Why do "foreigners" judge the US on just a small part? [Rant]

I think part of the problem is the two party system. It isn't official, but de facto that's how it is. There's a need to change that.

there are more than two candidates in every race, just nobody votes for them.

I wonder how much of that is being obsessed with picking a candidate who will win rather than voting for someone who at least somewhat stands for what you believe in.
Of course knowing what a candidate is all about without doing in-depth research is rather difficult since the majority of candidates will respond to questions with a mind numbing meaningless political bla bla instead of saying what they really believe.

well usually the third party people are no more middle of the road than the other two, usually they are pretty far out on the left, like, way out there.

I implore all of you to visit this site. It gives you an overall view of my political affiliation, which is Libertarian. For the onles who are lazy, a Libertarian believes in the principals and beliefs written in the American Constitution. Libertarians are also knows as "Jeffersonians" and "Constitutionalists".

And I am a great admirer of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill and Milton Friedman.

So there is a good, well established third party here in the United States...a political movement that is trying, millimeter by millimeter, to bring back the country to how it was founded, the ideas that were supremely radical 330 years ago; free enterprise, limited government, and peace through trade.
 
I implore all of you to visit this site. It gives you an overall view of my political affiliation, which is Libertarian. For the onles who are lazy, a Libertarian believes in the principals and beliefs written in the American Constitution. Libertarians are also knows as "Jeffersonians" and "Constitutionalists".

And I am a great admirer of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill and Milton Friedman.

So there is a good, well established third party here in the United States...a political movement that is trying, millimeter by millimeter, to bring back the country to how it was founded, the ideas that were supremely radical 330 years ago; free enterprise, limited government, and peace through trade.
Well, problem with liberalism is that it really doesn't work. It's like communism because it really doesn't take the human nature into consideration.

I like the idea of liberalism, in the same way I like the idea of communism. Fact of the matter is, it doesn't work. And, even more important, a constitution, important as it may be, can't always be trusted to stay true at all time. That's why one may need to change it once in a while. And it's as important it can't be changed easily.
 
Well, problem with liberalism is that it really doesn't work. It's like communism because it really doesn't take the human nature into consideration.

I like the idea of liberalism, in the same way I like the idea of communism. Fact of the matter is, it doesn't work. And, even more important, a constitution, important as it may be, can't always be trusted to stay true at all time. That's why one may need to change it once in a while. And it's as important it can't be changed easily.


I was a bit confused by you labeling me a liberal, but then I remembered that the term is not "soiled" in Europe like it is here. Socialists and Communists go under the term liberal here in the United States. I guess I could call myself Conservative, and I am a Christian, but I believe that God has no place in any government.

Politics are bit screwy in the US, dont you think? Republicans believe in a Democratic society, while Democrats would like society modeled like a Republic. :?
 
Also I never said AMERICA wanted to created an Empire, I said BUSH wanted to create an empire. It doesn't mean Bush will create an empire.

The Fingerprint thing I can understand, I just don't like the way that I'm innocent yet I have to give my fingerprints over "just in case" I do something, also I could just wear gloves for my entire visit. So its not that effective.

Bush is on his way out soon and any power you think he has will be gone as well.

If the fingerprint thing bothers you, just relate it to private gun ownership in the UK.
 
Last edited:
I was a bit confused by you labeling me a liberal, but then I remembered that the term is not "soiled" in Europe like it is here. Socialists and Communists go under the term liberal here in the United States. I guess I could call myself Conservative, and I am a Christian, but I believe that God has no place in any government.
I know what you mean. :)

The term liberal is one of interest, really. "Liberalism" simply means "belief in freedom", or something in that way. But it's taken on a different meaning the last years or so. To be liberal could mean that you are in favor of allowing more and more (ie. gay marriage, abortion and so on), and on that term, yes, I am a liberal. I think people should be allowed to do pretty much what they wish so long as they don't harm others. Which makes me a bit iffy when it comes to the question of drugs, using drugs hurt YOU, no one else, at least not directly.

I like to think of it as "value liberalism" or some other wishwash I can think of.

What I am opposed to, is economic liberalism, also known as market-liberalism. I don't find that to be a particular good idea.

I am a mixture of social-democrat (that does NOT mean COMMUNIST, okay? :p), liberal, moderate and realist.

In the end, I always end up at real politics, because in the end, you need to do something, you need to do it. If Bush knows that a man is about to give the order to nuke New York, has no proof, but he -knows-, then the only choice is to take the bastard out. It might not be highly moral, but it's the only choice.

But I am aware the meaning liberal has gotten in America, and I find it quite interesting. 'Liberal', to some of you, seem to mean a mixture of Al Gore and the Devil Beelzebub.

Politics are bit screwy in the US, dont you think? Republicans believe in a Democratic society, while Democrats would like society modeled like a Republic. :?
Yeah. Wanna know something really funny? The oldest Norwegian political party, Venstre (Directly translated: Left), is a party on the right side, as opposed to the left. ;)

But I have a devils job of finding out what's the real difference between Democrats and Republicans, there was a time when you could tell the difference, but for the last 15 years, I've not been able to see it, to be totally honest.

The only real difference I see, is that the democrats generally nominate qualified guys who are nice enough for presidents, even if they are dull, while the Republicans generally nominate total assholes. Is that right?
 
Politics are bit screwy in the US, dont you think? Republicans believe in a Democratic society, while Democrats would like society modeled like a Republic. :?
Well...ours is just as screwy. The Liberals here are stingy with money and like to do nothing until election time, the Conservatives are happy to spend lots of money and do lots of things(not necessarily good) before election time.
 
blah blah blah.

It's a politically incorrect thing to say, but I think the reason Germany and UK have lower murder rates is they don't have as much racial-social diversity. The two go hand in hand down here.

BTW, have any of you seen Chappele's Show?
 
blah blah blah.

It's a politically incorrect thing to say, but I think the reason Germany and UK have lower murder rates is they don't have as much racial-social diversity. The two go hand in hand down here.

Our melting pot of cultures definitely doesn't help the situation. I wouldn't call it THE reason, but it's an influence.

I recall hearing a statistic that a HUGE number of gun murders in the US are due to cheating wives/husbands.
 
The only real difference I see, is that the democrats generally nominate qualified guys who are nice enough for presidents, even if they are dull, while the Republicans generally nominate total assholes. Is that right?
More or less :lol:. As for the term liberal, iirc the Reagan administration demonized the term to give himself a firmer political base. Well you don't want to be a radical, baby-aborting, athiest communist do you? Then you're a conservative! Vote Republican!

mattjm321 Chappele's show is the shit. It's a shame he went nuts.
 
blah blah blah.

It's a politically incorrect thing to say, but I think the reason Germany and UK have lower murder rates is they don't have as much racial-social diversity. The two go hand in hand down here.

Long time reader here. After I saw this post I just had to register to post in here.

I definately got a good laugh from this post. Have you ever been to the UK? Go to any major UK city and tell me that there isn't any racial diversity.

Don't have enough money to visit the UK? Check out any major city in Canada. Cities like Toronto and Vancouver have a 50-50 split of White People:Non Whites, yet homicides are not nearly as large of an issue as they are in major US cities (it typically averages around 60 in toronto).

So don't blame diversity for your high murder rate. Blame the fundamental principles that your country was based on because I can assure you that the rest of the world expects no better from a country in which owning a firearm is a fundamental right.

Cheers
 
It's a trade-off. You can live in a place where the police have more control and every corner has a dozen cameras, or you can live in a place that might have higher crime but you also have the ability to take care of yourself. You identify with the former, and I with the latter.

My problem is that people attack the "US Culture" - which one would that be, then? There is more to cultural diversity than race, which is the only one you mentioned. Do you think a white guy from Maine is the same as one from New York, and that guy is the same as one from Georgia, or Texas, or South Dakota, or Oregon or Arizona?

Hate to break it to you, but the US is more diverse than the UK. While London may have about the same diversity as other major western cities, I bet my left nut that the US has more diversity as a nation.
 
It's a trade-off. You can live in a place where the police have more control and every corner has a dozen cameras, or you can live in a place that might have higher crime but you also have the ability to take care of yourself. You identify with the former, and I with the latter.

It's funny how you people complain about us generalizing americans and in the same thread you take an information about London (lots of security cameras) and spread it over the whole of Europe.
Pay us a visit, you'll see that the differences between the single european countries are a lot bigger than differences between US states. By the way, I've been to very few places in the world where "the police have more control" than in the United States. Great Britain certainly wasn't one of them.

For all the other Americans:
Apart from that, I can't see the point in always complaining about that. Everytime something negative pops up its just "the people there are weird, but us other folks are completely normal".
I am sorry but you cannot at the same time always go on about America, fuck yeah, but when something bad turns up suddenly there is nothing that seems to be essentially "American". Don't you have a basic set of values that ties your nation together? If you don't have that you can barely consider yourself a proper nation.
Its easy to always blame problems on another group of people, we could do that here, too. Its not that European countries are completely uniform states. Germany for instance consists of 16 states and there are big differences between people there as well. But still, they're all germans. If you are part of a certain culture its always easier to divide between smaller nuances of it. But for an outsider its all pretty much the same. And to be honest, in all times I've visited the United States people might have been different, but its very, VERY easy to find a lot of things common in all Americans you meet.
As I said before, this might be hard to get if you're part of it (I myself find it hard to see what people so often call quintessentially german), but denying it is a bit childish and just looks like not being able to take criticism.
 
un-dee Bravo. All those cameras did not stop the London Bombers did it? I think that bit is somewhat overdone.
 
For all the other Americans:
Apart from that, I can't see the point in always complaining about that. Everytime something negative pops up its just "the people there are weird, but us other folks are completely normal".
I am sorry but you cannot at the same time always go on about America, fuck yeah, but when something bad turns up suddenly there is nothing that seems to be essentially "American". Don't you have a basic set of values that ties your nation together? If you don't have that you can barely consider yourself a proper nation.
Its easy to always blame problems on another group of people, we could do that here, too. Its not that European countries are completely uniform states. Germany for instance consists of 16 states and there are big differences between people there as well. But still, they're all germans. If you are part of a certain culture its always easier to divide between smaller nuances of it. But for an outsider its all pretty much the same. And to be honest, in all times I've visited the United States people might have been different, but its very, VERY easy to find a lot of things common in all Americans you meet.
As I said before, this might be hard to get if you're part of it (I myself find it hard to see what people so often call quintessentially german), but denying it is a bit childish and just looks like not being able to take criticism.

It's easy to justify denying it when it's the truth. Comparing Germany and it's 16 states and 82 million citizens to the United States, with it's 50 states and 300 million citizens isn't exactly the same. It would be no different then saying Americans are the same as Germans, because we all live on Earth.

What parts of America have you visited? I'm guessing only the most touristy parts of the Country. They do have a lot in common, as do the people who live in those areas. But like BlindIo said earlier, if you actually visit many parts of the country, off the beaten path, it's not hard to realize just how vastly different places and people are. I'm still shocked by the differences I see when I visit new places in my own country.
 
You guys use the same currency and drive on the same side of the road, speak roughly the same language and have not had a war betweenn yourselves since the 1850s. You don't pick on one or two states and tell them to pay for the whole shooting match then gang up on one of the states actually paying in to force them to do stuff they don't want to do. Pass loads of ludicrous laws knowing that only one or two states will bother enforcing these stupid rules.

Oh and force them to change their legal system and steal their fish and generally slag them off.
 
Last edited:
I don't know about you, but i prefer to live in a place where there are no cameras and not much crime...
 
^G?vle, Sweden. Or 18km north of G?vle. :p
 
Bit cold, but could be a good idea - my brother works for Volvo BM who last time I talked to him were still Swedish and thinks the highly of the Swedes he has dealt with.
 
Top