"There are five things, above all else, that make life worth living: a good relationship with God, a good woman, good health, good friends, and a good cigar." -- Prince Sined Yar Maharg
Look, I've about had it with all this handwringing about how the rest of the world hates us. First, it's France. Next, it the "Arab street". Now, it's Canada. If you paid attention during history class, you'd know that France hates anyone more successful than them (i.e., much of the western world), the Arabs hate everyone (especially other Arabs) and that no one cares about (or even notices) Canada. Hell, Canada could vanish overnight and no one would notice for weeks. If we're going to worry about how other countries think about us, can we at least worry about important countries like China?
Bottom line is that we are hated because we are the top dog, geopolitically speaking. That has been the case since the end of WWII and will remain the case until some other country shoves us off the top of the international hill. The we will be loved and the world will have another superpower to hate.
Agreed, EL MAM Also, I don't think it's envy that drives the hate. "to achieve true power and true greatness one must be in harmony with what is right." -the i ching
Posts: 190 | Location: sf bay area | Registered: May 30, 2002
You know, I read somewhere that we could move the northern border 100 miles north and 90% of Canadians would be Americans suddenly. Any wonder they watch us and comment?
Personally, I think O'Reilly is pretty fair, as his "No-Spin Zone" attacks conservatives as well as liberals.
It is interesting that FOX News is not allowed in Canada, though, I didn't know that.
More evidence that liberal=socialist at it's base level.
dragoman
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The goal of the “liberals”—as it emerges from the record of the past decades—was to smuggle this country into welfare statism by means of single, concrete, specific measures, enlarging the power of the government a step at a time, never permitting these steps to be summed up into principles, never permitting their direction to be identified or the basic issue to be named. Thus, statism was to come, not by vote or by violence, but by slow rot—by a long process of evasion and epistemological corruption, leading to a fait accompli. (The goal of the “conservative” was only to retard that process.) -----Ayn Rand,
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I now will defend Thompson Cigar Co. against any and all naysayers!!! Such is my vow!!
If America is such a horrible place why are people from around the world dying (literally) to get in?
We have a lot of people on these boards that just love to bash America, but if it wasn't for us would the world really be a better place? Thinking of WWII, Bosnia, various inventions and discoveries.
Is it not also the case that people will hate us no matter what we do. It seems like if we don't do something about a problem somewhere people complain and say that here is the most powerful nation on earth and they are not willing to lift a finger to help. Then if we do decide to help people say that we are interfering with the soverign rights of another nation and that we are just the 500 lb gorilla throwing our weight around.
It is a no win situation.
If you look back through history you would be hard pressed to find a nation that did everything perfectly and any nation that claims that is probably way off the mark.
If anyone on these boards can tell me with absolute certainty that their nation has been in a position of power and not managed to screw it up then I will drink a beer in toast and we can set them up to be leaders of the free world so that they can lead us all to utopia and my portion of solynet green.
All right my rant is over, thanks for listening.
-VC
Posts: 226 | Location: Island South of Texas | Registered: March 29, 2004
quote:Originally posted by voodoo child: If America is such a horrible place why are people from around the world dying (literally) to get in?
Those people also want to go to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe.
The Canadians, Australian, New Zealanders and Western Europeans like it fine where they are now and generally stay where they are born.
As for the ciizen's of the USA's allies that profess to "hate" the USA? "Hate" is a big word. "Distrustful scepticism of ignorance" would be a more appropriate term to use.
The Germans or French are not happy with American imperialism??? Well, go ahead and imperialize you French and Germans is waht I say. Imperilaize away.
As for the "hatred" of the citizens of the third world. Hmmmmmmm. That is one big ****ing problem of over****ingwhelming magnitude. Especillay with TV, internet and weapons mixed in with old fashioned religious propaganda.
QM Quality does not occur by chance. It is the result of intelligent activities.
Posts: 7145 | Location: Cigar land | Registered: March 10, 2003
Americans are not evil. I may have inadvertently projected this and it was not my intention to do so.
Solutions. 1 Have military alliances that have an apparatus that is over and above the ups and downs of emotional public opinion. Call it NATO.
2 Have economic alliances that deal with the standard of living and the economic stability of its members. Call it OECD.
3 Have an international organization where the have and have nots of the world can discuss, beg, borrow, steal, bribe and blackmail each other in an overt public forum. Call it the UN.
4 Know who your friends and enemies are. Better an enemy that you know than a friend that you don't.
5 As long as you are going to express contempt for another nation and they are going to express comtempt for you, try to keep it civilized. In other words keep it to rhetoric and jokes and leave the kidnapings, bombs, terrorism, war making and assassinations to the uncivilized.
6 Accept the fact that your values are not the best values in the world and that you are not doing anyone a favor by trying to impose your values on someone else. "You" applies to anyone.
QM Quality does not occur by chance. It is the result of intelligent activities.
Posts: 7145 | Location: Cigar land | Registered: March 10, 2003
reign in these conglomerate corps who present the face of America to large sections of the so called third world.
they don't represent me, I don't think they represent the vast majority of americans, at least, not to other americans...but yet they are our face as it were. In many cases, they even knowingly subvert our rule of law, such as our VP at the helm of his company creating off shore tax shelters, using and abusing Oil for Food, dealing with rogue nations, etc.
A case history perhaps, might prove beneficial for you to review. Such as, say...that os United Fruit.
That might help you to understand why we are viewed in many areas of the world the way we are. Haven't you ever wondered why there was such a huge discrepency in they way you think of America, and the way many others think of America?
3.14 *************************** Never been to Sesame Street but I flip a big bird and I know steelers but they're not from Pittsburgh...
Posts: 3019 | Location: NYMFC | Registered: May 05, 2002
I used to be annoyed by foreign US hatred, now I'm just annoyed by American's complaining that others hate us. . . .WHO CARES, THEY ARE ALWAYS GOING TO HATE US.
Everyone always hates #1. . .take me for example, I hate the f'ing Yankees!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sure let them scare you into thinking that everyone will like us if Kerry is elected.
Posts: 1540 | Location: Boston | Registered: February 28, 2003
quote:Originally posted by Quebecmike: Solutions. 1 Have military alliances that have an apparatus that is over and above the ups and downs of emotional public opinion. Call it NATO. 3 Have an international organization where the have and have nots of the world can discuss, beg, borrow, steal, bribe and blackmail each other in an overt public forum. Call it the UN.
This would be great if the US was not asked to do more than its fair share. The US currently spends more, proporionately, on NATO than any other nation
Same with UN, for example other permanent veto nations (china, france, UK, Russia) have a combined GDP approximately the same size of the US'. However the US still pays 48% MORE than these four countries combined. I know we were trying to reduce our payments last year, but i don't know if it ever passed.
US Imperialism, as you call it, is brought on by the rest of the world. If you don't want American Imperialism make everyone's contribution proportionate.
At least the OECD has a formula to determine contributions.
Kick our troops out of your countries, stop relying on our weapons research, stop buying our weapons for that matter. I'm not at all saying for the US to cut itself off, just reduce its roll proportionately. This will be the best for everyone. france, germany, Russia, Spain etc will have strong militaries in their own right and all of us working together EQUALLY will yield better results.
Posts: 1540 | Location: Boston | Registered: February 28, 2003
Quebecmike, those yankees up north are a mean and unhospitable bunch, come down south some time for some real friendly cigar time. Show up here and we are likely to toss a small to medium sized animal in a pit for some great bbq.
"Moderation in all things, including moderation." Mark Twain
I feel that I've got a pretty good idea why America has a black eye. I have traveled quite a bit and my wife is from Thailand so, I have encountered perspectives other than my own.
I have studied a number of national corporations in my numerous college courses and have even used them as case examples when I was a professor.
I am just trying to stimulate others to think about solutions rather than simply to bash away.
It is really hard to solve a problem that you don't understand and two of the components of open-mindedness are to listen (willingly) and to be able to judge the information critically. If we all try some of this maybe we can all work towards a solution.
I know that sounded really touchy-feelie, but I also think that it's true.
Posts: 226 | Location: Island South of Texas | Registered: March 29, 2004
