British Say US Is Violent, Money-Hungry, Uncultured Nation

[Wurm]

"...a majority of the Britons questions described Americans as uncaring, divided by class, awash in violent crime, vulgar, preoccupied with money, ignorant of the outside world, racially divided, uncultured and in the most overwhelming result (90 percent of respondents) dominated by big business."

Link

 

[MountainPro]

"...a majority of the Britons questions described Americans as uncaring, divided by class, awash in violent crime, vulgar, preoccupied with money, ignorant of the outside world, racially divided, uncultured and in the most overwhelming result (90 percent of respondents) dominated by big business."

Link

i coudl have told you that....you mean its not true?

 

[darkboong]

"...a majority of the Britons questions described Americans as uncaring, divided by class, awash in violent crime, vulgar, preoccupied with money, ignorant of the outside world, racially divided, uncultured and in the most overwhelming result (90 percent of respondents) dominated by big business."

I would be interested to see how they viewed themselves by comparison.

With respect to many of those points I think those Brits must have been looking in the mirror, or indeed the 'Mirror'. Case in point, I live in Hackney, but I spend a fair amount of time around Southfields (near Wimbledon)... Hackney has a fairly high proportion of folks belonging to "Ethnic Minorities" and immigrants, it is a pretty poor area. While the driving can be scary around Hackney, here in affluent Southfields it is aggressive.

I've had two near death experiences in 3 days on my bike here in Southfields, on both occasions the drivers knew full well what they were doing, but figured my life wasn't worth an extra couple of seconds of their time. Incident #1 was turning right into a minor road, as I indicated my fingers got smacked by the wing mirror as I slowed to turn (and yes I did look behind me to make sure that they were holding station before I started to slow down)... Incident #2 was in Richmond Park, a recreation area that does allow cars to travel through it at a maximum of 20mph. I was descending a hill (at well over 20mph) when a car pulls alongside on my right (with just 6" to spare) into a right hand bend, it's tires are squealing with the effort of making the turn (ie: it's going to T-bone me at any minute) and there is a *tighter* right hander just 20 yards ahead... They backed off at the last minute, but the point is they left me with no where to go, I didn't even have enough space to let them by, and they were aggressively trying to push me into the verge at over 30mph.

Certainly the indigenous population around South London are greedy and violent. Dominated by corporations ? Sure; they have two fantastic delis that serve coffee and fresh cakes and they still go to Starbucks and pay more. The picture is much happier around Hackney, but there is a far lower proportion of inidigenous population around there.

 

[stevebaby]

If that poll was conducted in oz I believe similar results would be obtained.It's an accurate picture of the us.It is also the direction that oz is headed,and probably the way the rest of the world is heading if the us is allowed to continue on it's path to world domination.
Unfettered capitalism,us style will destroy the planet.
Which part of "There are limits to the growth of any organism" do they not understand?

 

[MountainPro]

Which part of "There are limits to the growth of any organism" do they not understand?

try telling that to Opera Winferry..

one whom most american women aspire to

 

[cheapie]

"...a majority of the Britons questions described Americans as uncaring, divided by class, awash in violent crime, vulgar, preoccupied with money, ignorant of the outside world, racially divided, uncultured and in the most overwhelming result (90 percent of respondents) dominated by big business."

Link

and yet, the whole fekking world seems to want to move here, legally or otherwise.

 

[stevebaby]

How did you get the idea that everyone wants to move to the us?
All it would take is a $2000 airline ticket and a tourist visa and any european could enter the us and stay there.It's not that difficult.For that matter,they could just fly into Canada and then walk across the border.Just because some poor mexicans go looking for low wage work in the us doesn't mean that"the whole world wants to go there".
Tell me,why would we want to lower our quality of life?

 

[stevebaby]

Really? I think that Americans are the most generous people on the planet...I'm sure if you look at recent events you will find that we as a people have given up the shirts off our backs to help those in need...

Do you have some first hand knowledge that we aren't aware of or are you just talking up your skirt?

"the most generous people on the planet"?
Not.
Try Denmark,Holland Norway,Sweden and other euro countries.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0930884.html
Per Capita Foreign Aid Assistance by World's Wealthiest Countries, 2002

 

[cheapie]

How did you get that idea?
All it would take is a $2000 airline ticket and a tourist visa and any european could enter the us and stay there.It's not that difficult.For that matter,they could just fly into Canada and then walk across the border.Just because some poor mexicans go looking for low wage work in the us doesn't mean that"the whole world wants to go there".
Tell me,why would we want to lower our quality of life?

yeah. the mexicans are the only ones flocking here. i'm going to guess you haven't spent much time in the states.



and i don't understand your animosity. am i supposed to look down on my country? insult your land or origin? mock you for being a citizen of wherever it is you live? you'll have to forgive me for not fitting the mold you have of americans.

 

[MountainPro]

Really? I think that Americans are the most generous people on the planet...I'm sure if you look at recent events you will find that we as a people have given up the shirts off our backs to help those in need...

Do you have some first hand knowledge that we aren't aware of or are you just talking up your skirt?

i have experience...but then you think they are the most generous on the planet...you must be a very well travelled man....you have experience of many countries cultures outside your own...not a typical american are you?

what about the rest, violent, money-hungry and uncultured?

 

[cheapie]

"the most generous people on the planet"?
Not.
Try Denmark,Holland Norway,Sweden and other euro countries.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0930884.html
Per Capita Foreign Aid Assistance by World's Wealthiest Countries, 2002

are you saying that only foreign aid qualifies you for being generous? i'm not saying that we are necessarily the most generous people on the planet, but your data source is scarcely anything to draw conclusions from.

 

[cheapie]

you have experience of many countries cultures outside your own...not a typical american are you?

and i'm sure the majority of the people completing the survey have been to the states to either support or discredit this notion.

what about the rest, violent, money-hungry and uncultured?

what about the rest, violent, money-hungry and uncultured?[/quote]dude.....

 

[stevebaby]

yeah. the mexicans are the only ones flocking here. i'm going to guess you haven't spent much time in the states.



and i don't understand your animosity. am i supposed to look down on my country? insult your land or origin? mock you for being a citizen of wherever it is you live? you'll have to forgive me for not fitting the mold you have of americans.

I've been to the us and I know quite well that it is a multicultural country.I suppose I have met literally thousands of americans.Most of the ones I have met believe in the same myth that you do...that the us is the most desirable country on the planet.The fact is,most people don't want to live there.They want to stay right where they are.
Compare the few hundred thousand immigrants to the us to the 6 billion who have no intention of emigrating there and you will have a more realistic picture.
One of the other myths that americans believe is that they have more freedom than other countries.The us may have more freedom than many other countries (such as saudi arabia,your "democratic" allies and the recipients of a very large portion of the foreign aid that the us so generously doles out)...there are other countries with more freedom than the us.
I've asked many americans how the us is more free than any other western democracy.None of them have ever been able to answer.Most of them seem to know little about other countries or cultures and not a real lot about their own history.Mostly they parrot the same nonsense that they were taught in school about american "democracy,"freedom" and the superiority of the american way of life.
Face it,you're ruled by large corporations just like most of the other western "democracies".

 

[cheapie]

I've been to the us and I know quite well that it is a multicultural country.I suppose I have met literally thousands of americans.Most of the ones I have met believe in the same myth that you do...that the us is the most desirable country on the planet.The fact is,most people don't want to live there.They want to stay right where they are.
Compare the few hundred thousand immigrants to the us to the 6 billion who have no intention of emigrating there and you will have a more realistic picture.
One of the other myths that americans believe is that they have more freedom than other countries.The us may have more freedom than many other countries (such as saudi arabia,your "democratic" allies and the recipients of a very large portion of the foreign aid that the us so generously doles out)...there are other countries with more freedom than the us.
I've asked many americans how the us is more free than any other western democracy.None of them have ever been able to answer.Most of them seem to know little about other countries or cultures and not a real lot about their own history.Mostly they parrot the same nonsense that they were taught in school about american "democracy,"freedom" and the superiority of the american way of life.
Face it,you're ruled by large corporations just like most of the other western "democracies".

my point is that apparently the place doesn't suck ass too bad because there are tons of people clamoring to get in. and believe it or not, some of them are *gasp* assies and british.

you're the one making all the insults and beligerant assertions here pal. i never said the US is the best place in the world. but it's pretty dayummm decent and you're insane if you think your countries don't have problems as well. of course, it's a lot easier to go all ethocentric on me than admit each nation has its +'s and -'s.


btw, did you say few hundred thousand immigrants??? hahahaha!!!! i think that pretty much sums up all i need to know about your knowledge of america.

 

[MountainPro]

and i'm sure the majority of the people completing the survey have been to the states to either support or discredit this notion.

almost everyone i know has been to the states, as well as other locations around europe, in the UK it is very very common to travel abroad for a holiday, we dont require visas to enter most countries including the states so we tend to make use of that privilidge.

what about the rest, violent, money-hungry and uncultured? dude.....

see the subject of this thread...

 

[stevebaby]

my point is that apparently the place doesn't suck ass too bad because there are tons of people clamoring to get in. and believe it or not, some of them are *gasp* assies and british.

you're the one making all the insults and beligerant assertions here pal. i never said the US is the best place in the world. but it's pretty dayummm decent and you're insane if you think your countries don't have problems as well. of course, it's a lot easier to go all ethocentric on me than admit each nation has its +'s and -'s.


btw, did you say few hundred thousand immigrants??? hahahaha!!!! i think that pretty much sums up all i need to know about your knowledge of america.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_States_of_America
Immigration to the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are plenty of "GASP" americans living in oz too,many of them illegal immigrants actually.That proves absolutely nothing.Neither does your comment,other than the fact that there are poor people from many places trying to move to any place where they think things are better.They are not a majority in the world.
There are far more legal and illegal immigrants trying to move to europe.
There are far fewer australians in the us than the uk and very few of them take up permanent residence there.

 

[cheapie]

almost everyone i know has been to the states, as well as other locations around europe, in the UK it is very very common to travel abroad for a holiday, we dont require visas to enter most countries including the states so we tend to make use of that privilidge.

i realize that most europeans are probably exposed to other cultures than we are. and more likely to speak multiple languages. and therefore look down on us for not doing so as well.

however, consider the fact that the nearest country to speak another language is 2650 km away! unless you count quebec. that closer to michigan of course but still....

many europeans act as if you have learned other languages and learned about other cultures in an effort to better yourselves. while i'm sure that is sometimes the case, it's far more likely that it happens more out of necessity than otherwise.

see the subject of this thread...

i know. but dayumm, it sure sounds rude.

 

[stevebaby]

almost everyone i know has been to the states, as well as other locations around europe, in the UK it is very very common to travel abroad for a holiday, we dont require visas to enter most countries including the states so we tend to make use of that privilidge.


see the subject of this thread...

Just about every brit that I have ever known,here or in the uk,has travelled abroad.Most of the australians and kiwis that I know have travelled abroad.The germans,Irish and swedes are also great travellers.
Americans don't get as much vacation time as other countries so even when they do travel it's not for very long.
Note to self...New Year's Resolution.Try to avoid contact with people who say "dude".

 

[stevebaby]

i realize that most europeans are probably exposed to other cultures than we are. and more likely to speak multiple languages. and therefore look down on us for not doing so as well.

however, consider the fact that the nearest country to speak another language is 2650 km away! unless you count quebec. that closer to michigan of course but still....

many europeans act as if you have learned other languages and learned about other cultures in an effort to better yourselves. while i'm sure that is sometimes the case, it's far more likely that it happens more out of necessity than otherwise.



i know. but dayumm, it sure sounds rude.

2650 km.What would that be...a 3-4 hour flight?
How far is mexico?
Or california?

 

[cheapie]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_States_of_America
Immigration to the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are plenty of "GASP" americans living in oz too,many of them illegal immigrants actually.That proves absolutely nothing.Neither does your comment,other than the fact that there are poor people from many places trying to move to any place where they think things are better.They are not a majority in the world.
There are far more legal and illegal immigrants trying to move to europe.
There are far fewer australians in the us than the uk and very few of them take up permanent residence there.

wtf is your point dude??? that we have some problems? hey...give a cookie to captian obvious.

perhaps if i change my comment to be "people from the whole fekking world seems to want to move here, legally or otherwise" you'll unwad your panties.

my point is only that obviously we can't be too bad if we still have gobs of people trying to get in, including ones from where you live.