board77

Ara-anna wrote:

Demo,

Wrong assumption buddy. We do follow the elections of other countries.

And I would bet there's a ton of people in other countries that don't follow their own politics as much as they do the US stuff.

Why...

Because you all Jones for US stuff, you are the paparazzi of US politics. If you don't get your dose of ripping the US political system every day you would have no idea of what to feel your time with.

I find it absolutely funny the BBC covers the US primaries. Laughable really. I wonder if those who run the BBC actually have no other news or stuff to do but to Jones the US political system.

And then I find it funny that everyone complains about how the US inadates ths entire world, yet there they are every night watching the BBC coverage of the US primaries.

Cause and Effect.

The US political process is the worlds Paris, Brit, and Lindsey all rolled into one.

Cause and Effect.

But we in the US really don't mind if you Jones our stuff, it only makes the US media richer. And as everyone knows the US media rules the freakin' world.

Nonsense.

You make a lot of claims in your above post, none of which you substantiated. As I said above, I personally jones (as you so charmingly put it) for politics and elections in general, if I am jonesying for the US elections right now it is only because it is America's turn. The BBC is only jonesying about the US election right now because it is America's turn. Roll back a few months and the BBC was full of articles about the French election, roll back a bit further and it was full of articles about the Turkish election . Do you get the picture?

I also made the point that the kind of Americans that Holby described in their post does exist but by no means describe many of the Americans I have met who I count as friends. A distinction I made more than once in my post but which you missed entirely in your predictable Ari-Anna rush to wave the flag in my face and prove your membership of the kind of American that Holby was describing.

democritus wrote:

It's a shame that many of your country members don't follow other countries or their politics in even a half-hearted way as the amount they could learn about other counties and themselves would be truly educational and possibly humbling.

It would also make their opinions about themselves and other countries an awful lot more informed.

As a card-carrying American, I actually agree with Demo on this point. I'm often impressed with how well informed residents of other countries are about politics - their own, ours (American) and often other countries' as well. I do think we Americans, myself included, are often behind the curve.

Nor do I think that others follow American politics solely for the purpose of "ripping the US political system," as Ara contends. American politics is important, both to how our country ticks along and how the world ticks along, and it's perfectly understandable, appropriate, and desirable that others should be aware of it. Moreover, there is much that is wrong with our system - and though we get irritable when others point it out, we shouldn't be. They're entitled (according to our own free speech values and such) - and perhaps more so because they are often deeply affected by our country's policies despite lacking the franchise.

We don't live in a closed world where we can claim that our politics are our own business and no one else's. So I find your claim, Ara, that it is "absolutely funny" that the BBC covers the US primaries to be, in itself, an absolutely funny one. Why on earth shouldn't they?

Demo,

It's like a pavlovian conditioning, ring the US political bell and the 'we know better and are smarter than every American ever born' drooling starts and waiting to chomp the US to bits begins.

When in fact it shows exactly what the person bitching about the US is really like. They have nothing better than to get their fix, their hits on the US and all that is wrong with the US. And they have no tolerance for any way other than their own way, yet they are quick to point out the same thing they perceive in the US. The 'if the US would only do this way the world would be better', these are the same people who bitch about the US making other countries become democracies. It's a hypocritical double standard and part of the lovely US political drug so many outside the US seem to have. We don't like the US telling other countries how to run themselves, but let us tell you how to run the US. And then we will get so much into it that we have to watch the Iowa caucuses and comment on them, because we know what is best for the US. And what dose the Iowa caucuses really mean....not much at all.

Watching the world Jones for US politics is like watching a druggie Jones for meth. They all sit with their properness watching the latest on the US primaries, chomping at the bit to get the fix, and all the while complain about how uncouth the US is for making them to buy McDonalds and Levis and how they hate the paparazzi for forcing Brittney's meltdown down their veins, yet come news time they have to know what the US stock market is doing, what the US political systems is doing, what the US housing market is doing, what the US media is doing. Cause and Effect.

And you are too predictable, good sir.

Now just sit back and admit your an addict to the US political system and enjoy the trip.

Or you could just hit the off button.

Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Ara-anna wrote:

Demo,

It's like a pavlovian conditioning, ring the US political bell and the 'we know better and are smarter than every American ever born' drooling starts and waiting to chomp the US to bits begins.

When in fact it shows exactly what the person bitching about the US is really like. They have nothing better than to get their fix, their hits on the US and all that is wrong with the US. And they have no tolerance for any way other than their own way, yet they are quick to point out the same thing they perceive in the US. The 'if the US would only do this way the world would be better', these are the same people who bitch about the US making other countries become democracies. It's a hypocritical double standard and part of the lovely US political drug so many outside the US seem to have. We don't like the US telling other countries how to run themselves, but let us tell you how to run the US. And then we will get so much into it that we have to watch the Iowa caucuses and comment on them, because we know what is best for the US. And what dose the Iowa caucuses really mean....not much at all.

Watching the world Jones for US politics is like watching a druggie Jones for meth. They all sit with their properness watching the latest on the US primaries, chomping at the bit to get the fix, and all the while complain about how uncouth the US is for making them to buy McDonalds and Levis and how they hate the paparazzi for forcing Brittney's meltdown down their veins, yet come news time they have to know what the US stock market is doing, what the US political systems is doing, what the US housing market is doing, what the US media is doing. Cause and Effect.

And you are too predictable, good sir.

Now just sit back and admit your an addict to the US political system and enjoy the trip.

Or you could just hit the off button.

Predictably bemused by your uber-patriotism and inability to pay attention to what people are actually saying perhaps...

Really you could do a lot worse than read Tolkienpurists post again. It outlines what it is that I am saying, only more eloquently and from an insiders point of view. I'm happy to debate you on the various merits and faults of the American political system once you actually understand where it is we are coming from rather than just assert that the world suffers from some kind of Pavlovian condition.

TP,

We must live in different US' because most of my friends and collegues do keep up with other countries politics as well as the US system.

But we are just country bumpkins who live in a po-dunk part of the US and have IQ's of 79 and don't quite qualify for the rest of the world because we are more concerned with US politics than the rest of the world. Or it could be because we are smart enough to know if the US tanks we take the rest of world with us, but then again no one wants to acknowledge if the US economy fails they will have to find another tit to suck on.

What a bizarre rant! Do you actually believe all thart stuff Ara-anna?

Ara-anna wrote:

TP,

We must live in different US' because most of my friends and collegues do keep up with other countries politics as well as the US system.

But we are just country bumpkins who live in a po-dunk part of the US and have IQ's of 79 and don't quite qualify for the rest of the world because we are more concerned with US politics than the rest of the world. Or it could be because we are smart enough to know if the US tanks we take the rest of world with us, but then again no one wants to acknowledge if the US economy fails they will have to find another tit to suck on.

What's with the victim mentality? Neither TP or I are claiming that you are any such thing ("IQ's of 79", "country pumpkins","live in a pro-dunk part of the US").

Why don't you just stick to what we are saying, so we can have some sort of decent discussion?

TP,

I disagree, I don't think they are entitled to tell me how to run my country. Sorry I know it hurts people, but I don't tell others how to run their country, yet they tell us with out exeception how to run the US. or come back with some little quipy statement that add nothing.

And I find it very hypocritical on the parts of non-US citizens to tell the US how to run the US and then have the audacity to bitch about the US telling other countries how to run. Pot meet Kettle.

Ara-anna wrote:

But we are just country bumpkins who live in a po-dunk part of the US and have IQ's of 79 and don't quite qualify for the rest of the world because we are more concerned with US politics than the rest of the world. Or it could be because we are smart enough to know if the US tanks we take the rest of world with us, but then again no one wants to acknowledge if the US economy fails they will have to find another tit to suck on.

Really? I know plenty of folks from other countries and none of them have this attitude.

Do you personally know people who think this way? Or are you just, you know, talking out of your ass?

ETA: ,

Quote:

but I don't tell others how to run their country, yet they tell us with out exeception how to run the US. or come back with some little quipy statement that add nothing.

Who does this, exactly? Who is telling us "how to run our country?" Certainly the US and its citizens have opinions about other countries governments. Are you saying that others shouldn't be allowed their opinions about ours?

Honestly, what are you on about?

I've never understood one aspect of the race.

Why do Homeschoolers support Anti-Homeschool Huckabee?

jewelsong wrote:

Ara-anna wrote:

But we are just country bumpkins who live in a po-dunk part of the US and have IQ's of 79 and don't quite qualify for the rest of the world because we are more concerned with US politics than the rest of the world. Or it could be because we are smart enough to know if the US tanks we take the rest of world with us, but then again no one wants to acknowledge if the US economy fails they will have to find another tit to suck on.

Really? I know plenty of folks from other countries and none of them have this attitude.

Do you personally know people who think this way? Or are you just, you know, talking out of your ass?

Actually yes I do personally know people, mostly from England that think this way, and two from Columbia, and a whole hand full from Canada (none here on this board). And a more than a few from Mexico.

And Demo,

Victim mentality, me thinks you are projecting your own issues on me.

Ara-anna wrote:

Actually yes I do personally know people, mostly from England that think this way, and two from Columbia, and a whole hand full from Canada (none here on this board). And a more than a few from Mexico.

So, these people that you know...do they actually say, "hey, I think all Americans have IQs of 79 and are country bumpkins?" Do they tell you how to change the government all the time? I mean, how do you know that they feel like this?

democritus wrote:

Ara-anna wrote:

... But we are just country bumpkins who live in a po-dunk part of the US and have IQ's of 79 and don't quite qualify for the rest of the world because we are more concerned with US politics than the rest of the world. ...

What's with the victim mentality? Neither TP or I are claiming that you are any such thing ("IQ's of 79", "country pumpkins","live in a pro-dunk part of the US").

I confess that I live in a pro-dunk part of the United States. North Carolinians are well-known to be enamoured of dunking basketballs in hoops and dunking Krispy Kreme donuts in coffee. Call us po-dunk and many of us would object, though.

Quote:

Certainly the US and its citizens have opinions about other countries governments.

Two different statements there: the US government certainly have opinions about other the governments of other countries. Relatively few US citizens do, though, at least on a day-to-day basis, because they don't think they need to. Exceptions have always been there, during wars hot or Cold, or the run up to same, but the list of countries the average US citizen follows politically is roughly 3: ours, whoever we're supposed to me mad at (East Asia has always been our enemy!) and maybe England or Canada. Maybe.

It's surely also relevant that the US has a recent history of spreading its political "suggestions" at the point of a sword (or the dollar, which gets less pointy all the time), while Europeans and the Commonwealth mostly just complain on the internet.

It is to laff, Ara-Anna. But, rave on, it'll do you good to get it out.

When Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, some American bigshot said something like this: "Well, we're going to conduct an investigation into this Act of Terror because we know the Pakistanis won't do it properly. We . .blah . . blah. .blah . . we want to be sure the terrorists are brought to justice . . .blahblahblah."

Now, imagine the feelings of the average American if some guy from Pakistan said, "We're going to investigate X crime in America because we know the Americans won't do it properly."

Or, imagine if some Europeans decided to "monitor" the US elections, cuz they think there might be fraud . . .

vison--
The US has no business investigating a killing that it helped set up...but neither does the government that let it happen. The current situation, with Scotland Yard helping, has at least a slim chance of being useful.

And there's a lot of Americans who wish we had foreign election monitors in at least some states...

What does "Jones" mean when used as a verb?

Ara-anna wrote:

And Demo,

Victim mentality, me thinks you are projecting your own issues on me.

Nope, I'm forming that belief you are slipping into a victim mentality on your comments below, and on the comments you have made subsequently.

Quote:

But we are just country bumpkins who live in a po-dunk part of the US and have IQ's of 79 and don't quite qualify for the rest of the world because we are more concerned with US politics than the rest of the world. Or it could be because we are smart enough to know if the US tanks we take the rest of world with us, but then again no one wants to acknowledge if the US economy fails they will have to find another tit to suck on.

Do you understand?