United States Of America

[Frank the Yank]

Is it a coincidence that the great places you've been are all blue below? (disclaimer: not actually checked the validity of my statement but I think the majority of places the OP mentioned reside within the blue states on the map, ie are moderate, metropolitan, liberal. In other words not occupied by Cleatus and his redneck extended family) :

Er um so when that map changes in November does that mean any states that might switch from blue to red are overnight redneckville???? Smells like a big, stanking ple of dog shit......

 

[Frank the Yank]

Also you think its a coinkeedink that most of those "Red" states have rather healthy economies and, overall, lower unemployment so most of those "Blue" state are mega high tax economic basket cases???

 

[mammutly]

That so called freedom isn't universal...I have witnessed discrimination exercised with total aplomb as if it is perfectly natural and normal...if my choices are to live in a country where that is deemed acceptable versus a country that bans the use of certain words in case of offence, whilst I may not agree with it I'd take that any day of the week. Tell me why is it a country needs an amendment to it's constituation to stop it behaving like a dickhead towards its fellow man based on the colour of their skin? (and I am not saying the UK is some beacon of decency and beyond reproach but then we are not trying to sell ourselves as the "land of the free") It's obviously not all one way traffic but, at the least, it's a country of contradiction.



Yet bizzarely America is a country that appears to struggle for identity, no one appears to be just American, the are Anglo-, Afro-, Irish-, Italian- and so on and so forth. No one seems to want to be just American.

My posts may appear I am being anti-American or dislike the people/place but that is not the case...great country, great people. I am critical of its, IMO, inability to recognise and accept the myth of "land of the free" or conduct any meaningful critical analysis as a nation...not so much on the "big ticket" items but how things are carried out in day to day living for many of its citizens.

That is generally more an east coast and Californian trait

The Midwest is littered with towns, often very small, that are extremely proud of their heritage. Farming communities started by Dutch, Czech, German, etc immigrants still celebrate that heritage with pride. The US is a relatively young country made of a multitude of ethnicities which have not been forgotten.

The US does not struggle for a national identity. Our identity is one of multiculturalism. One does not claim to be Afro-, Irish-, Native-, etc out of feelings of inadequacy. It is out of respect and pride of a families heritage. To suggest otherwise is extremely disrespectful. The land of the free and the home of the brave is a reference to the persecution and oppression many immigrants came here to escape. It has nothing to do with bragging about some delusional image of ourselves.

And yet racism is endemic and the xenophobia against non Americans is almost a national obsession.


America needs an enemy - someone to be at war with. It occupies the national consciousness and smooths over a lot of serious internal issues.
The price for the rest of the world hardly seems to matter.

 

[scenecreamer]

And yet racism is endemic and the xenophobia against non Americans is almost a national obsession

Source?

 

[Seosa]

And yet racism is endemic and the xenophobia against non Americans is almost a national obsession

Racism of all kinds too; White on Black, Black on White, White on Asian, Black on Asian, Asian on Black, Asian on White, Hispanic on Black, etc.

America has been England's main problem IMO, though no doubt I'll get slaughtered for saying so. Our society has been horrendously affected by American culture.

 

[scenecreamer]

And yet racism is endemic and the xenophobia against non Americans is almost a national obsession

Racism of all kinds too; White on Black, Black on White, White on Asian, Black on Asian, Asian on Black, Asian on White, Hispanic on Black, etc.

America has been England's main problem IMO, though no doubt I'll get slaughtered for saying so. Our society has been horrendously affected by American culture.

Are you saying that racism in Britain is the result of American culture?

 

[mammutly]

And yet racism is endemic and the xenophobia against non Americans is almost a national obsession

Source?

The totality of the American media.

The national crime statistics

The welfare statistics

The access to health statistics

The access to education statistics

Every poll relating to American attitudes ever published

The defence budget.

American foriegn policy

Modern world history to date

 

[Seosa]

And yet racism is endemic and the xenophobia against non Americans is almost a national obsession

Racism of all kinds too; White on Black, Black on White, White on Asian, Black on Asian, Asian on Black, Asian on White, Hispanic on Black, etc.

America has been England's main problem IMO, though no doubt I'll get slaughtered for saying so. Our society has been horrendously affected by American culture.

Are you saying that racism in Britain is the result of American culture?

Not racism, that's been around since long before American culture affected England. I'm referring to attitude, personas and life in general.

 

[scenecreamer]

Racism of all kinds too; White on Black, Black on White, White on Asian, Black on Asian, Asian on Black, Asian on White, Hispanic on Black, etc.

America has been England's main problem IMO, though no doubt I'll get slaughtered for saying so. Our society has been horrendously affected by American culture.

Are you saying that racism in Britain is the result of American culture?

Not racism, that's been around since long before American culture affected England. I'm referring to attitude, personas and life in general.

I'd agree with that. But I'd go much further and say it is African American culture, the dominant American subculture, that has had the most detrimental effect on world culture, including the US.

-- Fri Jul 20, 2012 1:16 pm --

And yet racism is endemic and the xenophobia against non Americans is almost a national obsession

Source?

The totality of the American media.

The national crime statistics

The welfare statistics

The access to health statistics

The access to education statistics

Every poll relating to American attitudes ever published

The defence budget.

American foriegn policy

Modern world history to date

So nothing specific then?

Not sure if you intended to use the word endemic incorrectly, but you have...

 

[Seosa]

Are you saying that racism in Britain is the result of American culture?

Not racism, that's been around since long before American culture affected England. I'm referring to attitude, personas and life in general.

I'd agree with that. But I'd go much further and say it is African American culture, the dominant American subculture, that has had the most detrimental effect on world culture, including the US.

In fairness you've just said what many people don't have the balls to say, including me. While I can't be doing with some knuckle-dragging bigot blabbering on "It's realism not racism", on this occasion it is realism. I've said many times that everything has its Pros and Cons and race and religion are no exception. African-American culture is plagued with negatives but it doesn't represent Black culture as a whole, it'd be ridiculous to say so.