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No, it is not, but I am happy to rephrase it. Europeans know that there is a gun control debate currently underway in the US - as well as a lot of other debates. All Americans "know" about Euro politics is that there is rape going on. Is it clearer now?
The other night I went to a local event held by the locally owned firm that handles our investments/retirement accounts. The event was jam packed with "local yokels," - just regular Texans who, like many Americans, are interested in the financial and political situation worldwide.
The discussion was on global economics and world wide financial scenarios, challenges, political and economic situations, policies, etc.
After the lecturer, there was a Q and A time. Lots of good questions, lots of good answers.
It was clear to me that the focus of most people in that room was global, not strictly US centric. And this was not a particularly sophisticated group of folks -it was a large group of people, mostly age 40 and over, from various backgrounds, various levels of education, etc.
These are the same people that you'd pass on the street, stand in line behind at Dairy Queen, maybe bump into at the bookstore or movie theater. Regular folks, regular Americans. The same folks that you have no problem labeling as "ignorant and arrogant."
When was the last time you or any of your friends voluntarily and on your own free time went to a lecture about trends in world wide economics and how world politics influences world markets? Just curious. Maybe it was yesterday, I don't know, but my point is that your assumptions are just that - assumptions.
Actually, I remember reading one of your own posts from 2012 on a thread about why do other people hate Americans. There was a long list of things you are grateful to have as a US citizen: education, house, car, healthcare, human rights, freedom of religion etc - with the implication that other nations do not have those things. If I find that post I will even link it up.
When did you read this post, by the way? I can''t seem to find any recent threads on that topic and your join date is supposedly only a couple of months ago.
To be more precise, I'll give the answers for Finland if someone decides to travel here (you should, we are grrrrrrreat):
1.) There are many ways to flush a toilet
- Yes, most toilets have a pee button and a poo button
2.) Showering can be a challenge
- Not more difficult than it is in the US
3.) You can’t leave the hotel with your room key
- You can leave with your keycard
4.) Things close down at lunch time
- Since 1 Jan 2016 there are no restrictions on opening hours
5.) It’s hard to find to go cups for coffee- You’ll have a hard time ordering a cup of coffee to go.
- It might. Go for chains like Robert's Coffee. I don't know why you would want to have a coffee to go anyway, if you're not missing your tram
6.) Dinner takes two to three hours to eat- Ready for a quick bite to eat? Think again.
- Dinner takes 30 mins to order, 30 mins to eat, and then we start to drink
7.) Sometimes you have to pay before you order
- Sure, in fast-food chains. In sit-down restaurants - never
9.) Wifi isn’t free and isn’t always available
- Always free
10.) You don’t need to tip
- True. Don't do that, unnecessary, waste of money
11.) Almost all museums are free (or at least cheap)
- Hardly any museums are free. Be prepared to pay €3-15
12.) Ordering a latte means ordering a milk
- Latte in Finland is espresso with milk. If you want a regular brew coffee, ask for it and add milk or cream yourself. Decaf coffee is almost impossible to find
13.) Breakfast is cold cuts, cheese, and bread- Eggs don’t seem to be common for breakfast.
- Yes. The Finnish breakfast consist of cold cuts, cheese, bread, boiled eggs, youghurt, cereal, orange juice and coffee. Don't be disappointed if you don't get bacon with fried eggs
14.) Salads aren’t a big thing
- Wrong. Salads can be considered meals, just like in the US. A starter salad is mostly just lettuce, tomato, cucumber and some bonuses. Don't be surprised to find wine grapes in salad
15.) Limited selection of foods
- IDK what this means really, but the blog mentioned different kinds of milk. If you are tired of Finnish food, in the larger cities you have a wide variety of ethnic restaurants
When did you read this post, by the way? I can''t seem to find any recent threads on that topic and your join date is supposedly only a couple of months ago.
not that I have any horse in your argument, but it took about 2 minutes with advanced search to find this, which might be what he/she is talking about. For having so many posts here, I would think you might know how flexible and functional the search tool can be? Perhaps he/she used it too.
No, it is not, but I am happy to rephrase it. Europeans know that there is a gun control debate currently underway in the US - as well as a lot of other debates. All Americans "know" about Euro politics is that there is rape going on. Is it clearer now?
Yes!
And even clearer that your view of what Americans know about EU politics is "wrongier" than I initially suspected.
As a European living in the US for 25 years, I can tell you that Americans - who choose to be well informed - and just like Europeans, not all do, are generally much better informed than those Europeans - who choose to be well informed - simply because the US has a vast array of specialist publications, think tanks etc unmatched in Europe.
Plus, there are far fewer daily "tabloid" newspapers in the US. I accept of course that the internet reduces these differences.
not that I have any horse in your argument, but it took about 2 minutes with advanced search to find this, which might be what he/she is talking about. For having so many posts here, I would think you might know how flexible and functional the search tool can be? Perhaps he/she used it too.
I don't spend much time using the search option. It's just not that appealing to me and I rarely find it useful or even interesting.
But hey, thanks for posting that! It was a nice walk down memory lane.
From that post:
Quote:
It's great to travel, and I often see things that other countries or cultures do better - and I use that information to try to make improvements in my own life, and in my country's culture and politics.
Yep, that's pretty much how I feel. I love my life, I love where I live, I enjoy living in Texas and in the US - why would anyone begrudge my happiness or assume it's because I just don't know any better? It's not for everyone - no place is. I hope other people are as happy where they live as I am where I live.
The last post in that thread is from 2013. I was just curious as to why Norne, who supposedly has only been a member for a couple of months, was ruminating through old, closed threads but hey, if that's what he wants to do, that's fine.
I mean, what was the search criteria - "hate America" maybe? Posts by KathrynAragon? Inquiring minds want to know!
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 01-18-2016 at 12:08 PM..
I don't know if this was a joke or not, but people, you haven't LIVED until you've had reindeermeat! In any form! Even just as a sausage/sandwich meat, it's the best! You'll forget all about burgers, or beef in general.
I don't know if this was a joke or not, but people, you haven't LIVED until you've had reindeermeat! In any form! Even just as a sausage/sandwich meat, it's the best! You'll forget all about burgers, or beef in general.
Not a joke. It is the best meat ever. Too bad it's quite expensive.
not that I have any horse in your argument, but it took about 2 minutes with advanced search to find this, which might be what he/she is talking about. For having so many posts here, I would think you might know how flexible and functional the search tool can be? Perhaps he/she used it too.
Yes, that was the post I was talking about. As for why I was "ruminating" as Kathryn puts it... sometimes old threads are more interesting than new ones, and besides, my whole point of being on CD is to find out what people think about various topics.
As for the search criteria - I think I just did a search on longest threads in the "World" forum. A few of those were about supposed hate for America.
Yep, that thread comes up on the first page.
Last edited by Norne; 01-18-2016 at 12:22 PM..
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