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But we ARE safer (Major anti-American rant warning)
According to statistics, anyway.
I'm intrigued by the attitude that comes across from your post and other posts in the gun-laws thread. You talk of "disarm a man in my own home who happens to be wielding a knife, baseball bat, machete or whatever in a threatening manner to my family", another US poster talked of "faked" accidents to draw people out of their houses for robbery.
This is alien and scary and that is perhaps why those of us who aren't from the US have the attitude that we have. We may not BE safer (we are, though) but we perceive ourselves so to be and for that reason we don't feel the need for guns. You live your life in fear and the anticipation of voilent crime and arm yourself accordingly and then ignore the fact that one million people have died by guns, homicides or accidents or suicides, in the last twenty five years in your country. That's a few more, calculated per capita, than in the same period in the UK. (British understatement...)
You asked about anti-American feeling. That comes in two flavours, jealousy of your size, power and success (which makes you feel good, I guess) and intellectual. So, just as an aside and to set the tone little differently. YOU are responsible for this rant on my intellectual reasons for my annoyance with the US as a country...
"We will go and die on your land."
Patronising git. I read that and I nearly punched the screen. Push off and keep out of our affairs and the affairs of other sovereign countries. No. I mean it. Get any troops you have out of everywhere. Now. And stay out.
Stop dragging us into your wars and, when you do, have a bloody plan! We're your allies, consult us.
Try and do something about your wasteful consumption of resources. You're too fat, your car engines are too big and inefficient.
Stop your protectionist stance on trade issues such as steel and agriculture.
Stop supporting objectionable regimes
Stop rendition, waterboarding (it's torture) and shut Guantanamo. While you're at it, give it back to Cuba. (Yes, Spain can have Gibraltar back if they get out of Morocco).
Get your nutty Christian sects under a bit of control. Some of them are scarier than fundamental Muslims.
You have capital punishment. It's barbaric. You have more people locked up in jails that China. Sort it out.
For the richest country in the world you have woeful infant mortality child poverty, longevity, illiteracy and homeless figures. Fix the first two, if nothing else. The US is a very good country to be rich in, a bad country to be poor in. You may suggest suggesting that this kind of "freedom" is something to which the world should aspire but stop actively attempting to export this. It doesn't work and nobody wants it.
When the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty was signed, among the few non-signatories were Iraq, North Korea, Libya, China, Russia - and the United States. This is typical...
And for pity's sake, stop this garbage about US freedom and democracy. There is a very self-gratifying kind of righteousness from US politicians when speaking about the US and some of it can be seen in your post, above. We don't like it. It's not true. It sets our collective teeth on edge.
Stop talking about WWI and WWII. Now. Are you aware that "Saving Private Ryan" was based on a true story of a British expedition to rescue British prisoners. THAT is why when Americans talk of WWII we get annoyed with you. RUSSIA won WWII in Europe with our help and, eventually, yours. But thank you for the cheap planes and stuff that we go via lend-lease. That helped.
The USA claims to be, in absolute terms, the world's biggest giver and this is true. However, as a proportion of its wealth the USA gives least.
Your unconditional support for Israel.
I could go on for a while but I'll stop now and just add one request.
Put some spaces in your damn posts!
To put some reality in, here. I don't hate the USA. Most people don't. We see it as imperfect, sometimes as an oppressor, sometimes a humanitarian country, often wrong, often right. Much of the anti-americanism is based on misconceptions. Most of it has arisen during the Bush Presidence.
Trust me, a hundred years ago, we were hated (and with much better reasons than any hatred of the US). We did some seriously bad stuff during the days of Empire and we're forever apologising about it.
It's your government. It shows no humility, no modesty whatsoever. Those of us who have met Americans, like Americans but we judge you by your government and, I think, by Hollywood. So damned SMUG.
I'm intrigued by the attitude that comes across from your post and other posts in the gun-laws thread. You talk of "disarm a man in my own home who happens to be wielding a knife, baseball bat, machete or whatever in a threatening manner to my family", another US poster talked of "faked" accidents to draw people out of their houses for robbery.
This is alien and scary and that is perhaps why those of us who aren't from the US have the attitude that we have. We may not BE safer (we are, though) but we perceive ourselves so to be and for that reason we don't feel the need for guns. You live your life in fear and the anticipation of voilent crime and arm yourself accordingly and then ignore the fact that one million people have died by guns, homicides or accidents or suicides, in the last twenty five years in your country. That's a few more, calculated per capita, than in the same period in the UK. (British understatement...)
You asked about anti-American feeling. That comes in two flavours, jealousy of your size, power and success (which makes you feel good, I guess) and intellectual. So, just as an aside and to set the tone little differently. YOU are responsible for this rant on my intellectual reasons for my annoyance with the US as a country...
"We will go and die on your land."
Patronising git. I read that and I nearly punched the screen. Push off and keep out of our affairs and the affairs of other sovereign countries. No. I mean it. Get any troops you have out of everywhere. Now. And stay out.
Stop dragging us into your wars and, when you do, have a bloody plan! We're your allies, consult us.
Try and do something about your wasteful consumption of resources. You're too fat, your car engines are too big and inefficient.
Stop your protectionist stance on trade issues such as steel and agriculture.
Stop supporting objectionable regimes
Stop rendition, waterboarding (it's torture) and shut Guantanamo. While you're at it, give it back to Cuba. (Yes, Spain can have Gibraltar back if they get out of Morocco).
Get your nutty Christian sects under a bit of control. Some of them are scarier than fundamental Muslims.
You have capital punishment. It's barbaric. You have more people locked up in jails that China. Sort it out.
For the richest country in the world you have woeful infant mortality child poverty, longevity, illiteracy and homeless figures. Fix the first two, if nothing else. The US is a very good country to be rich in, a bad country to be poor in. You may suggest suggesting that this kind of "freedom" is something to which the world should aspire but stop actively attempting to export this. It doesn't work and nobody wants it.
When the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty was signed, among the few non-signatories were Iraq, North Korea, Libya, China, Russia - and the United States. This is typical...
And for pity's sake, stop this garbage about US freedom and democracy. There is a very self-gratifying kind of righteousness from US politicians when speaking about the US and some of it can be seen in your post, above. We don't like it. It's not true. It sets our collective teeth on edge.
Stop talking about WWI and WWII. Now. Are you aware that "Saving Private Ryan" was based on a true story of a British expedition to rescue British prisoners. THAT is why when Americans talk of WWII we get annoyed with you. RUSSIA won WWII in Europe with our help and, eventually, yours. But thank you for the cheap planes and stuff that we go via lend-lease. That helped.
The USA claims to be, in absolute terms, the world's biggest giver and this is true. However, as a proportion of its wealth the USA gives least.
Your unconditional support for Israel.
I could go on for a while but I'll stop now and just add one request.
Put some spaces in your damn posts!
To put some reality in, here. I don't hate the USA. Most people don't. We see it as imperfect, sometimes as an oppressor, sometimes a humanitarian country, often wrong, often right. Much of the anti-americanism is based on misconceptions. Most of it has arisen during the Bush Presidence.
Trust me, a hundred years ago, we were hated (and with much better reasons than any hatred of the US). We did some seriously bad stuff during the days of Empire and we're forever apologising about it.
It's your government. It shows no humility, no modesty whatsoever. Those of us who have met Americans, like Americans but we judge you by your government and, I think, by Hollywood. So damned SMUG.
Posted by neilb@...
24th Jan
