kittinSol -> RE: ouch- USA people hated (1/31/2008 3:50:20 PM)
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ORIGINAL: NorthernGent Every now and again, these things surface. It's fairly predictable and dull really. A thread on American virtues would be more interesting, and I don't mean the usual that every country spouts, e.g. "land of the free" etc, - what is unique to the United States? The temptation to bash 'America' as a concept is immense, but I think your positive attitude is wise, NorthernGent. I'm franco-british living in the States (but I never tell people of my French heritage, for the Frogs are seldom understood anywhere around the world - indeed, they're probably the second most disliked nation on the planet [:D] ), and what I've learnt to appreciate here is the relentless optimism and 'get up and go' philosophy, as well as a service-orientated society which is altogether quite helpful. This can be a pain in the arse when people constantly tell you to 'have a nice day' and to have waitresses in restaurants recite their curriculum vitae to you before they take your order... all in all though, I find it's more laid-back and less frantic than even provincial european cities. Then again, I live in the boondocks. What grates for me is a lack of curiousity about the world beyond the national borders of the country, the prevalence of easily digestible media and undemanding pop culture, and of seriously crap fashion. I think they call it 'the slobification of America' :-) . The jingoism and attachment to the flag really fucks me off, but it's ingrained in little children from the very first day they go to school, so the brainwashing is pretty thorough.
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