i do look down on americans (just the zealots that come from there). i dont think im better then anyone else, so why should i get that treatment from americans. sure im generalizing, but if you dealt with some of the idiots ive dealt your opinion would change rather fast. its one thing to be proud of where you come from, its another to demand special treatment because of it.
No, on a side note, I didn’t…
You use the word “Even” in a peculiar way…
You see, it makes it quite easy to see that you’re asking this in hope of being able to turn my claimings back against me. How can I speak about american culture if I don’t know it for real? Isn’t my position more likely to be influenced by “the matrix” than your? You live there… I don’t.
Fine… but that’s way to easy, kid… I’ll tell you this:
a couple of days ago I have seen for the first time “Bowling for Columbine”… and you know what? That movie didn’t surprised me at all. I think it’s an excellent movie but it didn’t told me anything new. I’m glad they made it… so that other people might go back making questions themselves instead of proudly defend their own ignorance… but I wasn’t surprised because… guess what… that’s exactly my point of view on things.
Now it’s pretty unusual that I develope the same point of view of a US citizen… (and a NRA member ahahahah) EVEN if I never been to the US, don’t ya think? Or, on the other side, if I have such an opinion because I never been to US… it’s weird that the director of that movie has developed the very same point of view …still being a US citizen.
Why you ask if you know already?
Infact you immediately write
Fine… then you perfectly know what made you “buy” it.
But you retreat to something like “but influence does happens also in other places than US!” as if this could erase or put aside the fact that you’ve been influenced…
Ah… I almost forgot…
If I had to be influenced by my culture like you was influenced by your… I would probably agree with your point of view… since the government here is actually “Good friend” and on the very same line of the US government.
Some of the text I am reading here is amazing.
It’s obvious why Uncle Sam was asked to explain where he has been in
terms of countries outside the US.
He’s from the United States! Everyone from the United States is obviously
fat (judging from McDonalds), feeble minded (all of that US based media
and television), and is a criminal (highest incarceration rate)!
The United States is far from perfect. I honestly do not know of a place
that is. I can tell you that tens of thousands from around the world at any
given moment are actively trying to move here…
It certainly provides opportunities. It has for hundreds of years.
The US in it’s present form was not built by the Native Americans. It was
built by people who were in all intent and purposes some of your
ancestors for Christ’s sake!
We have millions of hispanics, 6 million Italians mainly from Genoa, Lucca,
Cosenza, and Palermo. Mainly do to the horrible conditions they had to
endure in the late 1800s/early 1900s from those areas suffering from poor
economic conditions. Parsec knows. You must know how it is South of
Naples.
The Italians were treated much differently than the Irish, Germans,
immigrants. They were treated like animals. It was obvious worth the
struggle to brave the original conditions here.
We have a huge Polish population,
My impression of most of you here from other countries is that you are
complete and total bigots.
Just because it’s the “popular” thing to make fun of US citizens doesn’t
mean you should follow like sheep.
I have nothing against any other country and would never make the
sweeping generalizations that I have read in this forum.
What did “I” do to deserve it? What did “I” do to you because when you
make these statements you are labeling me and it’s childish.
Even though I hear all of these comments, I still think all of you are
great. I can look past what has been said.
I deal with people on a day to day business because I am in sales.
People from Europe often bring up how pleasant, well-mannered, well-
spoken, etc. I am as if they were expecting the worst!
I hung out with several gentleman who were in town because they won
tickets to an Ozzy concert. They were from New Zealand.
I have several tattoos and they had some nice artwork as well. One of
them started to talk to me first because I have a full sleeve on my arm that
resembles “Maori” art work from their native New Zealand.
They were surprised I knew of the Maoris. I guess being from the US
automatically made me ignorant.
They were telling me that when they arrived one of them left their wallet
on the bus from the airport (i believe Miami international). He had
hundreds of dollars in his wallet. He was just shocked that when they
contacted the driver of the bus he had the wallet - and the money!
They told me that all of their friends told them to be careful because the US
is so dangerous. Not to walk on the streets because they may be harmed
in some way. I cannot tell you all of the different stereotypes I heard.
Especially because of the “black” Americans. I wanted to vomit when I heard this. I forgive them none the less. They don’t know any better…
We ended up having some drinks together. They were very delighted that
I was interested in drinking Jeigermeister with them. They couldnt believe
that it was in the US and someone here actually loved it too.
We all had a great time. We smoked a spliff in the street and at the end of
that night we realized how similar we all were.
That is my point. We all are living on this same place. There is no reason
for this hatred. The comment that especially bothered me was how
someone was complaining that in Australia our “accents” were offensive.
What would you say to someone who was saying that Africans
smelled? or that Jewish people are cheap? Or that Polish people are
stupid? Or that Italians are all criminals. Or you think the way Chinese
people speaking is annoying?
Do you get it yet?
I am an American whose family came over from both Itally and Venezuela.
We still have contacts in both places and most of us visit when we can.
I cherish my heritage and am very proud of where my family comes from.
I don’t eat at McDonalds or Burger King. The food is horrible, downright
dangerous, and contributes to a skyrocketing obesity problem. I typically
make my own meals and seldom eat out. Today was an exception. I had
some wonderful sushi. Didn’t I mention I seldom watch television?
Do you know what cds are most often played in my car? Andrea Bocelli,
Sarah Brightman, Chopin (LOVE CHOPIN), and naturally the UKs finest
selection of Drum 'n Bass.
I don’t mind that the music I am struggling to promote is dominated by the
UK. I don’t mind that much of the music I listen to is from various parts of
the world. I don’t feel ashamed because I am jealous of the education
provided in many other countries.
As a side note. You know it’s sad when you notice something from America
becoming popular and you hate it only because of the simple fact it’s
American. I could care less that I was a huge Prodigy fan… or Tricky. WHO
CARES?
I don’t agree with everything Government is involved with. Far from it
actually. I know the difference between right and wrong.
Stop stereotyping. Stop the bigotry. STOP THE HATE!
Lets all STOP being snobs and realize there is much to be learned from
each other and we have a very short time here to do it.
BTW - America spans a huge section of the world. If you are going to HATE
the USA then start mentioning US Citizens.
There is south, central, and north America. I believe your hate is directed towards the US so lets all stop using the term incorrectly.
I will get off of my soap box now… 
ah… how i wish more americans were like trepain… but sadly they are in the minority. its people like him and a few other friends i have that still give me hope that american culture can turn around and actually start doing more good then harm for the world.
(please note im being serious)
trepain:
You quoted my post but I hope any of your criticism wasn’t directed towards me… Well, didn’t seem like it anyway.
I liked both yours and Uncle Sams posts. I really hope this can open someones eyes here.
Doh 
what should I wake up from?
Did you heard me claiming something like
“It’s not my fault if US people likes italian mafia” ?
As a matter of fact, I’m still asking myself when did I actually rised a point such as “US people is idiot”… 
I know there is prejudice against US like there is prejudice for each and every other possible country (and being italian, as Trepain wisely premised, I know what I’m talking about)… but… SO? What the hell does this has to do with what you claimed and what I replied and so on?
If it was an italian?.. yep… pretend that a new italian user comes to the forum… stuffed with blind patriotism and posting such bullshits about how good and innocent our beloved Italy is… you think I’d have acted in any different way?
My point is
"One who writes about cultural colonization like:
…has been fooled and does not have a clear vision of things anymore"
Pretty easy 
Johan said the following -
:trepain:
:
:You quoted my post but I hope any of your criticism wasn’t
:directed :towards me… Well, didn’t seem like it anyway.
:
:I liked both yours and Uncle Sams posts. I really hope this can open
:someones eyes here.
No. I didn’t mean to suggest it was directed towards you due to the
quoted text.
I enjoyed many of the messages here. All except those that suggest
prejudice. I fully support this discussion and I think it is healthy to bring
it out in the open because I don’t see many forums being used to discuss
this pent up anger that both sides (USA v majority of the world) are
experiencing.
Like I had mentioned in my previous post. I don’t watch much television. I
actually listen to hours of talk radio (am) because I have a long commute
to and from work each day. I also take advantage of the various
international news publications so I can view every perspective, weed out
what seems unreasonable or not true, and then form “MY” own opinion.
Another very touchy subject is the occupation of the Palestinian territories
by the Israelis.
Unlike most of my countrymen, I am vehemently opposed to it! I think it is
so hypocritcal for the US to take it upon itself to initiate a war with Saddam
due to his “supposed” failure to decommission his weapons of mass
destruction based on orders in the early 90s; immediately after Desert
Storm.
Both the US and the UN has condemned Isreal since 1967 to end its
military occupation and returns to its pre-1967 borders.
I cannot voice my opinion here (US) because I will be branded as anti-
semitic by the locals. I am naturally not anti-semitic. It’s a matter of right
and wrong. Isreal’s position is clearly wrong and instead of us simply
slapping Isreal on the wrist we should have taken action decades ago.
We have many Christian fundamentalists in the US (sic) and they believe
that the jews, based on the bible, are the chosen ones. They are
protecting them. I don’t understand it.
It’s no wonder the muslims have such hatred for my country. This is
another topic and I will ramble on if I don’t stop.
Trepain, wouldn’t you feel quite disappointed if right after such a post I would come to you and start speaking about how bad is the racism and anti-semitic feelings… ?
Wouldn’t you suspect I didn’t understood? 
http://www.msnbc.com/news/888057.asp?vts=0…920030720&cp1=1
see, thats why people hate the states. now every american that said this war wasnt for oil can shut the hell up. im all for the liberation of a country but not for liberation, occupation, and the stealing of the countries weath (stealing of oil).
America - The land of oppression.
It’s to bad that 90% of the population cannot see this…
: Under the resolution, the money from oil sales would be used for
: humanitarian goods, reconstruction, civil administration and the continued
: disarmament of Iraq.
We must have been reading two different articles.
I read the article twice. I didn’t see any mention of the US stealing
oil as you stated.
The quoted text is what was specifically mentioned in the article as
to the purpose of the oil sales…
I seriously doubt the US government has no economical interests in this… 
trepain, you seem to be blind. the media has you. if you do not watch tv, or read the newspapers as you claim then you should know how much the us has to gain from this. not only the trillions of dollars worth of oil that can be produced but the FOUR TRILLION worth of oil that iraq has (had) in reserve.
did you think that the price drop in gas had nothing to do with the end of the iraq war? well that what happens when you flood the market a giant stash of oil.
as for the quoted text, do you actually think someone is going to come out and say ‘we liberated iraq so we could steal the oil’. of course not. sure they will use some of the money from the oil to rebuild the country while at the same time shoving most of the money into the redlined pockets of the us government and building the states oil reserves. theres a difference between liberating a country and leaving after things settle down then liberating a country, setting up a occupational government and then controlling the countries main economic source.
as i stated before, if youre suprised that this happened then youre a fool.
Ok. You are reading entirely too deep into my response. You could not be
more inaccurate with your asertation.
You said " see, thats why people hate the states. now every american
that said this war wasnt for oil can shut the hell up."
I simply responded that NOWHERE in that article did it suggest that the US
was there to cannibalize Iraq’s oil supply.
Nothing more.
Now I just read what I wrote you. I said “I read the article twice. I didn’t
see any mention of the US stealing oil as you stated.”
Nowhere in the above sentence did I ever mention I agreed or that I felt
the said intention of the use of the Iraq oil was legitimate.
true, but like i said before do you think a major AMERICAN media company is going to come out and say they are going to steal the oil? obviously the answer is no.
Man… i heard people saying that I’m paranoid because thinking that the US was doing this war for Oil… 
a LOT of other bad things going on in the world… like North Korea countries… but they don’t have no Oil… so I guess democracy is not to be established with such an urge, there… 
However… yes, Trepain, your post seems like being wrote by… well… someone who “believes” what he’s told 
Is it SO weird to you that nobody yet wrote:
“Finally our hands on iraki oil”?
Would you really expect to see such a title on any newspaper before acknowledging what the target was? 
But maybe my poor english didn’t helped me and I’ve lost some side-meaning… ?
Again, I don’t know if this is due to our different native languages, but
I feel you didn’t read my post Parsec.
How can I seem like someone who “believes” what I am told when
I didn’t share my opinion on the US’s intentions?
I am going to explain myself one last time. Beat Republic inferred that that
the article that he shared was a smoking gun which proves that the US is
in Iraq for oil. I only merely pointed out the article didn’t make any mention
of this. How are you translating that to I “believe” exactly what is written?
Maybe I was stating the obvious.
And you are absolutely incorrect. There is a segment of the media who
does make those claims.
Unfortunately the major media personalities and various branches of the US government are dominated by conservative republicans who seem to
agree with everything President Bush presents to them.
Here is an excellent example of someone in the media who certainly
believes the US is there for oil and she also raises many other valid
possibilities.
http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/
She is helping to pen the eyes of many people who are only watching
the propaganda on Fox news and other terrible media outlets. Listen
to the streaming audio sometime.
She refers to President Bush as a globilist and says he is just as
confortable making business deals in Saudi Arabia as he is the US and
any other place in the world.
How do you think the Bush’s made their fortune? They are oil tycoons! Do
you honestly feel that -YOU- are more informed than I am?
Donald Rumsfeld has a vested interest in the rebuilding of Iraq. Luckily his
company “Halliburton” (www.halliburton.com) did not win the contract to
rebuild. I was almost positive they would seeing they do a lot of buiness
with Iraw. Not directly because Rumsfeld claimed the policy is that
Halliburton does not openly do business with Iraq. They uncovered proof
that one of the subsidiarys does though! I will have to dig around and see
if he is in some way affiliated with the company who is going to help
rebuild Iraq.
Have you forgotten that the US’s last president was blown in the oval
office? That was in every paper, late night shows, etc.
The media -WILL- mention just about anything regardless of whether or not
it’s for or against the Government. It happens often. That’s one of the benefits of a free press.
Yes, Trepain, I see what you mean here… but I wasn’t commenting your opinions or ideas on US intentions at all. I’m not saying you “Believe what you’re told” like I mean that your personal opinion is “built” into you…
…it was something more like a note on the “way” you wrote that comment… that made me (and not only me) think that there was something… how can I say? weird!
Yes… maybe that’s the point. Why you did? I mean… what leaded you to “merely point out” ? From my point of view you seemed like being wondering “how can this people be so sure about this”?
But actually I don’t know if this is for real… I mean… To me you didn’t seemed like you were curious to understand “why we seem to detect something in that article”… to me you were more like silently claiming “that article doesn’t prove anything”… you do the same here…
Here as well it seems like you’re not only stating that you haven’t read that phrase. That’s something everybody could see quite clearly with their own eyes… so I desume you’re “silently claiming” something else, some “side” meaning connected to this the article… something like “…therefore it’s not true that they did and you can’t claim it”… or at least that’s what I seem to have understood (and a couple of other fellow renoisers with me)… of course I’m not sure about this… that’s why I’m asking what thought pushed you to write such an evidently obvious sentence as…
I don’t think anyone stated that BECAUSE they found the mentioned point! 
No man, I never said anything like this… and I wonder why you put this argument in discussion…
Maybe I’m translating in a bad way… but isn’t that another way to say “if the article didn’t mentioned any “stealing” then it means that there will be no stealing otherwise they would have said so” ?
And however, PEACE bro! 
You seem like taking it on a personal side! 
trepain -
i may not know more about the war then you do, but i certinaly know alot about the war. haliburton at one point did have the contract to rebuild the oil fields but once word got out that cheney used to be involved in that company (he was vice president or ceo, or seomthing) then the gave the contract to a subsidized(?) company.
now thats all im going to say in this thread, because everyone has thier own points of view. i think the states has the worst government on the planet and nothing will change it.
so no more posting or readin this tread for me. if you want reasons why, just look at secret cia operations, and wars the states have secretly helped out by giving arms. there are so many that you can find them easily using google.
That was my point. I think it is too early to tell if the US is there
to steal the oil. I don’t think it is far fetched or anything like that. I
just don’t think that article proved anything. That’s all. I wouldn’t
be surprised in the very least if the US steals it. Much of the opinion
here in the US is that the president is there for that reason.
I think he is most likely ultimately there for oil and the fact that Saddam
didn’t clean up his act in terms of his weapons production was merely
an excuse to go in and get it. Sickening really.
Correct. The article didn’t prove anything. I am a person that requires
proof to believe ANYTHING. If you are absolutely positive that there is
proof then I would like you to share it with me. I have no found it yet and
even though the US media is not blatantly stating it as you mentioned
(why would they?) I would have read articles from the dozens of other
journalists from other countries. Maybe I missed the proof elsewhere. I
do see your point. I am one of those assholes that argues the
technical standpoint. “Technically it said, yada yada”. Sorry…
Or I am just a moron. I am not trying to sound crass with that statement,
but I didn’t see it. That or I am crazy. You take your pick. I honestly didn’t
see it in the article. And no, I don’t believe that just because the article
does not mention stealing, it does not exist. That is not my belief. I am
not that dense…
I was not implying that just because the article does not state it
directly than that means it’s not happening.
Now I know the next set of messages are going to be some evidence
that stealing is occurring, but that does not change the fact that the
original article does not claim it and I stand by my originally comment.
I think I am making this very confusing.
And I don’t want to come across as taking it personally. I am sorry
if I seemed to get touchy. My emotions get the best of me sometimes.
No worries
I don’t think that opinion is paranoid at all. It’s probably accurate.
The problem the US faces with North Korea is a very complicated one.
The US is being threatened by Korea. Korea without a doubt has
nuclear weapons. Maybe not with the delivery necessary to reach
the US, but they have them. Saddam is MUCH easier to take out of
power than a war the US would face with Korea. It sounds cowardice,
but it does make sense. Saddam was bad enough, we don’t need
two North Koreas. Understood? I wouldn’t be surprised if the US
moves into North Korea. We will have to wait and see.
I agree. The media would not just say that. All I was saying is that
it did not say it and we don’t know for sure what is happening. That’s
all. This miscommunication really opened up a lot of meaningless
debate.