A weird thing:

My T-Shirt that is labeled "Medium" for France, is labeled "XS" for the US. And that corresponds with the experience I made in the US as well. I bought a Medium there and ... well, I exchanged it into a S but probably XS would have been the optimum.

There have been at least two references by Scots to the difference between American and Scottish sense of humor. This confuses me inasmuch as my favorite comedian is Craig ("I quit drinking because I got tired of waking up soaked in my own urine... or someone else's.") Ferguson.

That show is a sitcom, so no, american aren't really like that, not all americans place bets about how long they can go without masterbating (another skit the Seinfeld did), americans just like to watch that and laugh at it.

joep182, you are 100% accurate about your views of the country as a whole and its foreign affairs. And I agree with you 100%. But I believe this thread is asking about the people of USA no the country. And I think it is very important to point the difference. Again I am entirely behind you on your views of the USA's oligarchical government, but I believe Americans are different than their government, even though they blindly support it.
Over all Americans are very polite and considerate as far as you remain a neutral-stranger. As you get closer and more involve with them you will either be the best of friends or their worse enemy, no middle term. Americans have two and only two polarized stages for every thing; it is black or white, conservative or liberal, religious or atheist, pro-life or against-life, and so on.
Americans' obsession with materialism is the essence of their conformity on superficial information.
Americans religious-faith on their government is the product of the work of the best propagandistic media ever developed in any country (yes, better that the one Hitler put at work on Germany in the 1920s.) Therefore (and I think somebody has mention this on this thread already) Americans take any analysis, criticism (constructive or non-constructive) of their government as a personal attack and therefore as anti-patriotic. Americans would never criticize the basic structure or their democracy for any reason. They believe on "the first thing to better yourself is to acknowledge your mistakes", but not with respect to their democracy. They believe that their democracy is a God-written-on-stone pure thing that needs no criticism or analysis (kind of what Catholics think of their Virgin Mary.)
I have been married to my much-loving American wife for over nine years now. It has taken me over seven years to convince her that my criticism of our American government and the American socio-political structure is not hate for the American people but actually love and care for them. She still doubts it when we start a discussion about a new issue that she has not heard from me before.
I have to say that Americans have lost their country and they don’t know about it. Actual when you read American history (the real thing, Howard Zinn history, no the one taught in the American schools and elsewhere) American people have never had a country. It has always been on the hands of the oligarchy. Perhaps that is why they think I am crazy when I say that USA is a fascist-oligarchical state no a democracy, they don’t recall a change because it has always been the same and it has always been called ‘democracy.’

Hold on a sec, dear. You're from SA and your telling us WE aren't open to new ideas ?



Can you spell A.P.A.R.T.H.E.I.D


And what is the average persons view of Afrikaners, none, because they haven't done sod all in the world.


Big Bro

__________________
Goldwater caused nerve ends to twinge with his passion and indignation. Yet he had no handle to the problems, no program, no solution- except backward to the Bible and the God of the desert. Proud of his handsome, clean-lined family, proud of his radiant children, proud of his families war record and patriotism, he had in him neither the compassion nor the understanding to deal with the faceless newer enemies of the Digital Society -Theodor H. White from 'The Making of the President-1964'

Now hold your horses BB! The greatest library of all time was in Africa, Humans originated from Africa, and Africa is the closest to finding a cure to HIV, much closer than the USA.

No doubt Africa is a beautiful continent with a rich history. I would love to visit there. I was referring to the country of South Africa.


Big Bro

__________________
Goldwater caused nerve ends to twinge with his passion and indignation. Yet he had no handle to the problems, no program, no solution- except backward to the Bible and the God of the desert. Proud of his handsome, clean-lined family, proud of his radiant children, proud of his families war record and patriotism, he had in him neither the compassion nor the understanding to deal with the faceless newer enemies of the Digital Society -Theodor H. White from 'The Making of the President-1964'

Well considering how long SA has been a true democracy (blacks couldn't vote until 1994), it hasn't been that long, 13 years. What did the USA do for the world in it's first 13 or even 20 years?

Oregon Elephant


My point is, people who run down American should look at their own mess. So far I have seen Americans called :


Fat

Ignorant

Poor dressers (?)

Cold

Cruel

Loud

Rude

Narrow minded


And I've only bothered to read the past two pages. By the way, if American culture is so repellent to these people, why is it so popular the world over. I am not saying that we are the greatest country in the world but you can draw your own conclusions.


Regards


Big Bro

__________________
Goldwater caused nerve ends to twinge with his passion and indignation. Yet he had no handle to the problems, no program, no solution- except backward to the Bible and the God of the desert. Proud of his handsome, clean-lined family, proud of his radiant children, proud of his families war record and patriotism, he had in him neither the compassion nor the understanding to deal with the faceless newer enemies of the Digital Society -Theodor H. White from 'The Making of the President-1964'

And, as has been said, take everything as a personal attack!

If you read the thread in full you will notice that some of us have drawn a definite distinction between the stereotypical American and REAL Americans we have met and loved.

You should hear some of the things that are said about the Scots: that we are coarse, aggressive, tight-fisted, violent, ugly, ginger-haired, sickly, stodge-eating alcoholics. And that's just the women. You have to develop a thick skin and laugh it off.

You are right that most other countries have taken on a great deal of your culture. That's something to be proud of. But you can't be the best at everything and you have to accept that some stereotypes are based in truth.

Not all Americans are obese but, as a nation, you do have an obesity problem. And, to Europeans, you don't seem to have much interest in fashion. You can normally spot an American tourist by the standard uniform of shorts, socks and sandals, a skip cap and a bum bag (fanny pack). Comfort over fashion. Nothing wrong with that, but Europeans (IMHO) just tend to be better at combining the two.