^ Hahaha!

My opinion on America - people around the world bash Americans too much. Many Americans seem to have "American guilt" in the same way that white people in mixed-race societies seem to suffer from white guilt. These Americans are very polite, very eager to apologise for their country, praise other peoples nationalities more than their own. They don't want to be seen as big, ugly Americans.

We could all learn from their humility because all countries and cultures have their weaknesses (like the Americans) and their strengths (like the Americans).

I used to really dislike American things. I didn't like how American movies and TV were taking over our culture, how people were being Americanised, using American / US vocabulary, forgetting our own local culture. I disliked American pop music, and American corporations, and the seemingly unrepentant attitude for taking over. "Go USA! The Best country in the world! FUCK YEAH!".

But then I grew to realise that it's not Americans who are bad. It's the corporations, the movies, the music etc. The American people are actually on the front line, the first to suffer all of this shit. I'm sure a lot of American culture has suffered as well, small towns and states would raise children who are ashamed to be "red necks" or hicks and reject aspects of their local culture. The rich tapestry of towns and counties and states would have no-doubt suffered from the Walmarts and the agribusiness and the monoculture that is washing the entire English-speaking world (and further) a pale shade of red, blue, and spotty beige.
The corporations and monoculture are NOT quintessentially American. They just sprung up where the money and people were, in America.

I'm not anti-capitalist either, but I do believe in large corps being a bit more accountable to the people, governments, non-share holders than they are today

In my opinon, it all comes down to whether or not a person is simple enough to buy into stereotypes.

Not to go off on a tangent, but speaking of local culture and traditions... Did you know that British linguists study the mountain people of the Appalachian region of the U.S because their accent, having been isolated and preserved for well over 300 years, is virtually the same as the first English and Scotch-Irish settlers that were born and raised in the British Isles? it actually represents an archaic form of English, not spoken in Britain anymore. A virtual time machine to the language of reformation aged English.

To the people who took Onkel post seriously you're a bunch of fucking idiots! Can't you take a joke. I laugh my ass off when other countries make stereotypes of my country.
Let me explain you something, countries don't exist they are simply abstract concepts, what really exist is people who were born in different surfaces of the planet. If you think you should respect a person A more than person B because he/she was born closer from you then you are a fucking idiot!

Nationalism is just an excuse for people to love some people over the rest of the world and to take pride for things they haven't done (just because you ancestors fought for your freedom doesn't mean you did shit!).



I don't give a shit if I am banned for this:
Fuck Portugal! (my country)
Fuck America (the country and the rest of the continent)!
Fuck Japan!
Fuck the rest of Asia!
Fuck Europe!
Fuck Africa!
Fuck Australia!

Hurray for the individual!

I actually have a great deal of admiration for America and its culture. What I DON'T like to see is the slavish copying of said culture by people in other countries such as Australia...eg. Aussies addressing each other as "Dude", or adopting the USA's idiosyncratic idea of spelling ("favorite", "humor", "jail", "offense" etc.), wearing bloody baseball caps and the rest of the US "wigger" look. And worst of all, buying into that whole rap/gangsta/hip-hop culture, which not only inflicts utterly crap music on the listening public, but also glorifies sexism, racism and gang violence.

I am not blaming America for any of this...I am blaming the brainless sheep in other countries who are quite happy to slag off the USA on the one hand (which goes on quite a lot in Australia), yet copy its culture and mannerisms without ever seeing the obvious irony.

Amen brother

It's easy to see by this board, youtube, and just about everywhere on the internet how fashionable it is to hate Americans in just about everywhere else in the world. It's as if they don't have anything better to do with their time than to sit around, hating us, in much the same way that Arabs tend to sit around hating Jews all day long.

Well, Europe especially is susceptible to epidemic xenophobia and bigotry...just look at how easily Naziism took hold in such a short time.

I was a joke...

In isolation it would have been taken as a joke.

Given the fact that 75% of your posts are bashing the U. S. in one form or another, a reasonable observer has to take it as something more than that.

Oh yeah, sure...it's American-bashing business as usual until someone calls you out on being a bigot...then it's just a joke.