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Because the ones who say this crap are the "not boring ones." Action makes more news than non action. Someone who doesn't say anything about "'MERICA!" will never get on the news, never get on TV, etc. They aren't memorable. The ones who say crap like "MERICA!" are the memorable ones, usually get on TV and more memorable to most people.
It's sickening the people they let on TV from this country. Most people are nothing like the hicks or idiotic people who tan 24/7. Sure they exist, but for example, most hicks are not loudmouth even if some might be ignorant about the world.
There's nothing I hate more than ignorant people here, and loudmouth hicks, but really...not the norm. I remember when I first moved here (Chicago). We get a lot of tourists, and I was sitting out at this place near my place (typical area with a fountain, social area where you can talk to people ala Italy) and this tourist comes up in typical hick fashion and yells "WOOOOOOOOOOO! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!" Now, where I went to school in Iowa, which is full of farmers and "hicks," most certainly if that happened others would have joined in with them and gone like "WOOOO!!! YEAH!!!!" So what happened here in Chicago? Everyone who was a local and sitting outside, talking to each other, enjoying themselves, basically stopped, turned around and stared at the guy as in "shut up." That type of loud mouth "YEAH!! MERICA!" attitude is not supported in the cities usually. You'll find it happening in the smaller towns/cities where the people have never lived alongside someone from another country/culture and have never been outside of the country (even sometimes their own state).
There's different cultures here
That makes alot of sense but I think the ignorance may have came from the fact if you live in the states you simply don't need to go abroad because the states have such diversity. Maybe that's why Americans are ignorant about the World. For example if you live in Seattle and you want to experience sunshine you just need to go to california or florida. But here in the UK we need to go to Spain etc.. But i'm sure you've hard this kind of thing before I guesing?
Alot of Americans i've met are braggers on how great their country is and how they invented everything which is not true.
Many people are also digusted about anything to do with their culture and generally everything 'American' Aussies are much more pleasent at least all the australians i've bet.
Did you by any chance try to provoke them into bragging? It might have been a defensive action.
Look, I've lived in the U.S. almost all my life. And I can say that most Americans (probably 99%) could care less about bragging about America and putting other countries down. Americans are just normal people doing normal things that people everywhere do ... getting up in the morning, going to school, going to work, doing household chores, running errands, spending time with pets, raising children, having hobbies, relaxing with friends, taking vacations, etc., etc. That's how your everyday American lives.
In fact, where I live in the Washington, D.C. area it's considered an asset for a person to be well-traveled, especially if it's international travel. THAT is something to brag about (at appropriate times). :-)
Did you by any chance try to provoke them into bragging? It might have been a defensive action.
Look, I've lived in the U.S. almost all my life. And I can say that most Americans (probably 99%) could care less about bragging about America and putting other countries down. Americans are just normal people doing normal things that people everywhere do ... getting up in the morning, going to school, going to work, doing household chores, running errands, spending time with pets, raising children, having hobbies, relaxing with friends, taking vacations, etc., etc. That's how your everyday American lives.
In fact, where I live in the Washington, D.C. area it's considered an asset for a person to be well-traveled, especially if it's international travel. THAT is something to brag about (at appropriate times). :-)
I think you are on to something. If an American is in a conversation with a European, Australian, or Canadian, and they start noticing the really negative vibe about America, or snide comments about the US, that is when the pro-US comments come.
It is laughable to me to imagine an American meeting some overseas visitors and just injecting into any conversation how great America is. It is just not how Americans act, at least the ones I'm around.
I do recall though a conversation I had in a UK pub quite a few years ago in London. I got talking to an older retired gentleman that asked if I was from Canada. I said no, I'm from the US. He looked disgusted and said something like "Oh I was going to get some advice from you for my trip to Canada, but America, I have no interest to ever go to a place like that". I don't remember the exact words but it was something to that effect.
Now, does anyone else think this a rude thing to say to a visitor to their country? I did, and I was pretty young. I smiled and walked away from the guy.
I would never, ever do that to a visitor to the US. I always express interest in where a person is from and try to make their trip a pleasant experience.
In a general sort of way there does seem to be a deep seated dislike for America in general by many Europeans, and in a way, I think many enjoy provoking Americans into a defensive position about their country.
I could never ever picture a Canadian or Australian being treated like that in the UK or Europe in general.
Anyway, there is the American culture you see on TV and then there's the American culture you don't see which is more in line with European culture in some cities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu
Because the ones who say this crap are the "not boring ones." Action makes more news than non action. Someone who doesn't say anything about "'MERICA!" will never get on the news, never get on TV, etc. They aren't memorable. The ones who say crap like "MERICA!" are the memorable ones, usually get on TV and more memorable to most people.
It's sickening the people they let on TV from this country. Most people are nothing like the hicks or idiotic people who tan 24/7. Sure they exist, but for example, most hicks are not loudmouth even if some might be ignorant about the world.
I agree. The media try to picture Americans completely different as in real life. But what is the reason to do so? Is that considered to be funny??
Why make programs that shows Americans as an uneducated ( Am I smarter than a 5 year old? - yes, those people live here and they vote, but they do not represent the majority of population) or reinforce the view around the world that Americans are a bunch of lazy, overweight food vacuums ("Man vs. Food"), or "Real Housewives" installments, or a shows like "Jersey Shore", "Bad Girls Club"?. What they do is show the younger crowd, that life is booze and sex.
Somehow those shows had spread like a virus, and now people think all Americans are tan, musclebound and idiotic, when that’s only a tiny fraction of us.
Or "Teen Moms"... showing girls that if they have a baby at young age, they may be able to get their own TV show for making a poor decision and they may become famous.
Or "Toddlers and Tiaras" - an abhorrent show that is creepy beyond belief.
Not to forget those MTV and E! shows.
All the "Reality shows", Jerry Springer - type shows are not funny at all, they seem to attract the worst humanity has to offer.
So, why make all the shows? They are not educational, not funny, not entertaining, but simply embarrassing - showing Americans in a worst light and make them look like fools.
I think you are on to something. If an American is in a conversation with a European, Australian, or Canadian, and they start noticing the really negative vibe about America, or snide comments about the US, that is when the pro-US comments come.
It is laughable to me to imagine an American meeting some overseas visitors and just injecting into any conversation how great America is. It is just not how Americans act, at least the ones I'm around.
I do recall though a conversation I had in a UK pub quite a few years ago in London. I got talking to an older retired gentleman that asked if I was from Canada. I said no, I'm from the US. He looked disgusted and said something like "Oh I was going to get some advice from you for my trip to Canada, but America, I have no interest to ever go to a place like that". I don't remember the exact words but it was something to that effect.
Now, does anyone else think this a rude thing to say to a visitor to their country? I did, and I was pretty young. I smiled and walked away from the guy.
I would never, ever do that to a visitor to the US. I always express interest in where a person is from and try to make their trip a pleasant experience.
In a general sort of way there does seem to be a deep seated dislike for America in general by many Europeans, and in a way, I think many enjoy provoking Americans into a defensive position about their country.
I could never ever picture a Canadian or Australian being treated like that in the UK or Europe in general.
That man was most definitely rude but it's what people hear on Tv and just in general how America is so well unpleasent. I personally don't hate America but sometimes I surpose I do try bring America down when talking to Americans because you assume here comes another loud mouthed American but sometimes it's true, though I do know this is a stereotype. Aussies, canadians, kiwis don't have this stigma on them.
I blame their education system, which is so inward looking, and so unwilling to be critical of their own errors, in their past history. What other country would glorify a military leader who manages to get his entire command killed, down to the last man, while trying to conduct a "ethnic cleansing " operation, to destroy an entire native nation ? For those that don't know, I'm talking about General George Custer.
Jim B
Toronto.
I went to public schools as a kid - on military bases at times, no less - and General Custer was always portrayed as a murderous buffoon who more or less got what was coming to him. He is not highly regarded in mainstream American society.
The only place where there seems to be any notable sentiment otherwise are parts of the South, which is ironic considering that he earlier fought in the Civil War against the Confederacy.
i agree. The media try to picture americans completely different as in real life. but what is the reason to do so? is that considered to be funny??
Why make programs that shows americans as an uneducated ( am i smarter than a 5 year old? - yes, those people live here and they vote, but they do not represent the majority of population) or reinforce the view around the world that americans are a bunch of lazy, overweight food vacuums ("man vs. Food"), or "real housewives" installments, or a shows like "jersey shore", "bad girls club"?. What they do is show the younger crowd, that life is booze and sex.
Somehow those shows had spread like a virus, and now people think all americans are tan, musclebound and idiotic, when that’s only a tiny fraction of us.
Or "teen moms"... Showing girls that if they have a baby at young age, they may be able to get their own tv show for making a poor decision and they may become famous.
Or "toddlers and tiaras" - an abhorrent show that is creepy beyond belief.
Not to forget those mtv and e! Shows.
All the "reality shows", jerry springer - type shows are not funny at all, they seem to attract the worst humanity has to offer.
So, why make all the shows? They are not educational, not funny, not entertaining, but simply embarrassing - showing americans in a worst light and make them look like fools.
I kind of think much of the hate is due to fear of losing their own cultural identity and becoming like the US. When the McDonalds, Walmarts, Starbucks, gang life, etc starts to replace the pubs, festivals, tribal culture, etc. In a way it is like how many people in the US 'hate' California--what seems to originate in California tends to spread around and replace different inter-US culture.
I read an interview where David Bowie said he wrote his song "I'm Afraid of Americans" after taking a trip to Java...and the first thing he saw there was a McDonald's.
Who cares? All countries have their peculiarities, this is one of them. I can't imagine anyone dealing with Americans not knowing about this basic rule.
I actually think it makes perfect sense to say month/day instead of day/month because the month is more important than the day. Kind of how in Romance languages, the noun comes before the adjective ("car red" instead of "red car"). You start with something general ("month" or "car") and then you narrow it down ("day" or "colour"). At least, that's how I see it
Plus, that's how you SAY it. You say "today is August 1, 2012", not "1 August, 2012".
If the average American had to have a face to face conversation, in English, with a person from a country that has been invaded by the USA, and who has had family members killed by US military forces.....they just might find out WHY some people hate the USA. It is way too easy to sit in their cozy homes in middle America, and be insulated from the ACTUAL things that American foreign policy brings to the world.
As a Canadian , I have spent my entire life, watching and reading US news and opinion, and believe me, even their so-called " political experts ' can be so far out of reality, as to be laughable. The ignorance knows no bounds, when it comes to their "closest neighbour and trading partner ". Many Americans think that China is their most valuable international partner, when in fact, it is Canada. We sell more to them and buy more FROM them than any other country on earth.
I blame their education system, which is so inward looking, and so unwilling to be critical of their own errors, in their past history. What other country would glorify a military leader who manages to get his entire command killed, down to the last man, while trying to conduct a "ethnic cleansing " operation, to destroy an entire native nation ? For those that don't know, I'm talking about General George Custer.
Jim B
Toronto.
This is a joke, right? Who in the US glorifies Custer????? Quite the opposite--he's taught as sort of the poster boy for stupid decisions.
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