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Old 03-20-2008, 08:11 PM
 
Location: Ogle County, Illinois
140 posts, read 562,229 times
Reputation: 66

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I was reading an article online the other day, and it hit me.

People in other countries think we, in the US, are oblivious to the world affairs, and not all that "bright," if you know what I mean.

It is rather bothersome to me that people in other countries think the United States as a whole is oblivious-un-intelligent. That cannot be said about our country as a whole.

In the United States, we are not all hicks, we are not all Paris Hilton dumb-blondes, we aren't oblivious- or at least MY part of the country isn't.

What do you think? I would especially like to hear the opinions of those in foreign countries.
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Old 03-20-2008, 08:22 PM
 
Location: Ogle County, Illinois
140 posts, read 562,229 times
Reputation: 66
Oh, and just a bit to add-- I have read in several places on the world forum-- especially on the "Does EUR hate the US" forum that Europeans think we are fat, rich, selfish snobs, not to mention stupid. This is definitely not true, a huge majority of the population has a mind of it's own-- and if you came to visit this country-- it would definitely be nothing near what you expected. Suburbs are popular, but the whole US is not suburban households. I would be surprised if TEN percent of the US population lived in suburbs. In the great American Midwest, especially, education and healthcare are highly valued, and some of us feel more aligned with Canada than with the US.
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Old 03-20-2008, 10:05 PM
 
9,912 posts, read 13,880,232 times
Reputation: 7330
Lots of great things about the US and Americans.

It's easy enough to get preconceived ideas about a country based on mainstream media and politics these days.

I can't say that I've been particularly happy with the level of impact that the US has had on my country and culture HOWEVER I don't think that's driven by Americans so much as politics and the powers that be.

But there's lots of places in the US that I'd love to visit and things I'd like to experience and friends I'd like to see.

I'm thrilled about many of the artists, actors, musicians, adventurers, doctors, scientists and others whose contributions to the rest of the world have been wonderful and extraordinary.
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Old 03-20-2008, 11:26 PM
 
Location: Obama playing field
715 posts, read 2,084,574 times
Reputation: 394
Ahhhhh, America??..

The land of oppurtunity??

Where it pays to work hard??

Where Sky is the limit?? (literally)

I have stood from the other side of the pond (uk) and visited a few places in europe and a few in Asia.

My concluding thought IS!!...... No other place id rather be.
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Old 03-21-2008, 12:18 AM
 
2,421 posts, read 6,947,723 times
Reputation: 3861
I think that you drive on the wrong side of the road!

Just kidding there, I quite like America and certainly realise, That the majority of Americans certainly aren't ignoramuses, However it's hard to deny the fact, That alot of your media (Not all Of course ), Does present a rather unflattering image of yourselves to the rest of the word....Which is a real shame, As it means we don't get exposed much to the "Real" America.

Last edited by Kangaroofarmer; 03-21-2008 at 12:32 AM..
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Old 03-21-2008, 12:23 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,951,116 times
Reputation: 29981
I am not the least bit interested in what the rest of the world thinks of Americans. That certain of them embrace the most invidious and insipid generalizations of one of the most heterogeneous and racially/ethnically/economically/ideologically/intellectually diverse peoples on the planet says more about them than about us.

Like us or hate us, take your pick. But before you do so, at least try to learn a little more of what we're about instead of accepting the cartoonish portrayal so much of the world has of us. That's all I ask.
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Old 03-21-2008, 01:28 AM
 
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
3,940 posts, read 14,690,365 times
Reputation: 2287
Immigration is the best form of flattery in a country, so just look at America.
Sure, we have our problems but I think Americans are quick to realize those issues and change them gracefully. I think our government is set up near perfectly too. We get new representatives every few years and it keeps the "melting pot" stirred.
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Old 03-21-2008, 12:26 PM
 
Location: Ogle County, Illinois
140 posts, read 562,229 times
Reputation: 66
Drover, I agree with you 100%. Before people want to make opinions about the United States, maybe they should actually dig deeper into what they see on the news. We are not all ignoramuses here!
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Old 03-21-2008, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Fairfax
2,904 posts, read 6,904,751 times
Reputation: 1282
Quote:
Originally Posted by OgleCo View Post
Oh, and just a bit to add-- I have read in several places on the world forum-- especially on the "Does EUR hate the US" forum that Europeans think we are fat, rich, selfish snobs, not to mention stupid. This is definitely not true, a huge majority of the population has a mind of it's own-- and if you came to visit this country-- it would definitely be nothing near what you expected. Suburbs are popular, but the whole US is not suburban households. I would be surprised if TEN percent of the US population lived in suburbs. In the great American Midwest, especially, education and healthcare are highly valued, and some of us feel more aligned with Canada than with the US.

Actually more Americans live in suburbs nationwide than in rural areas and cities combined! And I don't think many midwesterners would say they align themselves with Canada. I agree with everything else though.
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Old 03-21-2008, 07:21 PM
 
Location: CA
3,467 posts, read 8,131,277 times
Reputation: 4840
Quote:
Originally Posted by decafdave View Post
Actually more Americans live in suburbs nationwide than in rural areas and cities combined! And I don't think many midwesterners would say they align themselves with Canada. I agree with everything else though.
What's wrong with the suburbs anyhow? I grew up in a small suburban area and I certainly do not fit the stupid American stereotype. Sure, suburbs on the surface seem very cookie cutter, but people really just move there for affordable housing and more space than you'd get in a city. There's still a variety of people in the suburbs, and many work in a nearby city or visit it regularly anyway. Incidentally, the public schools tend to be better in the suburbs than in cities.
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