American Psychosis

American Psychosis (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Casual Banter] >> Off the Grid

Message

meatcleaver -> American Psychosis (8/4/2006 1:10:27 AM)
I found this commentary amusing, particularly the part about sex in which I recognised an American I once had a relationship with. It's basically a plug for a book *God Won’t Save America: The Psychosis of a Nation* Actually it reminds me of many threads on CM, the smoking ones included. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2298435,00.html

Level -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 3:03:35 AM)
Interesting link, Meatcleaver, and some good points.

Dtesmoac -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 6:20:28 AM)
Very good article and perhaps explains why I have trouble deciding whether I like the USA or not. Have been here 6 months and still can not make my mind up about the place. I was recently in Utah and New Mexico and in both found spectacular beauty, some great friendly people and some innovative thinking. I also found the "Mormons", sunday from hell, people who had never left their home state, abject poverty and bigotry. Seems that the USA is always the extremes and unlike the UK very rarely the wishy washy middle ground. Perhaps the problem I have is that in the US things are either very good or very bad which is not my "comfort zone" of either "fine" or "typical". Perhaps I will make my mind up by the time I go back to the UK.

WyrdRich -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 8:31:22 AM)
We are a strange and conflicted bunch. That Puritan streak runs through our environmentalists, atheists and politics too. I wouldn't agree that the national makeup is Puritans and Losers but I don't live in a gated community. Dtesmoac, I hope you get an opportunity to explore the Pacific Northwest before you go home.

Chaingang -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 9:35:43 AM)
Get over yourself, Meatcleaver. No one that I read argued for a ban on smoking - to the contrary, I support the legalization of almost all drugs. But just like I think I shouldn't have to watch someone fixing junk in the park or in an alleyway, I think smoker's should smoke at home. Smoking in public is an activity that can be regulated because your more extreme personal freedoms begin and end in your space and do not necessarily extend to communal spaces. In communal spaces your rights are just the same as everybody else's - the fundamental right is to be left alone to enjoy the environment "as is" - no loud music, no one falsely shouting "fire" to incite panic, and no one smoking where it can harm or merely annoy another. You can boldly proclaim your smoker status - no one says you don't have the right to be who you are and to display those characteristics within reason. BTW, as it turns out I've not seen many regulations of smoking in open air spaces - only in closed spaces. So if you must take a puff, step outside. It's not illegal and no one is trying to make it illegal that I have noticed. Your tempest in a teapot is refusing to be polite enough to take it outside - and that just makes you rude and annoying. But in the main, you could be regulated in ANY public space because people in a public space do not have to submit themselves to the will of one individual who wishes to smoke, in a public space the collective has rights over the individual. The real problem here is your failure to understand how rights work and how they don't.

Estring -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 10:59:48 AM)
I see. Europeans have got us all figured out. And we should take them seriously, because after all they have contributed so much to the world. Nazism, Fascism, Communism, Anti-Semetism and appeasance to any evil in the world. Quite a list of accomplishments. And of course, if it wasn't for the US, you would all be speaking German, or Russian.

Dtesmoac -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 11:19:50 AM)
I don't see it quite that way Estring. I think the point of the article is that others have real difficult "figuring out the US" not because they should be able to but because often there is an over simplification by outsiders of the US. You grouped a wide ranch of people, races, cultures, religions, languages and historical emnities under the title "Europeans". In "Europe" I think there is a tendancy to over simplify the US becuase we / they base there expecation on the same logic as looking at the US as one nation in the same way as a France or a Germany or a Luxembourgh but in reality it isn't. The seperate US states and the relationship between these states may not be as complex or have as much baggage as between European Countries but there is more complexity than most of the world thnks there is. Your comments on Europe would make for an interesting thread - can you wait for 2 weeks before you post it as I am away for another period of time but would love to contibute to a thred on the value or otherwise of Europe or the EU - if you think I'm wishy washy on the US you should here my indecision on Europe - lol. Would love to re-evaluate your last line but have to catch a plane - but remove any one of the three / four principles nations/ groups of nations from the Allied side and you probably hve a very different outcome to the actual final situation. Always find it funny when you get people from one country claiming they won WWII as they often only look at one aspect or 1 year of the conflict, not all the other years that allowed that 1 aspect or 1 year to occur. I've heard this said by Americans, Russians, Poles, Chinese, British. Personnaly I think the're all wrong. Dos Vidania / Aufviedesain --- ok I don't speak Russian or German but that was my best estimate

Estring -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 11:34:32 AM)
I appreciate your comments. I wasn't commenting specifically about the article, but more on my annoyance of many Europeans that have this condescending attitude towards the US. And I just wanted to point out the wonderful contributions that Europe has given to the world.

Moloch -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 11:39:53 AM)
Yeah us a-hole americans!!! Then why is it that Arab immigrants in France get treated worse then we treated black people down south in the 50's?

WyrdRich -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 11:51:08 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Moloch Yeah us a-hole americans!!! Then why is it that Arab immigrants in France get treated worse then we treated black people down south in the 50's? Treated worse??? I haven't heard about any lynchings (and you know we would have) and they just prohibited going topless on the "beaches" in Paris because the muslims were offended by it.... Might want to check out a film called "Mississippi Burning" before you spout any more of that nonsense.

Alumbrado -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 11:55:14 AM)
Another term is 'Self Perception Disorder'... and people of every nationality suffer from SPD, while remaining convinced that they alone are immune.

Moloch -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 11:55:47 AM)
quote: Burning" before you spout any more of that nonsense. quote: ORIGINAL: WyrdRich Treated worse??? I haven't heard about any lynchings (and you know we would have) and they just prohibited going topless on the "beaches" in Paris because the muslims were offended by it.... Might want to check out a film called "Mississippi Burning" before you spout any more of that nonsense. Holy faQ! ok wow , that is surreal ok I take that back.

Estring -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 11:57:06 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: WyrdRich quote: ORIGINAL: Moloch Yeah us a-hole americans!!! Then why is it that Arab immigrants in France get treated worse then we treated black people down south in the 50's? Treated worse??? I haven't heard about any lynchings (and you know we would have) and they just prohibited going topless on the "beaches" in Paris because the muslims were offended by it.... Might want to check out a film called "Mississippi Burning" before you spout any more of that nonsense. No, they just kill Jews.

Dtesmoac -> RE: American Psychosis (8/4/2006 12:35:40 PM)
Well,Estring what did you expect when all the Puritans buggered off to America there had to be someone else for us to burn at the stake! Ever considered,and heaven forbid, now that we've stopped killing each other in Europe (ok ..mostly so) whats going to happen when the group that invented the Guilotine, the blokes that thoughtup the gas chambers and the people that turned piracy into a religeon stop having a continental guilt fest and decide to go out ad invent something really bad.......!

MasterKalif -> RE: American Psychosis (8/5/2006 12:04:34 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Estring I see. Europeans have got us all figured out. And we should take them seriously, because after all they have contributed so much to the world. Nazism, Fascism, Communism, Anti-Semetism and appeasance to any evil in the world. Quite a list of accomplishments. And of course, if it wasn't for the US, you would all be speaking German, or Russian. I am not European and do not consider myself to be condescending, but I think you are doing just that by what you stated "And of course, if it wasn't for the US, you would all be speaking German, or Russian"...while I value that the US did become involved, the US' blunder caused that Poland along with many other countries fell under the Soviet "iron curtain" as the US president was too weak and reluctant to take the issue up with "uncle" Stalin....so I dont think Europe should be all that thankfull in the end.

Emperor1956 -> RE: American Psychosis (8/5/2006 12:24:00 AM)
quote: Dtesmoac said: . . . now that we've stopped killing each other in Europe . . . Wait one minute. BOSNIA? SERBIA? MONTENEGRO? ROMANIA? When you "stopped killing eachother" apparently some places didn't get the memo. ...We now return you to your regular uninformed, ill advised fantasies. --E

IronBear -> RE: American Psychosis (8/5/2006 5:29:09 AM)
Without having looked at the link in the OP, I'd say that it is civilization which is psychotic.. I can sit back and honestly say that every country has something to offer and has in most cases given something to the mix. Once upon a time it was the Brits who were in the for front of the noticible pole and now it is the US. Both in their day were or are pretty damned good in the self advertising department (not necessarily a bad thing depends on how you take it)... The US has given the world a lot of good things and a lot of bad (Again depending on how you view them).

Page: [1]

Collarchat.com © 2025

Terms of Service

0.03125