This is great stuff. Should be in the wikipedia article for USA.
I just started appreciating 2 and a half men now that I saw it in english - I got to know it in Austria, where it was dubbed. Charlie Sheen in German - although that’s not half as bad as Forest Gump in German.
I think youre right about Seinfeld, that kind of stuff is always stressy to watch when you know that, whenever someone comes up with an initiative, it is going to backfire.
Last year I decided to just make a firepit in my parents garden, by the way. I dug a deep hole and walled it with pavements tiles and bricks, it looks like an archaic oven. its inside a large courtyard, people dont seem to mind if we have a barbecue there now and then.
To Calrid:
American leaders have not generally been the worst of leaders, have they? No Churchills, but then, neither was Tony Blair or is Angela Merkel or Sarkozy, let alone Berlusconi, Putin or Ghadaffi -
American leaders are held up to high standards - higher than all others. And Obama is far from a dimwit, I’d say. The only one real relative dimwit, the only American president who was clearly inferior in intelligence to many of his foreign colleagues, was George W. Bush. Its not reasonable to judge all American leaders by the standard he set.
Yeah Bush was a saint. Reagan sold arms to Iran and the Mujahadeen now known as The Taliban et al. IIRC under Nixon the CIA funded drugs cartels to pay for the war in Vietnam, not to mention his almost impeachment. Iran had its democratic government overthrown for oil concessions in Iran in the 1950s. The list is endless. not to mention breaking the UN convention torture and illegally invading Iraq. they behave like a bunch of bullying assholes with no common sense or decency. Fully prepared to lie openly in a bid to avoid the worlds courts, and riding on their veto powers to implement unpopular and dangerously short sighted political goals.
Higher standards? Moderate standards would be good. Some sense of integrity perhaps? I haven’t even started on the coups launched in South America where dictators were ousted by the CIA and replaced with little more than mafia style drug dealers.
Standards what standards?
I’m fully prepared to admit my government has sucked for the last 40 years, but that doesn’t make it any better does it really?
Thanks, Jake. And I’m glad to hear about the fires.
Interesting that you’d mention Forrest Gump. I abhor that film. It’s offensive in many ways. And I suppose that there are people who will think that it somehow describes america. Gump is brave and loyal to a fault, but also quite stupid and subject to the dumbest of luck. Sure, it’s a cartoon character. But people used to think all americans were cowboys.
And what part of such practices is exclusive to American politics?
With America, it has suddenly become an issue. Which is good. I like that America is held to higher standards than the rest of the human race and its politics, which were never in the entire written history decent.
I cant’ imagine that it does. What country are you from?
I like the film, but not because I think it represents America. It represents happy-happy-joy-joy Hollywood filmmaking, and does so efficiently. When I go to the cinema, I want to be manipulated into suspending my thinking.
It is not a great happy-happy-joy-joy film though - it just does the trick in a weird way that is kind of funny, and translates very badly into German. I can certainly understand that if even the slightest suspicion arises that it is supposed to represent you - or where you live, that is sickening. Just be glad you dont have to watch Dutch films.
I love the firepit. Life is just not the same without a fire now and then.
Yay apologetics, focus all the attention off yourself and then pretend your actions are excused.
America is not held to a higher standard, American government believes it can do what the hell it likes and no one has any power to stop it.
If it is held to any standard it is a piss poor one, and it doesn’t even remotely live up to that.
It lies cheats, gets rid of democracies that are troublesome, sells drugs and arms to fund wars, and behaves like all the countries it purports to detest. It is the most giant hypocrite on Earth and its presidents in the main have been little more than the heads of a corrupt organisation that has little or no moral rigour.
If you actually did give a shit about standards you wouldn’t behave like a giant cunt now would you?
And no it is not excused nor is anyone else so woefully disrespecting of the international community, nor do many countries behave like you do. That’s why everyone hates America, because you just don’t give a shit about anyone or anything apart from yourself and your vapid little elitocratic business circle jerk, as long as your economic interests aren’t jeopardised and the oil is still coming in you’ll do whatever the fuck you can to see that the world is unstable and violent, by poking at bees nests.
Why don’t you make up utter lies about Iran and go start another illegal war, it’s not like you care what anyone thinks or ever have.
A giant cunts just needs a giant cock to discipline it. Its not Americas fault that everyone else is so tiny and insignificant. Oh those good old days of the Cold War - when none of these pathetic midgets was whining over Americas massive potency… then it was properly valued.
America as the sole global power naturally breeds envy.
The “international community” exists because of Americas imperialism. If it weren’t for the US domination of the planet, (which is why it is exposed, why people like you are even capable of venting their malcontent across the borders) there would be no such idea of homogenous mass of 'Earthlings".
Comical that you are addressing me, a Dutchman, as the government of the United States.
But what “utter lies”? It’s more than reasonable that the powers that be try to prevent another power, especially a religiously motivated one, from attaining nuclear status. Do you really believe that Iran has no political intentions with their nuclear program? Or do you actually believe in fairness when it comes to owning atomic bombs? I can’t believe anyone would be that crazy.
That take’s in just about every country that has ever had the power to do so. You aren’t describing America, you’re describing the whole fucking world. I’m not sure what high mountain peak you sit upon to pass judgement, but singling out any country for your whine says you either haven’t done well in history or you’re ignoring it.
Iran can either sell its oil or it can use it to run power stations. Or conversely it can use nuclear plants for power and sell all of its oil, what would you do. These are American reactors, and European enrichment facilities (at least the tech and know how is).
The NNPT allows any country to use nuclear power for its energy concerns. Iran is perfectly and legitimately allowed to run nuclear power stations.
The CIA published a report detailing how Iran had abandoned its arms goals in 2002. Its not a question of convincing anyone of anything, it is a question of Iran letting inspectors in, although to all intents and purposes everyone already knows what they are using the fuel for. To power its nuclear grid and hence enable it to more lucratively sell its oil instead of wasting it in power stations. Which was the whole reason the US gave them the nuclear generators in the first place. Iran likes to posture though and give America the finger, hence the present situation. Iran is doing nothing that the USs intelligence community doesn’t know about anyway.
The UN came about because of all countries getting together after WWII and thrashing out a treaty. You’re thinking of NATO.
America ignores the UN and procedes to declare war regardless of the legality so I don’t really see how it provides an example of anything, except a liar and a cheat. The world community exists despite the acts of American imperialism. If America had its way they’d bin the UN because it is an inconvenience to its politcal aims.
Actually population wise America is hardly significant, the only cock willing to stand up to it is powerless before its veto powers. Hence it continually defies it, reneges on treaties and generally acts like a belligerant asshole, blundering from one political disaster or conflict to the next, like a two year old on too much sugar
as its reputation, as if it could get any lower, goes out of the window.
The cold war was a massive waste of time money on resources it involved itself in because of Communism being evil apparently. That worked out great didn’t it, we almost destroyed the whole planet because of two belligerent children rattling their sabres.
Kudos though to Russia for convincing the US that it was in fact a superpower. Even if it suited Americas political interests to play along. MAD what a fuck up that was.
In the 18th century, you can’t behave like a massive cunt any more and not pay the consequences. You already are.
Wake up its the 21st century, colonialism is so passé.
History lessons from an American, you don’t even study it at school do you? Or geography another indication of your lack of interest in the world you are not really part of any more.
World community? Do you even know what that word means?
There’s a big anti-American kneejerk thing in Europe. It’s not jealousy, resentment or anything, just a bit of reaction to perceived arrogance and a heap of groupthink. GWB didn’t help matters, mind you.
But I like America. People are friendly, and not so cynical or guarded, and they’re interested. And the chicks dig a British accent. And NYC is the most kick-ass city ever.
But I couldn’t live there. The people are maybe more human and warm, but the society as a whole much less. To me, Walmart is a cavern of cheap consumerist tat, society seems more splintered there (maybe that’s just my external view) and things are more industrial, more machinelike. Though maybe I’d suit a small town in Montana where everyone knows everybody else and people still live in a community. I like my local butcher and the wine shop run by the misanthropist who can grumpily tell you why you’re an idiot for choosing that wine to go with that meal. I can live without guns.
But space, I can’t argue. I’d love more space. Guess I’d better set my sights on Canada, eh?
Of course it is. We are an extremely diverse people with often divergent interests. We have come from literally everywhere. Our backgrounds are multitudinous.
That is the best part, as it happens. And why, notwithstanding anybody else’s opinion to the contrary, there is no “typical” American.
(Except for me. I’m extremely typical. Quite average, actually. More average than perhaps anyone I know. A portrait of extraordinary averageness.)
If you’re right about that - that energy this is the only aim -, then I dont think there will be a war there. Unless some crazy US strategists are bent on setting the entire Middle East aflame so they can profit from it somehow.
That there was such a thing as an initiative of all countries coming together had much to do with the political scope of the war. If the US hadnt intervend, either Stalin or Hitler would have prevailed on the mainland, maybe some kind of treaty between them. There would be no question of an international community like there is now.
The reason for the UN was the deadlock at the end of that war, between three different victors over one common enemy. This unlikely turn of events, that such different ideological forces came together while reaching the same goal, was what prevented the continuation of the war.
And what exactly is the value of the UN as an example? Why would you hold compliance with the UN as a standard for the morality of the US? Just because in the UN every nation has some kind of voice? But that does not amount to any sort of goodness in my eyes, especially since all of these voices are purely opportunistic.
Well you can hardly deny that the US is powerful. India has a much larger population but isnt nearly as potent.
“Apparently?” So you are a communist, then? Or what?
I dont see the point you are trying to me, except that all politics is ugly.
I agree with that. I just think Soviet and nazi politics were more ugly than US politics. I would prefer life in the US over Sowiet Russia or nazi Germany.
no just 
