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Meh.

As if the world isn't populated by immature loud-mouth folks.

Aside from Canada.

I hear they apologize when they bump into furniture...

The mere presence of communism is not an excuse to go to war, and 'they started it' pretty much sums up another stereotype.

Heres another list of random crap to match Frazzled:

Hoo-ah?
Hoo-ah!
THIS IS THE US ARMY!
THIS IS THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORP!
THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
THIS IS THE UUUUUUUNITED STATES, OF AMERICA!
UNITED STATES MARINE CORP!
US ARMY!!!

Frazzled; I'm not here to start a thread-war. Because you're American and therefore I'd get the blame (joke).

I know America offers sanctuary to people from all walks of life; one only has to look at the border situation in Mexico to see this. If anything, the UK and the US are more alike than ever; being diversified and strenghtened by racial integration.

What I'm against is Americans trumpeting their role in the war. Sentences like ''you'd be speaking German now if it wasn't for us!'' display an ignorance which matches that of a blindly led state. It might well of been the case; and Europe should respect US intervention for the rest of its days. It was an honourable fight.

It seems to me that America follows this idea of being a world superhero in a more malign fashion these days. To your credit, you accept that the war in Iraq is a shambles, and therefore (I would think) a huge mistake. But from most of the worlds outside view, Amercan aggression stems from blatant self interest, which is stoked by this dated ideal of patriotism; something which seems to be bred into some American kids from birth. I'm no flag waving 'Brit' by any stretch; but I am proud of our mentality whereby failed policies are mercilessly crucified by our own media. In the states, that seems to be much more of a grey (gray?) area.

I've noted that you are interested in global politics, and are obviously an intelligent person. But sometimes you can fulfil the sterotype of a zealous, flag waving American enough for me to offer some form of impassioned response. I have my own opinions of Americans, but I have never met one I didn't like. Just avoid the chance of becoming an outsiders stereotype in voicing your own valid opinions.

gorgon wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:No doubt the Brits of the time were arrogant but they were hardly UK-centric, and weren't during the Imperial era -- they were zooming around all over the place, suppressing the slave trade, blowing up pirates and so on.

Hmm, I should have specified what I meant by UK-centric. I meant that a British citizen might have been less interested in other countries, etc. in much the same way that Americans may be today. Seems like it might be a reasonable (if close-minded) attitude for someone living in the "it" country.

Although your geography in Europe is quite different than ours. You don't have to travel very far to find yourself someplace with a different culture and speaking another language.

Brits of the time had very high regard for continental culture and languages, if they could afford it. Any educated man spoke Latin, and perhaps Greek, and probably French. It was the time of the Grand Tour, and so on.

The poor of course had no such opportunities except as gained by soldiering or sailoring.

I would also prefer that we avoid a thread war going on here. That would defeat the entire purpose of the thread, and go against my wishes expressed in my original topic. I'm finding all of this very interesting to read, but if things get hostile, I'm just going to abandon this and not repost.

That aside, I feel that arguements that need to be bolded or CAPSLOCKED in order to get their point across are probably written by weak writers with a weak arguement.

Peferably in a designated weak thread.

Anti-Mag wrote:the war in Iraq is a shambles, and therefore (I would think) a huge mistake. But from most of the worlds outside view, Amercan aggression stems from blatant self interest,

*ALL* agression, American or otherwise stems from naked self-interest. -cough-Opium Wars-cough-

But quite frankly, I'd have been perfectly happy not to have a single American set foot in Iraq, and leave the problems to Europe and the Middle Eastern nations to resolve at their cost and peril, not ours.

Me too.

Of course, given the dependence of the US economy on imported oil, that was never going to be possible.

However, back to the main topic...

Bill Bryson's books on America are a good read.

Frazzled wrote:2. The massive scale of warfare post 1945 instigated, approved or manipulated by the US is staggering.
***Wow thats not a Che Guevara statement at all is it.
Korean? Communist North Korea and China
Vietnam-Communist North Vietnam infiltrating South Vietnam.
Middle East? Not us.
African wars-USSR and Cuba, not us.
India/China/pakistan wars: not us.
Falklands-you Brits beating on poor innocent Argentina . If we followed the Monroe Doctrine your ships would have been met by five carriers going "Go ahead, make our day."
Gulf War I. Iraq attacked
Afghanistan. they started it.
Kosovo. You are right we had no business there.
Iraq II. Regardless or the nonsense, every missile they fired at a US aricraft between 1992 and that attack was an act of War.

You missed a few in there. There was the overthrow of the democratic government of Iran in 1953. The Bay of Pigs and the on-going quarantine of Cuba. The CIA engineered overthrow of the Syrian government in 1949. The support of the 70s coup that saw Pinochet come to power in Chile. The support of the coup in Guatemala in the 60s that led to 200,000 dead. Advisors and aircraft were provided in the ten year long war in El Salvador. In 2002 the CIA backed a coup against Chavez.

The idea that the US tries to keep to itself is ridiculous. Where US political or economic interests have been at stake, they haven’t hesitated to get involved, just like any other world power.

Never said it wasn't. But to blame the US for everything is stupid and ignorant.

Anti-Mag wrote:What I'm against is Americans trumpeting their role in the war. Sentences like ''you'd be speaking German now if it wasn't for us!'' display an ignorance which matches that of a blindly led state. It might well of been the case; and Europe should respect US intervention for the rest of its days. It was an honourable fight.

You often see Brits and Americans arguing over this while it was the Soviets that did the most and sacrificed the most to win the war.

It seems to me that America follows this idea of being a world superhero in a more malign fashion these days. To your credit, you accept that the war in Iraq is a shambles, and therefore (I would think) a huge mistake. But from most of the worlds outside view, Amercan aggression stems from blatant self interest, which is stoked by this dated ideal of patriotism; something which seems to be bred into some American kids from birth. I'm no flag waving 'Brit' by any stretch; but I am proud of our mentality whereby failed policies are mercilessly crucified by our own media. In the states, that seems to be much more of a grey (gray?) area.

There's plenty of crushing criticism from U.S. media...just ask any conservative. Our media failed us leading up to the Iraq war though, I'll agree to that. Good god, even Bob Woodward fell right into line as the Bush White House demanded.

I think you're having some trouble separating American ideals from Bush/neoconservative philosophy. But one could probably argue that all politics is eventually about self-interest.

Frazzled wrote:Never said it wasn't. But to blame the US for everything is stupid and ignorant.

All right then. You're not saying the US aren't perfectly happy to get stuck in when it suits their economic or political interests, and no-one else is saying every war ever is because of the US. So there's no argument here, let's go back to listing generalisations about the US.



Americans can tend to be a little fat.

sebster wrote:

Frazzled wrote:Never said it wasn't. But to blame the US for everything is stupid and ignorant.

All right then. You're not saying the US aren't perfectly happy to get stuck in when it suits their economic or political interests, and no-one else is saying every war ever is because of the US. So there's no argument here, let's go back to listing generalisations about the US.

other than this of course:

The massive scale of warfare post 1945 instigated, approved or manipulated by the US is staggering.

other than this of course:

Well we did manipulate the standings in dozens of conflicts in the last 50 years. Attempting to slow the tide of communism through arms sales, governmental backing, and regimental coups (even when we replaced democracies) were all tricks in our book. We certainly didn't "cause" the majority of the major conflicts our own armed forces entered, but we had staggeringly direct influence on many, many regular and civil wars.

As did the Russians and Chinese. Thats why it was called the Cold War.

I think this stopped being a thread about stereotypes awhile ago and became a sounding board for American criticism some time ago. While there is always room for criticism (and Jello) that wasn't the point of this thread at all. Yes the CIA did some screwed up stuff in South America and elsewhere but that has nothing to do with letting some Brit call me fat and stupid (lolkettle?) while we all laugh (and cry a little). That seems like it should be a winner of a thread.

It's just easy to laugh at many American traits. No one said that was right.

The sterotype I know of americans(this is based of off the people I know, it probally will be different): Most people are generous, with many of donanting and volunteeering. We hae arrogant people, and idiots that think it's cool to act like the ignant ass wipes on tv. in a sense, America does policee the world, but not as much as extremist groups claim we do. We simply wish to prevent catatrophies from occuring.

The other stereotype of Americans I know of : We are fat, stupid, arrogant, and war hungry individuals. (Not true.)


Stereotypes usually piss me of, and the american one is one of the stupidiest.

Teehee.

Americans can't spell stupidest. I don't think that's even a word.

(I jest.)

This thread has taken an utterly horrible turning. If we want to discuss American Political discrepancies during the past century, go make a thread about it, some of us are trying to shout at yankees here. You ignorant, homophobic, mountain dew guzzling, puerile, overweight sons-of-two-people-that-weren't-married-when-you-were-born.

sA

Are you badmouthing Mountain Dew?

Get off my internet.

You Americans should be flattered - the English Stereotype thread died ages ago. And about half the board here is English isn't it? Even we don't care. Now I'm so angry I think I'll invade a bunch of countries!
Oh who am I kidding, I'm not invading anyone :(

smiling Assassin wrote:Teehee.

Americans can't spell stupidest. I don't think that's even a word.

(I jest.)

This thread has taken an utterly horrible turning. If we want to discuss American Political discrepancies during the past century, go make a thread about it, some of us are trying to shout at yankees here. You ignorant, homophobic, mountain dew guzzling, puerile, overweight sons-of-two-people-that-weren't-married-when-you-were-born.

sA

For the record, I may be ignorant, but mountain dew grosses me out, I was actually slightly underweight for a male my height until I got to college (bad pneumonia incident) my parents managed to stay together until I was 18, and sometimes I give my male friends exceptionally gay hugs, because it makes my girlfriend giggle, and I'm comfortable enough to do it.

And puerile... don't we ALL play with little plastic men? Really.

Now keep my thread on topic, or you're a communist!

CENArtDamage wrote:mountain dew grosses me out

you're a communist!

Ptsh. Glass houses.

Frazzled wrote:

sebster wrote:

Frazzled wrote:Never said it wasn't. But to blame the US for everything is stupid and ignorant.

All right then. You're not saying the US aren't perfectly happy to get stuck in when it suits their economic or political interests, and no-one else is saying every war ever is because of the US. So there's no argument here, let's go back to listing generalisations about the US.

other than this of course:

The massive scale of warfare post 1945 instigated, approved or manipulated by the US is staggering.

One doesn't mean the other. To say the level of US involvement in instigating, approving or manipulating war does not mean that every war is because of the US. It just means the US have gotten up to a lot of malarky, which is hard to argue against. Just like your comment that the US was dragged into European wars doesn't mean the only wars the US involved themselves in were because they were dragged in by the Europeans. It just means that the US lost a lot of soldiers fighting wars that started in Europe, which is hard to argue against.

Golden Eyed Scout wrote:in a sense, America does policee the world, but not as much as extremist groups claim we do. We simply wish to prevent catatrophies from occuring.

Did you read my list above? The US has involved itself in a lot of events that had nothing to do with preventing catastrophe, and everything to do with ensuring the right governments were in power.

Americans are so funny to me, they make fun of my race they think its not harmful at all, but when i make fun of americans its rasist and i have no love for their country. I think America is okay not Americans

Stereotypes are all the problem of the beholder. How can you label individuals with a generalist view that YOU have of a whole race/country?

"People X are lazy." Try saying that in certain places and see how long you live.

And Team America, if you think this says something about Americans, you missed the point and should try watching it again. It says an awful lot about how other people view Americans. It's doesn't say America lays waste to world heritage sites and then asks for thanks, it says that's what the rest of the world, in their holier-than-thou ivory tower, thinks they do.

Ultrafool wrote:Americans are so funny to me, they make fun of my race they think its not harmful at all, but when i make fun of americans its rasist and i have no love for their country. I think America is okay not Americans

In your diatribe against Americans you spelled racist wrong.

gruntboy wrote:Stereotypes are all the problem of the beholder. How can you label individuals with a generalist view that YOU have of a whole race/country?

"People X are lazy." Try saying that in certain places and see how long you live.

And Team America, if you think this says something about Americans, you missed the point and should try watching it again. It says an awful lot about how other people view Americans. It's doesn't say America lays waste to world heritage sites and then asks for thanks, it says that's what the rest of the world, in their holier-than-thou ivory tower, thinks they do.

Stereotypes are a shortcut to understanding general categories so they can be wrong in many cases. However, they are based on a certain amount of basic truth, or they would be of no psychological utility.

It is a fact that the US Army allowed the pillaging of the museums in Baghdad and tore up a bunch of archaeological sites in Iraq when building bases and so on. These things were done by mistake rather than malice, however they supply the grain of truth to the stereotype that lets Team America depict the blowing up of the Eiffel Tower as a spoof.