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Post by shyviolet on Jan 7, 2008 10:41:44 GMT -5
Wow, Zemira is that all really true? That's horrific! I mean, as far as I can tall from the news and things America does seem to be genuinely unaware of how other countries see it. Like, I heard an american say that everyone thinks of Canada as the fake America, but here in the UK everyone thinks Canada is what America should be like.
Aah, the BBC, they have a reputation for very good drama series. Their adaptation of Gormenghast was brilliant.
Thinking of America and Britain, american spellings confuse me. All my comic books seem to write 'though' as 'tho', and 'through' as 'thru', but surely americans don't really spell like that? And really random things like only putting one l in 'traveller' and spelling 'cheque' as 'check', it's so weird.
Oh, and why is American football called football when you're allowed to touch the ball with your hands?
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Post by zemira on Jan 7, 2008 16:00:41 GMT -5
From my experiences, yes, what I posted is true. We kinda ignore everyone but ourselves, unless, of course, it is time to make some other country messed up like America is.
Actually, I would be very eager to hear what you guys think of America. ^_^ I'm all for America-bashing (since it deserves it).
The spelling thing confuses me as well. Yes, some books will actually write "through" as "thru". I hate that. We also tend to spell "a lot" as one word, and make up words. A common word is "Alright". It's supposed to be "all right". >_< I think America just can't spell, lol.
I'm not sure what the deal is with football. I'm not a sports person. But I always have preferred soccer/football.
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Post by lisajane on Jan 7, 2008 18:42:07 GMT -5
Actually, I would be very eager to hear what you guys think of America. ^_^ I'm all for America-bashing (since it deserves it). Australia bascially views America as a stuck-up, conceited, idiotic, stupid country. This view isn't helped by the amount of reality tv shows we get showing Americans to be hickies and patricotic losers, and our previous prime minister hanging on to Bush's coat-tails (but we got rid of him, we now have a PM who seems to be able to think for himself - won in a landslide victory). I tend to be somewhere in the middle of thinking that, and thinking that Americans are friendly. I've been to America and the people I met and stayed with were polite and friendly, and a friend who recently went to New York remarked 'They're nothing like on tv - friendly and helpful'. I also tend to lean towards the usual view of Americans - and mostly due to Americans I've chatted to online - of being idiots. One forum in particular (not here) seems to be over-run by them, and while the Australians on the forum are generally laid-back and relaxed, the Americans are up-themselves and take offense at every little dig about their country. We probably think Americans are close-minded and stupid because we're taught about the world, rather than denying all other countries exist. We know Canada is another country. We follow the British spelling system - which we at taught at about grade three, or 8-9 years old (though I feel sorry for the teachers converting us from American ways to British, damn those Simpsons!). Which means we use colour, through, traveller, cheque and so forth. If an Australian were to act the way of Americans, they'll probably be viewed as stupid and a simpleton. Americans' football is entirely different to our concept of football though.
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Post by lisajane on Jan 7, 2008 18:42:47 GMT -5
Actually, I would be very eager to hear what you guys think of America. ^_^ I'm all for America-bashing (since it deserves it). Australia bascially views America as a stuck-up, conceited, idiotic, stupid country. This view isn't helped by the amount of reality tv shows we get showing Americans to be hickies and patricotic losers, and our previous prime minister hanging on to Bush's coat-tails (but we got rid of him, we now have a PM who seems to be able to think for himself - won in a landslide victory). I tend to be somewhere in the middle of thinking that, and thinking that Americans are friendly. I've been to America and the people I met and stayed with were polite and friendly, and a friend who recently went to New York remarked 'They're nothing like on tv - friendly and helpful'. I also tend to lean towards the usual view of Americans - and mostly due to Americans I've chatted to online - of being idiots. One forum in particular (not here) seems to be over-run by them, and while the Australians on the forum are generally laid-back and relaxed, the Americans are up-themselves and take offense at every little dig about their country. We probably think Americans are close-minded and stupid because we're taught about the world, rather than denying all other countries exist. We know Canada is another country. We follow the British spelling system - which we at taught at about grade three, or 8-9 years old (though I feel sorry for the teachers converting us from American ways to British, d**n those Simpsons!). Which means we use colour, through, traveller, cheque and so forth. If an Australian were to act the way of Americans, they'll probably be viewed as stupid and a simpleton. They won't find themselves popular at all (look up Pauline Hanson...) Americans' football is entirely different to our concept of football though.
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darkhyuuga
Full Member
D.gray man... enough said.
Posts: 156
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Post by darkhyuuga on Jan 7, 2008 20:10:30 GMT -5
ouch... I hate to be one of those people who like to say "i'm part..." or "i'm half.." which is common in America ( I havent lived anywhere else yet, but i'm pretty sure its the same in other homogenus raced countries) but zemira said it best unlike Europe we were completely isolated. Therefore we have a Ameri-centric way of thinking. its not personal. Most Americans are iditots... And on behalf of our country we apologize for I love New York & Tila Tequila (which i hear is being syndicating in Austrila now.) instead of america bashing.... american pop culture bashing seems to fit better....
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Post by lisajane on Jan 7, 2008 20:43:20 GMT -5
We get a lot of 'I'm part...' or 'I'm half...', but we've got so many nationalities in Australia that it's relatively rare to find someone who's totally Australian. I think my high school had something like 104 different nationalities (my primary/elementary school, 98% of the students were not born in Australia).
I don't think saying that America is isolated is a particulary good excuse for being Ameri-centric. Australia is halfway across the world from either Europe or America, and we're technically an island by ourselves, yet we're not... Aussie-centric I suppose it would be.
As for I Love New York and Tila Tequila, they're not out here yet on free tv (might be on pay tv... most American shows go there first unless they're huge hits like House or Desperate Housewives, and even if they did go to free air, they'll probably be at like 11pm or some late timeslot), but I can't see either lasting long or being talked about much, unless they get used to be criticised and found as excuses to insult America further.
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Post by Aryeec {E.F. Forester} on Jan 7, 2008 23:32:07 GMT -5
....and on to Cloverfield.
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Post by shyviolet on Jan 8, 2008 4:05:25 GMT -5
If the founding fathers could see America now they'd be turning in their graves. It was founded on such noble principles! But now they're so obsessed with their constitution that every time another school shooting happens they blame it on violent video games or poor parenting, instead of the fact that everyone and his dog has access to guns, just because the constitution (which dates back to the civil war in that case I think) says they're allowed to. The American dream was supposed to be that no-one is held back due to their background, but now the government uses it as an excuse not to help people. The country was founded on a base of freedom to practice religion, but all the republicans want to ban abortion and gay marriage on the basis of it being morally wrong? What about the right not to practice religion, since gay marriage at least is only wrong under religious terms?
In an international sense we have the same view as Australia: stuck-up, conceited, idiotic, stupid country. I suppose I could sum it up this way: here in England nobody thinks George W. Bush had a secret agenda for anything he does, because none of us credit him with the intelligence.
Americans personally I don't have anything against, I'm sure they're mostly very friendly and polite, just like most other people. Although I don't think being an island is a good excuse for being ameri-centric. Canada is on the same land mass, so that should at least give them an awareness of Canada and by extention Britain and France. And what about Mexico and the South American countries? Australia would have a much better claim to that excuse.
Sorry for ranting, but it's not every day someone asks what one thinks of America!
Since over here at least there's only teaser trailers out, what more is there to say about it?
Oh, except that the decapitated statue of liberty is cool.
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Post by zemira on Jan 8, 2008 10:08:55 GMT -5
Well, Mexico and South America are in the nation's eye, probably mostly because we get a lot of drugs from them.
And, yeah, a lot of Americans are idiots, and I think we all have this conceitedness to a certain degree, even if we don't mean it. But, again, like all people, some can be pretty cool. Mostly, the big cities are the places where you'll find the biggest concentration of jerks. New York is kinda known to the midwest as where the nasty people are. And then California is where the bimbos and stupid folks are. Then, down south is the hillbillies--people with no education who marry their family members and have relations with their pets. That's how St. Louis (where I live) sees the rest of the country.
Yeah, we even view other states differently. >_< A lot of competition here.
What's funny is that most people seem more aware of Britain than Canada. In most cases, we ignore Canada, unless to make fun of them. >_<
But, again, yeah, what you see on reality shows and movies are not true. Despite several attempts to keep it hidden, there is a fact beneath most (if not all) reality shows: They have a script. Not written lines, but the people are told to be nasty or very *friendly* persons or whatever by the producers. The fights are usually staged, and those dating shows are never real life. The bachelor or whoever chooses who the producers tell him/her to choose. Ratings. It's all ratings. So, yeah, America isn't reality television, although, sadly, many people try to be like those people. >_< It's shameful.
One of the better things going for us is also one thing that makes us such asses. Free Speech. It's a wonderful right to have, and I enjoy it. Unfortunately, most people think it means that they can just be total jerks to everyone else. That it gives them the right to rip open anyone who disagrees and that no one can stop them because of "free speech". >_<
Of course, many Americans grow up at some point, and become aware of the world and how small America is, and they realize that they have been unpleasant most of their lives. So, some adults you meet who have jobs where they work with all sorts of nationalities are usually okay. It's those who believe what the schools teach us--"America is the greatest, therefore everyone else is useless" that are the real jerks. And most of the country still thinks that.
As for Cloverfield, I can't say I'm much interested in it. I never really saw any ads for it. So, it's just another movie to me, lol.
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Post by GhostEggplant on Jan 8, 2008 19:09:21 GMT -5
There are plenty of nice Americans, they're just all kind of ignorant about our country. Which is really annoying! And then they're the stupid ones:
Americans: *armed rebellion against Britain* So we're free and dirt poor. Farmer are being taxed/not paid/whatever. Farmers: *armed rebellion*
We read about this in class a few days ago. It made me want to *headdesk*. You can't solve the problems created by war with war! Even in the begining there were stupid Americans.
And last year we were talking about illegal immigration in class. This one girl (blonde, rich, and sexy) said about the immigrants, "Why don't we beat them up or something, so they know not to come back?" Aurgh, she's so... American.
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Post by lisajane on Jan 9, 2008 4:44:43 GMT -5
Ghost, I'm not sure what's worse. That, or a political figure in Australia complaining that:
one - Australia is in danger of being swamped by Asians
two - in 50 years time, Australia will be ruled by a 'cyborg-lesbian-Chinese-Indian'
three - wants a freeze on immigration
four - claims all Africans migrants carry disease
five - and then has the nerve to say 'Welcome everyone, no matter where you come from'.
Our prime minster was of the belief that all Australians thought this way. Neither are in parliament anymore.
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Post by shyviolet on Jan 9, 2008 13:48:11 GMT -5
Was that the same PM who refused to sign Australia up to schemes dealing with climate change?
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Post by lisajane on Jan 9, 2008 16:09:45 GMT -5
Yep. Our new PM signed us up in like his first week.
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Post by shyviolet on Jan 9, 2008 16:34:51 GMT -5
Saw that! Apparently our media was so happy about it that it merited news mentions in this country. I always wondered how the other guy got elected, all the australians I know are so sensible.
Say, do you live in one of the bits with a cane toad infestation? Just out of curiosity. (I was watching a documentary series on alien species, like killer bees and such.)
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Post by GhostEggplant on Jan 9, 2008 18:39:05 GMT -5
Neither are in parliament anymore. I think I actually breathed a sigh of relief after I read that.
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