America, according to europeans
Where did they get that idea? (Via Up Next In Sports)
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Hmmm…. yeah, no.
It should read “American according to Obama”
WIN !!
Clearly the great depression was all Obamanations fault!
we should have him charged with treason for his lies to us!
I’m going to assume that you are joking, since the great depression ended roughly 30 years before Obama was even born…. Although it is hard to tell, I live in Texas and I’ve met conservatives who would say this, literally thinking it was true.
Dude, his name is “bitter TROLL.” Are you ferrealz?
I think this calls for a facepalm.
my cable is out!!! clearly its obama’s fault. he is stealing bitter troll’s cable and redistributeing it to poor people who dont have jobs! they dont get cable if they dont have jobs! how am i to watch fox news and be infermed of the important events of the moment.
You’re just going to have to read a newspaper to get your news. I’m sorry, but it’s the only way.
If this is America according to Europeans… then where’s the fat guy? :/
Entirely true. And I’ve visited America and indeed, lots of fat people.
I mean, there’s fat people in Europe, but not thàt fat. We only have a few of them and even they try to do some sport, they all play darts.
ZOMG all Americans are fat!!11!1!!!!
No we’re not, asshole. Yeah, we have a lot of fat people. Obesity is a big problem here. But it’s not like we’re a nation of giants waddling around. Sheesh.
stereotype stereotypically confirmed…
i think i saw it on the tuuuubes, america is now a nation of giants. we eat babies. (or is that just me?)
^ Click for statistics. Suffice to say, America has quite a bit of an overweight problem compared to Europe.
Agreed but lots of AFRICAN-Americans are fat, if not the fattest – not just the whities
Yes, but we brought the world fast food, so now, you’re catching up! You’re WELCOME!
Americans are only fatter than europeans because we’re rich and we can afford big luxury cars and daily trips to high priced restaurants, were we consume calories that would sustain a European girl for a month… or an African kid for a year!
just a random thought here that i’m tossing out to be mulled, not fought over: regarding europe’s attitude towards almost worshiping the extremely thin, how much of this attitude is from the early half of the last century where anyone who did not look at least half starved was looked at as a member of the bourgeoisie or aristocracy, then perhaps as sympathizers who were given preferential treatment by a later conqueror?
after all, what better way to demonstrate unity with the suffering masses than to be as starved as they were, regardless of the cause of starvation. hence the need/movement to make ultra-thinness chic and fashionable?
none of this is to reduce the obesity issue here or elsewhere, but add a different perspective
I don’t buy it. Even if it were true that Europe is more obsessed with being thin than America (which I see no evidence to support) I’d expect to see fewer fluctuations in the fashionable measurements. As things stand this stuff changes over time so I don’t think a historical basis is likely.
My theory is that people used to be attracted to heavier people because it was a sign of wealth and power. These days anybody with access to junk food can be fat, so that’s no longer a measure of how successful you are… whereas being thinner (without becoming ill) could be a sign of having self-discipline, or the resources to spend on fitness or healthy food.
It’s not a sign of wealth of power, it’s a sign of having absolutely no self control after seeing a burger.
oh, really? have you studied any subsistance cultures? in many, those who had power within their tribe/village/region were the ones with access to more food than those lower on the socio-economic ladder, therefore they ate better/more. those same groups tend to see heavier people as more desirable as potential partners because of presumed better health, which for breeding purposes is remarkable – how many children can an anorexic female carry to viability and provide for after birth compared to a female who is overweight?
now bring those same people to an affluent country where food is readily available, they aren’t going to change their concepts overnight nor within a generation or two – it is a part of nurture, not to mention the probability that those people who’s ancestors carried genetic traits to horde calories to survive starvation periods are also more apt to be overweight.
now for a completely almost unrelated spin on obesity – did you know that steroid drugs prescribed as part of chemo can cause weight gain, low thyroid causes weight gain, undercompensating with insulin in a diabetic causes weight gain, depression can result in weight gain, as does alcoholism, and some eating disorders including a type of brain damage/malformation/chemical imbalance within the brain that shuts off the nerves that register satiety.
not every person who is overweight is so because of an inability to say no
All true. However, I think that’s a T-R-O-L-L. Shhh. You’re spooking him. They don’t learn; they turn on you with the impart of information. If you refrain from trying to retrain it, it’ll just go away quietly.
not all of them a lot of them though
and now kids less see all the gun toting patriots defend themselves
@wtfever
Thats exactly the thinking that screwed america up.
75% of the population THINKS it can get big cars and such,
but only 25% can actually afford this lifestyle.
The rest just thinks: the guy next door bought a big car (or fridge etc.) i have to get one too.
(not accurate percentage, but you get the point atleast i hope you do)
i live in a small european country and the image i got from america is a great deal of potencial but so but sooo little achievments… in here we do the same things with half the stuff you have…. also all ur high schools are filled with bullies and dumb blondes, ur southern territories are filled with guns and dumb people and you are so full of fat and dumb people….
that is the image of what we see u as… not necessarily true but since i heard u guys got like 8XXL there… its awkward all i could ever find here is like XXL and even those are few in shops, so maybe just maybe u do have more and in higher numbers….
also… we blame you guys for screwing the economy… specially with that iraq thing…. yeah even we could tell that GWB was dumb and we only saw some speeches of him…
and thats the way we see you… u see us as pricks and snobs… so maybe we are
dunno
I miss the fat guy with the cowboy hat and the gun.
I’m disappointed. It’s all O’Bamer’s fault, sure, he photoshopped this important document to make us EUrian think that all USians are slender organic beer-browers.
Hmmm…. beeeeeer ….
(according to reader’s digest)
the english think we’re slobs
the french think we’re fat
and the polish are just glad we aren’t russian
(not my words)
and yes, americans in general are kinda fat.
it comes from all the fast food we eat.
Well, I just read that the British where gathering a fleet to defend the USA against the Irish invasion lead by O’Bama !!
Until the saviours arrive you should defend yourselfs against the lies of the Irish and in no way accept the Euro as your currency! The Euro is BAD, and it smells bad too!
Dittos
That doesn’t even make any sense.
Europeans aren’t too far off
Yea this is what I saw when I went over there last summer.
Come visit Texas, and you will see….
…nice cities and a couple of cowboys hats.
finished that for ya.
…the Alamo
(we could do this all day, I bet)
…big belt buckles (usually on the people with the cowboy hats)!
…a ginormous screen at the Cowboys stadium.
…our dear Froo!
(I assume Austin, not Dallas, for the last one?)
Houston actually. {http://www.khou.com/news/Houston-Mayoral-candidates-Were-ready-79091657.html} *keeps stealing links from Charro today:D*
Coolness! I sit corrected (ok, slouch).
She won on merit!? That is so Unamerican! That’s it! Houston! You’re out of the country!
I actually read what I posted just now, and it doesn’t make any sense, LOL. I’m pissier than I thought.
Either that, or I got Kanye’d and didn’t finish my sentence. Lemme try again……
…but in this case, low voter turn-out plus a distinct lack of caring about what someone does in their own bed as opposed to what they intend to do while in office won the day.
Damn.
I actually understood what you meant. At least I thought it did. Anyway… Imma let you finish, but Austin was one of the best mayors of all time.
Has! Austin HAS one of the best mayors…
DU: Psst! It’s Houston.
I’m a wealth of good links.
…Dynasty on television
I think you mean, ‘West Virginia according to the rest of the US.’
^Much better caption.
A pity the writer of the original caption didn’t have the guts to give his/her name when they submitted this cr%p.
Why do you care what his name is? Unless if you want to make it personal between he and you, just argue against the caption.
It always makes me laugh when some guy gets offended by what someone’s opinion on the Internet and all he has to say is “You’re too cowardly to put your name”.
His name is not relevant to anyone, except to someone who wishes to track him down and smash his face in. It’s actually because of those people that nobody gives their name on the Internet. It’s actually rule number 1 on the Internet.
It doesn’t have to be their real name, their common internet name would suffice. We just want to know who needs to be ridiculed for their poor humor skills if they start making comments.
Actually … we just think you people are fat.
And we think you people are punctilious, overweening, puffed up snobs.
That’s racist comment coming from the recalled Land of Hope. At least I hope not many people like you with psychological complexes that need to discrimminate and whine, live out there in the U.S.
Racist? I think you need a dictionary. Xenophobic, maybe. More likely would be ‘ticked off by all of the anti-US comments on this comment page’.
Bingo.
The US sucks though
Really? Could you be more specific, or are you just a trolling fvckwad?
Just in general.
It’s not a perfect nation by any means, but I wouldn’t want to move anywhere else…except maybe Canada. But enough of my infatuation with Canada. As much as I complain about the US, overall I like it here.
Come to Canada, free health care and tim hortons, whats not 2 like
What? Since when is Tim Horton’s free? o.O
We got yer Tim Hortons right here…in Michigan anyway.
Good coffee’n'donuts.
Elsewhere for real food (BK, MCD)
Not as hard as your mom.
That’s true. She was well worth the nickel.
Did you forget to get your change again?
Pennies are hard to come by when you only get one per BOGO(buy one, get one) special….
It’s not racist, but it is an angry reaction to being stereotyped.
This is a stupid lol, it isn’t accurate (even as a stereotype), it doesn’t have anything to do with the news, and seems to have brought out a huge number of angry trolls. Not a great weekend for pk.
Lol!! Racist!
I would think such a well spoken European would actually know the meaning of the words used. You have failed me… *force choke*
Vader! Release him!
No, wait, I meant to say beat him against the wall a few times too!
I find your lack of, errm, collection of synonyms, errr, Ah!! Thesaurus, disturbing, worrying, uneasy.
He finds your lack of dictionary disturbing.
Apparently those who need are dictionary are the people quoting me. Read the definiton of discrimmination and then come back. This is what the guy above me has done.
Apparently those who need are dictionary English much? I thought not.
I love you Ivan.
What’s not to love?
Yeah, not a very big mistake though…I accidently put the verb “are” twice. And sorry for my yelling, was just kind of annoyed.
You know, someone just pointed out that you said racist when the word you needed was xenophobic. Then you started the yelling. And we started laughing. It’s pretty funny when someone pulls the ‘grammar nazi,’ then mucks up their own grammar/spelling. And it’s pretty normal behavior for a lol site.
Is it also all that funny to apologize?
Hmm? Sorry, I wasn’t making fun. I was just trying to explain what everyone thought was so funny and that it wasn’t anything personal. It’s very nice for people to apologize.
We can all only hope that Fred is not being home schooled.
Wow!
[How many internets does she win, guys?]
+1 internet, witty witness division.
Thank you, thank you. *bows* I have a great advantage, living some place where home schooling is very popular…and often very frightening.
Sock, perhaps?
Actually, in my experience with Americans, I found them to be the snobs. They laughed at pretty much everything, such as all the “small cars”….yeah, cos you can fit an SUV down a 500 year old street not wide enough to fit a cart….
Having said that, those were the “travelled” Americans, who have the money to travel to Europe, so they arevprobably snobs at home as well.
We most certainly are NOT all snobs. Although thanks to some of these ridiculous American stereotypes, you’ll have to excuse us if our guard is up when we’re in whatever country you’re in. That being said, yeah, there are idiotic Americans. Just like there are idiotic whereveryou’refromians.
Well, that tears it, I’ll never be visiting Whereveryou’refromia! They are a rude, unfriendly people.
I went there once. The food was just awful. And it wasn’t safe to drink the water.
And the cabbies all rip you off! And don’t speak English!
and a bunch of stupid teenagers
We’re not all fat. Well, I am kinda, but we’re not all fat!!!!
You give yourself way to much credit. We think you are fat an way to religious.
Actualy, they look more like Rusians to me.
It looks like they are bottling beer. Maybe they are Belgian?
heeeey we belgians don’t look like that Oo
Even if you lay on your side? (all worn out jokes from previous lols)
I have been meaning to speak to a Belgian. Do you have any recommendations for a cheap place to visit for a day or two for visiting breweries and such (coming from Paris).
Ivan, did you hear that? You’re too religious.
I’ll give Sven that I’m too fat, but I’m probably not as fat as this European stereotype of us.
My wii fit tells me I’m one pound away for the normal range for my height. I’m also an agnostic so…
…you’re clearly not American. Get back to Europe where you belong!!!!
Oh man, do I talk about His Noodlyness too much? I don’t want to force my God down anyone’s throat. He’s much better if one is allowed to eat him naturally. Wound around a fork and dripping with delicious marinara sauce.
RAmen.
Give me an “a la putinesca”!!
Or a nice Bolognese sauce. Yum!
Is it bad that I like pesto?
Not at all! Pastafarians welcome all sauce persuasions!
Now I want that Pesto pizza they have at Cicero’s Pizzeria!
mmmmm. Pesto pizza. Anyone ever been to a Mellow Mushroom. They have a number of pesto pizzas.
I don’t know what that is but I doubt they’re legal in my state.
Its a pizza chain, originally from GA. I thought it had expanded to other states in the southeast, but it may not have. The store is decorated as you can imaging a restaurant named mellow mushroom would be. It is probably my favorite favorite pizza place – and I do love pizza. (haven’t had MM in probably a year
)
I’m so far west I’m no longer considered southwest anymore, so they may have expanded into the southeast. But more than one type of pesto pizza sounds nommy!
Oh, Wino, that sounds really good. Where are “Mellow Mushroom”?
PS: I’m sorry I said all those nasty things about Americans and Rusians.
LOLs should have us laughing. Sorry!!!!
this is exatly what I think of America!
As if your opinion is important to the rest of us..
We’re too busy being American to give a crap about dzutan’s opinion.
pass the burger bucket over…haven’t eaten in lik three minutes!
Seems accurate enough to me…
Then you need to pull your head out of your butt, and look at the real world.
And how many Americans have you met? I’m guessing zero. Americans, in general, are pretty fvcking awesome.
Don’t tell the conservatives I said that. I’ve got my reputation to maintain here.
There’s some of your “born again” zealots patrolling here, so yes i’ve already seen quite a bunch of americans.
*there are
/returns to his english book
So. You base your stereotypes of Americans on a few posts by some random people on a LOL site. You can’t be serious. And the zealots tend to be trolls. That’s totally not fair, and you know it. And there’s nothing wrong with being religious.
“You might be a religious zealot if you think everyone ELSE is a religious zealot.” ™.
Well played. I think you can make this work. But I demand a portion of merchandise and video royalties for giving you the idea.
By here i mean where i live (well maybe i’m not clear enough), there are some young people from baptist church, they intruduce themselves as envoyees from america, speak with american accent and try to convince old ladies in public transports.
Those young people are only envoys from their own church. They are NOT envoys for the country the USofA. They might like to think they represent the whole of the US, but they do not. And please feel free to tell them that, next time you encounter them.
The US probably does have a higher-than-average percentage of religions which evangelize. Which is undoubtedly a side-effect of all of the religious folks who left Europe so as to practice their own religion (rather than the state religion of their country of origin).
There are a few communities where such behavior predominates, but it is not the national tendency.
Yeah, that’s still not fair. You can’t base your entire perception of a 300 million+ population on a few wingnuts that you’ve seen wherever you are. In fact, I’d say most Americans hate the kind of crap that you (Glasofruix) are describing. Yeah, there are a number of them, but they are regularly mocked here in the States.
Exactly. I once met a French man in Seattle and he reeked of booze and cigarettes. Now, if I would to make an assumption that every French man smells like that, would it be a bit asinine of me?
I thought all french men were pudgy, round, a bit short, and excellent co-workers and here you are, telling me that they aren’t!? *cries*
No. Not from the French men I’ve met… lol
Ditto to VG (below). Most Americans hate those people just as much as you do. I am working on a new door sign: Here’s the deal — you keep your First Amendment rights to yourself and I’ll keep my Second Amendment rights to myself. (Those being free speech/freedom of religion and right to bear arms amendments, respectively.)
And no, I’m not an American ‘gun nut’; I’m just hoping the threat will dissuade them.
*headdesk* ABOVE. (Dyslexia rears its ugly head again.)
Btw, I wasn’t serious from the beginning (well except for the born-again-zealots swarming aroung train stations), relax people try some humor
Is it GOOD humor? =)
Yeah but it’s for “medical use only” (we can make some arrangements, do you want it in powder, pills or liquid?)
What we think of yankees in general is a combination of this (rednecks), fat people, and stupid religious fanatics. And a few intelligent people.
What we think of euros in general is people who don’t wash, have bad teeth, and are a bunch of losers that can’t even protect their own countries so we have to spend our money to do it. And a few intelligent people.
come on, Americans LOVE Europe! Because we’re libertines(in comparison to the American ways)
you say we don’t protect our countries? i say we’re smart enough not to resolve our differences with violence America doesn’t spend money on Europe, they waste money invading middle-eastern countries, countries that don’t have a chance against them, this at the cost of hundreds and hundreds of lives, both “foreign” and American
we don’t have family and friends going off dying in a country far far away
we have peace, free healthcare and better education
we’ll just go ahead enjoying all that
call us losers
we aren’t bothered
Just see how much longer you have all that freedom when we no longer are able to keep your countries safe. Resolving your differences without violence only goes so far… Especially when you are dealing with tyrants.
Thank you for your nice comment. Now I know american history books stopped being updated in the 40′s.
Right, again, please see my comment below about STEROTYPES! Then take a look at some of the comments in here directed at Americans. Thanks.
Umm… so I have nothing against the US or against Europe. I just feel it necessary to point out though that European nations (and Canada! Woo!) are providing more support in both Iraq and Afghanistan than any other region on Earth.
On top of that, What are regarded as the second to fourth most powerful armies in the World are all in Europe (Russia, Germany, Britain). I’m pretty sure France is regarded as sixth or seventh as well. Europe is quite capable of defending itself.
Oh, and before anybody throws a fit and screams “what about China!!11!!elebenty!!1!”
While China, India, Burma, and North Korea may all have larger militaries manpower wise, the severe shortcomings in equipment and training make their armies less effective.
n00bs , turns out you really are a n00b.
OK, you can defend your country (and others), but right now your country is going down a slope which you chose to dive of yourselves.
Hello? economy much?
If you ask me , america should stop behaving like the ‘police’ of the earth and mind their own buisness.
maybe instead try to fix their own problems that would be a great start.
I hate to admit it, but I agree with this.
I’ve agreed with that for years.
Which is why I was so very disappointed with Obama’s Nobel Prize speech and his new “No Mr. Nice Guy” bit that he’s been playing around with. That’s not what I voted for.
Well he’s just finally starting to become realistic, reality does that to you.
I disagree with you completely on that statement, n00b. He is NOT becoming any more realistic than he was the day he was elected. The problem is that he’s fallen victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous is Never Get Involved In A Land War in Asia, but the third most famous is You Can’t Please All The People All The Time. And that’s what he’s trying to do, and is therefore pissing off everyone.
It’s also recommended to never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ahahaha! Ahahaha! Ahaha- *falls over dead*
Iocane powder. I’d bet my life on it.
FROO! The poles just flip-flopped! We agree on the President!
Arrrghhhh! ::drowns::
Rando and I divide by zero all the time. Come, join us in the black hole we’ve created together. We all float down here!
I love the fact that his daughter woke him up that morning…
“Daddy daddy! The TV said you won something!”
I understand they were more interested in the fact that it was the dogs birthday as well.
Yes, but we are all part of one big economy now, so what happens to us, happens to the world and visa versa. Our problems are your problems and your problems are our problems. That’s just how things are now, we are becoming more and more a global community. If we stopped standing up to tyranny, who would do it? The UN? LOL!
ok, ill give you that but for the economy part: you took us down with you!
The thing the Dutchy, there, doesn’t realize, is that an awful LOT of Americans agree with this!
We are not our government (even tho it’s *kinda* supposed to be that way), and neither are YOU.
Im not saying i could do a better job at being president of the U.S. im just saying they arent paying enuf attention to their own country and people.
Oops. What I meant to put:
We are not our government, and neither are you YOURS.
Makes more sense, doesn’t it?
As an American that has lived in Europe, I hate being put in the place of defending the Iraq and Afghan wars. I disagreed with Iraq and was wary of Afghanistan. Regardless, Afghanistan was supported by most European countries and they did send troops to help out initially. Although liberals in the states like to make fun of the ‘coalition of the willing’ in Iraq, there were a number of European countries that supported those actions as well.
PS: It doesn’t support your argument that Europe has better education if you are unwilling to even follow standard practices for capitalization, much less punctuation.
somehow i don’t think the usual norms of grammar apply on this site. see the Lolcats section to see what i mean.
it’s about what you say, not using capital letters
Except for the situation in which what you say has to do with how you are saying. Please, don’t make me think of the spelling on the lolcats site, it makes me sad. I meant to put a smiley face to show sarcasm next to the PS, but hit enter too quickly.
See, this isn’t the lolcats site, this is the lolpolitics site. Here we expect better out of you when it comes to spelling, grammar and punctuation. You don’t have to be perfect, everyone makes mistakes, but you’re expected to put forth a discernible effort. Also, if you want to use the lolcat argument it would be expected that you at least use proper lolspeak. Yes, there is proper lolspeak, talk to a linguist.
Does that mean there are lolspeak grammar nazis correcting each other? *brain assplodes*
No, it hasn’t gotten that bad.
Yet.
If you can’t speek English like what I does then you should be inable to excess this site
That really really hurt to read, and I know you meant it that way. *hits Vila on the nose with a rolled up newspaper*
Talk english! You don’t speek it, you talk it! Like me, I talk English gud!
OUCH!!!! **Rubs nose and looks for something large and heavy to hit Rando back with**
[passes Vila a large carboard cutout foot, and starts humming the Monty Python theme tune]
**Takes cardboard foot, squashes Rando with it and then says (in best John Cleese Fashion) “And Now for Something Completely Different”**
While I hope that in the future a lot of things are more equal throughout Europe like education, currently we are far from this goal.
For example, we in The Netherlands have a pretty decent education system (could be better, if it wasn’t for those religious people in our government), but the education in Spain, Germany, and France is pretty bad for example. Most of them don’t even learn sufficient English.
If the learning of a specific foreign language is your primary basis for why the schools are not up to par, you might want to consider going back to school to see what else they teach besides foreign languages.
Given that you’re addressing a Netherlander, who will speak Dutch, English, French, German, and quite probably Italian and Spanish to a sufficient standard to hold this conversation in any of them, you might want to rethink that comment.
No, being able to speak a bunch of languages fluently is a very good skill, but is only a fraction of what you should be learning in school and will definitely limit your future employment opportunities. With only the ability to speak other languages you can get a job as a translator, or you can get a number of minimum wage jobs, but even with those you’ll still be limited if you can’t do things like simple math.
“American doesn’t spend money on Europe”. Sounds like someone doesn’t remember the Marshall plan, and does not understand international banking. If we hadn’t bailed out AIG and hit our major banks with a cash infusion, YOUR banks would still be trying to borrow money along with ours.
As for “call us losers”? No, I am too intelligent to have such a shallow monolithic view of such a large group of peoples. Unlike yourself.
i see, you say you’re too intelligent to insulte me. but then you do
*insult
You fail so hard
I am too intelligent to insulate you! You shall freeze in you’re cold northern European climate with out my insulation! Um…unless of course you live in southern Europe. Dammit. I need a back up plan.
Well that just makes no sense asbestos I can tell foam what I’m reading.
You got fleeced on those puns.
No more, if U-value your life!
I’m not aiming at your entire country. I can see the difference between a group of persons and an individual. I can also see the difference between a country’s government and the people who voted it in. After all, not everyone voted for the party who won the top offices. And the folks who won, and who chose the country’s economic and military policies might have mis-represented themselves while running for office.
Your statements above castigate the entire country and all of the people in it as a monolithic unit. You might have chosen to clarify your statement to better reflect your opinion, but instead you chose to defend your ‘name’ with a ‘bounces off me and sticks to you’ sort of statement. And yes, I do call that stupid.
well, if that’s the way you wanna go…
you’re stupid!
Carefully ignored everything she said and went straight to the childish return . . . great way to redeem yourself.
I think GD is a troll… He posts under at least two other names.
So, is MPD (multiple personality disorder) a leading characteristic of trolls?
no, but MSD (multiple sock disorder) is frequently manifested by trolls, but is a reliable indicator
that should have read: and can be a reliable indicator, or but can also be a reliable indicator of several psychological disorders
& a word the wise, ‘never try to think while a pup is trying to bury her waffle behind you’
So that’s what the kids are calling it these days.
lol, keithybabe – i don’t know what kids call anything these days
but i know what it is when my roommate gives my pups more people food than they can eat at one time and the silly pug brings it to grandma to hide from the others…. and i wish that’s what hiding a waffle was, it would be so much easier than what i cleaned out of my computer chair today after i sat in it…again…
You do realize in comparison to rock solid stance VG layed out before you, your response pretty equals “Mah bwain huwt twying to make big word argu-arguma-…. big wowrd fighting! Yur Stoopud!”
Okay, now I’m just distracted by VG ‘laying out.’
—-
Appreciate the support, Max. *snuggle-huggles*
Oops–just thought.
*looks over her shoulder for Janie*
That’s okay. I don’t mind watching for a bit. Do your thing girl.
Jane, this has piqued my interest.. glad we we see things the same way.
Should I feel like I just got objectified? And should I feel bad that it made me feel dirty and secksi?
No to the first question, and no to the second question providing you continue to feel secksi in a foreign language. The moment you feel sexy it comes dirty and bad, and not in a good way.
Well put!
You are a single person. You are also a douchebag. Therefore I’m sure there are more insults in your future. All Viking Gal said was that she isn’t going to stereotype and insult an entire group of people. Your superior enlightenment is certainly shining through.
I am sorry to say but your post shows such a high level of ignorance, it hurts my brain.
You claim that people here do not understand international banking, yet you have a curiously distorted view of it, yourself.
The banking crisis (which was largely triggered by the Bush (and to a lesser extent the Clinton) administration pushing housing for everybody, making it very interesting for Banks to give credits there, no matter what the cost. The deregulation of Banks forced by the Bush administration created the perfect storm then.
The financial earthquake had its origin in the US, but it affected and dragged the rest of the (just as greedy) world down with it.
Your “saving” your banks and AIG was not a noble gesture to help “Europe”, it didn’t even effect Europe all that much – it was a measure to protect the American economy, first and foremost. European countries had to bail out their own banks, spending at least as much money.
There is a good reason that the Euro is so much stronger than the Dollar right now – and it is not just your trillions of Dollars you borrowed from the Chinese to finance the Oil wars. (And please don’t kid yourself, America isn’t “protecting” Europeans from “Tyrants” – they are protecting their oil replenishment.)
You seem to have a very contorted view of reality there, better get it checked
Did I claim that the US bailing out their banks solved all of the problems of the financial systems of the world? No. But if they had not done their share of bailing, the ripple effects would have been tremendous.
If you’ve read through this thread (or read previous comment threads), I am not a ‘USA over all’ type. However, GD was being excessively anti-US, and my comments were aimed at him.
So, you would have defeated the Axis powers in WWII without the U.S.? …yeah, thought so.
could’ve America existed if it hadn’t been discoverd in the XV century?
you can’t say America did this or that in WWII. that’s too far away. you can’t go more than 20 years back in time. Not so long ago everyone wanted the American dream. Not anymore. This caption is what Europe thinks of America now.
Given that the discovery of America goes back 600 years, yet WWII was only 70, I don’t think you can actually say that we can only go back 20 years. We’re still talking recent history and there are still veterans of that war alive (not so with the discovery of America.) But since you want to take a narrow view of history, what do you suppose the European continent would be like if America hadn’t kept Soviet Russia at bay? And taking that a bit further, do you think that Russia’s expansionism would have stopped with the few countries it did dominate?
I have friends who escaped from Hungary in the 1950′s who would agree heartily with Eddie.
Not only that, would we be fighting in Afghanistan now if Russia hadn’t have tried to invade it–what was it?–30 years ago? Okay, it could be said that it’s partially our misstep for not moving in & helping more after the Russians pulled out, but still . . .
The problem with this mudslinging back and forth is that the world is too connected–politically, economically, all of it–to hang on to this juvenile nationalism. We’re going to have to let it go, eventually.
The next mindset, the only one that will save us, will be:
We’re humans on this blue ball–and we’re all we’ve got.
I don’t think you got your facts right there (no offense), Soviet was actually only in “war” with the US, because both were superpowers. So it all became some sort of competition, so if the US didn’t exist there would be no cold war.
I didn’t say “didn’t exist”, I said kept the USSR in check. Can you imagine what the European continent would look like today if the US had pulled completely out of Europe after WWII? As for my facts, the only reason there was a cold war in the first place is because of Russia’s expansionism. Had Russia been content with kicking Hitler’s ass and withdrawn to it’s own borders, there wouldn’t have had a cold war. In addition, why do you think Berlin was divided for so many years? It wasn’t the US that put a wall up. Maybe YOU should go and look up your facts.
I think EJNorth is trying to say Eddie, is that had there not been a US the Cold War would have been more like a…. Hot War… and Radioactive Hot War… know what I’m saying?
But wouldn’t that make a really cold war, what with the nuclear winter and all?
These are important discussions that we need answers to! Quickly, to the Time Machine of Irrelevant Hypothetical Outcomes!
Yeah, I knew that.. I think EJNorth was just being a tool..
And that whole thing about the Soviet Union wanting to expand its zones of influence for ideological reasons.
Damn us Americans for existing and creating that cold war!
“that’s too far away. you can’t go more than 20 years back in time”
Whose rule is this? Did you just make that up? Seems subjective and fallacious to me.
Apparently that ‘rule’ exists when you want to ignore anything that doesn’t fit into your world view.
Clearly. What a moron.
Wait. I am very interested in this time machine even if it does only go back twenty years.
Damn. My childhood memories up to age 11 are gone now. That sucks.
what?! the americas were only found a few hundred years ago?!?! then who the heck met the white man on the shores? phantoms and figments? the americas were settled over 10,000 yrs ago, or are you that eurocentric that the native americans (both northern & southern tribes/nations) are of no consequence to your viewpoints?
There were also the Chinese who visited (but didn’t stick around) in the same century as Columbus, then there’s some interesting theories on Africans having established trade routes with South America. Even Leif Erickson stopped by New England for a bit near to a millennium ago. If you do the research there are some really interesting theories and evidence regarding the interaction of the Americas with the rest of the world.
I love how you don’t realize that you need to change your email address as well as your name when going a-socking. You still have the same avatar, you idiotic twit.
Dear Europe, Don’t claim this fool. Love, the rest of Earth.
Oh, and the post of mine that you were responding to was rife with “STEREOTYPES”, like the one I responeded too and many of the posts in here. I made that post to make a point, let’s just bring out ALL the steotypes.
We spend tons of money on you guys so that every 50 years you guys don’t fall into another crazy war that is oh-so-common to Europe, which would cost us even more money and lives when we have to come break up the fight.
Yup, that’s us. The heroes of Europe. Er, sorry about the whole WWII, if we had spent that money arlier that whole thing wouldn’t have happened.
earlier.
“America doesn’t spend money on Europe,” You would make great liberals here, just waiting for that next free handout. America owe s Europe nothing yet we guard your borders from enemies at great sacrifice to our selves and have even forgiven millions in post war debt. Yet you think we should ‘spend’ on you. Obviously you lack the will, the intellect and the dignity to make your own way. I spent years in Europe, I know where real freedom lies.
You would be surprised at the amount of foreign aid the U.S. gives various European countries.
And, you are right, Europe doesn’t resolve differences with violence. That is why France had those wonderful immigrant riots, and why Brittan is a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists.
Seeing that your entire history is riddled with conflicts, wars where you neighbor came to take your land, thats a rather silly statement.
As far as your education system, I am pressed to find any life-defining invention from Europe in the last 40 years.
Er, I hate to tell you but every countries history is riddles with conflicts and war.
The internet?
That’s an American invention.
But you guys have spend so much money on the “war factory” that you have dept to China, isn’t that true?
Very nice. Love the religious fanatic comment. I guess anyone who does not strictly segregate their religion or faith from the rest of their life is a fanatic? Now, get out of your western mindset and examine the rest of the world.
Yep, that’s about right.
Oh – and I LIVE here and have all my life.
Most of the fat people are both religious fanatics AND rednecks.
I blame Jerry Springer…and would like to know which idiot it was, who decided to export a show that I wouldn’t ever consider watching?
Oprah isn’t much help either.. what with Tommy Cruise jumping the couch and all.
Tom cruise scares me.
I’m fairly sure he scares us all, I say we vote him off the planet and see if Xenu will save him.
I’m Canadian, and I think a lot of Americans are religious fanatics and selfish/ignorant morons.
And BTW I get that impression by talking to you people on forums and seeing the idiots some of you (ie. Republicans) want to run your country.
Aren’t you people supposed to be more passive/aggressive?
You misspelled “Democrats”.
It’s really funny that most of the stereotypes people seem to have of rural Americans are applied to the same people while being mutually exclusive.
Like the fact that the religious nuts are part of the same population as the bootleggers and moonshiners.
Hell, one could probably make the case that said bible-thumpers are that far over the top from having to constantly fight the battle with the bootleggers, drug dealers (urban wastelands have NOTHING on the number of prescription drug dealers and pot growers in Appalachia) to try to protect their children from those things.
Frankly, most Republicans don’t like the religious fanatics either, but they end up with that party because of the “lesser of two evils” situation. On the other hand, the Democrats have pretty much given their most fringe and most corrupt factions free reign to run their party.
Your description of the Democratic Party is just as silly as the other stereotypes being made.
You missed the bit where he’s also a “half-breed muslin”.
Also left out his Satin worshiping too. *is Fail*
Satin worshipper?? I think I would have cottoned onto that or are you just trying to pull the wool over my eyes
Shut up, dumb ass. You’re proving the Europeans right!
Proof that in fact not all of us are polite… unfortunate.
Yes it does, from what we get second hand from the media, and internet forums, appear that the US has a higher concentration of crazies (of all types, but especially religious zealots) however you have to grant for the fact the mad dog always barks the loudest.
However I rarely do encounter Americans with a chip on their shoulder smaller than a railroad tie. They exist, several even post here, however I would say the concentration per capita of ignorant, arrogant, narcissistic jerks does seem to be a bit higher than it does up here… no offense
There is more of a cultural allowance for the expression of stupid opinions in this country. I will grant that. Comes from that old ‘freedom of expression’ in the bill of rights–if you don’t want the government to control what information it available, you have to allow the loonies to talk in public!
The people most in the spotlight are generally the ones their countrymen find most embarrassing. I’m sure if anyone down there stopped to look at Canadian media for a while, we would all come off as whiny b!tches with funny accents… in fact come to think of it that IS in fact how we tend to be portrayed by your media so I guess that proves my point.
It’s the ego thing that tends to bother me. Yes, I am well aware many, if not most Americans aren’t that bad, but from my direct experience with Americans there seems to be a bit of a culture of superiority over the rest of the world that we find… irritating. Moreover it come across as each individual believes they are superior to the rest of America. Individuality is great, but it needs to be balanced by equality.
Hubris. *sighs* It usually bites them in the butt, sooner or later!
I just want to clarify, I don’t hate Americans, I find some of the general trends in the US disturbing, but I know there are plenty of good, kind, intelligent people in the US, some of whom are just as disturbed by the same trends. I think in general we Canadians really do love America, we just find it hard to see our big sister going through such a hard time.
*squeezes America*
*squeezes Canada*
We loves you back–except maybe when you send the arctic clipper our way!
Aww…. *squeezes Canada also and whispers could you send us some more of your cheap drugs?*
Or when you borrow our favorite skirt without asking, and tattle to mom and dad about what time we came hoe last night! But we still love you little sis. Most of the time.
“came hoe” O_O
Home! Home! We don’t bring our hoe’s home!
What about our homeys’ hoes?
No, no, our homeys don’t like gardening.
This conversation made me laugh. Homeys. LOL
Oh yeah, Freudian win.
Hey at least we didn’t tell them that you were vesting interests with China again.
some of us like the cold arctic weather that gets sent our way, it keeps our ski resorts running and occasionally chases home the wimps who can’t handle real weather
I don’t mind cold, I just don’t like it when the polar air slips down to New England! O.o If that makes me a wimp, so be it!
I hate the arctic blasts. HATE.
-keeps charro warm with hugs-
*cuddles her bitter troll*
I’m with you, Charro.
What say, you, me, and the troll move to Florida? Ah, hell. Let’s make it Belize.
I hate the cold. I hate the hot. Is there anyplace that’s 70 degrees year round?
The mall. Duh. You should know that!
Do I look like Jason Lee? Do I look like someone who wants to live at the mall? I think I spend enough time there already. *shudder*
Lol…you have to admit, though, it IS 70 degrees all year round.
We don’t have with this ‘weather’ nonsense here in San Diego. The counties thermostat is set to 73.2 degrees year round and the cloouds are set to Sunny/partly cloudy as well.
That settles it, DU. That’s where I’m going.
::goes to store and buys one of those “For Sale By Owner” signs and puts in front of the house::
Yeah, the weather is great, but earthquakes terrify me. O_O
But Ivan, are they scarier than hurricanes?
I love FL; it would be my second choice, weather-wise. As I recall, though, the humidity in southern CA was nowhere near like near tropical FL. Just sunny. I was there several times when I was younger. Never encountered an earthquake, so I don’t know if I’d ride it out well, or not.
Cost of living is high in any lovely climate, but between the two, which would you think is higher? I’m guessing southern CA. I might have to consider that.
i’m 23, lived in florida every year of it. this year’s been exceptionally awful for a winter- it’s been high 80s everyday since “fall”. can we, for the love of the noodlegod, get a “cool” day ONE TIME this year?!?!?!
CA is probably more expensive, depending on what part (even in San Diego county the cost of living can change notably depending on where you live) BUT! (the but needed it’s own exclamation mark yes.) Florida has hurricanes, most years the state gets hit my a hurricane. We don’t have those here. We once got rained on a bit by a hurricane that hit baja but that’s it really. As far as earthquakes go they really aren’t that big a deal. one example I can give(out of the many I’ve survived : P ), I was talking to my supervisor at work one day and she said “Is that an earthquake?” “I dunno, maybe, could just be the construction down the street” we both shrugged and went back to what we were talking about and later found out it was an earthquake. Didn’t do any damage and many people didn’t even feel it.
That’s my constant complaint; WHERE’S MY WINTER??? >:(
Ivan, I’ve a spare room if you want a little winter to visit.
well… if you made that -70 you could count Yellowknife… I know Some parts of BC that rarely drop below 30, but this whole ‘warm’ thing you Americans keep talking about confuses me a bit… around here we currently have about 3-3.5ft snow (drifts up to 5ft) and are hovering around -40, and this summer we were somewhere around 90-95 for a few weeks… did I mention that the only reason southern Alberta isn’t a desert is because the rest of the year it’s tundra
Green Beard – from what I can recall when we met – lives in Alberta… (we Canucks all know each other, you know… and yes we also know Steve, thanks for asking)
Therein lies probably Canada’s strongest representation of what the United States would term ‘Republicans’.
Ol’ Blade, on the other hand, lives in British Columbia – which is not anywhere near Columbia nor is it particularly British… though some people here wish they were…
We in BC could be termed ‘tree-hugging, liberalist, pot-smoking, Berkenstock-wearing hippies’… but Green Beard and I get along just fine.
My highwayman skills drive the farmers east and north towards the Athabasca River where our intrepid pirate loots them for their hay!
Stereotypes are awesome!
Kids today have no stamina!! My God!! I experienced real cold when I was in the Navy. You try repairing an comms aerial when you are currently 20 odd miles off the coast of Northern Norway. **walks off muttering about kids today**
I think most countries have that issue. Its not a bad thing, its just nationalism. Thinking your country is the best is not really bad. I’m sure Canadians, Chinese people, Germans, etc… can all give reasons why their nation is the best.
I cannot speak for the others, but as a Canadian I think the sentiment is more along the lines of we are superior in some areas (otherwise we would just move), but each nation has it’s niches where it excels above the rest.
From every other nation I hear interchange of ideas, British who desire a policy more like Spain on this issue, French who wish to try a more German style institution for that service and yes, often other countries wanting to be more like America on some issues. There would seem to be more acknowledgment of each others strengths and weaknesses among other developed nations.
Meanwhile it seems like any suggestion that America can learn from other nations experiences, and possibly take a page from their playbook if they happen to succeed at something strike many (though not all, and I would hesitate to say most) Americans as unpatriotic. There is as you say some level of nationalist pride and even arrogance mostly stemming from culture shock when other confronted by the practices and values of other culture, no matter what nation you are referring to, but there does seem to be an air of condescension that goes beyond that with many Americans.
Then let me be the first to say: Green Beard…. you guys made bacon famous… I mean… it was bacon before…. but you guys made it famous That… takes a whole lotta awesome!
Thanks max, you guys gave us deep fried turkey, for which we shall be eternally grateful
Except for those people who burn down their houses doing it!
Also, who doesn’t like a Maple Leaf flag, am I right or am I right?
and maple syrup that comes in those cute maple leaf bottles
HOCKEY!!! I <3 Canada's hockey-lovin behinds!
As an American I can say you are correct about the ego. Alot of Americans do act as though America is superior to other countries in other ways and treat foreigners with a holier than thou attitude which I’m sure they appreciate. Not all Americans do it, but enough to have a negative impact, I’ve noticed it more strongly in older generations especially. A whole “We saved your ass in WWII! You owe us” type of mentality. It gets annoying and old rather quickly.
Also, no offense Green Beard and don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re accent is kinda funny.
I think it’s because America is at the height of it’s empire. Everyone hates the big dog at that moment. Time passes and so does the torch, and Americans will hate whoever replaces us.
I once spent 5 days at a conference in Ontario (Waterloo), surrounded by Australians and Canadians. I didn’t recognize my own vowels by the end of it–great times!
Are we still at the height? I’ve got this creepy feeling that we’ve started to decline already. Or it could just be rough spot we’re going through. Nothing lasts forever.
Now hold on then there, eh. Just because a regional accent in southern On-tear-I-O happens to be pretty darn funny sounding, doesn’t mean we all talk like a bunch of hosers, eh.
*puts on toque so he can ride his chesterfield down a snowy hill*
I had a buddy from Peterboro, I used to imitate his accent when I waited tables… it made me lots of money. Americans seem to like to give Canadians money.
My sister-in-law is Canadian and she and my brother were married at her family’s lake cottage north of Toronto. All her bridesmaids kept talking about my “american accent” and I was like, “but I don’t have an accent!”
Oh but you do dear! And it’s tres seksi! See!? I’m not a stupid Amurican! I can speek French!
Funny, I keep telling all my in-laws that they talk funny, but I don’t think they’re buying it since I’m in the minority.
They do speak funny though! Have you asked them how they think the name Megan is pronounced?
I don’t have to ask, I hear it all the time.. they pronounce it as Mee-gan, where as I say it as May-gan.
Garr. And my name IS Megan, and it’s pronounced with a short E, like EGG. I quite frankly hate every time someone uses a long A or especially EE. That is exactly why I asked everyone in college to call me just “Meg” instead, because then no one would misspell it or mispronounce it.
(No offense to other Meagans or Meghens or Meghans or Meeeeeeegans, cuz I know we’re all different. Just a personal pet peeve.)
Oh, oh, I hate it when people pronounce my name (Eric) as Errrrr-ic and not Air-ic. That’s really annoying.
Oh, and the name Gerrard.. everyone here pronouncess it as Jarred. First time I heard that, I’m like WTF?
I also understand they don’t seem to be aware that there is an i in Jessica
. And it’s spelled Meeghan. The H is important (I had a friend in high school named Megan, she was from Australia and that was how we decided her name should be spelled.)
While we’re at it, how about the name Danielle? I always pronounced it as Dan-yell, but here it’s Dan-e-elle. Why they insist on adding and taking away letters is beyond me (or even changing the way letters sound)!
The accent thing depends on the location, I have to think about it to hear the accent of heartland Americans usually, just like someone from Saskatchewan, it’s the behavior that gives away the fact they aren’t locals.
When I was doing tech support for Americans, my accent was guessed to be anything from Texan (by a Texan no less), Californian, New English(New Englander?), and even New Yorker. Some of us have accents that are dead give-aways, (Newfies and other Maritimers, Frogs, Southern Ontarians, etc.) the rest you probably couldn’t tell they were Canadian (until they walked outside in shorts and a t-shirt in when it’s 30 degrees Fahrenheit or down a keg of American beer and still don’t feel it).
you mean to say that canadians no longer finish nearly every sentence with ay/eh/ey or however it’s spelled, and you don’t order tay when you want a cuppa tea?
I think the conference I was at had a lot of folks from Calgary (lovely rolling vowels) and Saskatchewan…
A chesterfield? You guys ride couches down snowy hills? And in the northern US (not the NE) they also have funny accents, dontchaknow.
We tried to get living room furniture riding added to the Olympics for Vancouver, but the Olympic Comity reacted about the same way you did…
Green Beard, this viking gal doesn’t like our accent, eh!
Huh… I can’t think of what she might be talkin aboot.
Maybe we should sit on the chesterfield a minute, eh, and if there’s no enough room, I’ll stand at th’arseuver so’s we can all drink some Timmys double-doubles and irish them up with a fourty-pounder.
That is… until the hydro runs out or we have to jersey someone for gettin’ too pissed…
I could probably scrounge up twan and a mickey if we runs out… lol
As stated above…
Very nice. Love the religious fanatic comment. I guess anyone who does not strictly segregate their religion or faith from the rest of their life is a fanatic? Now, get out of your western mindset and examine the rest of the world.
Westerners (Canada, Europe, Americans…) are not a cultured as they think they are. They actually are worse and frequently force their view on the world and judge it.
I’m American I think a lot of Canadians are beer swilling hockey nuts.
But at least they’re polite beer swilling hockey nuts.
with health care
Oh really, have you been to a Maple Leafs game recently?!?! You might walk away with a whole new perspective.
meh, we all know when an American team wins it’s because they managed to steal our players by waving absurdly sized contracts in front of them. So even if we lose we win.
We love our hockey, and our players, but even we won’t pay them that much.
But then that just speaks of the greed of Canadian hockey players doesn’t it? I mean, if they loved Canada, wouldn’t they play there for love of country?
Pssst – that was meant in a joking manner..
As long as the Red Wings die in a fire… I’m happy either way…
True dat, bro. True dat.
Right there with you.
LOL Find me a Canadian that doesn’t have a price and I’ll show you a liar. Heck we sold the merchandising rights for the Mounties to Disney!
We’ll politely steal the shirt off your back if you let us
But only if we let you?
Well of course, taking it without permission wouldn’t be polite
Would you explain this to the people I steal from? I always ask before I steal something and they go on about how it’s not stealing if they give me permission. They really just don’t understand.
I always thought the problem was they could make more in the US because American dollars were worth more than Canadian dollars. Is that still the case? I didn’t think our dollar was worth as much as Canada’s anymore, or at least wasn’t for a while.
No, we traditionally don’t pay huge contracts to players, for a number of reasons, the weak dollar was only one of them. None of our sports franchises make anywhere near the money the American ones do, we love our players, but culturally we tend to set a lower priority on professional sports than alot of other countries.
we love our players, but culturally we tend to set a lower MONETARY priority on professional sports than alot of other countries.
I fixed it for you
Except ‘alot’ is two words.
NOW it’s fixed.
I personally intend to use alot as a single word regardless of what my spellchecker says. If enough of us do it they will eventually have to acknowledge it as a real word.
Fair enough I cede points to both of you.
“Allot” IS a word.
“A lot” is two words.
They don’t have the same definition.
Maybe we’ll have to allot alot as being a word in the dictionary
Oh, and smell like maple syrup! pffffffffffffft
The one stereotype that seems to be predominant here in Australia is that all Americans spend their time at Wal-Mart looking over the assault rifles that can be bought.
So let’s see a show of hands: How many of you spent your Sunday looking over the assorted weaponrs that can be purchased at Wal-Mart?
Well, I don’t shop at Wal-Mart, so I didn’t specifically do that, and really, how many assault rifles does a girl need?
Walmart doesn’t carry swords, crossbows, siege engines, polearms, battle axes or maces, so I did not. Sorry.
But do they carry small Puerto Rican boyslaves? I have use for one of those…
I don’t know, I stopped going when I found out they don’t carry medieval weaponry.
Well shoot, now where will I find the bait I need to trap the catholic priests I use as fuel for my alternate reality generator?
You may have to special order directly from Puerto Rico.
I believe you have to pick those up in the contractor area outside the Home Depot.
RAAACIST!!!1!
Assault rifles are illegal, and certainly not sold in Wal- Mart.
OKay, now look reeeeally hard at the first three letters in your name, then re-read this part of the thread.
Oh FFS, don’t you know a joke when you see it? I know full f*cking well they don’t sell assault rifles at Wal-Mart, but the good people in Australia seem to think that they can be purchased damn near anywhere thanks to people like Michael Moore.
*puts down car keys* Wait. I can’t get more assault rifles at Wal-Mart? Shoot! How am I going to take over the lawn?
You can’t, all your lawns belong to me.. resistance is futile, but it should be noted that those with privileges get an endless supply of beer and Canadian bacon (this was just recently added..)
Eddie! Disaster! PETA was just here and they stole the Canadian Bacon! All we have left is this tofu-bacon! Oh god… all we have toacon!
Toucans? Are they good to eat? I still have the shotgun.
We’ll just have to play it by ear.. or follow our noses… hmm…. Oh to hell with it
*grabs Mabs’ shotgun and blows the toucan away*
Hot wings anyone?!
DAMMIT, MAX!! We never got to find out where he’s hiding all the goddamn Froot Loops!
Oh, and the only thing that should be punched is you, preferably in the kidneys.
Ruining humor should be a much more harsh punishment than a punch in the kidneys….
Maybe, but the kidney punch would be much more satisfying.
I was thinking more along the lines of Living lawn dart target… but ya know…
@Eddiepscetti, sorry old chum, but i inherited most of my weapons, and somehow i just can’t bring myself to even look at the guns at wally world, let alone consider purchasing one there… i’d much rather go to a gun shop that just deals in weapons. something about levels of knowledge and maybe even a touch of factory seconds???? yea, …. no to the walmart guns, now oil changes, movies, and housewares, sure
Not that I’d ever buy a gun, but if I were to do so, I doubt I’d want to buy a weapon from Wal-Mart considering everything at Wal-Mart is crap. If I’m ever in the position where I have to use a gun, I want to know the damn thing is gonna work.
I’ve never looked at the weaponry that Wal-Mart carries. I think it’s kinda creepy that Wal-Mart does carry them considering the clientele.
Just out of curiosity, is there a reason you decided to highlight Republicans, or is your bias showing through? Trust me when I say there are idiots on both sides of the aisle.
He highlighted them because the funny comedians must be political experts, and should therefore be sided with.
Are you telling me Carlos Mencia and Dane Cook don’t have degrees in political science? Oh, sorry, you said funny comedians.
We dislike the religious fanatics over here too >_>
Ironically those immigrants are probably fresh out of Europe. Omigod?!!? You mean dumbass Americans are really just descended people from other countries? People need to stop hating. We give more in aid than some countries have in their entire economy.
Well America is made up of the bottom rung of society from around the world. Even the Statue of Liberty says so!
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
It’s a great big joke from France, and America fell for it.
My father came to the US because Europe (DK, D, N) at the time was just too snooty to let him go to college. Heaven forbid he had originally gone to trade school (parents were too poor to send the last few children to college), and then he made up the difference in studying to take his studentexamen in a different country. He did very well here, and ended up an engineer and co-owner of a successful company.
Maybe it is a big joke for you, but lots of folks have done very well through leaving the social rigidity of Europe. I’m glad that my Danish cousins are more open-minded than yourself!
Yeah, except for the fact that the “huddled masses” ended up dominating the world. Viking gal has it exactly right. We rejected the caste system of other countries, we accepted talent that was otherwise turned away, and that talent allowed us to become the richest nation in the world.
Which is the real reason they hate us.
Richest nation by what measure? You have the highest GDP, biggest army, most stuff and highest purchasing power. You also have the highest per capita debt, most waste and pollution, greatest disparity of wealth and widest divide in standard of living of any G20 nation. I’m not saying there aren’t people who are jealous of your upper class, but some of us find your claims of wealth a bit over stated.
I’d have to beg to differ about “most pollution” (possibly “most waste”, too, depending on what sense of this you mean): Many countries have horrible pollution. We have standards in place that are pretty decent, that are, for the most part, followed. When we discover contamination, that area is taken care of. Not so in many countries . . . even those you might not think of right away. Everyone may think of larger developing nations like China, but I heard about a smelting operation in, I think it was Uruguay, awhile back, that was contaminating the land and the water, and nothing was being done about it. Mexico, our neighbor, has horrible drinking water standards. So before you talk about pollution, think about what you’re saying. One of America’s largest exports? What is it? That’s right: FOOD.
Polluted? Really? Look at all the ingredients in your next meal, baby.
Greatest disparity of wealth? Have you been to Mexico? I’m a bit dubious of that, also most waste and pollution… If we have a wider divide of standard of living it may be due to the fact thay we have many more wealthy people living here, but we also have the highest standard of living for our poorer citizens, who have it many times better than in most other countries. Our poor would seem like wealthy people in most other countries.
I have a hard time considering Mexico a developed nation; getting there, certainly, quite close actually, but not quite there yet. As for your poor being wealthy by comparison to other nations, to Rwanda or Nigeria sure, to Japan or France, not so much. As for waste, I’m not talking total volume per acre (I’m well aware there are many nearly pristine areas of the US), but while most other developed nations have focused on the direction of improving efficiency in both production and consumption, the US seems to have put a much heavier emphasis on sheer volume (albeit major decrease in production since most of that is done in the third world now anyway).
“but while most other developed nations have focused on the direction of improving efficiency in both production and consumption” – I know you aren’t talking about China and India.
again… not exactly the comparison I was going for (although again, in a generation or 3 India may get there). I’m thinking the major western democracies here.
Not sure it matters if they are polluting the rest of the world and have no intention of stopping, does it?
No but that is a matter of trying to develop alternate paths to achieve economic and political development.
To use an analogy, it’s like trying to teach your teenage siblings that dependency on drugs and alcohol is bad, you know from experience and trying to help them find a better way to deal with peer pressure and personal issues. Meanwhile your drunken older brother isn’t willing to acknowledge he has a problem, while you and the other adult siblings are all going to AA meetings.
You might consider drawing the drunken older brother into the mix…India and China are having their own versions of our notorious river which caught on fire (back in the 1920′s). Drawing someone into contributing their expertise towards the solution usually works better than yelling at them about how they are part of the problem. But of course yelling at the US is what some folks have come to enjoy.
Perhaps not the best analogy. I’m more than willing to accept some of the best, most promising new ideas for improving the efficiency of production are coming from the US, I’m also well aware Canada and other nations are hardly blameless when it comes to over indulging on the worlds scarce resources. It does however seem from this side most American ‘wealth’ was generated merely by borrowing against other nations and future generations in a system that doesn’t entirely account for global and temporal externalities.
Now, I could get preggers, then I would qualify for public aid. But, you see, I’m not one of those “ebil liberals who want to game the system”.
Also, the thought of breeding makes me sick.
I just want to make my pay and know that I can have basic healthcare without going broke.
That’s just the morning sickness, it usually passes by the second trimester.
lulz
Lies! All lies told by the evil patriarchy to keep you breeding!
Actually, I never had particularly bad morning sickness, and since my pregnancy ended just after the second trimester, didn’t have a lot of the other problems (eg weight gain etc).
Friend of mine had morning, noon and night sickness. Lost her first pregnancy due to that. Second was a success even though she didn’t gain a single pound. Third was more typical with weight gain–except that it was twins!
I had one pregnancy where I did nothing but puke. Puked my guts out, any time of the day or night. Soda crackers, you say? Didn’t keep those down, either. Was losing weight. It didn’t last too much longer, though.
If you have Planned Parenthood, they do all the girly stuff and are usually the cheapest. Worth checking out.
They weren’t cheaper than the Health Dept.
Oh. I haz a sad for you. I hate the way that anyone who works but doesn’t have a really good job never qualifies for anything discounted or free. My mom’s clinic would have taken care of you.
Ahah! I just realized. It’s the health insurance you’re lusting after, not the hubby.
Or the really hot Norwegian singer.
That’s another thing. A lot of women and men are one divorce away (as well as one job away) from losing their health insurance…
On the other hand I, as lower middle class, have my healthcare paid for by my taxes, and still take home after expenses close to $100 after essentials. If necessary I can see a doctor at any time, and if I’m in an accident I don’t need to declare bankruptcy when I get the bill. Oh and we do have insurance companies…
You and BT should come try the great white north, a tad chilly in the winter, but we have maple syrup and healthcare
sorry my mind wandered in the middle there, but I caught up to it now, we do have insurance companies, my taxes don’t pay for boob jobs and other elective procedures. Medication still comes out of pocket if you don’t have insurance, but thanks to regulation for allowing other companies to release generic versions sooner, the prices are considerably lower
I have considered defecting to Canada, I think it may be a stepping stone on my way to defecting to Germany.
You wouldn’t like Germany, Charro. It’s not funny.
Head for Denmark instead. You can hang with my umpteen zillion cousins!
Or Poland, I think I’m related to half the country and can actually chart those relations on a family tree.
I loved in in Germany.
*it damnit
Hell yeah, charro. I could go for some Canada. Sounds nice there, and everyone loves hockey. Sweeeeeet!
I think you would fit in nicely here Rando, particularly in southern Alberta, land of the most liberal Christian hillbilly rednecks on the planet.
Right right GB… just point me in the direction of this “Canadian Beaver” I’ve been hearing about….
Like the song says Max, “follow the only road”
Hmmm…then I have to be a Flames fan. Well, I suppose that would work if there are more people like me. I get to hate the Oilers, right? (Yes, I would actually base where I live on what hockey team they have.)
Now Rando, we don’t hate the Oilers and their fans, we just mock them and beat them in the head.
Nothing says ‘I love you’ like trying to gouge each others eyes out.
“we just mock them and beat them in the head”
You should not make fun of the mentally handicapped nor inflict more damage with more beatings around the head. Tsk. Tsk.
Yes, they should go up north, where they can wait six months to be seen by a doctor then another month to be diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer only to be told that there is only a 10% chance of survival because the cancer was not detected in time. And, then die.
Which is exactly what happened to a friend of my ex-girlfriend in Toronto. And, she had to wait eight months to see a dentist.
Got to love those foaf (‘friend of a friend”) stories.
Eastern provinces tend to mess up the equation a bit, they try to do too much with to little. In Alberta I see a dentist when I want to see a dentist, if the one I want to see is too booked I can wait a few days or find someone who isn’t as busy. I can see my GP a few times a week if necessary (my GP usually gives me heck for not coming in often enough though, apparently a physical every 5 yrs is a bad idea).
If you insist on pretending anecdotes are evidence, my mother went from suddenly having headaches to diagnosed with a brain tumor in less than a week and had surgery well in advance of any severe trauma.
Yes, your procedures can catch cancer quicker, if you can afford the tests. Our procedures can catch heart disease faster because we tend to do more research in that area while you do more in cancer. We generally swap info but there is a lag.
Anectdotes =/= evidence. Please state a story with actual facts that is non-fallacious.
See, Charro, you could have gotten a math degree. You’ve already mastered one of the fundamentals: proof by example is not a valid proof!
I chose the philosophy degree.. Less math.
Eh, even in the US you’re probably going to have to wait a few weeks to see a dentist for the appointment time you want unless it’s an emergency (in which case the appointment time you want is ‘Now! For the love of all that is holy! Now!’)
how about this: i had insurance, fair insurance — took care of a couple high risk pregnancies with minimal out of pocket expenses, for which i am eternally grateful, however, when i started having headaches similar to stroke victims – my doctor blew it off with ‘well that’s nothing ot worry about at your age’, and when i told him about the phantom odors i was picking up, his comment was ‘i’m sure that’s nothing to worry about.’ it wasn’t until i was able to change doctors (within the same insurance network) did i get a doctor who cared enough to send me for a cat scan. it turns out that i’ve got a fairly inoperable cyst in my brain — if it would have been caught before wrapping itself around my optic nerve maybe surgery would be an option, maybe i wouldn’t have the brain damage i have, maybe i wouldn’t have gone into menopause at 35…..and yes, i am an american — don’t tell me how much better off our way is than others, because this is just the tip of the iceberg of medical horrors i could that pertain to me, my children, or my parents – not ‘friend of a friend’ stories… and if you want proof, i can photograph the 2 reams of just my test results for you…. this is a great country, but it’s got some flaws. looking at fixing them doesn’t make us unpatriotic or anything else derogatory, it makes us sensible… only fools ignore a broken bone and insist the body is whole because there is no blood
A body can’t be whole with no blood, silly Fairie.
*headdesk**repeat*
i meant outside the body, as in a visible injury
GYN appointments in the US are typically a 4 month wait, unless you have an infection.
Yeah, but most GYN appointments are for regular check ups and there isn’t a rush for that. When you do have something wrong you can usually get one within the week.
Even worse, friend of an ex-girlfriend. I mean, if she’s willing to sleep with this d-bag, how can I trust in her taste in friends?
John Holmes OBGYN: “Seeing multiple patients at once”
Ah yes, another “Canada is a 3rd world country because of their health care system” story. I’ve never bought those stories. BTW, I used to work for a doctor’s office right here in the good ol’ USA, and a couple of the doctors were so popular that there was a 6 month wait for checkups. You learn to be smart about making your appointments and make them far in advance, unless it’s an urgent matter. Believe it or not, seeing a doctor here in the USA isn’t as easy as the anti-health care reform people say.
I can’t imagine what you’re talking about, Rando. Our health insurance only went up 15% this year (rather than the expected 20%). Only $900 more. But I did only have to wait a week and a half to see my new doctor.
Yeah I’ve shared this story before, but our company sent out our healthcare “news” packet. BC/BS claimed they expected a 20% profit over claim costs. I find it a pipe dream to think that in an economy where there are few jobs to be had, and fewer that are even buying into health insurance, that expecting a 20% pure profit, is wishful thinking.
Whoa whoa… are you saying, Hel, that Oilers fans are mentally handicapped?
I don’t DISagree, I’m just asking… seenig as though I’ve met some Flames fans as equally – let’s call them retarded – as any others.
Vancouver Canuckleheads, too…
Whoa whoa… are you saying, Hel, that Oilers fans are mentally handicapped?
I don’t DISagree, I’m just asking… seeing as though I’ve met some Flames fans as equally – let’s call them retarded – as any others.
Vancouver Canuckleheads, too…
I’ve lived in several countries, several in Europe. I’ve also traveled everywhere. I’ve had the best quality of life in America. Most waste and pollution? Please. China builds new coal plants everyday, they don’t even try to cut emissions. Also don’t be so high and mighty. Canada is a tremendous exporter of minerals, including coal. You guys contribute to the problem, so don’t be so quick to point the finger. And yes, my measure of wealth is the GDP. Its kinda the one that most economies use.
I’m glad you found a place in the world that works for you.
Yes China is potentially the worst scourge on the face of the planet in terms of self destructive behavior. Claiming the US is better than China is kind of a weak argument. Likewise I did say above that Canada is certainly not blameless or without its own problems to fix.
My opinion is that GDP by its self is something akin to measuring personal income by gross pay. How much you make is relative to your other costs, and in this case, yes the US makes a vast amount more than the rest of us. They also have a heavier debt load both in real terms and in environmental damage that will eventually cost to repair. It is possible to live beyond your means even when you are making a 6 figure per annum salary. In the end when the debt comes due, you are in the same frying pan as the rest of us.
I’m not saying Canada is any better, I just question to what degree if any the American system is superior to ours.
It’s all relative GB, everyone is going to think their country is the best and they will all have different reasons why.
Agreed, but only through questioning and re-examining the validity of our reasoning do we progress to better and truly stronger nations. I’m not trolling or trying to start a fight. I’m merely attempting to seek the basis of the assumption that ‘America is wealthier’ to see if it can be backed up or amounts to borrowing funds and calling that wealth.
I define wealth as net benefit over and above expenses AND debt that can be used to improve quality of life. My question is does American ‘wealth’ meet that criteria.
Actually, Canada sounds pretty nice.
America has the most money, that was my point. As for who has the best system, that’s relative. I think a countries success is based by how happy the people who there are. What all these European haters fail to realize is that most Americans enjoy living here, especially those who came here and got a better life. But if whatever Canada does floats your boat, well good for you.
You’re Chinese?
America may be the ‘richest nation’ but what you may call a class divide in Europe (which barely exists anymore) is a race divide in America. The reason why people hate America is because they themselves have turned into the fat snooty kid at school that likes to bully everyone and farts a lot (pollution).
HAHAHA. There is no class divide? What about the widespread hatred for Turks in Germany, Algerians in France, Arabs everywhere, and non-Catholics in Spain. West Germans still refuse to get along with East Germans. Did you know “Ossi” is a derogatory term?
WTF?! What social rigidity?!
Maybe not in your time, but definitely in my father’s time, in the towns and cities where he lived and worked.
Lulz your comment reminds me of the “degeneracy thesis” of America.
*stop
why you posted at 10:00 am? O_o
Why you posted at 12:17pm?! O.O
Oh dear lord! We’ve lost our nesting capability! Science help us!
Oh noes! *clasps hands over bare breasts*
What about the MUFFINS?!
*feels out the muffins*
No! They’re fine… still warm and moist!
Excuse me sir! I was nomming those muffins!
nope was filled with drugs, very toxic
Maybe I like toxic drug muffins!
fine here have some muffins, now bitter troll and charro go off to have sex with her butt
Um, Charro, I think BT may have just removed your muffins! O.o
Oh that happens… nightly…
Is….is that healthy?
Charro seems to be rather perky… and buxom…
So in my professional opinion, It apparently does a body good.
*blush*
Thanks Max.
lovely eyes
lovely smile
nice jugs
-claps his hands over charros bare breasts – bitter ate it, was very nummy
How did you do that?
??
You forgot a cross to make it complete.
Well, that’s exactly what I think of America, except that two of the guys should have been fat.
One. Current obesity statistics is 1 in 3. Which is too high, yes.
Are you calling me fat?
Nope–curves are good!
So everyone in Europe is skinny? That doesn’t sound like any fun at all.
Seriously… I mean, that would take all the fun out of the “Your Momma’s so fat” jokes… it’d happen something like this:
“Your momma’s so fat tha-”
‘She’s not…’
“I’m sorry?”
‘My mother… she’s 101 lbs. She’s not fat.’
“Oh… well… that ruins everything….”
But, how can you have less than one person?
When you lose to much weight you become 3/4 of a person.
Oh gods is this another amputation thing?! *shudders*
No, I was referring to those anorexic people who weigh 3/4 of what would be considered remotely healthy. Though your way works too.
*hurk*
Only if it’s the head.. then you become European.
Well, considering that there are two proper nouns in the caption and only one capitalized letter, I can understand why.
More like Europe according to Americans. -.- We’re supposed to be ‘inferior’ …
Yes exactly my thoughts!
If this was Americans according to Europe, they at least need some BIG guns propped up around them.
Sarah Palin sums up the European view of typical Americans. Her continued popularity only confirms our view.
That is like saying that the continued popularity of Jean-Marie le Pen in France confirms my belief that all Europeans are racist and xenophobic.
Well it would imply the French were.
And you’d be right.
The generalization from France to Europe was on purpose. I am pointing out the absurdness of the generalization. Based on Palin’s ‘popularity’, all Americans or even a large portion of Americans fit that description. The US is a large and diverse place, somewhat like Europe.
Possibly, but America has a stronger underlying unity.
You take an American from the East Coast and he’ll fit in with the West Coast crowd better than a Britain in Lithuania.
I don’t know if people from Oregon have a pathological hatred or distrust with people from Washington State, but over the same area in Europe you could easily have several groups that dislike each other.
You mean, enough hatred to go to war with each other? *Thinks of US Civil War* *thinks of racial tensions in contemporary LA*
The point is that it is an incredible uninformed stereotype regardless of the “underlying unity”. I am sure you are aware of the increasingly strong showing far right, anti-immigrant parties have made in elections in countries across Europe. This doesn’t mean that all, most or even a substantial percentage of Europeans support these politics.
“America has a stronger underlying unity”…I take it that you weren’t visiting this site during the last presidential election?!?
The civil war was one war fought 150 years ago. Racism is a trait common to humanity as a whole. But at the end of the day most American’s still cheer for America.
Despite the EU, Europe is still divided along national lines. Imagine if each state in America had its own language, culture, and foreign policy with 1000 years of conflict between neighboring states.
I don’t doubt America is a divers place full of opposing opinions, in fact the numerous conflicts between North & South, Black & White, Right & Left are some of the first things I think of when it comes to America. I just don’t believe its as diverse as Europe.
Come on over some time. Spend several days each in Boston, Miami, New Orleans, LA, Cheyenne, Tuscon, Salt Lake City, Indianapolis, San Francisco. If you really travel this country, you will find Amish communities, Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, Hmong enclaves, Chinatowns, little Korea’s, Italian-heritage neighborhoods, a Somali community in Maine… Or just spend a month in New York city.
No, don’t go to Tucson. It’s really boring there.
But the ‘street spam’ that I saw for Ron Paul during my visit was hysterical! (young folk with funny signs at every 5th intersection)
I’m not a fan of the Southwest in general, even though I know that’s your hood.
I love the southwest. I miss the southwest.
You should move back to the south west! It’s pretty! Even if it does get incredibly hot during the day.
Ah, NM is not that bad. It doesn’t get any hotter than Austin, and you don’t have the 100% humidity!
AZ, yes. TOO hot.
I’m planning on moving back to the southwest. Once some.. Unpleasantness.. Is taken care of.
You need someone disposed of? That could probably be arranged. We can just drop them in the WIPP.
Is unpleasantness mob slang for disposing of the body?
Mabs ninja’d my thought!
LOL. No I don’t need a body to be disposed of. But good to know I .. know .. people..
Well, if it’s tax problems, we can’t help you. We’re afraid of them, you know, those that must not be named. *runs and hides money in mattress*
No, not tax problems. Legal problems.
Hmm…I still think proper ‘disposal’ can solve most problems, legal or otherwise.
*snort* That’s a lot of disposing..
The WIPP is deep.
Charro: I’ll do your unpleasantness if you do mine. We shall just be strangers on a . . . monorail kitteh.
Tucson is boring?
Oh yeah?
Tucson has college students, a large Mexican population, conservative retirees, a lot of old hippies, a huge air force base, and a large seasonal population of homeless people who come there in the winter to escape the cold. When I was there in the 70′s, it also had the most powerful people in the Mafia living there, and it was the main entry point for most of the drug traffic coming up from Mexico.
All these people converge on each other like some kind of social train wreck on a daily basis.
It doesn’t get any more entertaining than that.
Besides, Tucson is the place where a street preacher picked MY face out of a large crowd and announced (shouted actually) to everyone that I was Satan, walking the earth. How can you beat that?
Jodi Foster’s character is “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” said it best: “Tucson is the weirdo capital of the world.”
I have to agree with Charles on this one.. We aren’t nearly as diverse as the EU. We’re diverse all right, but not as diverse as them. The strongest point of our unity is definitely our language. While I know most Europeans are polyglot, that doesn’t automatically mean that if you live in Germany you’ll speak Italian. If you live in AZ, you speak English, just like that person who lives in CA. Or NY. Or AL. We can travel among the states in our borders and understand each other.
Or try too, I’ve talk to some people in the South that I know they’re speaking English but damned if I know what they’re saying..
*to
Yeah, I don’t believe we are as diverse as the EU on any level, but my initial point was that he was horribly mistaken if he thought we were as unified as his earlier posts indicated. I think even as Americans we forget quite how diverse we are at times.
I went to college at a small southern school in Georgia. The locals were sometimes hard to understand even though I grew up only and 1.5 hours away in Atlanta.
We are definitely diverse. Got them crazy granola people out in CA..
“America has a stronger underlying unity.”
We DO?!?
Sure we do! Now git yer redneck hick hoosier hillbilly self off mah lawn! We only gots redneck hick WESTERN hillbilly types hereabouts! *fires shotgun into air*
Oh wait a second, back that trolly up, missy. It’s MY lawn, you only have privileges. Haven’t you read the PK Acceptable Use Policy yet?
Does that policy have anything to do with using PK acceptably?
It does! But it also says that the lawn is mine until I decide to relinquish control. Since I haven’t done that yet, it’s still mine.
until the white man comes and seizes it… calls it Manifest Destiny…
Wait! I’m white AND I have the shotgun. Can I seize the lawn?
Sorry… not a man… Mabs… and I will confirm that, so don’t argue
You also need a flag. You aren’t a country without a flag.
But…but…hoosiers! On the lawn! *sniffs* And he didn’t have any ID or anything. *pouts and goes to clean shotgun*
Look, if you’re protecting the lawn – fire away! I just want it clearly understood that the lawn is mine, ok?
Yes, it is. But the pool is MINE!!! ALL MINE!! See? I put a flag in it and that makes it MINE!!
MMUUUUAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!
?…no it’s not
our image of america is: dumb people + fat people…most of the time dumb and fat people
I love all the “America is overly religious” comments. Considering the crusades, the Spanish inquisition, the dark ages and the holocaust, I think the U.S. has been pretty good about controlling their fanatics.
Not to mention the wars of the Huguenots in France, the Catholic/ Protestant conflicts in Ireland and Queen Mary’s massacre of Protestants. The list goes on and on. America had what, the Salem Witch Trials?
The Scopes Trial . . . a few others.
We sometimes also forget why the Mormons didn’t stay in Missouri.
I don’t know why . . . their breeding practices were similar.
Oh, zing!
[BTW, another Iowan, here.]
Seriously, I think they were kicked out of Ohio & Illinois, too, right?
We could just forgo making fun of other countries and make fun of Missouri. Rando should like that.
What part of Iowa?
Yeah. They traveled a good bit, but I thought Missouri was the most violent.
East Coast. Sittin’ about a block from the Mighty Mississippi.
Yes, Rando would. Missouri’s almost too easy of a target, isn’t it?
But…but…Missouri gave us Twain. That must eclipse any faults!
You clearly haven’t been to Hannibal, Twain’s home town.
Well, you can see from his writings that he didn’t spend a lot of time there after he grew up.
But still, Twain. There must be something good about a place that gave us Twain!
An accident of birth. I’m from a small town in Iowa, but I clearly don’t belong here!
lol, sounds like my dad, he was born out side a small (miniscule) town in missouri – he made sure that none of us kids were born anywhere near missouri
Of course it gave us Twain, a pile of sh!t makes for great fertilizer. ;D
LOL. I just read ‘A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court’ and your description is too kind.
Missouri can be broken up into 3 sections: Kansas City (normal people), St. Louis (normal people), the rest of the state (backwoods rednecks who are pretty f’ing scary, especially down near the Bootheel.)
How about Columbia? I went to a pretty f*&k’ng awesome concert in Columbia, about 11 years ago.
Jefferson City OK? Gravity Kills was from Jefferson City. (I saw them at the above-mentioned concert . . . I think it was called BoCoMo.)
Columbia is home to Mizzou, so it gets a pass. It’s not quite up to par with the two major cities, but it’s normal-ish. Jefferson City is the capital, so it’s full of Missourian politicians. I think I’d rather take my chances with the bootheel people. Gravity Kills was awesome back in the 90′s. Too bad they didn’t stick around. Missouri doesn’t churn out nearly enough good rock bands.
What is “Mizzou”? I’m guessing that’s a college? Or maybe you have universities down there, now?
I LOVED Gravity Kills. I’m not one of those people stuck listening to the music that was popular when they were in high school (like their tastes never grew beyond age 17), but I really loved the music of the 90s, so maybe I’ll just get stuck there.
NAH! There is still some good stuff coming out.
Mizzou is what we call the University of Missouri. I forget that people outside of MO don’t know that. And yes, it’s a university with a well-respected journalism program and an even more respected party school program.
Our local alternative station has “Wayback Weekends” where they play exclusively rock from the 90s. Those are pure awesome in my book.
When did the 90′s become ‘wayback’?
Pearl Jam is being played on the classic rock station here. The 90′s are old now. *sobs*
I thought to be a “classic” it had to be 20, 25 years old . . .
::ulp::
::remembers when I first heard the Seattle sound::
correction: to be “classic rock” it has to pre-date woodstock (the original) and should be by someone who knows what a duck tail was (and wore it) who at least knew when the music died, could have performed with elvis, fats, or jerry lee (this does include the beattles btw). anything that is post folk is old rock; if it’s from the late 70′s – it just deserves to be burned (oh, that’s right, we did burn disco), 80′s rock could now be classified as part of the recent oldies, but anything from the 90′s forward is just yesterdays noise.
Missouri is not violent, and I’ll beat the piss out of the next person who says that!
Hey, hey, we do not share breeding practices with the Mormons.
Wait, what are the breeding practices of the Mormons?
And it’s ironic that an Iowan is making fun of Missouri considering all the nasty, terrible things we say about Iowa down here, especially in NE Missouri where I went to college for a year.
Yes, well you can SAY anything you like about Iowa, it just doesn’t make it true.
Maybe if you wave that wand, Harry Potter.
Someone I knew up in Kirksville called Iowans:
Idiots
Out
Walking
Around.
At the time I thought that was pretty clever. But at least you don’t live in the state of Misery.
I don’t claim the state (too much corn for my liking), I just live there most of the year.
I like St. Louis a lot. I haven’t made it to anywhere else normal in Missouri though. Everywhere else I have been in MO scares me far worse than any of the tiny bumblefvck towns I used to travel through in GA where I grew up.
Missouri is a scary, scary place. once you get away from the cities. Even the larger towns (Cape Girardeau, Joplin, Springfield) are still pretty ass backwards in places.
The crusades, spanish inquisition and dark ages all ended before the United States came into existence.
Since then however the US have subjugated and practically wiped out the native population. Enforced slavery and racial segregation long after the rest of the civilized world, and have supported and launched their own crusades. How has America done any better with its fanatics?
Native populations were not wiped out, that’s a myth. Many more died from disease which was unintentional than in the wars. Also, when did we enforce slavery long after the rest of the world?
yeah, those unintentional smallpox laced blankets sure did the trick, didn’t they?
That is a complete myth, I challenge you to find any evidence that that was ever done purposefully. I can tell you now before you waste any time there is none. There is a letter from a BRITISH officer suggesting it and that is all.
So what was shooting all those buffalo herds about then?
Sacred meat makes the best hamburgers… fool.
Masculine testosterone excess.
As for the Native American populations, the US is not blameless. But then neither is Spain, the Netherlands, or any of the other colonizing countries. Not to mention the UK in Australia. Spain was particularly heinous in their treatment of the natives in Central and South America, and the diseases that they brought with them wiped out most of the Native American population in the Northern continent, way before the Pilgrims got to Massachusetts.
We’re all human, all of our ancestors have done horrible things. Get over yourself already!
I completely agree with you. If you look at the original argument I was just trying to point out America isn’t perfect.
Believe me, we know
No one said it was perfect, I was just saying there was no deliberate genocide of the Native Americans by small pox blankets, that is a myth.
I don’t know about that particular story, but it is true that the slaughter of the buffalo WAS part of the way the American government forced Native Americans onto the reservations (by removing their food supply). That is pretty well documented.
No, that was not a part of the “plan” there was no set plan, though there were a lot of treaties, broken treaties, unfulfilled treaties, etc. that lead to this. The over hunting was cause by enterprising men who could get 1 dollar a hide, get over 100 hides a month, and spend roughly 100 to get into the trade.
As well as the bone which was used for carbon black for printer’s ink, and the meat was used later on.
Roughly 98% of the Native populations had died out by the 1850′s, and 70 million of the 75 million in the America’s lived in South America.
I’m sorry, but there was wholesale slaughter of buffalo that were just left to rot, so it couldn’t have been solely for profit.
It was a complete waste yes, but there is no proof it was a plan by the government to destroy Native populations or drive them onto reservations.
Do you know why they were left to rot? Lets say I shoot 10 buffalo, 4 roam futhur away than I can conceivably retrieve them before they start to rot, 1 I cannot skin before it starts to rot, and 5 I skin and make a profit.
No. Hundreds of buffalo were shot from moving trains and left to rot. And it may not have been officially ordered by the government, but it was definitely part of the way that the American Indians were controlled, by removing their major food source.
Icer, you need to A) Work on your skinning speed. B) Stop shooting things you know you won’t have time to skin. C) Shoot to kill, if they can wander so far that you can’t get to them before the start to rot you are a terrible shot. What, did you shoot it in the ear?
There was blood on both sides. Sure, there have been peaceful native american tribes who have been taken advantage of by the American government. There were also many settlers in the U.S. who just wanted to build their farms and live peacefully, and some native American tribes would go and kill these settlers and their families for no reason. There were horrible tribes like the Karankawa who were aggressive, war-like, and cannabalistic and killed settlers and other native american tribes. The settlers were indeed guilty of bloodshed on many accounts, but it is stupid to think that all native americans were just precious little angels who would never hurt a fly and were just victims of the terrible settlers. Often these natives left a bad impression, which led to prejudice against all natives, not just against specific tribes. Just as many natives believed that all white men were bad guys, because of what the Spanish did to them centuries before.
” There were also many settlers in the U.S. who just wanted to build their farms and live peacefully, and some native American tribes would go and kill these settlers and their families for no reason”
ya know..maybe these natives saw the settlers as ..maybe…INVADERS????
hi im here to farm this land
no, this is our hunting grounds..
nope sorry farm land now, would you like to hear about jesus?
really we need this land to hunt on to eat..
silly savage…off to the reservation with you!
I can’t believe there are people on here actually trying blame the Native Americans for what happened, or trying to say our ancestors didn’t fvcking slaughter them. Seriously, guys, our ancestors were nasty to the Native Americans. Flat out fvcking awful to them. Don’t make excuses for that viciousness. As for Indians killing settlers, well, don’t we say it’s okay to defend your land from invaders? There you go. Duh. Cheese & rice, people!
Dude! Don’t withhold the cheese and rice! I’m starvin’ here!
*burps* Oh you wanted some of that? Sorry, bud.
I think it was the Brits who taught the Eastern Woodlands tribes the idea of “scalping”.
I think you are right about that. And the Iroquois taught the New England European gals that they were getting ripped of in the rights department… Ending eventually in the actions of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and company.
OK, THAT I didn’t know. I do know they are (the Five Peoples, and it’s probably “were”, now, since Americans pollute other cultures they deem unsuitable) one of the very few matriarchal and matrilineal cultures. What a shame. We should have learned MORE.
The matrilineal cultures seemed the smart ones, I mean, you always know who the kids mother is, she’s the woman who gave birth to the kid. You have only the woman’s word however that the father is who she says she is((not trying to imply that women are liars or prone to adultery, at least not any more so than men), and not all cultures(though almost all, there were a few) cared a whole lot about promiscuity in women, so even if the mother knew who all she’d been sleeping with she still wouldn’t know who the father was for certain.
Yep. Judaism is a matrilineal religion/culture specifically because of the numerous enslavements and invasions. And why a lot of progressive rights were granted to the woman almost 5,000 years ago in the marriage contract.
at least the later buffalo hunts were sponsored by the railroads (who received massive land grants from the us govt) with the specific intents of clearing the land for homesteaders (translation: subjugate the natives so that they’d become docile and dependent on the government for supplies). by starving the tribes, they went back to the reservations because that was the only way they could stay alive. by the end of the hunts, entire herds were left to rot in the sun, not even the hides were taken because they’d fallen from fashion.
really, try telling that to any native that there was not a concerted effort to annihilate their ancestors. or do you think events such as the trail of tears or the pursuing of the nez pierce in the dead of winter, or wounded knee, or…. shall i continue? there is 250 years at least of commited effort to wipe out the native americans.
and lest we forget, what about what the spaniards did in central & south america?
not one action taken by our government or any other was done with the best intentions towards native americans. not one.
But…but…Native Americans have reservations now! And free turkeys at Thanksgiving (irony FTW).
My wife’s grandma (pure blood choctaw) has been harassing my wife to get her Indian card for years. She won’t do it, even though she could get extra aid for school and stuff. She doesn’t feel like the government owes her anything just because her grandma is Native American.
You forgot the horrible massacre at Sand Creek. Mostly old people and children were killed, under Black Kettle’s flag of SURRENDER. If there was ever an argument for what he was trying to do there, it was Covington’s own words: “Nits make lice.” Many of his own men were absolutely sick about it.
Made an error in that murderer’s name: it was Col. Chivington. I’m so glad his actions followed him the rest of his life, and that he died of cancer in 1892. Here’s hoping it was slow and painful. Karma DOES sometimes work!
nope, didn’t forget, i was just holding that one back as my coup de grace if the lackwit came back to argue the point. and that statement along with a few made by our esteemed former president andrew jackson are the definition of the us policy towards native americans. not much has changed since that time period, except the pols have just gotten better at hiding their agenda.
What absolutely HORRIFIED me the most, of nearly anything primary evidence I’d studied, was a woodcut done in the 16th century, showing the Spaniards lopping off the hands and feet of the natives. This was a woodcut, and the expressions of horror on the faces of the handless and footless natives almost made me cry! Those natives didn’t attack them. They were being punished for not working (probably in a mine) or something like that . . . you tell me that the start of relations between Europeans and the Americas’ natives wasn’t aggressive on the part of the Europeans!
Actually, Spanish, Portuguese, French and British explorers did the majority of the subjugation(*cough Coronado *cough) before America came into existence. The continued immigration of EUROPEANS into America was the driving factor behind the westward expansion and the elimination of Native Americans. And as for the abolition of slavery, several European nations were behind the U.S. England and France thought of themselves as progressive after 1833, however they through all that out the window during the new Imperialism of the the Victorian era.
threw*
Read about the Potosi mine in South America, you Europeans owe a huge debt to the South American Natives the Spanish worked to death to mine the silver which gave you all a middle class. Good job Euros!
yeah but you forget that all that happend before the modern age.
we’ve evolved
there are places in america where thy still teach creationism at school
i think that says enough…
And there are places in Europe where they still hassle kids with brown skin. And heckle young women because of their appearance. And have multiple violent riots over foot ball matches.
Pot? Meet Kettle.
yeah cos america’s sooo tollerant. you don’t have racism over there, no, not al all
Racism in America isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be.
Your arguments suck more than your mom. Seriously, is that the best you’ve got? Yeah, we’ve got racism here. So do you. You’re no better than us. STFU.
btw, you’re not american, aren’t you?
cos you said football and not soccer…
I’m American born and bred. I have lots of cousins in ‘the old country’, so I thought I would write what you would understand. Considering your audience is an important part of communication, after all.
I’m not claiming that we don’t have racism here. It is improving, but you can’t have improvement by hiding it under the rug. I’m also not claiming that we don’t have sexism, class-ism, etc.–those thrive all over the world. And I am a realist. But the US also is not the place which you are describing.
Yes, I think it’s hilarious when Europeans (of all stripes) try to point the finger at Americans and say how violent we are, then have large-scale riots and kill people, all over “football” matches. I was shocked to read that alcohol is not allowed at these GAMES in Scotland, Serbia–I’m sure there are more places. Wonder why that is?
True, when I was 10 my parents and I went to England for vacation, I remember the police were out in force and all the fountains had been turned off because Scotland and England were having a Football match, it was the first in several years, or at least the first to be hosted in London. I was very surprised that there was so much commotion over a sports game.
Considering the holocaust was more about race than religion and that the other two you mentioned happened centuries ago, it should be clear we despise the fanatism because we got rid of it so long ago. How primitive…
This is all STUPID!!! Fanatics exist in Europe. Fanatics exist in the US. whoop-de-doo! We have proven that both everyone is a terrible person because fanatics exist everywhere!@@!!!!!111
You forgot the government backed religions in various European nations.
The church of England?
cake or death?
Death! I mean cake! Cake!
Sorry, we’re all out of cake.
So my choice is ‘or death’? Very well, I’ll have the chicken then please.
It can also be served boiling lava hot.
and here is your vegatarian mr hitler you nazi f*ck
I wanted mine frozen in the middle.
They’re too skinny…
they need some depression era junk in da trunk!
Unfortunately there are a lot of religious fanatics and selfish/ignorant morons here in the USA. In some places that picture is more or less correct. I can offer some of my family as an example (I try to avoid them).
However, I would like to point out that you never see the nice, average American on TV. This is because generally normal people are not obnoxious, in your face jerks. They are way too ‘boring’ for the media to pay attention to them.
You hit the nail on the head.
Europe is being over run by muslims. That’s a religion. Just wait when they are the majority and start voting. Then we’ll see scary fanaticism.
Nah, they tend to be second class citizens in most Western European countries. Don’t expect them to be able to be voting in mass too soon.
They are having children faster than the native populations, it is only a matter of time.
the chinese are faster… plus they don’t die (not in europe anyway, they prefer to go back to china for this… a fact I learnd some months ago and somehow found utterly funny)… but the best part of it… they do it with a smile. I’d sai… prepare america. for you don’t want to have to look at an always smiling europe… now do you?
You mean like Mormons and Catholics?
Hello Kettle, this is Pot.
Ah, but you see we’ve had actively voting Catholics in the US for eons. So what?
i don’t know what it’s like in america, but in europe you can vote regardless of your religion. so muslims already can vote
i love how you say “muslims. That’s a religion”
it’s not. islam is the religion, muslims are the followers.
if you wanna diss someone, don’t use words you don’t know the meanig of
I didn’t mean to say they can’t vote now, but they will be voting in a majority in the next 20 years or so, then you will undoubtably have Sharia law in some form or another.
Apparently, we’ve got sharia law now anyway. It’s just that it’s only the Muslims who know about it unless it gets reported in the press.
It will soon be imposed on everyone, you have declining demographics and an influx of muslim immigrants who are out breeding you that will demand it, to put it bluntly.
The first sentence in your post really made me LOL!
I think that’s why there is so much hatred of America from others. They really know very little about us.
Yup. After all: John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Catholic. Voted in by a protestant-majority country.
Oh yeah, and then we had that one African American guy, what was his name….? America a racist nation? Not on your life.
Damn, where is my moonshine?
In my boot. Never mind the smell, that’s just the outside of the bottle.
Excellent. HOOCH! *glugs*
This stuff tastes like total… Z_Z
Once ate the cherry out of a bottle of moonshine. That was quite um…I don’t actually remember the rest.
The Duke boys are running it for Uncle Jesse right about now.
give those men a gun collection and a few bibles and they look like the bush whitehouse anyway….
Racist.
Give them a ghetto blaster, a pack of menthols, and a “posse” and you would have the Obama whitehouse anyway…
You are a moron…
To the other Americans on this thread. It’s true, because of the idiots that make it to television and troll forums. We are inferior and fat. Not because that’s what we are but what is portrayed over the air waves. The problem is, the morons are the ones with the loudest voices.
For the record, I am one of those fat americans who happens to believe in thier faith and ~gasp~ is a conservative and apparantly an idiot and have no clue on what goes on in the outside world. Oh wait did I mention I’m southern so a bigot and racist too!
Gotta love stereotypes.
yes, being sarcastic will prove everyone wrong -_-
What exactly are you trying to achieve by claiming to be a stereotype?
Many americans get fat because the FDA is more corrupt (in the pockets of industry) than the equivalents in Europe. Because in America there’s that brain bug that all “government” is bad.
Compare the ingredients for the exact same brand products in the Europe and the USA.
For example, breakfast cereals. The European version will be low GI, the US version will be high GI. No wonder ppl get fat and diabetic.
Sure you can say “don’t eat processed” food. Then only less wealthy ppl working long hours (the average american) will get fat and unhealthy… and tha’ts the American way, right?
It’s all about the profit.
Wheat pasta is more expensive than the starchy empty carb stuff.
Whole wheat 7 grain bread is more expensive.
Bubbly fruit juice (instead of soda) is way more expensive than a 2 liter of high fructose corn syrup + bubbly water.
High quality good cuts of meat are more expensive than spam.
Organic, no MSG fresh soup is more expensive than MSG high sodium ramen.
I make a decent wage, but I struggle to buy healthy groceries for myself.
Demand is what drives price, there is obviously a higher demand for crappy food. If people would stop buying it, it would dissappear. It’s my opinion that more people need more education on what’s healthy and why you should eat it. But, it’s sooooo easy and fun to drive into a McDonalds and order off the $1 menu then to make up a big crock pot of food on the weekend and eat it all week…
Demand isn’t the only thing that drives prices. Overhead, labor cost, current supplies, government taxes/subsidies…
So let me get this straight. You are endorsing a tax on unhealthy foods
Well, it wouldn’t bother me too much, I just don’t want more income taxes. I wouldn’t even mind a tax on consumption, if they did away with income tax! But that’s just me… I think education is the key though…
Those are mostly fixed prices, but not necessarily. They do set a base price at which it is no longer valuable to produce/sell that product so demand does determine most fluctuations, but it certainly does not determine all food costs. If gas prices were to have kept increasing, it probably would have decreased the cost of local foods and products over mass produced/ foreign made products, for instance.
not to mention that sodas used to be in glass bottles, not plastic. And soda, beer and soup cans used to not be lined with plastic. And most plastics used in food containers in the US these days contain additives which have been shown to create insulin resistance (definition of type II diabetes and a major cause for over-eating). Most of those studies by the way were not conducted in the US…and 4 of the 5 relevant chemicals have been banned for use by the EU.
Still, I have to insist, if people stopped going to fast food restaurants, they would soon close. They are not the only alternative to the poor, not by a long shot. People need to be educated on alternatives.
Depends on where you live. Most inner city areas, the only reasonably close sources of food are overpriced convenience stores and bodegas, and fast food places. A lot of the grocery chains pulled out of the cities due to concern about shoplifting.
In Boston a few years ago, it was a VERY big deal when a food store actually opened on one of the branches of the subway system. People were having to take a taxi, or shlep their bags from bus to bus to subway and then to their apartments.
Well in those places it could be a problem, but that’s not a widespread problem for the country. Most big cities have enough grocery stores. Those kinds of problems needs to be dealt with on a case by case basis, imo.
“that’s not a widespread problem for the country.”
Actually, yes it is. There are massive “food deserts” in all cities in the US. Reasonably priced grocery stores will not go in to these areas. These same areas are also “health-care deserts”.
The people who go to the fast food places often work to many hours a day to have time for that education, and are to tired by the end of the day. Many of them work two jobs while trying to raise a family and just don’t have time to even go anywhere else or cook and so they grab fast food on their way home because there’s not much alternative as far as they know.
As far as they know, which means they need to be educated. It doesn’t take much time to make a list every week, do some shopping and plan out meals for the week. You can always assign tasks to the children, it makes them feel special to help out.
Well, you go explain all that to them, and many of them don’t have “weekends”. They work all seven days to be able to pay the bills and feed the kids.
That’s just negative thinking, there is always time to buy food and make it.
Wait… You’re telling me there are two parent families where BOTH parents work 24/7? Something is wrong there.
Never said they were two parent families.
In fact, they’re frequently not.
BwaHaHAhaHA!!! Riiiiight. When you get off one job at 5 and have to be at your second job at 6 in between? Really?
Ok then, people don’t have time to feed their kids, what’s the answer? Geez. This is far from what the original argument was, there is plenty of food availiable in this country, plenty. If people aren’t getting it, then there is something wrong there that needs to be dealt with. But, I have yet to see on the evening news anyone dying of starvation in this country. There is plenty of public assitance, local food banks and churches. If kids are going hungry it’s not that the food is not available.
Well, my kids never went hungry when I had to do that, but it definitely precluded cooking a healthy meal at home from unprocessed ingredients….My point was that sometimes feeding your kids Taco Bell, or having them nuke frozen dinners (or make sandwiches, etc.) is the only viable option due to the time/money constraints; in other words, people aren’t necessarily giving their kids fast/convenience foods just because they’re lazy.
Well, who ever said that? People were saying that kids were starving, you never let your kids starve, did you? I didn’t think so. Anyway, how can we all be fat if we’re starving? We aren’t, we may be eating cheap bad food though because it’s cheep and convenient, also it tastes better. That’s why I keep saying education.
Oh….I guess I got sidetracked by the nesting somehow. No, there’s no reason for any kids to be starving in the US; if you genuinely don’t have money for food, there’s food stamps (they even have an “emergency-track” for processing new applications for people in dire circumstances) and if the parent is selling the food stamps to buy drugs or something (far more complicated than it used to be since they’re electronic now, but yeah, still doable), the kids need to be somewhere else.
You obviously haven’t seen the studies which demonstrate the calorie-rich, nutrition-absent food is cheaper than home-cooked food, and contributes to the obesity epidemic, seen overwhelmingly–huh, funny that–in the poorest sector of Americans.
Huh? My kids aren’t obese….Did I miss something again?
*sigh* Because they don’t know the alternatives. Beans and potatoes are not expensive, there are lentils and many types of greens, even some that grow wild. Much of this stuff can be bought in cans or frozen and are easy to fix and retain the nutrients. It also doesn’t taste as good as a big mac. I’m done.
I…um..what? Tastes better?! No..it..I…my brain…you hurt my brain!
Sorry, Diss. Didn’t make clear who I was replying to, but it was n00b. We’ve run out of nesting levels!
n00b: No. Not (in all cases) “because they don’t know the alternatives”. Did you read what I wrote??
Another point: Certain healthy foods are cheap, but then . . . do you realize how MUCH of certain things it takes to feel FULL on it? Lentils & beans are cheap, but for someone with digestive problems, they might be nigh-impossible to eat (as someone with migraines and IBS, believe me, I have dietary restrictions a mile long, if I want to feel “normal” or even halfway good), not to mention the cheap versions need soaking overnight (time-consumption)–but that’s not my main point. It’s cost vs. health. Whole grains bread – very good for most people = more expensive. Organic vegetables = more expensive. LEAN meats = more expensive. Even if one stuck to brown rice for a whole grain and cans of tuna for protein (of course, the best-for-you tuna would be solid white or solid albacore), one still needs fresh (or at least frozen) fruits and vegetables. Canned vegetables have had most of the nutrients removed (personally, I think they’re salty, mushy, and taste like crap), so that’s not the best option.
Point is, it’s not ALL about education. Or even time.
It’s the almighty dollar!!
I’m sorry, Nao, but I have to point out that after your year of tuna, you will probably have died of mercury poisoning.
Well that’s the problem.
In the US you either cook from ingredients which is time consuming (unless you’re privillaged enough to have someone do that for you) or you buy pre-prepared food which is sold on price and often low quality.
There’s no reason for the pre-prepared food to be as bad as it is. The exact same branded products are lower quality in the US vs overseas.
The choice shouldn’t be between complete junk and cooking yourself.
Once again, if people didn’t buy it, it would dissappear. But, people need to be informed. Also, cooking on the weekend and freezing left over portions is a good way to save time, among other ways. A can of bean already cooked or fozen vegetables have all the nutrients of making them yourselves mostly.
Actually, most canned products have a lot of sodium in them, but you are correct in that you can make better choices and still save some time. But in terms of calories per dollar, the crappy food is the best deal, unfortunately. I cannot make four hamburgers for what the fast food chains sell them for.
(BTW, I don’t eat any of that stuff, but then we also have enough money so that our food budget is plump.
)
It’s just sad really.
Average earnings are less in the US (and it’s even worse for median earnings i.e. what the middle class take home), it’s only the cheap food and fuel that make them nominally better off (if you put value in PPP figures).
And of course making food on the weekend and freezing it assumes that the person isn’t working overtime to make ends meet…and that they have room for a decent-sized fridge (rather than those bogus under-sized apartment fridges which I’ve had the misfortune to meet a time or two).
No one is starving in this country, the right food is availiable at low costs too.
I think most people eat fast food for the price and the convenience, not ‘fun.’
And there are people starving in this country. Period.
Why would there be? With food stamps and public assistance, unless they aren’t aware of it, or have have other issues. Who is starving in this country?
I remember when I was worse off than I am now, I was living in a rural area and had to go to the local food bank, there was a lot of food available. I don’t know, things may be changing because of the bad economy now, it may get worse too.
Apparently lots of kids–they get free breakfast (high carb) and free lunch (ditto) at school, but often nothing on the weekends, and limited food in the summer. My evidence? My cousin who does food assistance in the summer for the kids he teaches during the school year.
So the parents are not caring for them, it’s not that food is not available to them.
…and that’s very sad, btw.
Yeah, sad. and not the kids’ fault, either.
Food banks up in the NE are reportedly getting seriously hit by the economy.
You said people are not starving here. That’s false. The discussion of why the children are going hungry does not affect the fact that they are. Your statement is still false.
The food banks and meal sites here all report having to turn people away.
And VG is totally correct that most children who get that very poor quality free food at school go home to houses with no food on the weekends.
Many are people who make ‘too much money’ to qualify for any kind of assistance, but barely can pay their basic bills. Some are just worthless parents who shouldn’t have had kids. Some have serious mental problems. Many are just people who were never taught by their parents how to budget, cook or any of those things we take for granted.
Yea, I hear that, and I agree that we could be coming to a time when the poor WILL seriously be in trouble in this country. I hope not.
Can you please point me to sources for that information? Because I have seriously never heard of that in this day and age with food stamps and public assitance, unless the parents are SERIOUSLY miss managing their funds.
If you haven’t heard, then you’ve not been listening or have been ignoring. The current consensus done by the salvation army is 1 in 8 people in America are struggling with hunger.
It’s not a well hidden secret. You should look into it.
Don’t get me started on school lunches VG, it makes me so angry I hulk out. I’m torn because I know that the majority of my students wouldn’t get breakfast if they didn’t eat it at school but they frequently serve a delightful entree that is called “breakfast pizza”. Want to know what breakfast pizza is? It’s freaking sausage pizza! For breakfast! Followed by a lunch of texas toast!
Actually, Mabs, as I was posting it, I thought that. Canned tuna not one’s healthiest option.
There are lots of things that people thing are healthy that are not. I read an article just the other day … scary! I’m never eating another apple unless I at LEAST peel it (I should anyway–peels are supposedly bad for IBS), but still . . . organic would SEEM to be the way to go, yet those marked “organic” don’t have consistent standards, so–what to do? Sometimes I’m mystified by what I should eat.
“No one is starving in this country”
You’ve lost it, haven’t you?
No, why have you found it?
Well, your right, the sodium needs to be watched but still better than fast food! Also, the chains probably buy hamburger in bulk (I hate to think of the quality of the meat, eww!) but we could buy about the same amount of hamberger and make spaghetti or chili and get more than four servings for the most part. It’s just not as exciting as going out for fast food, but everyone wants to be served every now and then, I understand the draw. It’s fun to eat out.
Well this is true, but it helps little if I’m in the minority protesting the crappy foods.
Though I agree with you, education is the key to fixing what is wrong with this country. And not just nutrition wise..
Yes, noobs is being incredibly simplistic.
But it’s hard to educate students who get so little at home: I remember being told as a volunteer at a childcare for homeless children that it was important to sit down and eat with the children because they NEVER saw that in their ‘normal’ life.
Being disadvantaged is more than lack of money: it’s much more about someone teaching how to do laundry, shop, budget, cook…the endless list of tasks that most of us take knowing for granted. I am always so happy that I chose my parents so well.
I prefer suger and water to high fructose corn syrup. For my birthday my dad brought me back a 6 pack of 500ml pepsi from Mexico. They use sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. Tastes so much better.
Sodas made for Passover have cane sugar. Email Pepsi and ask what symbol or cap color they use (I gather that Coca Cola uses a yellow cap).
I enjoyed soda while in Mexico. It does taste way better.
My wife and I do eat a bit of fast food, but mostly we make our own meals. One conclusion I have come to, aside from the health aspects, is that meals cooked at home tend to also be more filling. For example, if we cook spaghetti I don’t have the desire to snack later on in the evening. But let me get McD’s, and within two hours I’m back at the pantry getting some chips, cookies, or anything else that fills the square. On top of all that, while cooking is time consuming, if you shop right it can actually be cheaper to cook at home.
If you’re cooking from scratch it’s almost always cheaper to cook from home, unless you’re making gourmet meals with caviar and canapes. Vegetables and pastas are cheap, and you can buy a steak or chicken and cut it up to add to a meal rather than making it the whole meal. My mom likes to cook from scratch a lot. I made steak stew using her recipe for about 20 people for a camping trip and it cost about 20 dollars for all the ingredients.
Exactly! We like to have steak at least once a week, and if you compare a good porterhouse that you buy at the store (where you get to pick it out yourself) compared to what you get in a restaraunt, I’ll take the one I cook first. I’m not opposed to eating out, but one of my biggest issues is at home I know what I’m getting and how fresh it is.
I’m not saying you can’t eat healthily. Of course you can.
There’s just no reason for pre-prepared and processed foods to be actually bad for you.
No, there really isn’t any, except people like the taste and end up buying fatty, salty or sugary foods over the healthy foods. If they stopped buying them, they would stop making them. The end.
dang… and I always compared the us of a to hulk hogan.
And still, most people who want to emigrate and make their lives better want to go to “white, fat, racist, ignorant, religious” America.
Maybe we should start turning people away for their own good!
You know, I have seen in forums, YouTube comments, etc., a great deal of anti-USA sentiment from Europeans and Canadians which reaches an almost hysterical pitch. Yet apart from forums such as this one, which address the matter directly, I see very little anti-European or anti-Canadian sentiment from the USA. I would estimate the ratio to be at least 20:1, if not greater. I believe that, to the outside observer, this says a great deal about which group has more civility.
It might be selective reading. You see, I see exactly the opposite of what you do LOL
Really? On just this site alone compare the anti-US sentiment with the the anti-Europe/Canadian sentiment. Take your blinders off and have a real look around. Any anti-European comment you read is a reply to a stereotype posted by a European/Canadian.
And FTR, the only Canadians I really don’t like are the French variety. All other Canadians are ok in my book though.
Please don’t misunderstand my statements, I am not anti-American. I’m quite fond of my southern cousins. I just disagree with their decisions, and the direction they have been moving in as a nation. I do not presume to ‘know better’ than them how they should live, and while I may seem confrontational on the surface, it’s only because I wish to either better understand their choices or prompt them to truly consider whether those choices are beneficial.
Oh and I think you’re pretty cool too Eddie.
Thanks GB the C. From the posts that I have read from you, I can say the same. I think Canada is a beautiful country, with exceptional people (except the French variety.. oh wait, I noted that already). The only problem I see is that Canada is still a part of the Commonwealth and I think that causes some internal conflicts with most Canadians. I think, like Australia, Canada would be much better off as a Republic with no ties to the Monarchy. But then again, that’s just my opinion and maybe Canadians like being associated with the Monarchy.
Canada better off as a republic with no ties to the monarchy??? I think Britain would be too.
Yeah, but how are you going to divest yourself of the Monarchy? Where would they go? Although, I guess they could move to the Bahama’s. I just relish the thought of seeing Camilla in a thong.. Oh God, what have I just done?!?!
1)We’re not.
2) Ew. I’ve just eaten
For us its sort of a non-issue. We don’t pay taxes to the crown, we have a Monarch in name only. Any attempt to exert power from the thrown would be laughed at and ignored. Our membership in the Commonwealth is merely an acknowledgment of a shared heritage with other Commonwealth nations and the explicit promise to consider the needs of the other Commonwealth nations in foreign policy decisions, something like a less explicit version of NATO.
Except that whole appeal for dissolving Parliament not so long ago.
That was more a matter of determining the technicalities of the electoral process, and Canada specifically requested external arbitration in that matter. I do however believe this unholy obsession with a first past the post parliamentary needs to end. Our electoral system is overdue for an overhaul.
My personal suggestion is this, but I’m certainly willing to come to a rational compromise:
Municipal Government – Direct representative democracy, no change needed.
Provincial Government – Bicameral, one body elected first past the post, second body elected proportionally, leader of the Majority in the proportional body takes the seat of provincial executive.
Federal Government – Tricameral, one body elected first past the post, second body, 2 reps appointed by province after each provincial election, third body elected proportionally, leader of the Majority in the proportional body takes the seat of Federal executive.
Do all three federal bodies have to come to an agreement for legislation/ can each body veto legislation? Which body services as the national judiciary?
I get excited about these things. It makes me really happy that you have such a detailed prescription.
At the federal level yes, the three chambers would have to come to simple majority agreement. I see no reason to push federal legislation without broad agreement, however national budgets can pass with 2 chambers so long as the third doesn’t oppose with a 2/3rds majority.
I’m still working on the specifics for the Judiciary, but I’m thinking Executive appointment by with majority approval by the first-past-the-post and provincially appointed bodies.
Neither does Australia. But, and I’m not sure if this is true with Canada, there is a Governer General who is the representative for the Queen. I don’t know what power’s the position has, but it still says that the Monarchy has a presense here, even if it’s in name only.
And Australia has a presence in the Danish monarchy now, too!
Oh yeah, I forgot about that!
My cousins love that they met in a bar. Apparently the Prince is a bit of a barfly. Or was, anyway!
The GG up here basically functions as arbiter in cases of disagreement on technicalities, enforcement of procedural rules and ‘technically’ has veto authority, though if it was ever used by a bill that passed in both houses they would be hoisted by their petards and the legislation would pass anyway.
Wait, first we were your big sister, now we’re also your cousin?! Maybe this picture is more accurate than we first thought.
And judging from your “20:1″ I can see you have no idea about the statics you want us to believe are valid.
That’s not really funny, it’s not very accurate, but judging by american replies here, you surely deserve to be treated that way
Same to you
I guess we should be sweet and polite as Europeans bash our country left and right. Please, continue. We’re enjoying hearing about how religiously insane and fat we are.
As an Amrican, I can report that this is mostly true… I spent 20 years in Uniform, and was stationed all over, and I am ashamed of our citizens (but I still am proud of the Constitution).
As an “Amrican”… Yeah you cannot even spell it, so I refuse to allow you to speak for me. I am clean, educated, good genetics, and refined. You spent 20 years in uniform and are saying you are ashamed of the citizens you swore to protect. You are a pretentious bastard, and it is a shame that people with your mindset are left with firearms and entrusted to protect us. You are also ignorant, the Constitution was written SOLELY because the men in charge viewed the common man as the ones in the picture. I have traveled all over this country as well, and more than the piss poor areas our government invades to place Army bases in, and pictures like these, are very much the minority.
And your educated self never learned what a typo is? You are a pretentious bastard who purposedly knit-picks in an attempt to look smart.
Yes, a european is standing up for an american, the world is coming to an end!
Your standing up for an “American” who is slamming and entire population. Yeah, you should feel proud of that..
Yes I know what a typo is, but I would imagine it best to to call our entire population the equivalent of what the picture portrays while making one. Also, my educated self knows you never begin a sentence with “and.”
Try again…
Why are you ashamed of Americans? I’m ashamed of some of the things our government has done, as the way some idiots act, but your statement is just silly. I’m hardly a patriotic American, but I still think you’re full of it.
Well, I will admit that sometimes I am embarrassed at other Americans’ behavior in the same way one can be embarrassed by a relative’s behavior. You’re not responsible for it, but when someone asks, you still have to acknowledge the relationship. (“Yep, that’s my cousin pissing off the water tower.”)
Well he better stop! Those water towers can be really mean when they get pissed!
…..Oh… you meant… he’s going off the water tower… gotcha.
I couldn’t tell some of the really stupid stuff my cousins say because the moderators block the n-word. I’m blaming the genes on the other side.
The English language is so much fun to use as a weapon of confusion… like how you can join a club… that goes to the club… and gets clubbed. So much fun…
Hey, no arguments from an English geek on that! It’s a great language to know…and a terrible language to learn.
(I do a bit of ESL — English as Second Language — tutoring.)
so true … typical american
Put down the cheese piere and go and brush your teeth for a change…
Says the moron who cannot even spell “Pierre”?
Jeebus, what goes on a jeebus crêpe?
I like a nice strawberry sauce on mine. Chocolate is good too.
A little bit of sacramental wine, some unleavened bread, taken at mass, it is a yummy appetizer for confession and guilt.
TROLL’D HARD
derp
Being a troll only works if you actually disturb the party targeted, I am not mad, just pointed out how stupid French people are…
Yes, because piere is a completely accurate sampling of all French people. We also know he’s french from his misspelled name, and not just some troll pretending to be french.
He is as accurate of a sampling of all French people as this unfunny picture is accurate as a sampling of all Americans…
Thank you for making my point for me
I’m confused. I’m European and I don’t think of americans like this. I thought that was the stereotype for the southern states only. *scratches head* That’s what the Simpsons taught me!
Its at least the stereotype of Southern Appalachia (mountain folk) even within the states.
It’s mostly a urban -vs- rural
If you’re not a city dweller than you MUST be a total redneck.
As somebody from Europe, I can say that this is not how the majority of us see the US.
Apparently, the Europeans think 1920′s Alabama is the whole of the US.
*Above Europeans
*hands UBERGRUE cookies*
Would you like some tea?
Indeed, let me get my butler….
Is he cute?
*perks up*
Tea and cute butlers? What, what?
*straps self into corset and prepares for tea*
You can strap yourself in without help? I am in awe of your skill. I can never manage it.
Yeah, actually, I learned in the bathroom of a pizza place.
You must teach me this skill.
Ok. I will use the Vulcan Mind Meld.
Hot.
*lick*
*falls through the ceiling tiles*
Hellooo… ladies… don’t mind me… I was just inspecting your Air Conditioning…. pipes… in.. the…. Kiss! Just kiss her!
Subtle. *kisses Charro passionately*
*feigns shock*
Maxwell! I haven’t managed to get my bosom fully into this corset, and DU is still undressed waiting for my direction! Oh dear and Janie is still completely naked, I shall shield their nakedness from you with my bare hands.. How uncouth of you!
Could you shield a little lower? Lower? Yeah, right there. Mmmm…
*fondles DU’s bare breasts*
Er, I mean
*helps DU get herself into the corset*
Well ladies, in this… most awkward position, let me assure you all I am a professional in socially awkward situations involving multiple women.. So if you’ll just allow me to
*egg timer starts ringing*
Oh…. OH MY! My muffins!
*tears ass down the hall*
My goodness! He just tore is ass, that can’t be good. Oh dear. I’d run after him to help but all I have on is a corset, the bottom half of me is still completely nude.
*walks back into the room*
Well I’m probably only going to get to say this once in my lifetime but…
*looks at the scantily clad, half naked wimmenz*
Ladies…. your muffins are ready!
WOOHOO!
That’s ok. Let me help you with that..
*pulls DU back and returns the passionate kiss*
I’m not wearing anything below the waist either. I sure hope Max’s muffins are ok.
*kisses DU again*
*adjusts Charro’s muffins, then samples them* mmm nibble nibble…
You know… it’s times like these, that I really… really do love being on the night shift…
*spanks DU playfully*
What a cute little bottom you have, especially when you’re not wearing anything over it.
-leans in with a video camera- max your line is your here to deliever a pizza..
*stands there*
Oh… what? Pizza? Right….. sweet… precious… round delicious…. pizza….
No, no, no, he’s there to fix the copier.
(And FTR, I’m glad I can make very good mental images in my head. This is awesome.)
*feels a little guilty for agreeing with most of the Europeans that have posted…*
You should.
actually, europeans know the us quite well… my boyfriend knows the us capitals better than i do and he is from spain. if anything, i think this is how the us imagines the south to be… and i suspect it´s true in the small towns.
Maybe you should have spent more time in school?
acshully, we think:
- americans iz fat
- americans can has guns
- americans dun give a crap about the rest of the world
Let me match you stereo type for stereotype:
- Europeans are dirty and don’t wash
- Europeans don’t have good teeth
- Europeans are sissies that run from a fight and hide behind the US skirt
Hows that for stereotypes!? You see? You are acting just like the people in the photo you are judging.
Europeans think american have bad teeth full of fillings.
But that having exactly straight and perfectly white (visible) is necesary in American society because of the lack of health care and social mobility. In the USA you can judge someones socioeconomic background by their physical apperance.
acshully, that last one iz:
- americans dun give a crap about the rest of the world, unless thay haz oil – then thays come and take it
Right, we have ALL the worlds oil. So, where are we hiding it? Fool.
In your 400lb bodies?
Lol, I see, you’re an idiot.
Come on, I thought that was a funny reply. I don’t think all americans are fat, stupid warmongers. I do however think that most europeans has a more realistic view of the US than vice versa. After all, it’s only the brits and the french that don’t wash and has bad teeth.
It was funny, I lol’d didn’t I?!
nay that just form where bush form
Ironically, the use of the word “form” here is pretty funny. Because it gives the impression that those dudes in the lol weren’t merely born, but formed out of some lesser breeding pool. I also think that imagining Bush emerging from that same sludge is pretty funny.
Pretty funny indeed, he formed like a tumor and then he spread.
@n00bs: Again “us Europeans” see the thing a little diffrent. Even when we say that invade Afghanistan was the right thing to do. In Europe its more or less a fact, that Iraq was because of the oil. And even if your point is valid, thats not even a reason to elect such a moron into office.
This may be a little over the top, but last time germany elected a moron…well let me state it this way, things didnt go that well the next 12 years.
How was Iraq about oil? The price of oil increased for us! We didn’t get any oil, did you? Did anyone get the oil but the Iraquis? I don’t buy the whole war for oil thing, there isn’t any evidence of it. But beside all that, we didn’t elect GWB to go and fight in Iraq, we elected him to protect us and in the first 4 years it appeared he was doing a great job. He got a little weird in the final 4 years but how is that any proof we elected him out of hate?
Yeah, he protected you so well that your entire economy has fallen apart, nice work dubya.
Look, that’s not exactly my argument. He did start spending like a drunken sailor there at the end which is not good for the economy. Of course Obama is continuing it on a massive scale. But, my argument is that we DID NOT elect him twice out of HATRED, which was the contention of the poster I was responding to. So please, stick to the original argument and show how electing GWB was an act of hatred towards the rest of the world.
But now Obama, who is thought of well by the rest of the world, is not able to close Guantanamo anymore than GWB was able too. If holding these people in Guantamo is so bad, why don’t European countries step up and take some of them? And like I said before, most of our allies went with us into Iraq, they did find yellow cake in Iraq which is a WMD and it is well known that Saddam used chemical WMD’s on the Kurds, so how can they point a finger at us? Can you imagine how GWB would be villified if Sadam had WMD’s and they got into the hands of Al Quaeda or Hamas and they used them?
Yes, yes, yes. Guantanamo is slowly being closed and there are some prisoners who are headed to Europe.
The argument about the Kurds really is an argument that if we were going to take over Iraq we should have done it under Bush the senior when we ‘truly’ had international support for our endeavor.
I agree, had ‘terrorists’ somehow gotten their hands on WMDs from Iraq then Bush would have been blamed, but there was little reason to believe Iraq was going to do that. I will let you have the last word b\c I am really tired of arguing over the reasons for going into Iraq.
My main point did not have anything to do with the war per se, it was that the re-election of Bush was interpreted as going against the international community by the international community, although his reelection had little to do with Iraq in the states.
Yes, I will agree with your last paragraph, because I know that the reelection of GWB did not have anything to do with a hatred of the outside world, but more of a desire to have protection from fanatics who were outright saying they wanted to destroy us. It was a frightening time for this country, that’s all.
*passes BW a case of “two buck chuck” wine* Take a break, this wine needs some sampling.
This is absolutely ridiculous. If you really believe this then it says more about your foolish preconcieved assumptions about Europeans than it does about Europeans. One Lincoln rating for you, you earned it.
Didn’t see any fat people.
OK. Two things. 1) I have actually been to Toms River, NJ, and also to ‘Jenks’ (Jenkinson Beach, in Point Pleasant, NJ). The folks you saw in the video were pretty close to the appearance of what you would see on the beach at Jenkinson’s. The young people in that area of the country to not run to fat…until they’ve had a couple kids.
2). The people in that video were certainly not representational of the average American (although I’ve gone to high school with SOME like that). They were chosen for being amusing, and willing to display their stupidity. (there is a whole series based on this concept–’stupid Guidos from the NJ shore’). Those people were also not representational of the average person from the central New Jersey shore. AND they were all A) media whores and B) drunk off of their butts.
Get out of my head, pa!
(oh, and also:
1. No news pundits lieing all the time.
2. No starvingly anorexic hollywood chicks filled with silicone.
3. No mention of World War 2 or 9/11
4. No explosions
5. No guns
6. Nobody’s getting sued
7. No cars (let alone an SUV)
8. No drunk college people
9. No Christian signs/chants/gospels/churches
10. No hippies
11. No pot (over half of Americans has smoked pot. That’s a bigger % than in Amsterdam)
12. Why the hats? We don’t think Americans have hats.
13. Not one American flag or sign of patriotism.
14. There aren’t even Muslims who are being oppressed (or having their countries invaded).
So this is how (some or very few) Americans think Europeans think Americans are.
The south according to people who live in the south
I don’t think so Tim.
Not true, there are no weapons and no black people clubbed to death by policemen.
It’s usually black people clubbin black people over here.
I didn’t say anythin about policemen color ^^’
Btw i was joking, i quite like usa… for some things.
ok first i didn’t say or mean you elected GWB out of hate. If it come out this way i am sorry, didn’t mean to. What i meant was that with GWB it started that “we Europeans” brag about America. I think it wasn’t that bad before GWB.
And the Iraq Oil thing, well obviously it wasn’t about Sadam, and it wasn’t about Weapons of Massdestruction. So its just speculation but GWB and his government did this to have a better control over the oil resources. And for the gas price thing. Its funny how Americans keep complaining about it. You should be happy that your gas price which is that low. Over here in Germany we pay more than 3 times the price. When you would get rid of you big ass cars you would see that its not that bad.
But lets not talk about this, i think there are so many points which America and Europe have totally diffrent views of. This would take forever
Ok, well thank you for at least admitting that our election of GWB was done out of hatred for the world is not true. And, yes we could go on and on about the oil thing and I don’t want to spend time on a Sunday morning. But, remember we did not go into Iraq alone, the free flow of oil is important to the entire world economy, not just US. Think about all the things we use oil for, not just for gas, but for heating and industry and the amount of things that petroleum is used for is huge. We ALL need oil, not just USA.
I just love watching the Americans and Euros fight so much! You all get so defensive about the silly stereotypes there are.
This caption has provided me many lulz.
As a native Californian, I’d like anyone in the US with a similar bigoted view towards my state to think about this (that’d be pretty much all of Idaho and Texas, and maybe most of the rest of the country between us and the Northeast). Is it that it’s only the other person’s bigotry that’s bad?
Actually, I love everything about California except for L.A. Where else can you go from ocean, to desert, to ski resorts over one weekend? And despite all of the hate towards California, 90% of the people are very easy to get along with. And two cities that I love going to is San Diego and San Francisco.
You should know the answer to that one, Eddie . . . duh. You’re closer to there than you are to California.
That’s right: New Zealand.
Well, yeah, but if you live in he US NZ is a long way to go, true?
So true. I just was answering your question, which sounded to me like you thought it was the only place like it …
As a native Iowan, screw you and your pathetic stereotype of what’s between your coast and the other one.
Careful Bodo, you don’t want to piss off NaoNao, she has a wood chipper.
I’m also not sure how showing bigotry towards other states is going to make people less bigoted towards CA.
You see how that works?
::pulls out the clutch on the chipper::
Come over here, and let me show you how to operate this thing . . .
Where would you be flying out of? Vayama .com is pretty good for flights between the US and the Europe.
If I wasn’t so broke because of this bad economy I would send you a ticket!
awe thank you that’s so sweet!!!!!
Whoa, whoa people. Canadians, Americans, Europeans! We shouldn’t be fighting. We all have one important trait in common: we are awesome.
Now, shall we all band together and make fun of another continent/country? What about South America? Brazil’s big, let’s all make fun of them!
YES.
Those silly Brazilians and there soccer.
*their
And the waxing.. oh wait, I like the waxing.. never mind.
That Brazilian waxing is really hot.
Well, we sure can’t say they’re fat.
In fact, it’s difficult to make fun of their physical appearance in any way.
Umm, they kill their street children?
Personally, I don’t see much in Brazil that I care for. But, and this is a biggie, Carnival is awesome!
I vote that we make fun of Antarctica. Those p*ssies won’t know what hit them.
Fukcing penguins.
Goddamn kelp munching sea cows…
Really, really nasty winds…. (so my brother says)
Stupid Antarctica with its ice breaking off.
The majority of Europeans (that’s right, the whole continent) is still just jealous that we won the American Revolution. Guys come on, it was like, 200 years ago. I know the break-up was rough, but can’t we still be friends?
ummm…. I’m pretty sure the revolution was just against Britain. I’ll have to check my facts on that though…
I’m pretty sure I was joking.
The majority of Europeans (that’s right, the whole continent) is just jealous that we won the American Revolution. Come on guys, that was a long time ago. I know the break-up was rough, but can’t we still be friends?
Sorry for posting that twice
actually, that’s not true at all. I’ve lived in Europe, and Europe has a huge amount of respect for the revolution and views it in a very positive light. Even when the revolution happened, we had broad support in Europe. Even England was very split on the revolution DURING the revolution, with many prominant politicians supporting us.
Our revolution was FUNDED by France and the Dutch, hello????! How about a little appreciation for the people who bought all our weapons and then gave us the money to rebuild our infrastructure, you POS. Now granted that was more out of animosity towards the British than love for us, but the fact is they still paid for our war.
The American Revolution was a huge motivator for Europe, and was the inspiration for many of their own revolutions and for turning the monarchies of Europe into nothing more than figureheads.
Read a book you moron. People like you and comments like this are exactly why some Europeans think that Americans are backward hicks as in the picture above.
Sure, but that was France and the Netherlands prosecuting their on-going was with England by other means. An illustration of “the enemy of my enemy is my ally” in action.
Paws, he said that:
Wow. What a really hate-filled thread today. It’s sad that we all only see each other through the incredibly slanted lens of the media and popular culture. Too bad we can’t all remember that the noisiest, most annoying people from another country or culture usually represent the smallest fraction of that place and a fraction that most of the ‘normal’ people who live there are embarrassed to be associated with.
FTR, I don’t have any hate for Europeans. The ones I know are good solid people and can’t say that I have any stereotypes of them. However, since I’ve moved to Australia, I can say that I have come across a lot of invalid stereotypes of Americans. The sad part is, most of those are from people who have never even been to America. I suspect the same is true here from those that are European.
Well, I certainly found that to be true when in Europe. The people with the strongest opinions usually had the least actual experience. One wouldn’t want to mess up one’s opinions with pesky things like facts!
BTW, I wasn’t remarking to anyone in particular, just the general theme. I did notice that a few people tried to make polite and rational comments, but they were drowned out by the roar of stereotyping.
I have actually found in Europe that some of the most hateful comments towards the US come from US ex-patriots and their friends. I have wondered before if many of the stereotypes come from people that have chosen to leave the states because of negative views of it.
Speaking from experience, I’m proud as hell to be American and despite some negatives, have encouraged people going to the States for holiday to try and get in as much of the experience as possible. One exception is I try and discourage people from spending too much time in L.A. The only reason I’m an ex-pat is that my wife is Australian and at the moment prefers to live here to be closer to her parents. But who’s to say what will happen in the future? I would much prefer to retire in the States, but if that doesn’t happen, so be it. I will continue to consider myself an American first and always.
Yeah, most of these conversations are just ridiculous. It’s sad that there is so much xenophobia and stereotyping going on.
I see Europe as a magical land of rainbows and flowers.. Is that wrong?
And unicorns! Don’t forget the unicorns! But I do wonder if the fairies are more like the Mac Nac Feegle than Tinkerbell?
Invisable PINK unicorns!
*looks out of window*… er, a bit. But don’t tell DU!
But there WILL be a rainbow when it does stop raining, right?
I’ll let you know if it ever happens!
Don’t worry, I actually like rain! Few years ago I actually did look into moving to England, but the paperwork was a bit discouraging. That and a friend of mine who had done two semesters abroad in England tried to get a student visa for graduate school and was refused. It seemed like alot of work with little chance of actually getting anything out of it.
I don’t think we’re much wrong…
How can you not like the US? THEY HAVE CAPTAIN CRUNCH!
Hmmm… not really. When I think of America as a stereotype, I think gun-wielding religiously fanatic racist white people.
Other frightening american stereotypes include the gun-wielding gangstas, and of course the gun-wielding rednecks. Wait, did I mention that you tend to let potentially dangerous people carry guns?
Of course, I know you aren’t all like that. Now if you excuse me, I have to grab my bike, to go eat my snails with red wine, camembert and baguette.
Hmmm.. Very true. It does seem we allow some dangerous people to carry guns.
Can I have some red wine and snails?
I have to say, I’m an American currently studying in France and the first I’ve ever seen a gun out (not like in a store window or a police holster) was at the Austerlitz train station in Paris. Like… big guns being carried by guards. I was unnerved for a second.
not saying anything in terms of the truth of any stereotype, just an observation.
Yes, we have the Army in trains stations and airports to prevent terrorism. It’s called “vigipirate”, and it’s active since 1991. It’s meant to be dissuasive, hence the full uniforms and assault rifles.
This is not how I view Americans.
wel this is stupid.. becuz of a caption that isn’t even funny everyone is insulting eachother…sigh
Haha, no, don’t worry. When Europeans hear “America”, they don’t think of a bunch of boozing redneck hobos.
They think of cars that waste incredible amounts of petrol, of young people being deprived of sex-ed, of Fox News, of a desolate health insurance situation, of a much greater percentage of homeless people who are forced to live on the street; and they think of plastic surgery and of hotels that keep up huge meadows in the middle of the desert and thereby waste lots of water and energy. Oh, and of a country that has constantly been at war for the last, how many, 70 years?
Don’t worry, nobody sees you like in that picture above.
PS: European is spelled with a capital E.
I guess we should have left you all to the ‘N’azis and ‘C’ommunists.
-clutches troll bible to his chest-
NOOOO troll jesus will save us from our destructive ways if we just pray hard enough
and the only sex ed children need is its WRONG AND DIRTY AND DISGUSTING AND YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED FOR FEELING THAT WAY
if you disagree your going to TROLL HELL
Geez, calm down!
NOOOOO ONLY TROLL JESUS CAN CALM ME DOWN!!!
Will you settle for the touch of the FSM’s noodly appendage?
depends on where he touches me
*touches bitter troll inappropriately*
*conks BT on the head with troll jesus figurine*
owe…-glares at default and grabs his bitter flame thrower-
I was trying to calm you down with the power of troll jesus! And be careful, I think Keithy still has your bitter chainsaw and wants to use on you for groping me.
HEAR HEAR! Awesome answer.
I always suspected this site’s readership was unabashedly Anti-American. And now I know for sure. Shame. The US is a great country with, in general, good friendly people.
America is the light of the free world, just hope that it doesn’t go out with all the dousing it’s taking from inside and out.
i imagine american like fat people
I’m an American and I like fat people.
in soviet russia fat people like you
Big girls need lovin’ too.
But they gotta pay.
I was waiting for that, Quagmire.
Giggety.
amazing you can post later but before sooner people
TIME PARADOX!!!
huh?
HOAX!!!
See also: time zones.
See also: “refreshing the page, for internet noobs.”
Yeah, to those who don’t get it: I believe the time stamps are Pacific Time, if I’m not mistaken.
In my best imitation-Ed McMahon-voice: “You are CORRECT, SIR!”
And it’s really goofy when one gets emails . . . the email time for me doesn’t match up with the posted time, not even by subtracting 2 hours. For instance, I received the email at 10:46, the time stamp above (for your post) says 8:42, and the email says you posted at 6 am on December 13th? WTF happened, there?
The time my mailbox says the e-mail as received and the time the mail says the post was made never match. I usually get a chunk of posts from 6:00 am, then the next chunk will say 12:00 am. Your post Nao, for example is one of those 6:00 am ones, yes the time stamp here clearly says 11:08am and my inbox says 7:08am.
Ah!! These e-mails have been delivered by the Galifreyan Royal Mail “Anytime Anywhen it’ll be delivered (as long as we can get our Type 40 Tardises working)”
What I’m curious about is how do you people define the difference between a religious person and a religious fanatic? Some people call religious fanatics anyone who simply sincerely believes in and adheres to the teachings of a given organized religion, basically takes their religion seriously. I think this definition is unfair. Personally I think a religious fanatic is simply someone who uses their beliefs to enforce a violent, hateful, or forceful political or social agenda, i.e. the Taliban, the crusades, westboro baptist church, the young earth creationists, etc.
religious person, someone who lives their life accounting to a faith or teaching
religious fanatic, someone who wants YOU to live YOUR life to their religious teachings or faith, and if you dont..they will do everything in their power to MAKE YOU…because thats what (insert deity here) wants…
I think that’s a fantastic definition. I would like to add, if you can’t say more than two sentences in a row without saying something about God, Jesus, or your deity of choice (when the subject isn’t religion to begin with) then you may be a fanatic (I sense a Foxworthy-ish stand up career based off this. Score!)
“You might be a religious zealot if….” *in proper southern drawl*
I get sick of people thanking God every single time something goes right in their life. Oh, yes, you’re so special that God is tinkering around trying to make things go right for YOU!! I guess that’s why the globe is heating up and melting the darn polar ice caps. He’s busy making your little progeny score well on his history test! He’s busy allowing you to feel good you woke up again, today! I’m about to defriend these losers on FB that have to Thank God for being alive–like every day. My gag reflex is working overtime.
” . . . WHO have to Thank God” . . . ::grrrrr::
::walks away grumbling about being brought up and surrounded by hicks who can’t speak proper English::
What’s worse is when you go out of your way to do something for someone and his/her response is “Oh, thank god for sending you to help me.” Occasionally I have just freaking lost it and said, “I have freaking free will; how about thanking ME?”
I am a bad, bad person, but I can’t stand that!
Yeah!
A little gratitude in the right direction goes a long way towards making good things happen again!
(am SO not being sarcastic, but mine IS a double-edged comment, pertaining to my life; too bad the person who s/b reading it won’t ever.)
I have (I really am a bad person) upon occasion, when someone does the ‘thank god I’m alive today’ replied with ‘yes, thank god for not killing me today.’
Bad, bad me. Now I have to go to work. Probably punishment from god for being bad.
how come no one ever blames god when things go wrong?
well my dog exploded…guess god wanted it to happen..
There was an Onion article on that a while back. The headline was something like “Family happy God has answered dying child’s prayer. Answer is no”
I have never understood that. My pregnancy went very badly at the end: I almost died and our son was 1#15.5oz, in the Neonatal ICU for 10+ weeks. He came out fine. People still say “You must thank God for saving your child.” To which I usually reply, “Then I would have to blame God for trying to kill him…and me.”
Yes, I know. I’m a bad person. But it’s tiresome to have people constantly project their religious beliefs onto you. Besides, I bet hell has all the fun people!
That’s a great reply. I can never think of what to say!
What if I have days when I can’t get through two sentences without using some form of the work fvck?
I think that may just mean I’m a little stressed.
Well, I think it means you need cookies. *gives diss cookies* All better now, see?
Cookies helps, thank you, Mabsba.
Or should I just thank God for sending you with the cookies, hmmm?
Well, I guess that would depend on whether or not you wanted to get more cookies!
So, a story that’s tangential to this discussion. On a very long 13-hour flight to Auckland, NZ, I was stuck in the middle of a group of missionaries who were going to bring the word of the Lord to those heathen Maori (or something like that – I couldn’t be arsed to find out the details). When the flight attendants brought us dinner, the one sitting next to me said “I would like to thank JC for this meal…” etc. So, under my breath and in Russian I said “I would like to thank Debbie, my flight attendant, from bringing me this meal and the bottle of wine, which I can use it wash down my Dr@mamine & pass out, avoiding any attempts of religious conversion that are sure to follow”. My evangelical seat-mate gave me a smile, thinking I was praying as well. I’ve never gotten more sleep on a flight before or since then.
I am personally willing to thank who or what ever is willing to bring me more cookies. I will be more than happy to thank god for these cookies when he puts them in my hand.
The teenager has returned home, so the cookie supply is diminishing rapidly. On the other hand, the client whose daughter I tutored today runs the local Doubletree and gave me a tin of cookies for Christmas! They are amazing. *I would put a little smilie dying of sugar happiness if I knew how!*
:diabetichappy:
If THIS is what it takes to make you believe!!!! *hands DU heavenly cookies*
Keithy? Is that you? It is you! I’m engaged to God! Thank you Keithy God! Do I get cool powers when we get married too? Will I get to be a Goddess? With a temple? And offerings?
Yes. Oh and BTW you’re now pregnant.
Ya-what? But we didn’t? I mean we haven’t…Aren’t we supposed to..? We aren’t married yet! Couldn’t you have at least waited till, well, after we’d had sex? If I have morning sickness on our honeymoon we’ll know who to blame!
Hahaha.. just my little joke. I should have known better, last time I tried it, there was no end of trouble…
Oh! Oh good. *breathes sigh of relief and puts down coat hangar* Yes, I can imagine getting people pregnant before the wedding is a terrible idea.
Flying Spaghetti Monster shall touch you with Flying Spaghetti Monster’s noodley appendages and knock you up…its like hentia!
Don’t make me deploy the holy shears!
Flying Spaghetti Monster shall deflect it with Flying Spaghetti Monster’s Noodle field!
*thinks she may have just started a holy war*
*Stares at blunted shears* They’re going back to the shop, they were supposed to be omnipotent. OK. *deploys holy water cannon*. HA! Not so ‘al dente’ now, eh?
you dont have the meatballs!
-loads the midget cannon-
*holds up net* Cool! Meatballs for dinner!
It’ll be just like a Japanese monster flick!
Hmm. Jesus, get mopping up that sauce with the loaves. Holy ghost, just, well do your ghosty thing.
You can never defeat Me, I mean Us, whatever..
i dont have to defeat you, i simply have to be just as logical..
-drips sauce on jesus-
*drops a plague of locusts on the meatballs*
-sends his pirate armies after the locasts. watchs them fight- its like poke’mon
PIRATES I CHOOSE YOU!
I don’t know who ‘you people’ is, but I think there’s a gray area between the two extremes you mention. To me, ‘fanatics’ are those who are so convinced that their religion is right that they want to force other people to adhere to it, whether by violent means (eg Taliban) or political (Americans who want prayer in schools). The problem is that they never consider themselves to be hateful or violent or forceful because what they’re doing is ‘right.’
That seems like a good working definition.
Stop being jealous, Europe. Come over sometime and we’ll have some moonshine.
I’m not ‘european’ but that’s probably what I’d be described as by most americans. You know what? Most of the world doesn’t actually give a crap what americans are like, except when they project it on the rest of us.
But isn’t that true of most countries? I have heard that when Australians go out of the country they are viewed as insufferable, loud, obnoxious, drunkards, etc. However, that is NOT how the people actually are here. I would suspect the same is true of Americans. Get them out of their comfort zone and some just completely lose the plot and turn into people they wouldn’t otherwise be at home. Thus giving the impression of what has been displayed in the anti-American comments here.
And those that don’t fit the stereotype either don’t get noticed as being Americans, Australians, whatever, or are written off as a ‘good’ American.
Well, the problem the Aussies have is we can’t really tell the difference between the Aussie accent and the British one so we just automatically assume if you’re loud, obnoxious, and drunk you must Australian and if you aren’t those things you’re obviously British.
I’m pretty good at telling the difference between an Aussie and a Brit. Until recently, I had real difficulty in telling the difference between an Aussie and someone from New Zealand. The differences are subtle, but if you know what to listen for it’s that difficult. Alot of Aussies talk like either Paul Hogan, Russell Crow, or Steve Irwin (who is at the extremem end of Aussie accents – also called Ockers).
it’s *not* that difficult..
How about the guys in Flight of the Conchords? Real NZ accents?
Yep, those guys are the real deal.. You can tell a New Zealander by the way they say things like six, it sounds like sex. Or fish and chips comes out as fush and chups.
Aussies say ‘sex’ kiwis say ‘sux’ Evidence this old joke:
Someone graffitied “New Zealand Sucks” on a billboard or something. Someone else wrote underneath it “Australia Nil”
WIN
Just because it isn’t hard doesn’t mean people can do it
I used to be able to do that, but I think I lost that ability when I stopped working with a Kiwi.
(I’ll never forget it . . . I ate a kiwi in front of her one day at lunch. She laughed her butt off at me because I peeled it. She said they just cut off the top and dig them out with a spoon. I never could get the hang of that, tho.)
I lolled! In NZ we say kiwi fruit, cause if you were eating a kiwi (aka NZ’s national bird) you’d probably by burned in effigy. In US terms it’d be like eating a bald eagle and wiping your mouth with the flag.
Mmmm Barbecued bald eagle….
Whoops! Well, sorry, but we call those fruits “kiwis” here, and we don’t think about your national bird at all, let alone would I consider eating one . . .
Really, no offense intended; I didn’t eat the bird!
Wouldn’t eat an eagle, either – I bet they’d be tough and stringy.
No offence taken at all
I was joking actually, damn the inability of text to convey humour! 
Also you wouldn’t get much meat on a kiwi.
True dat. Never met a fat one.
I thought you were joking. Joking “panic” in return.
That’s why the grinning guy at the bottom.
Whaaa? DU, speak for yourself.
I can tell. Aussies flatten out and elongate their vowels.
It’s easy to tell. I’ll teach you.
(yes I did just quote myself)
When I said we I wasn’t including myself
. I can tell the difference, but a lot of people I know can’t. Aussia and Kiwi is another matter though, simply because to my knowledge I’ve never heard a kiwi accent (Unless you count Heinreich the Somaon’s accent when we gets back from visiting family in NZ, but he tends to mesh a bunch of other accents in there to so it’s a bit hard to distinguish)
Gotcha.
Like that damned Geico gecko!!!
Unless I’m getting REALLY rusty at accents, I think the gecko is from the other side of the world . . .
Not in my experience, but then the sort of thing I’m likely to say to an Aussie is along the lines of “3 pints of Truddles’ Old Predictable and 3 packs of mixed crisps please?”
Ha! I swear the last time I was served by an Aussie barman (or NZ.. meh, who cares) and asked for a Coke, I swear to God he said ‘D’you want arse with thit’. I HOPE he meant ice…
Yuck! No arse in mine, TY.
And do NOT say that “meh, who cares” within earshot of an Aussie . . . or especially a Kiwi!! OMG
Kiwi’s are a leeetle bit defensive about being mistaken for Aussies, in my experience.
I know that was naughty of me…. If in doubt I would say ‘are you a Kiwi?’ because an Aussie probably wouldn’t mind, but the other way round is a no-no.
Yeah we do get a tad defensive. Mostly cause we’re so much better than australians…
But to put it in some perspective, the reason we get defensive about who we are is that our entire population is 4 million-ish people. There are probably more waffle makers in manhattan than our whole population. That’s a little freaky for us sometimes.
Mind you if they all went home from Earl’s Court there’d be about 10 million.
That’s true
Hey at least we’re bringing decent coffee to blighty one barista at a time.
I just realized that our state (one of the least populous) has exactly half the number of people you do.
But we don’t have kiwis.
But we do have roadrunners.
How about armadillos?
Not in Albuquerque, I don’t think. Possibly in the parts bordering Texas. And NO saguaros. Everyone always puts them on NM things, but there aren’t any here.
MEEP MEEP Awesome. We’ve got very few interesting animals in NZ actually. For example, our national bird is nocturnal, flightless and spends its nights using its very long beak to root around in the undergrowth for worms.
What state are you from?
New Mexico. Yes, it really is a state. We just hit 2 million people this year.
The roadrunners don’t actually make that noise, but they do run just like the cartoons…really fast, then stop and look around.
Ah!! But are they pursued by Coyotes using equipment from Acme Corporation.
As an American, I must say this is fairly accurate, however, all the people need to be at least 70lbs heavier (about 32kilograms for you Europeans), there need to be some religious protesters in the background, preferably with two separate and conflicting views, and we need some some misspelled signs to show us how uneducated everyone is.
And now I’m sure someone will tell me off for being unpatriotic.
No you don’t fail for being unpatriotic.
You actually win for showing us how easy it is to claim a different nationality on the internet.
No really. I was born and raised in Ohio.
I do have a Dutch boyfriend who currently lives in England, so perhaps that influences my views on things.
As a non-American I’m going to tell you off for being unpatriotic. But then as a Brit I’m not going to admit to being a European. We like Americans more than frogs or krauts.
ps and you know what you can do with those kilograms.
Convert them to pounds and pence?
Well I was going to say ‘shove them up your a$$’ but I don’t mind if they get converted first.
I’m really not sure I can fit a whole kilo up my bum.
A little practice and a lot of crisco.
This is going to be one interesting honeymoon.
Just Pray to god Me, Charro, or DWN aren’t working airport security… our motto is ‘Cavity searches… hard and deep.”
I love that part of the job.
Which reminds me, make sure you make the next meeting Charro, we’re thinking about re-budgeting… cutting the water in the public bathrooms so we can afford more latex gloves… We want your input, be there!
I am -so- there. I hope we can work KY into the budget, you know, for when you me and DWN have some “off time” in the lounge..
*puts a note in the suggestion box reading: I would like to suggest KY and fresh latex gloves for all cavity searches.*
I think the boss is working on getting Lance to put some KY in the snack machine in the lounge… I’m working on Coca-Cola to set us up with their “Coke & Rum & Coke & Jack & Coke…aine” machines…
LOL funny, Max. When I used to go to the strip club that’s what I would have.
Jack at the bar, coke in the bathroom..
Was it cherry coke? I love cherry coke!
*pats Rando on the head indulgently*
Yes dear, it was cherry coke.
Convert them into stones instead..? 70lbs is about 5 stones…
What is the conversion rate for “stones” to pounds? I’m always mystified when I hear people from the UK talking about weight loss or what have you . . .
I mean, is it 14 lbs = 1 stone?
(70/5=14)
Yes. Don’t you have stones in the US? And 8 stone in a hundredweight and 20 hundredweight in a ton.
Nope, no stones as a unit of measure. We never use the term hundredweight, either, though we do use ton (equaling 2,000 pounds).
Are these…commonly used units of measure?
Yep. Stones mostly for weighing people: if you buy a bathroom scale it’s in stones (oh with KG as well). Typical usage ’8-stone weakling’ ‘Amazing 56 stone man’ ‘she’s 9 stone 7 (lb)’.
2240 lb = 1 ton (imperial)
Hundredweight (cwt) (112 lb): for stuff like sacks of coal. Not so common these days.
Oh and for some reason it’s singular (as is hundredweight): so you say ’8 stone’ or ’8 hundredweight’.
The only stones I know are the type in my garden…or gallstones. I prefer the type in my garden, by far!!
er, exactly 5 stone!
Jennifries, are you speaking for your self about the extra 70lbs? Just wondering about someone that would name themselves after a fast food side dish
I’ll admit to being overweight, sure. Not so sure about being 70lbs overweight though…
I use the name ‘Jennifries’ because I’m delicious with ketchup… It’s an old joke that sort of stuck.
In her defense, everything is better with ketchup…except ice cream.
Penis.
This discussion needed to be more lighthearted.
In bed with…
Actually as a european, i see this photo and think “this is Romania”
hm, see, i saw this pic and said, ‘awesome. free booze.’ i think that may have even been the original message they were trying to send…
Woohoo for stereotype wars!
So did anybody miss the point this was supposed to be a joke mocking the stereotype of what stereotypes europeans have?
Also just sayin’, American media mocks European cultures all the time, and it’s perfectly acceptable. European media mocks American culture and it’s fine. Why doesn’t everybody just sit back and laugh at us Canucks for a while? We’ll even say sorry afterwards and give you a timbit.
(It doesn’t bother us to get teased, because we’re still bigger than the USA)
Hey! The Canucks have doughnuts! Ummm…doughnuts.
All I want is one decent apology for Nickleback..
For that I am truly sorry… But come now, plenty of worse has come from other places around the world.
That maybe true, but Canada singlehandedly brought Rock and Roll down so many notches with Nickleback there’s serious debate as to whether it can fully recover. The good news is, Bruce Springsteen is rumored to be opening The Boss’ School of Rock. Keep your fingers crossed that it’s true.
I’m sorry to say, but I think another particular nation has to look at it’s own record before mocking another nation’s music. I mean, there’s a particular nations who likes to take young people with not talent and convince them they can be both music AND tv stars. Ex: Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, Hillary Duff, Brittney Spears.
Still sorry for Nickleback though.
None of the above claim to be rock though. Nickelback is a rock band. A terrible, terrible rock band (there are one or two guilty pleasure Nickelback songs I like, but I always feel dirty after listening to them).
But our hands aren’t entirely clean, for a band called Styx exists.
Actually, sadly, Hilllary Duff calls herself punk, and the Jonas brothers claim to be rock.
Mind you, Green Day claims to be punk too. Don’t get me wrong, I really like their music… but it hasn’t been punk since slappy hours.
They’ve left punk behind, but I think what they’ve been putting out lately has shown that they’ve evolved a bit as musicians. Not to say there’s anything wrong with punk at all, but it’s pretty simple overall.
We’ll apologize for Nickleback when you apologize for Eminem. By the way, what happened to that guy? Did he get shot, or did someone finally point out to him he couldn’t rap.
We are exceedingly sorry for that monstrosity. If he hasn’t been shot already we shall see to it that it happens post haste.
Likewise, we are truly and deeply sorry for Nickleback, Celine Dion and Alan Thicke. We offer as an apology BTO, and The Tragically Hip (we may throw in The Respectables, but so far they only have 1 hit in English, we’ll see how the rest turn out. Otherwise we’ll send you The Trews.)
I suppose I should add (though it pains me to even acknowledge that these are ours) how terribly sorry we are for Britney Spears, Tom Cruise, the song “It’s a small world” and Scientology in general. I think I should also take this opportunity to apologize for Tila Tequila. Her very name has disgraced a proud and noble alcohol tradition.
Rofl are you serious? Ever heard of the song “Blame Canada”? There are so many pissed off canadians ranting on youtube about it it’s not even funny!
For future reference: When angry trolling, do not use “1337-speak” such as “rofl” or “lmao” or anything along those lines. It results in people not taking you seriously (not that they would in the first place), and gives them something extra to mock about you.
Also, when somebody is clearly trying to make the point that the trolling on a message board has gotten out of hand, and that people need to sit back and have a laugh… maybe it’s time you drink a real beer like Molson, rather than that watered down cola Bud that yanks seem to like.
Anyway, I have a hole in the roof of my igloo, so I’m going to go patch it with moose turds and beaver tales now.
nah, some of your fellow canucks are already mad at the americans. scroll up. I’m much too scared to mock the great white north.
Speaking of timbits, thanks for Tim Hortons! And for playing hockey with us! You guys rock.
Hehe we gave you lacrosse and hockey, and basketball was invented by a canuck as well (he just happened to be living in the states at the time).
Just so you guys realise how much of an honour it is for us to let you have Tim Hortons, that would be like you guys building the pentagon in Moose Jaw. We love you guys enough to share that with you (it’s also kind of an apology for burning down the white house in the war of 1812… sorry about that by the way).
You’re kidding, right? Lacrosse was invented by Native Americans!
Native Canadian Americans?
Yeah, the native tribes in modern day Ontario and Quebec (That’s in Canada). They also used to be days-long affairs involving all the men from entire villages, played across hundreds of acres. That’s a sport.
But they weren’t Canadians; that’s the point.
Did the Natives in the U.S. (tho it declared its independence in 1776) get treated like or considered U.S. Citizens? Nope.
I really don’t think you can consider your Native Americans or First Peoples, or whatever you would like to call them, Canadians, not back when they were inventing lacrosse.
So, there!
::ppfffbthh::
Besides, wasn’t there a great version of lacrosse in Central America in which they used the heads of the last losing team?
Heh, and in the opium dens of indochina they used to play a version of dodgeball with the heads of defeated enemy warriors.
First Nations people in Canada are Canadian citizens, and large parts of this country were built on trade and interaction with their tribes. They are just as responsible for the country that Canada is today as the Europeans that immigrated here.
OY VEY!
I never said they held no responsibility for the country of Canada . . . I’m also pretty sure that had Western Europeans never invaded they would have been pretty happy with the way things were.
My point, ONCE AGAIN, is that they invented Lacrosse long before anything like “Canada” was a twinkle in anyone’s eye!
Just because they didn’t yet know they were Canadians doesn’t mean they weren’t. In fact, it was very nice of the Europeans to come and educate the native people as to their countries name.
That picture isnt quite complete, it needs some drugs, guns and gangrape as well
why would you want to gan a grape?
Couldn’t we just refer Erik back a few lols for the rest of this conversation?
The one on the left looks like a Baldwin
Throw in some banjo music and pretty much, yeah.
Calm down, Americans. You guys make fun of everyone else all the time. If you dish it you gotta take it
lol
I don’t think about America that way. Only about half of the U.S., really…
And I base my judgement solely on the comments around here and facebook polls… ;o)
Am i the only european who imagines long, straight, sunny roads and big, loud, shiny Harleys when it comes to thinking about America?
That, and MIBs.
And Pontiac Firebirds.
And fake California (huge) boobs, lol.
I just would like to point that morons are spread all around the world, and “they’re coming outta the goddamn walls”.
Plus, a large part of the first americans (except for the natives) were from Europe. So, let’s say, maybe i’m a far, far, far, far, far relative of an old woman living in… Arizona.
And a guy living in… Springfield, Illinois, could be a far far far relative of a cute swiss girl.
Anyway, we’re all far (far far far) relatives, on Earth.
Our grand-grand-grand-grand-etc-parents were two pretty smart monkeys, it seems.
…Now i’d like a banana milkshake.
*passes the Wanderer a soy milkshake… tofu flavored*
Here… have a taste of California
Don’t forget the shot of wheat grass!
And some alfalfa a little shot of that and it’s
*mimics an explosion with his hands*
Lift off time!
Okay, which of you said the naughty thing that was expunged, screwing up the nesting?
(BTW, I know why you can’t say V1codin!)
Don’t look at us! We’ve only said naughty things that haven’t been expunged! Would you like to join in? *offers Mabs a corset and a muffin
Sorry, I have to keep an eye on the cookies I’m making for my boys. Don’t want them to get burnt.
Yeah, these muffins are drugged… for the… usual activities that happen at the tea parties… And as avid practitioner of the culinary baking art, I cannot condone my muffins being used to hinder further baking jobs….
But here! *Hands mabs a muffin*
This is a good one… and it has absolutely no ruffies in it!…. None at all…
Why, thank you! Should go well with the *special* egg nog. The first batch of cookies is done…mini muffin shaped sugar cookies with Reese’s peanut butter cups in them. Anyone want some? *hands around cookies*
Are they drugged?
Ah, no. I’m making them for my teenager.
Oh. Darn. Well, they sound delicious so I guess I’ll have one anyways.
My god….
*scarfs down a cookie*
Jesus… tap dancing Christ on a bike…. JANE! JAAAAANE! I’ve got to hire this woman as the Fortress of Doom’s new Sous Chef!!
Sous chefs only make sauces, Max . . .
Are you trying to suppress my employment opportunities? Unfair discrimination against bakers!
Well, they are wearing shoes. So our reputation has improved.
Europe, and also Canada, South America, Australia, China, the former Soviet Bloc, any African nation that can afford a television, any race creed or culture abused by Americas regrettable deeds in the past or present, and Americans living anywhere the education system hasn’t ground itself to a halt trying to figure out that whole evolution hoo-haw.
775 posts and counting! This one sure paid the bills for the month!
Coyoteman has found a way to make money off of our posts!!! He’s rich! Get him!
coyoteman has a point. If we want the lolames to go away, the best thing to do is to not post on them. Boycott the lolames. Because PK doesn’t earn as much advertising money if we’re not posting on it. Although I wonder how much of a dent that would really make.
Have the Merkins considered not taking themselves so seriously? Life’s much more fun that way.
“I’m not aware of too many things. I know what I know if you know what I mean..”
Isn’t this their more recent anthem?
“Americans” – what a joke. Oh, wait. You want to go back to the Moon again? Okay, we’ll send you a few more Europeans then… just like before.
MuHAHAHAHAHahahahaha.
Stop the drugs, go back to school, open your eyes – and I don’t want to hear about how you were abused as a child anymore. Tough, if you don’t like it. Hey, remember! — Stupid’s fun!!
*pats EuroDog on the head* There there, bitter little European. The next time you’re invaded, we’ll come save your ass again. If we’re not too busy.
Of course you realize the US came into World War Two late and the only real way it could find to stop the entire war (war in the Pacific) was by using a weapon developed mainly by Europeans and European Jews:
Leo Szilard (Hungary), Eugene Wigner (Hungary), Rudolf Peierls (Germany), Otto Frisch (Germany), Niels Bohr (Denmark), Felix Bloch (Switzerland), James Franck (Germany), James Chadwick (Britain), Emilio Segre (Italy), Enrico Fermi (Italy), Klaus Fuchs (Germany) and Edward Teller (Hungary).
Eh, hem… Education: something frequently talked about, but rarely demonstrated. (Best point above)
Clearly, you’re suffering from severe jealousy due to our mind-blowing awesome sauce that you ain’t getting.
well considering that the far right has spent the last 6 months saying that anyone who lives under socialized healthcare is living in the equivilent of Nazi Germany, it’s understandable that they think that we’re all illiterate hicks. I lived in Europe and go to Canada all the time. It’s awesome. I mean, I like America just fine, but anyone who thinks Canada is Nazi Germany needs to a frontal lobotomy. It’s just too bad we sometimes get judged for what only a small and vocal minority are dumb enough to think. But most Europeanas I’ve met understand not all Americans are that dumb.
No, it’s not understandable that they think we’re all illiterate hicks. It is understandable if they know that conservatives tend fear anything new and different, though. Heh.
I am an illiterate hick. I don’t actually know how I manage to read/post on this site, it just sort of happens.
This looks like a typical weekend at my house.
not america, just the south
I’d like to apply for citizenship please! Can I crash on your couch?
I have always room for someone who calls himself ‘Big Daddy’.
OMG!! Miss Fit!! You’re back! Yay!
HelOnWheels! 8D I was wondering where you were as well. As for me, somehow the scent of stereotyped comments/lols seem to attract me! Care to crash at my place too? I’m giving a party, with lots of herb(s) o’course~
*Sterotypical… Jesus, I need to lay off the weed I guess.
Darn it! Ah well, you know what I mean, right? *sobs*
I’m totally crashing on your couch, with at least 2 of your 4 boyfriends!!
Wait, what? I have to share the couch with your other boyfriends? I’d be happy to share it with HOW, but I draw the line at sleeping with other men. >:(
Aww, will it be alright if I call my 3 girlfriends then? Just to even it out.
Oh, well, that’s different. Carry on. *books flight*
Pffffpppffff. I’d share a couch with you but I’m not sharing the boys with you anyway, Ivan. I don’t like sloppy seconds.
EWWW. Oh, just EWWWW!
I was born and lived in several European countries. And my family chose to come to the U.S. and CHOSE to become U.S. citizens. You can say all you like about the problems of the U.S. but very few other countries offered my family the same opportunities and freedoms. Having lived and worked in Europe, Australia, NZ and South America, I can tell you that there are “rednecks” EVERYWHERE.
“Redneck is a state of mind.” Jeff Foxworthy.
Why do I not understand that?
Ahah! Hel is not a redneck! (It’s a test.
)
Does he color his hair blonde?? Cause that’s what it looks like. How very Nazi Youth of him.
LOL, yeah he does indeed sport the ‘exploded-yar-of-Hydrogen-peroxide’-look. Seriously, with carnival there are actually sold a lot of Wilders-wigs.
The scary thing is- he’s actually quite popular here (and not only around carnival). When the day comes he’s succeeded in overthrowing our government, can I crash your place?
Of course you can my little Dutch dumpling. But things are not that much better on this side of the Atlantic.
*glomps* Thank youu~ I’ll be sure to bring a Wilders-wig with me, as a thank-you-present. It’s all you need in life, right?
And you know what they say about grass and the other side.
I really want to see America just once in my life – why not doing so when some Hitler-Jügend- twat has taken the lead here? Although I’m hoping that Holland will come to its senses a.s.a.p. and ostracize him for life or something. …Except when it’s Carnival of course.
Well, come on over, DD!! (DD = Dutch Dumpling!)
Hm-mmm, I like the sound of that nickname. :]
Oh the irony…!
Wow, this lol has a lot of comments
Ironically, this picture could also be titled ‘Everywhere else, according to America’.
No.
For instance, a picture of Europe according to Americans would be an image of the Space Hippies from the “Return to Eden” Episode of Star Trek.
The Middle East, according to Americans, would just be a guy with a turban and a bomb. (Like in that newspaper cartoon.)
China would be a headshot of Jackie Chan.
Japan would be a screen shot of Sailor Moon.
Canada would be a big picture of a polar bear on an iceberg during a blizzard. (Or a completely blank white image, same thing.) OR, conversely, a guy in a Cunning Hat jumping up and down and screaming “WE’RE NOT THE UNITED STATES!”
I always picture Canada as a mountie actually.
bitter troll always envisions canananda as a guy with a ratty ball cap and vest, most likely a truck driver, drinking lots of molsen
Oh, you said, “Mountie”! I thought you said —
Well, nevermind.
*is able to watch first 25 seconds*
…
OK. This is WAY beyond what mindbleach and psychological help can fix.
-goes to kitchen to gauge eyes out and cut off ears á la certain painter-
Why can’t they do the world a big favor and be TRULY stupid in forgetting to open their parachutes. …Oh, wait, they have people who do the thinking for them. Now we’ll never get rid of them. *sobs*
At first glance, i thought it read “Europeans according to americans.”. Made me laugh. Right on target, as usual with punditkichen.
Then i realised what it actually read. I guess the correct caption would be “Americans, according to americans trying to picture europeans’ point of view, as far as both their inferiority and superiority complex are concerned.”. C’mon people, the US aren’t victims. The “self-righteous imperialists” caricacture is actually way more vivid in the rest of the world’s mind than the hillbilly image.
I don’t get it. We’re all a bunch of rural moonshine runners? Who get by without gubbamint assistance on our own resources?
HEY EVERYONE!
Just came in! Could someone fill me in on the conversation? Just give me a capsule version of, say, the first thousand posts.
We were all talking about you! Wondering when you would show up.
“Americans, according to..err, everyone”
If that’s America according to Europeans what on Earth does Europe look like according to Americans?!
Oh yeh, they don’t realise it exists!
Meaning… illiterates? European spells with a capital E, last time I checked.
I took it as yanks being everything a hick is. Which you are.
This image is funny because its true.
HAHAHA, in almost every american movie i have seen, the german people look like little nazis or wear leather pants and are drinking beer from 1l glasses. and now you are pissed, cause you realize, that its the same on the other side?
you showed us many times, how small the average iq of an american is (i just say reelection of bush!), so why do you wonder, the rest of the world thinks of you as rednecks?
Its endless amusement for me, to read your comments, go on and WHINE =)
*cheers* Stupidity s a world-wide epidemic. As is xenophobia, ignorance, stereotyping, fanaticism, extremists, racism, and every other nasty thing. Can we just sit down, shut up, and try to actually see something good in someone else?
Amen to that! People fail to see that we are alike, it doesn’t matter where you come from! The Americans who defend America on this blog only do this now as defense. I’m sure in real life they too complain about their county. And the same goes for Europeans, mutatis mutandis. It’s a vicious circle that never ends.
You win the best post contest!
I think people just need to get over the dotted lines on the map. That may have worked in 1400, but today you can get from any spot on the planet to any other spot on the planet in less than a days travel. Face it people, we are all in the same country now. Get over the differences, be a world citizen. The only number 1 is Earth. Now go make a positive impact.
I like your randomly chosen Avatar.
Agreed.
btw- you have to change your email when you change names otherwise your avatar remains the same.
Or you can go to gravatar and choose your own picture…
huh?!
Good points. And Germany is where the hottest music scene on the planet is, so at least you have got us whipped on culture.
I just want to know, once and for all, what makes you think electing GWB, twice, had ANYTHING to do with hate. We had been attacked like never before on civilian targets in this country. We had every reason to elect a leader that we believed would protect us.
Ich Bein Gott! Ich bein ein Berliner! mmmm *noms own arm off* There, I have come back at you in German! Though I do recommend {http://learnyourdamnhomophones.com/} (Thanks Charro). It’s quite a useful site (I use it and I’m a native English speaker). Sorry, I just wanted to recommend t because you used the wrong threw. Not trying to rag on you about it just thought you might find it helpful.
You have the same avatar as GD and N_M.
Bitter wino is telling you to stop leaving your socks about the place. It’s the maid’s day off.
lol! I noticed that too…
Good catch.
What he didn’t wasn’t protect. What he did was invade. There is a difference.
Oh for crying out loud. 9/11 =/= Iraq. No matter how many times Bush told you it was a war on terrorism, the Iraq war had nothing to do with 9/11. At. All. Geez. What possible link is there between the two besides some crap they made up to link Hussein to Bin Laden or Al Qaeda? Seriously. And we elected him before 9/11 so that doesn’t fly. His re-election is nothing short of a mystery to me. I figured him losing in 2004 would be a no-brainer. *sigh*
He had a reason and had backing from the UN and congress at the time. The burden is on you to prove why he would want to invade Iraq for any other reason but to do his job which is to protect us.
…AND we didn’t go alone either.
Oh, gods, not this again!
And he really didn’t have much backing from the U.N., since the U.N. inspector, Hans Blix, said there is NO REASON to invade. Perhaps we strong-armed them a little later, I’m not sure . . . but still. Blix had it pegged!
“Protect us”? From the Sept. 11th terrorists? By invading the wrong country? They were Saudi, after all, hiding and training in the Afghan-Pakinstan border region. Hmm, fascinating argument.
Correction, he had UN backing for Afghanistan, not even the rest of NATO supported Iraq, the only NATO ally to join you in Iraq was Britain and that was only because you both thought the other had intel they weren’t sharing.
The rest of us thought the existing UN operation would provide enough of a stop-gap to hold until Afghanistan had been dealt with… this is what happens when your ambassadors get something in their eyes when sharing intel…
Not to be contrarian here VNV, but I think we still may be a bit to divisive socially to declare the ‘One World’ ideology to have come in to its own. If anything the unprecedented exposure we have to each other has made us more segregationist and exclusive. We stare in shock and horror at our fellow man and then try to build bigger fences… with nukes and missile shields.
In time I do believe we will get over our current bout of xenophobia, and become closer knit as a species, but that is assuming we can survive the next hundred years without vaporizing life on earth.
I had to do a double take earlier. I thought I was reading another GD post and noticed there was a different name at about the time he was about to get dirty with VG. I figured at the very least, I could help GD be more discrete.
“What ‘is the… is the meaning of this!?’ Say your damn pronouns!”
No! I am very strongly anti-noun!
OheMGee! Where? Be so kind as to provide this sex-starved European with the link, please.
{http://punditkitchen.com/2009/12/13/political-pictures-moonshiners-america-europeans/comment-page-1/#comment-282787}
Didn’t Bill O’Reilly say that ‘sex-starved European’ was an oxymoron?
All I can say is…
…I want a muffin now.
He thinks that “polyglot” = “polyamorous”. Fvcking maroon.
O’Reilly said a looot of things.. actually, I’m suprised that there are still people out there who take him seriously. There’s a 2-minute-film made by someone who lives in Amsterdam as a response, though – click on my name if you want to see it.
Mind you, this is not meant as a “See, the Netherlands are soo much better!”-film/comment, I don’t know for sure of those facts are the real deal either, but I believe that the dude who made this got his facts from some official source, so don’t shoot the messenger, please~
Any source has to be better than O’Reilly. My father-in-law actually sent me “Bill O’Reilly’s Advice for Teenagers” for my son, so I expect a collective ‘poor mabs’ now.
Dare I ask what his advice for teenagers is?
However, I do love this classic, classic O’Reilly moment from so many years ago. (“This fvcking thing SUCKS! We’ll do it LIVE!”)
I do not know. My son put the book in the recycling bin. I have such a smart boy. *beams with parental pride*
*dies from laughing* :’D Ahh, priceless~
“WE’LL DO IT LIVE!!”
Do [i]what[/i] live, Billy-boy? *winkobvioussexualinnuendowink* .. sorry, that’s my Dutch sex-deprived self speaking here.
Ohh, you’ve taught him well! You can be proud indeed. Now who said that Americans don’t care for the environment again?
Aw, why did you do that? Now what are you going to use when you run out of toilet paper?
Keithy! Thanks for chiming in! Yes, that’s what I thought.
Hmmm, maybe I really am better at world accents than most Americans . . .
Tell ya the truth, tho … I THOUGHT I was good, until I had to turn on subtitles for “Snatch”. I think I did it for “Layer Cake”, too. LOL
Well would it make you feel better if I said I find it hard to distinguish between American and Canadian (unless you get them lined up next to each other)? But at least I can understand them after years of exposure to US movies…
The main way to tell? Get one of them to say one of these words:
1) house
2) about
If it comes out “hoos” or “aboot”, then you’re dealing with a Canadian. We’ve got several regional accents, but I don’t think any of them use that pronunciation.
Also 3) boat.
polyglot = polyamorous!? *picks up foreign language books and begins studying*
That is awesome.