to nude beaches. Heh heh, I don't know which one.
DCA posted 11-16-98 08:22 PM ET
Criticizing America is so fun, because Americans always take it personally. I mean, hey, if somebody tried to make fun of Norway (my homie), I'd just agree with them and add some criticism of my own.
Anyway, nude beaches are great. I think you'd have to come from a really sexually oppressed country (the US springs to mind) to even consider "tourism due to nude beaches" though...
Rang posted 11-16-98 08:26 PM ET
"Sexually oppressed"? Um, have you had a look at our president?
Old_Guy posted 11-16-98 08:39 PM ET
Rang--ROFL!!!
Old_Guy posted 11-16-98 08:41 PM ET
Maybe DCA meant "sexually OBSESSED"
DCA posted 11-16-98 08:41 PM ET
Um, have you had a look at the reaction? I mean, hello!, Clinton has a little extra-marital affair (or five, what do i care) and people think it's a political scandal! Ha! A country that can involve itself so deeply in the Prez's sex life for such a long time is definitely sexually repressed!
DCA posted 11-16-98 08:53 PM ET
Or what about the GOP's TV commercial (which they didn't show in San Francisco, so I've only heard about it), where two concerned mothers discuss how to explain Lewinskygate to their children... Poor little innocent kiddies must of course be protected from the filthy story of a man getting a blowjob! (yeah, I think it should be illegal to even suggest the existence of sexual behaviour to any kid below the age of 21)
Maybe a more proper name for the United States of America would be Sanitized for Your Protection...
Spoe posted 11-16-98 08:58 PM ET
The quote I use to illustrate how far our civilization has sunk(a la Wonko? the Sane from HH trilogy and the toothpick instructions) is "WARNING: Blade will cut!" on a deli meat slicer.
Rang posted 11-16-98 09:00 PM ET
Yes, but look at how those ads hindered the GOP from counting coup. I guess the GOP and media's views don't reflect those of the lay person. I don't really take criticism about America personally I'm pretty sure there are a lot of areas we can improve in. Otherwise, life would be boring.
AUH20 posted 11-16-98 11:51 PM ET
I don't take anything personally. Our Air Force isn't very silly, though.
Funny, Europeans make fun of Americans for being nationalist, but they express their's by dissing America. Not that that bugs me.
Yo_Yo_Yo_Hey posted 11-17-98 12:27 AM ET
Well, one could just look at World War I to demostrate Europes nationalism, or just plain ignorance. Would anyone here have fought the war, just because of your leaders imperialistic tendency's & nationalism?? I doubt you would now, after we all saw what happened there. I think Europe lost almost all nationalism after that war, & never regained it.
Well, one can always make fun of the US 'ignorance' when in doubt.
YYYH
Arnelos posted 11-17-98 02:43 AM ET
This is all simply rediculous children.
First of all, the United States is not big nations of whiners (Americans tend to see the European welfare state as evidence of their "whiner" mentality, BTW).
On sex, it never ceases to amaze me how the views of a very small minority, in this case the religious right, can so amazing effect the way ignorant foreigners view any given country's political culture. Because aproximately 1/3 of one of the two major coalition parties happens to be a little bit off the deep end on religious fundamentatlism is not a reflection of the entire political culture. It would be like me saying that all Germans are Turk-hating bastards because there's actually a minority amongst them that do hate the Turks and violently express it.
All of this **** is patently rediculous. You all need to just grow up and stop whining.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it."
-George Berhard Shaw
"Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about."
-Mark Twain
That goes for both of you idiotic groups of so-called "patriots." The European 12-year-olds seem to have a need to inflate their own self image by bashing the U.S. while American 12-year-olds seem to have a need to inflate their self image by talking about how the U.S. is the world's largest military power and how it could kick, blah, blah, blah.
I'm glad to see some of "my fellow Americans" (I shiver at refering to myself as an "American" exclusively, I prefer to ignore national/state identity) such as YYYH have toned down their rhetoric. It appears, however, that some of the people around have not been able to do so yet, such as Kirel, DCA, and Imran (although he apologized).
Quite honestly, cut it out. You all sound like a bunch of elementary school kids talking trying to one-up one another on the playground. You have absolutely no respect, especially given that most of the posters to this forum apear to be internationalists. You lose every shred of respect when you start running around talking about how trashy the U.S. or Europe is for some stupid reason that reflects your own ignorance.
Get a grip and grow up.
(to Americans, I suggest actually reading about the politics of Europe from time to time to see what actually goes on over there. As for the Europeans, getting reliable info on U.S. politics is hard enough for Americans. I would suggest more than one source as to guarantee a balanced look at the events. The best bets for both sides are the AP wire and the ECONOMIST.)
Mortis posted 11-17-98 03:27 AM ET
Spoe- you haven't seen dumb product messages, just let me get my magazines.
Ok this one was on a cosmetics kit "Not tested on animals except if you count men"
* This was on a chemical bottle "Warning: found to cause cancer in California"
* This was wirten on a handbook handed out to "Elecutive club" members at an airport "To save a bit of room in your briefcase, feel free to discard your existing handbook and replasing it with you new one."
* A package of puding "Take care: product will be hot after heating."
* Instructions for instaling a graphics accelarator "1. Switch off computer. Please do not remove power cable. This will help you discharge later on."
There's plenty more. They are not all American, I just flet like putting them in because their funny.
Mortis,
Prince of Darkness,
Head of the anti-capitalist movement,
Chairman & CEO of Mortis Corporations
Kirel posted 11-17-98 04:55 AM ET
Aaah.Yessss!
(Silly americans,silly)
Nice discussion,eh?
DCA posted 11-17-98 06:22 AM ET
Oh dear, I've gone and inflated my ego.
Hey, now I'm confused. I can't remember being a nationalist..? Must be my other personality or something. Anyway, Arnelos, my daddy can beat up your daddy any day.
Of course, I'm just a stupid 12-year old that is trying to inflate my self-image, but, despite this obviuos fact, I still feel the US is sort of sexually repressed. They can, for instance, never ever ever show a female breast on TV (not to mention 'full frontal nudity', a stupid term if I ever heard one), but find it quite acceptable to show Commando sunday morning.
Oh well, I'll just get a grip and grow up now, if that's ok with you.
Final point though: Arnelos, my question is simply this: Are you menstruating? If not, dare I suggest acquiring a sense of humour? It's very practical at times, helps you avoid acting like a complete moron.
DCA,
Sarcasm helps you avoid telling people what you really think of them.
Roland posted 11-17-98 08:02 AM ET
"full frontal nudity"! Ouch! Heard it before, but never realised how funny that term is... volle frontale Nacktheit... frontale Vollnacktheit... this is great!
On the merits (if they exist here): I don't mind people making fun of my country, many do that, especially swiss and germans, and so far, I've never been short on answers. So making a bit fun about America is not so bad.
I agree with Arnelos in principle, just that I do not take these things so seriously. Even if I try, I just can't (take them seriously, that is - nothing to do with full frontal nudity).
So I hope you don't mind me making fun of US court judgemnets awarding millions of dollars to a woman who is so stupid not to know that hot coffee is hot (which also explains the funny instructions, like "this knife can cut"). Ah yes, another one: A woman wanted to dry her poodle in the oven, the poor animal died. She sued and won, as the instruction did not say: "Don't use to dry dogs".
And now the disclaimer, before I get accused of being ill-informed: I know that the extreme cases are exceptions, and most of them get quashed at the higher courts, or at least, the damages are reduced. Still, the US legal system is great fun - and a major drawback for competetiveness, never mentioned by those yuppies that draw up competitivity rankings.
Finally, please feel free to make fun of Austria (as I seem to be the only Austrian in here, I should have the authority to invite you).
Imran Siddiqui posted 11-17-98 03:53 PM ET
Arnelos, I know about the politics of Europe, I follow much of it. I'm very interested in World Affairs, yet I am a nationalist, and what's wrong with that? A love for one's country is not a bad thing. It can lead to many good things, such as people who love their nation so much that it pains them to see people suffering in their nation. That was one of the primary tenants of Progressivism in the US, people who loved their country so much that they wnated to make it better. I think really what we have here is a political divide. The US is very conservative compared with Europe, and the US is apprehensive about that. The word socalism is a bad word (btw, I'm not a fan of socialism at all, as has been witnessed by people on this board). That is why the US has good relations with the UK, because it is the most conservative nation in Europe. I can't speak for Europe, so would someone tell me if Europeans fear American conservativism.
CClark posted 11-17-98 06:23 PM ET
Debates like this are what make me proud to be Canadian. We seem to be the only country that actively makes fun of itself. If you get the CBC at all, you have to watch "The Royal Canadian Air Farce" or, better yet, "This Hour has 22 Minutes". Both shows spoof news events and do whatever they can to make fun of our politicians. The best part is that half the time, our politicians play along! I mean, where else can you see a dowdy 50-something lady dressed up like Xena (including a plastic sword) just walk up to the Prime Minister and start telling him that he's been putting his foot in his mouth! The best part is, the PM agreed and apologized! I'd like to see Clinton go for burgers at a Wendy's with Steve Wright and just chat about stuff knowing that it will be on TV.
Point? Canada is the best place in the world because we have a sense of humour!
(That's a joke, son.)
DHE_X2 posted 11-17-98 06:55 PM ET
Arnelos, freedom of speech, deal with it.
DCA posted 11-17-98 07:56 PM ET
What I found frustrating about Arnelos' post is that i basically agree with his conclusion: nationalism suck. My 'rhetoric' was sort of supposed to point out the inconsistencies and ridiculousness of absolutely loving your country and defending it at all cost. When I use overstatements like 'sexually repressed' I sort of try to illustrate my point (making statements in black and white tends to make things clearer) and encourage a reply (it's all boring if we basically agree all the time).
What I truly dislike is when Arnelos' speculates in people's motives ("inflate their own self image") - I make fun of America because I find it amusing. I was hoping that would be pretty obvious to everyone - it's possible, of course, that my sense of humour is totally out of sync with everybody else's. Anyway, this is why I suggested to Arnelos that he should develop a sense of humour.
Finally, Arnelos' attempt to come across as 'mature', in contrast to us 'children' (12-year olds, whatever) just seems totally pathetic to me. I think he quite adequately reveals who is truly immature when he sort of elevates himself above other people (thanks for the tip about the Economist, which I really haven't heard about before).
DCA
Brother Greg posted 11-17-98 08:36 PM ET
CClark, Aussies and Kiwis make fun of themselves all of the time.
Maybe not quite to the Xena stage tho.
Brother Greg.
AUH20 posted 11-17-98 09:05 PM ET
America has good cheese, or at least Wisconsin does. Must be because of Tommy Thomson. Either way, federalism kicks ass.
Spoe posted 11-17-98 09:29 PM ET
Eh, I've yet to see a truly good gouda, gruyere, mozerella, edam, etc. come out the US, though we do seem to have cheddar down pat.
DCA posted 11-18-98 03:01 AM ET
Hehe - I just read somewhere that a statue of an elephant that was made for the UN HQ in New York was rejected: its huge penis was deemed indecent and, as such, inappropriate for children... Just "the views of a very small minority" again, right?
There is a joke in Norway saying that you can only show a female breast on American television if it's in the process of being cut off with a knife. Though I should hasten to add (for the humour-impaired) that this is of course somewhat exaggerated, it does have a kernel of truth to it...
Anyway, Norway has got to be one of the world's sillier countries, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find something to make fun of?!
DCA,
Don't believe them, don't believe them, question everything you're told.
Kirel posted 11-18-98 05:24 AM ET
Yes,DCA,Norway is quiet silly.
Ask any swede!
Grosshaus posted 11-18-98 06:03 PM ET
Ask any Finn and he'll say Norway is Ok, Sweden sucks! Now that's The crazy land in the west.
BigER posted 11-18-98 06:18 PM ET
Speaking of Crazy!
1. Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?
2. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
3. How do I set my laser printer on stun?
4. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?
5. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
6. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown
too?
7. If you're born again, do you have two bellybuttons?
8. If you ate pasta and then antipasta, would you still be hungry?
9. If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
10. Is a castrated pig disgruntled?
11. Why are hemorrhoids called "hemorrhoids" instead of
"asteroids"?
12. Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?
13. Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?
14. If the black box flight recorder is never damaged during a
plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of the stuff?
15. Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
16. If most car accidents occur within five miles of home, why
doesn't everyone just move 10 miles away?
17. Is the main reason Santa is so jolly because he knows where all
the bad girls live?
18. If I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the
self-help section?" Would she say if she told me, it would defeat
the purpose?
19. If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?
20. And whose cruel idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have a "S"
in it?

And why do we park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?
Brother Greg posted 11-18-98 07:48 PM ET
21. If a tree falls on a synchronised swimmer, and there's no-one around, does anyone care?
Brother Greg.
P.S. Unless of course she is a part of the unified earth, in which case of course the sport would be outlawed for it's crimes to humanity.
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Author	Topic: The crazy land in the west
Kirel	posted 11-16-98 07:56 AM ET You Americans may think You are the coolest people in the world,and that's fine. You should know though,that the rest of the world isn't too impressed.(You can be REALLY silly at times.) Just wanted you to know how I feel.
Roland	posted 11-16-98 07:59 AM ET Agree, but it was it necessary to start a new thread for this (or was it just an error) ?
Kirel	posted 11-16-98 08:09 AM ET Well,lets just saythat i dislike it when threads get so long that the topic discussed in the initial statement and the one discussed at the bottom of the thread is two different subjects,or the thread so long that it takes half an hour just to read through it. Furhermore:It's fun to start new threads.
Jeje	posted 11-16-98 08:35 AM ET Kirel: Live at let live. At least until the release of the game One doesn't have to read all the threads. And yes I also hate some of the discussion.
Jeje	posted 11-16-98 08:36 AM ET Kirel: Live at let live. At least until the release of the game One doesn't have to read all the threads. And yes I also hate some of the discussion, but most of it is OK.
Yo_Yo_Yo_Hey	posted 11-16-98 05:31 PM ET Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!!! We all know America has problems!! Stop pointing them out!! We don't need to hear 'em, we already do on the news every night!! Maybe a lot of Americans are jerks who think we're perfect & no one can beat us, but this is just an insult to people like me who attempt to fix this country, with any means possible(no matter how limited they are). Your country has problems too, I'm positive of it, point them out too, if you're gonna yell at us!! Your faithful & hell-bent NIMadier general, YYYH
jonesEv	posted 11-16-98 05:41 PM ET Yeah! Fix the country! Cut the tax rate, build more libraries, build more luxuries! Wise men say, only fools build an empire without luxuries, King---
DHE_X2	posted 11-16-98 06:28 PM ET Hmmmm, Sweden. Hey Kirel, isn't Sweden's largest industry sexual reassingment? Or tourism due to nude beaches. Heh heh, I don't know which one.
DCA	posted 11-16-98 08:22 PM ET Criticizing America is so fun, because Americans always take it personally. I mean, hey, if somebody tried to make fun of Norway (my homie), I'd just agree with them and add some criticism of my own. Anyway, nude beaches are great. I think you'd have to come from a really sexually oppressed country (the US springs to mind) to even consider "tourism due to nude beaches" though...
Rang	posted 11-16-98 08:26 PM ET "Sexually oppressed"? Um, have you had a look at our president?
Old_Guy	posted 11-16-98 08:39 PM ET Rang--ROFL!!!
Old_Guy	posted 11-16-98 08:41 PM ET Maybe DCA meant "sexually OBSESSED"
DCA	posted 11-16-98 08:41 PM ET Um, have you had a look at the reaction? I mean, hello!, Clinton has a little extra-marital affair (or five, what do i care) and people think it's a political scandal! Ha! A country that can involve itself so deeply in the Prez's sex life for such a long time is definitely sexually repressed!
DCA	posted 11-16-98 08:53 PM ET Or what about the GOP's TV commercial (which they didn't show in San Francisco, so I've only heard about it), where two concerned mothers discuss how to explain Lewinskygate to their children... Poor little innocent kiddies must of course be protected from the filthy story of a man getting a blowjob! (yeah, I think it should be illegal to even suggest the existence of sexual behaviour to any kid below the age of 21) Maybe a more proper name for the United States of America would be Sanitized for Your Protection...
Spoe	posted 11-16-98 08:58 PM ET The quote I use to illustrate how far our civilization has sunk(a la Wonko? the Sane from HH trilogy and the toothpick instructions) is "WARNING: Blade will cut!" on a deli meat slicer.
Rang	posted 11-16-98 09:00 PM ET Yes, but look at how those ads hindered the GOP from counting coup. I guess the GOP and media's views don't reflect those of the lay person. I don't really take criticism about America personally I'm pretty sure there are a lot of areas we can improve in. Otherwise, life would be boring.
AUH20	posted 11-16-98 11:51 PM ET I don't take anything personally. Our Air Force isn't very silly, though. Funny, Europeans make fun of Americans for being nationalist, but they express their's by dissing America. Not that that bugs me.
Yo_Yo_Yo_Hey	posted 11-17-98 12:27 AM ET Well, one could just look at World War I to demostrate Europes nationalism, or just plain ignorance. Would anyone here have fought the war, just because of your leaders imperialistic tendency's & nationalism?? I doubt you would now, after we all saw what happened there. I think Europe lost almost all nationalism after that war, & never regained it. Well, one can always make fun of the US 'ignorance' when in doubt. YYYH
Arnelos	posted 11-17-98 02:43 AM ET This is all simply rediculous children. First of all, the United States is not big nations of whiners (Americans tend to see the European welfare state as evidence of their "whiner" mentality, BTW). On sex, it never ceases to amaze me how the views of a very small minority, in this case the religious right, can so amazing effect the way ignorant foreigners view any given country's political culture. Because aproximately 1/3 of one of the two major coalition parties happens to be a little bit off the deep end on religious fundamentatlism is not a reflection of the entire political culture. It would be like me saying that all Germans are Turk-hating bastards because there's actually a minority amongst them that do hate the Turks and violently express it. All of this **** is patently rediculous. You all need to just grow up and stop whining. "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it." -George Berhard Shaw "Patriot: the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about." -Mark Twain That goes for both of you idiotic groups of so-called "patriots." The European 12-year-olds seem to have a need to inflate their own self image by bashing the U.S. while American 12-year-olds seem to have a need to inflate their self image by talking about how the U.S. is the world's largest military power and how it could kick, blah, blah, blah. I'm glad to see some of "my fellow Americans" (I shiver at refering to myself as an "American" exclusively, I prefer to ignore national/state identity) such as YYYH have toned down their rhetoric. It appears, however, that some of the people around have not been able to do so yet, such as Kirel, DCA, and Imran (although he apologized). Quite honestly, cut it out. You all sound like a bunch of elementary school kids talking trying to one-up one another on the playground. You have absolutely no respect, especially given that most of the posters to this forum apear to be internationalists. You lose every shred of respect when you start running around talking about how trashy the U.S. or Europe is for some stupid reason that reflects your own ignorance. Get a grip and grow up. (to Americans, I suggest actually reading about the politics of Europe from time to time to see what actually goes on over there. As for the Europeans, getting reliable info on U.S. politics is hard enough for Americans. I would suggest more than one source as to guarantee a balanced look at the events. The best bets for both sides are the AP wire and the ECONOMIST.)
Mortis	posted 11-17-98 03:27 AM ET Spoe- you haven't seen dumb product messages, just let me get my magazines. Ok this one was on a cosmetics kit "Not tested on animals except if you count men" * This was on a chemical bottle "Warning: found to cause cancer in California" * This was wirten on a handbook handed out to "Elecutive club" members at an airport "To save a bit of room in your briefcase, feel free to discard your existing handbook and replasing it with you new one." * A package of puding "Take care: product will be hot after heating." * Instructions for instaling a graphics accelarator "1. Switch off computer. Please do not remove power cable. This will help you discharge later on." There's plenty more. They are not all American, I just flet like putting them in because their funny. Mortis, Prince of Darkness, Head of the anti-capitalist movement, Chairman & CEO of Mortis Corporations
Kirel	posted 11-17-98 04:55 AM ET Aaah.Yessss! (Silly americans,silly) Nice discussion,eh?
DCA	posted 11-17-98 06:22 AM ET Oh dear, I've gone and inflated my ego. Hey, now I'm confused. I can't remember being a nationalist..? Must be my other personality or something. Anyway, Arnelos, my daddy can beat up your daddy any day. Of course, I'm just a stupid 12-year old that is trying to inflate my self-image, but, despite this obviuos fact, I still feel the US is sort of sexually repressed. They can, for instance, never ever ever show a female breast on TV (not to mention 'full frontal nudity', a stupid term if I ever heard one), but find it quite acceptable to show Commando sunday morning. Oh well, I'll just get a grip and grow up now, if that's ok with you. Final point though: Arnelos, my question is simply this: Are you menstruating? If not, dare I suggest acquiring a sense of humour? It's very practical at times, helps you avoid acting like a complete moron. DCA, Sarcasm helps you avoid telling people what you really think of them.
Roland	posted 11-17-98 08:02 AM ET "full frontal nudity"! Ouch! Heard it before, but never realised how funny that term is... volle frontale Nacktheit... frontale Vollnacktheit... this is great! On the merits (if they exist here): I don't mind people making fun of my country, many do that, especially swiss and germans, and so far, I've never been short on answers. So making a bit fun about America is not so bad. I agree with Arnelos in principle, just that I do not take these things so seriously. Even if I try, I just can't (take them seriously, that is - nothing to do with full frontal nudity). So I hope you don't mind me making fun of US court judgemnets awarding millions of dollars to a woman who is so stupid not to know that hot coffee is hot (which also explains the funny instructions, like "this knife can cut"). Ah yes, another one: A woman wanted to dry her poodle in the oven, the poor animal died. She sued and won, as the instruction did not say: "Don't use to dry dogs". And now the disclaimer, before I get accused of being ill-informed: I know that the extreme cases are exceptions, and most of them get quashed at the higher courts, or at least, the damages are reduced. Still, the US legal system is great fun - and a major drawback for competetiveness, never mentioned by those yuppies that draw up competitivity rankings. Finally, please feel free to make fun of Austria (as I seem to be the only Austrian in here, I should have the authority to invite you).
Imran Siddiqui	posted 11-17-98 03:53 PM ET Arnelos, I know about the politics of Europe, I follow much of it. I'm very interested in World Affairs, yet I am a nationalist, and what's wrong with that? A love for one's country is not a bad thing. It can lead to many good things, such as people who love their nation so much that it pains them to see people suffering in their nation. That was one of the primary tenants of Progressivism in the US, people who loved their country so much that they wnated to make it better. I think really what we have here is a political divide. The US is very conservative compared with Europe, and the US is apprehensive about that. The word socalism is a bad word (btw, I'm not a fan of socialism at all, as has been witnessed by people on this board). That is why the US has good relations with the UK, because it is the most conservative nation in Europe. I can't speak for Europe, so would someone tell me if Europeans fear American conservativism.
CClark	posted 11-17-98 06:23 PM ET Debates like this are what make me proud to be Canadian. We seem to be the only country that actively makes fun of itself. If you get the CBC at all, you have to watch "The Royal Canadian Air Farce" or, better yet, "This Hour has 22 Minutes". Both shows spoof news events and do whatever they can to make fun of our politicians. The best part is that half the time, our politicians play along! I mean, where else can you see a dowdy 50-something lady dressed up like Xena (including a plastic sword) just walk up to the Prime Minister and start telling him that he's been putting his foot in his mouth! The best part is, the PM agreed and apologized! I'd like to see Clinton go for burgers at a Wendy's with Steve Wright and just chat about stuff knowing that it will be on TV. Point? Canada is the best place in the world because we have a sense of humour! (That's a joke, son.)
DHE_X2	posted 11-17-98 06:55 PM ET Arnelos, freedom of speech, deal with it.
DCA	posted 11-17-98 07:56 PM ET What I found frustrating about Arnelos' post is that i basically agree with his conclusion: nationalism suck. My 'rhetoric' was sort of supposed to point out the inconsistencies and ridiculousness of absolutely loving your country and defending it at all cost. When I use overstatements like 'sexually repressed' I sort of try to illustrate my point (making statements in black and white tends to make things clearer) and encourage a reply (it's all boring if we basically agree all the time). What I truly dislike is when Arnelos' speculates in people's motives ("inflate their own self image") - I make fun of America because I find it amusing. I was hoping that would be pretty obvious to everyone - it's possible, of course, that my sense of humour is totally out of sync with everybody else's. Anyway, this is why I suggested to Arnelos that he should develop a sense of humour. Finally, Arnelos' attempt to come across as 'mature', in contrast to us 'children' (12-year olds, whatever) just seems totally pathetic to me. I think he quite adequately reveals who is truly immature when he sort of elevates himself above other people (thanks for the tip about the Economist, which I really haven't heard about before). DCA
Brother Greg	posted 11-17-98 08:36 PM ET CClark, Aussies and Kiwis make fun of themselves all of the time. Maybe not quite to the Xena stage tho. Brother Greg.
AUH20	posted 11-17-98 09:05 PM ET America has good cheese, or at least Wisconsin does. Must be because of Tommy Thomson. Either way, federalism kicks ass.
Spoe	posted 11-17-98 09:29 PM ET Eh, I've yet to see a truly good gouda, gruyere, mozerella, edam, etc. come out the US, though we do seem to have cheddar down pat.
DCA	posted 11-18-98 03:01 AM ET Hehe - I just read somewhere that a statue of an elephant that was made for the UN HQ in New York was rejected: its huge penis was deemed indecent and, as such, inappropriate for children... Just "the views of a very small minority" again, right? There is a joke in Norway saying that you can only show a female breast on American television if it's in the process of being cut off with a knife. Though I should hasten to add (for the humour-impaired) that this is of course somewhat exaggerated, it does have a kernel of truth to it... Anyway, Norway has got to be one of the world's sillier countries, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find something to make fun of?! DCA, Don't believe them, don't believe them, question everything you're told.
Kirel	posted 11-18-98 05:24 AM ET Yes,DCA,Norway is quiet silly. Ask any swede!
Grosshaus	posted 11-18-98 06:03 PM ET Ask any Finn and he'll say Norway is Ok, Sweden sucks! Now that's The crazy land in the west.
BigER	posted 11-18-98 06:18 PM ET Speaking of Crazy! 1. Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to? 2. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery? 3. How do I set my laser printer on stun? 4. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting? 5. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? 6. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too? 7. If you're born again, do you have two bellybuttons? 8. If you ate pasta and then antipasta, would you still be hungry? 9. If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done? 10. Is a castrated pig disgruntled? 11. Why are hemorrhoids called "hemorrhoids" instead of "asteroids"? 12. Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them? 13. Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song? 14. If the black box flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of the stuff? 15. Why is there an expiration date on sour cream? 16. If most car accidents occur within five miles of home, why doesn't everyone just move 10 miles away? 17. Is the main reason Santa is so jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live? 18. If I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" Would she say if she told me, it would defeat the purpose? 19. If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap? 20. And whose cruel idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have a "S" in it? And why do we park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?
Brother Greg	posted 11-18-98 07:48 PM ET 21. If a tree falls on a synchronised swimmer, and there's no-one around, does anyone care? Brother Greg. P.S. Unless of course she is a part of the unified earth, in which case of course the sport would be outlawed for it's crimes to humanity.