Some observations on my trip to the US

1. Your media is the world's worst. That is no exaggeration. How can anybody watch such biased tripe? And who the hell is Lou Dobbs, besides a pulsating ego pushing an extremist agenda?

2. What's with all the flags, America? Got an identity problem?

3. It's nauseating how Budweiser Beer is pandering to the lowest jingoistic common denominator by "trotting out" its high-stepping
Clydsdales with a military recruitment wagon in tow, though it was refreshing to see not a single person willing to volunteer to be videoed, cheering on the troops in Iraq with a "glory glory hallelujah" message.

4. America has no concept of global warming and how the individual fits into the equation. Nothing but pickups and SUVs as far as the eye can see. This is a culture of pure excess.

5. Menu portions are much too large. A "lo cal" platter consists of a fish fillet with soup, salad, cottage cheese, canned peaches AND tomatoes. The regular offerings are enough to keep a 2000 pound Clydsdale fed for an entire day. How America can afford the health problems related to a nationwide epidemic of over-eaters is a mystery.

All in all, glad it's just a visit because this country is in decline.

You get an 'A' on your report! :D

You would have gotten an 'A+' had you mentioned the torture, genocide, and general trend toward fascism... oh, and how chickenshit Bush supporters are for not enlisting in the military.



... if any of you fucktard dittoheads are reading this, FUCK YOU! Get your sorry ass to a recruiter TODAY! NO EXCUSES!

You only noticed FIVE things? Come on...give us more. Our tourism industry is all confused as to why people don't want to visit us anymore, give 'em some pointers.

6. There is no recycling here. Plastic, bottles, paper, and waste go into one bag. Major time warp by European standards.

7. Restaurants/refrigerated section of supermarkets are too cold, requiring customers to wear another layer of clothing to stay warm. Try turning down the thermostat and save some energy!

8. What's the equation here? The higher the gas prices, the bigger the vehicle? And what's with the SUVs? The folks driving them don't look the least bit "sporty," though I did see one Mini Cooper in the area drawing a crowd of on-lookers in the parking lot. Granted, few in America could ever hope to fit in one. And pickup trucks--why does almost everyone need one? There is no farm land here. It's a desert. Big time "keeping up with the Jone's" mentality in the US.

9. Franchises--boring! I stayed in Holiday Inns and slept in the exact same room clear across the country. One has to search for family-owned restaurants in the US. Otherwise, it's Chilis and Chichis ad nauseum. Why does the US insist on destroying its unique natural landscape with carbon copies of its corporations stamped into the landscape?

10. *A bright spot*--a roundabout is being built in town--the first of its kind in the US--despite a public outcry that "we don't need no stinkin' roundabout! We likes waitin' forever in traffic lights instead!" You might even save some energy in the process should the roundabout concept "take off," not to mention the beautification that may evolve in the center of one, such as wildflowers or a cactus garden, if a mini-TacoBell doesn't get there first. Only concern--are US vehicles too big to negotiate the turn?

That was a real eye-opener. I LOVE those smart cars. The USA should be filled with them!

though they are smaller than those in the US. However, w/gas prices double what Americans are paying, one has to be fairly wealthy to consider owning one in Europe, keeping those numbers from reaching epidemic proportions.

On a sunny day, most places in Europe, certainly in the high-income areas, are full of the most beautiful, top-of-the-line compact diesel-operated sports cars you've ever seen. Hardtops are automatically stored, making it fun for the spectator to peer closly at detailing, like a Mona Lisa, while it is parked next to, perhaps, an Italian ice cream stand for a quick "dip."

blew my mind. So I assumed it had to be an American driving it.

It is astounding how far ahead of us OLD Europe is...we're the world's spoild adolescent children.

Cheers

This is a big country. Where I live, lots of family businesses still exist. Our mayor has already stated that no WalMart will built here. Although there are a lot of trucks around here, we have farms demanding the utility of those trucks.

We have the cleanest river in the USA and beautiful forests filled with critters. Crime rate is low in spite of increasing poverty probably due to a relatively strong sense of community. We also have an interesting mix of people, very diverse in their views of the world.

Hopefully, on your next visit, you'll visit territory outside the area to which you were exposed. There are SO many natural wonders to see in this country. Definitely check into "Bed-N-Breakfast" lodging!!!

Hope the rangers don't ticket me. :) Since hunting takes place five miles from here, I figure its best to give the elk a little incentive to stay close rather than allow these beautiful animals to be killed with some "hunter's" musket from three feet away.

Missed the wild pigs last night, however. They'll be back.

South Jersey abounds in them. Master the Airport Circle and you can probably tackle driving in Paris.

circle jerks. :)

I was just going to say that! I grew up with the Eatontown Circle (which is no longer there!), but if you go a little further sounth in Jersey, they are all over the place.

I lived in London, and I personally hated driving the Roundabouts there. Other than that, there is something to the OPs criticism, but I have been to many countries, and there is criticism to go around for most of the cities that I've visited. There is good and bad everywhere. I live in NYC, so much of the OPs criticism doesn't necessarily fit my neck of the woods, and it is precisely why I don't like to visit every-town, USA.

Having said that, there are some beautiful places in the USA that I would tell EVERYONE to visit... Red Bank, NJ (close to New York, filled with fun restaurants and bars, antique stores, and cool little shops!); Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Santa Barbara, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana and many other places with its own unique character.

in the West. We've got 2 or 3 here in Oregon, and they appear to take scare the crap out of everyone the first time they see em :D

Driving around for a couple weeks in Europe I had to learn all about roundabouts and while they were a challenge for me the first day...I came to love the things...and imagine...no electricity used!

Hopefully we'll pick up on em in the midwest and western US and avoid being Enron'd at every intersection.

So was Detroit and Washington, DC.

Fredrick Law Olmstead created a gigantic city-wide park system in Buffalo using the traffic circles and parkways as a basis.

and Cambridge. But the rest of the country is lacking,

and our drivers are well-known for their kamikaze road maneuvers. :-)

Follow those rules, and you'll be just fine. :)

Just stating what Massachusetts residents called them when I visited.

1. there is recycling. I do it twice a week.

2. ok. wear a coat then. I also like it kind of chilly myself, so I have A/C pretty low in the summer months, but you'll be glad to know I save heating oil when it is winter

3. no defense of SUVs. Alot of Americans hate them too.

4. I like Chilis. They have some good food. But there are a lot of non-chain places to eat too.

No other country can match the US by that measure. Perhaps THAT is why Americans say "The US is the greatest country in the world."

it kills me how in parks, food courts, etc, zillions of cans and bottles just get mixed in with the general trash instead of being recycled.

They pay peons pennies to go thru conveyor belts and weed out the recyclables - it's more "cost effective" that way.

So we really ARE recycling.

But the rest of your "report" is dead on.

6. There is no recycling here. Plastic, bottles, paper, and waste go into one bag. Major time warp by European standards.

we are creating jobs! ya gotta hire somebody to sort that stuff! :sarcasm:




Knowledge is Power – Keep these threads kicked…….

Book TV Schedule May 21-23
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3699935

CSPAN Schedule Sunday, May 22
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3703368

OK, frequent flyer here--

Actually, tourism is up very nicely, with a 12 percent increase in international visitors to the United States, and the airplanes are packed to the bursting point. If there is no profit being made, as in the case of the airlines, it is not due to lack of people -- the system can't handle any more increase. I've been on a number of flights in the past year where the airline has had to call for passengers to volunteer to be paid to be "bumped" because there were too many people and not enough seats. (I took some of the offers too!)

The increase in tourism numbers -- and the industry's attempt to try to make it sound all "poor me" and all that, no doubt in an effort to build up steam to get more subsidies and grabs at the tax dollar -- was widely discussed on the site (I think in LBN but maybe in GD) er, maybe 3-4 weeks ago. I bet you could find the cite pretty easily if you searched the archives.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

1. Buy cheap stuff and leave.

The flaccid dollar is the only reason to visit.

food prices in particular. The US is no bargain, even against the euro. A cup of coffee, maybe, but the quality isn't as good, either. And the ever present CoffeeMate? Why do Americans insist on adding a genetically modified ingredient to their cup'o java?

was in my grandmothers kitched, bless her! In no diner, coffee shop, or person's house, EVER, do I see coffee mate! I did, however, see a lot of it, in China. (They're often lactose intollerant, and milk/cream doesn't abound in China, particularly in the smaller towns.)

Equal Exchange coffee. And I've never seen Coffee Mate anywhere. :puke:

I would NEVER contaminate my coffee with, well, anyhing actually. ;)

In the state of Minnesota the more waste is composted or recylced than landfilled. (only about 33% of MN's waste is landfilled) although these figures do include a sizable portion of material which is sent to energy recovery facilities aka incinerators.

To be quite honest a lot of Minnesota waste management practices are modeled after European-type programs. A local recycler just set up a Bollegraf sorting machine which can do about 40 tons an hour. There's a lot more that can be done, but there are some bright spots.

From your user name you are from the U.K.
Am I correct?

The US has fallen WAY behind on the scale of world trends in terms of energy conservation/environmental and urban planning.

Moving away doesn't erase the fact that you're from here. Your oh-so-superior atttitude, Mr. Former American, is unneccesary and complete bs, imho.

I think that you should have tried to be fair and balanced.

spending a whole week in front of a TV with nothing but Fox News Channel.

;)


Also "fair and balanced" has a special meaning in the US these days, since Murdoch's Wingnut News Network uses that as a tagline.

:blush:

That is part of the agreement we made with China to keep North Korea in check for us. China uses the money from U.S flag sales to keep the Korean nuclear option in check. That way our wondrous leaders have one less thing to worry about in their war on their own people. It also makes it easier to tell the good guys from the evil liberal terrorists who have a problem with murder and genocide. :sarcasm:

and bad tippers.

As for the excessive portion sizes, we're just storing up reserves of body fat for the coming post-war famine. Those SUVs can be up-armoured and will be useful for plowing through the barricades in urban neighborhoods. About the bad American beer, there's no excuse for that except we have to do something with our industrial waste, and the damned EPA won't let us dump it in our rivers anymore. Blame it all on Clinton!

:+ :evilgrin: :toast:

and I'm a bad tipper. There I said it. It wasn't always so but I just happen to live in a country where it seems to be a design that my family and I are COSTANTLY FREAKING BROKE!!! Stars and Stripes forever BABY!!!

Depending on how the waitor/waitress does with us of course. If they're really good he'll leave a lil extra but if they're horrible he'll just leave a couple bucks.

I've always tipped beyond my means. I once had a waitress completely fuck up my order, twice, in the same night. One she tried to bring me this seafood and pasta dish when I had ordered a steak. They hadn't cooked the steak or someone else was eating it I don't know. Then when she finally gave the chef my correct order. A steak Well done. A half hour after my wife had finished her entree my steak arrives in a pool of blood. I ended up not even eating but she got her 15% anyway, and I still paid for my wife's dinner.

Service jobs probably don't pay all that well, and likely come with few benefits, so tips shouldn't be dependent on customer whimsy. Imbed it in the price and include a national health insurance. Then watch service improve immensely.

Why not move on to smaller portions with a pricetag that includes service? No messy calculations to worry about when the check is brought, no arguing about who is going to leave it. Makes life much simpler.

Most of the expense in running a restaurant goes into rent, insurance, wages, etc. Those things are what actually determine the price of a meal. Compared to all that, making the portions 50% larger costs only pennies and makes people feel they're getting a bargain.

Of course, you then get into the question of why Americans should feel quantity is an acceptable substitute for quality. But that's another issue altogether . . .

to include a beebee or two, for the price I paid here for a big plate of two cheese enchiladas covered with beans and rice. Food is cheaper in Europe, the quality is better (I don't include the UK, mind you), and the portions are more proportional to the size of the human stomach.

most wait staff make below minimum-$2.65 an hour-and rely on tips. Bartenders usually make minimum wage, and most kitchen help does also.

This is AMERICA! God loves us best because we hate evildoers and love freedom. We have the biggest military in the world and very soon we`ll even have control over outer space.

Did you say something against Lou Dobbs? Why, he`s single-handedly stopping immigrants. He knows that this country really belongs to folks who look like him. Native Americans learned their place centuries ago but now Lou has to teach that lesson all over again.

An identity problem? No. If you`ve got it, flaunt it. We buy flag pins from China by the boat load. Everybody has one: politicians, journalists, preachers, movie stars, sports heros. That`s how the government can tell the real patriots from the Liberal Wussies.

Don`t start with the "global warming" BS. That`s just another myth invented so Liberals can have more regulations. George W. Bush believes that polluters can self-regulate. It`s works great because corporations care more about our country than their bottom line profits.

Menu portions are big because that`s how we do things in America. Big cars, big pile of credit cards, big movie premieres, big national debt, big bombs, big houses, big selection of cereal. Bigger is better. Don`t believe me? Take a look at a recent photo of Fallujah.

is funny, in a sad sorta way, is the freepers love to proclaim the flag and wave it around but they don't realize their flag is from China and not the US (which is a shame), and we also owe China a lot of money because they're helping keep our country in line from dear old Dubya with the debt.

all loaded with corn syrup. That stuff is nasty and isn't found in European made products. Even the houmous contained it. Why do Americans want to have their food contaminated with genetically manufactured sweets?

Also, supermarkets have cheese sections, but your choices suck. Where's the fresh mozarella steeped in its own liquid? Beats me how anybody can eat that hard ball of wax. I did find the mozarella I was looking for, btw, but a container cost five times as much as in Europe and tasted half as good.

And the fresh herbs...when you can find them, are stuffed into a plastic container, wilted by the time its purchased. In Europe, the herbs are typically bought from the supermarket in dirt containers, roots and all--as fresh as you can get w/o growing your own.

Finally, you're paying food prices that are much too high. A loaf of bread, a small container of mozarella and a small container each of sea salt and pepper corns (with a paper grinder) cost $14.00 Outrageous.

"Where's the fresh mozarella steeped in its own liquid?"

Umm, everywhere. At my local supermarket, and at the Italian markets too.

"And the fresh herbs...when you can find them, are stuffed into a plastic container, wilted by the time its purchased."

Again, not in my neck of the woods.

BUT we are paying too much for fresh food. It is much less expensive to eat disgusting, processed food than organic, fresh food.

:9 :dunce: :nuke: :patriot: :spray:

Don't forget that more Americans have internet now than cable. I get my News via Democracy now and other online sources. Cable news is going down.

I wish they'd get rid of the talking heads that possess the networks 24/7. I wish they'd just do their job and report facts about events here and abroad. Ah, but I ask too much from corporate America because profits is the only principle by which it operates.

No news, just (conservative) views

Which says pretty much all that needs to be said.

and then the spice girls to add insult to injury.

but seriously, i love your review of our brave new world.

the lonely recruitment wagon was my favorite part.

but agree with you on evrything else.

Restaurants are not pleasant experiences, either. There is too much hustle/bustle, w/the expectation that you're to eat as much as possible in the shortest amount of time, asked ad infinitum if you need anything else (interrupting leisurely conversations), and brought the check before you've even had time to dip into your overly saturated ranch dressing salad.

Waiting for a seat in a restaurant? Not done in Europe, where reservations are favored.

that's part of the problem right there :puke:

Course, I live in a city where if there's a line waiting for a table, I know there are three more restaurants down the block to go to. I liked your rant though. It reminds me of Eric Idle's extended monologue of Europeans on holiday, long ago :)

:shrug:

If you only visit the very worst of U.S. restaurants and then compare them to the best of your local restaurants, it isn't exactly a fair comparison, is it?

U.S. chefs are the best in the world, and much of the innovation takes place right here. Exhibit A: New Orleans. "Ranch" dressing? What is that? Sounds like something they had back in the 1970s. Just when DID you visit, I wonder.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

season to taste

What I get here is a plate of dressing with a couple of iceberg leaves tucked underneath as an afterthough--a throwback to the days of colonial occupation?

ask for a "doggie bag" as the food arrives. Then I half it, put half in the doggie bag and keep it for lunch the next day.

We don't all fit into your description and I'm willing to bet especially here at DU.

We don't eat at restaurant chains. Locally owned businesses always have the best food.

I use real milk, with no rBst, in my coffee.

We recycle every scrap of anything in our house. Food garbage either feeds the dogs or chickens or goes into compost. The rest is recycled.

Yes, we drive a truck but we live on a mini-farm and need to haul hay and horse trailers, etc. As soon as they make an efficient vehicle that will do that, we're interested.

Our flags are packed away with care and hope that someday we'll be able to fly them with pride again.

The thermostat thing is a result of a male-dominated society....I always tell people that we'll know when women are truly equal: all the thermostats will be raised by 5 degrees! :)

it's depressing to me that you missed all the good stuff. Of which there is plenty. Not the govt, and not the popular culture, of course.

Next time, don't watch the television, and take the back roads.

your visit to your inlaws house.

Dear Mrs Jones:

Thank you for letting me visit the nice home where my spouse was raised.

However, I do have a few points to raise with you about your cleaning, cooking, attitude towards your husband, the way you discipline or fail to discipline your other children, and that smell in the bathroom.

Allow me to elaborate please...

Just curious...what state did you visit?

We took down our flag once the Iraq invasion began. I wanted to fly a flag upside down, but my husband was afraid our house would get vandalized (in freeper VA you know).

if I don't clap and echo and cheer on your hyperbolic screed.

We have lots of problems - and our insular view of the world is definitely our achilles heel (on so many fronts) - as it allows us to support policies that cause so much damage.

But we are still a free society (though current leaders are trying to change that), we still produce great intellectual work (eg research at Universities) which are of value to the world, and there seems to be a small awakening happening about many of the things of which you speak (including global warming.)

I am just not quite as willing to do the broad stroked condemning that you are engaged in.

Sorry that you found us so vile during your visit. Don't get me wrong, I too, am bothered by the direction of advertising, jingoism etc to which you refer. Just found the hyperbole a bit over the top, more than a bit dismissive of an entire population, with a huge dab of self-superiority - worthy of the worst on the right in this country - thrown into the mix.

sanctimony, point #11.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Seems someone missed the ex-pat reference!!! ;-)

YOU LIMEY TRAITOR!!! WHY DO YOU HATE AMURIKA?

GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

your trip to the US enabled you to comment on the media, flags, Budweiser beer, SUV's and menu portions ... you are truly an anthropologist of great note ...

the US is filled with many very real problems just like any other country ... most DU'ers are also critical of some of the things you mentioned ... posts about corporate media and media bias can be found here everyday ... and SUV's and their arrogant waste of resources and their pollution of the atmosphere are legend here ...

but you made no mention of America's people in your post ... you made no mention of those American's who are working very hard, actually fighting very hard, to make things better ... and your failure to do this indicates that either you made a very short trip here or your understandings are just very short-sighted ...

your trip to the US enabled you to comment on the media, flags, Budweiser beer, SUV's and menu portions ... you are truly an anthropologist of great note ...


America is so time-warped in its stubbornness to change with the times and demands of the environmental needs of the planet that the above flagrancies jump out like a neonlight from a whorehouse.

Yes, I did mention the hardworking people (see comments about waitresses). Americans are overworked and under holidayed, no doubt about it. How else to explain the road rage seen in LA? Christ, cut somebody off and you could be shot and killed! This is culture?

Try getting off the interstate highway system, out of Holiday Inns and away from chain restaurants.

You sound a lot like a visitor to Mexico who only visits the border towns and decrees that all of Mexico is like Juarez.

However, your description of the media, vehicle bloating and the general U.S. attitudes is not subject to any dispute, unfortunately.

"Family owned" is a way of life.

the only thing that will get me to the US--family emergencies.

I do all my shopping at local places, with the exception of Whole Foods Market, which has a fabulous selection of organic produce and hormone-free meat.

I travel for business all over this strip-malled country, to the point where one suburb looks like the next. But America is diverse, and most of your observations do not pertain to regions like New England, and metro areas like San Francisco, Boston, or NY.

The SUV thing is disgusting though.

From your posts, it sounds as if this area of the country isn't living "up" to all the expectations of a 1969 Joni Mitchell song.

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.

They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.

Hey farmer farmer
Put away that D.D.T. now
Give me
Spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.

Late last night
I heard the
Screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.

and it is a small, densely populated city so there can't be strip mall and McMansion development. I agree with many of your observations, but NY, Boston, and San Fran definitely don't conform to the American stereotypes.

between north and south.

The South has a long democratic tradition. Atlanta is one of the most liberal cities in the country.

1- You make many good points. The reason for most of our flaws, IMHO, is because we are a very very young country, only 229 years old if you go from the Declaration of Independence. The UK, by comparison, is...what, at least 700 years old ? Italy (if you don't count the non-integration of their various components) is...over 2000 years old. A huge difference in age, IMHO.

2- We are completely physically isolated from the rest of the world, save Canada, Mexico and perhaps the Bahamas and Cuba. This is a huge factor. There is a real lack of cultural mixing.

3- We are probably the richest country in the history of the world. Therefore, as we humans tend to do, we have our excesses and waste. If we were much "poorer", you would see radical changes in our culture.

4- "America", from what I know, was originally created (while the Native Americans were being slaughtered) as a reaction to Europe. That has obviously lasted a long time.

5- After travelling to the UK, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Egypt, Singapore, China, Australia, Japan, Canada, Bahamas and Argentina, I'd still rather live here.

Having lived nearly 20 years overseas, I know that my return to the US will always disappoint me, unless there develops a drastic change of attitude in the States e.g. that the world does not revolve around the US, that the US is just a country among many, trapped together on the same planet yet using up vastly more than its fair share of the resources, to the demise of its sharing "partners."

The US is isolated not so much geographically as it is by a national identity of choice. There is your biggest detriment to attracting overseas tourist dollars. Work on correcting it, begin to view other nations as true partners with a common goal, and the other countries will accept America back into the fold.

I love the UK and Australia. I'm still an American by birth and by choice, despite our foibles.

"I know that my return to the US will always disappoint me."

Be very positive about your preconceptions, and you will always find what you expect to find.

I think you were probably being mischievous in starting this thread, and of course a lot of your points are inarguable, but just in case you really believe that a country this large is made up of all exactly the same sort of people, and that we all share the same exact attitude--well, tsk, tsk. You aren't so worldly after all.

You know, none of this would matter if it wasnt for Neville Chamberlin. :eyes:

Royalty (how progressive!) and good personal hygiene are just 2 examples of British anachronisms

Some of you points are spot on and well taken, but some are quite trivial and wrong. We recycle, our whole county does. A county in which there are many traffic circles BTW.

But yeah, there are some serious sweeping generalisations in their assertions.

You don't know the definition of "recycling" when compared to European standards.

Granted, if it weren't for the US, the world wouldn't know the meaning of ecology, but then, that term is now a "has-been" judging by US standards today. A pity.

Water is being rationed here, btw, but only out of nessesity--there is none! Why does it take an emergency for the US to move to obviously needed action?

The Kaiser and the Queen were kissing cousins with the same imperial fetishes, right?

So a bunch of doughboys had to go save the realm over that war they started too. Do any loyal British "subjects" :eyes: do they ever come up to you and say "thanks old chap, for saving us" or are they still pissed about that whole Declaration of Indendence thing, which led to freedom and self determination world-wide.

I mean wasnt even Iraq subserviant to the queen at one time? How many countries, and how much history, was fucked up because of the royal empire? Quantify the oppression for us, if you can begin .

Or carry on with your salad dressing and mozzarella cheese, I know how important it is to you. :puke:

edit to make it more snarky :)

Come to Europe if you want some.

Sorrento has the best mozarella, but they ship. Just not to the US.

you had a TARDIS and invited me in! :-)


In serious to your points:

1. Money. It's all about money. Truth is a flexible commodity here in America.

2. No. A self-esteem problem compounded by ignorance as to what those who rule the country or flag represents are doing.

3. Even in our employment agencies, they've got military signs and recruiters. It's everywhere. And I couldn't join even if I wanted to.

4. Once again, it's all about the money. Not responsibility. Not the world we live on and the environment we're stuck in. Money. Mankind's creation. Not God's. God left us to die a long time ago.

5. Quite. And you an "super size" for 50 cents more! :bounce: I like your idea of a platter much better. Exercise would help too, but the corporate elite see fit to want as many people working as many low paying jobs as possible to even survive; there's no time for many to do anything.

Our country is in decline.

But I'm worried for the rest of the world, thanks to US influence. We used to be good. Be we went astray whilst other nations continued to improve upon the freedoms you have. But this issue is complex and is a large post in of itself.

that can be used year-round. This really helps people like the retirees who have been told by their doctors to either lose weight/stop smoking and swim, or die.

A society that promotes a healthier lifestyle by building the public facilities for workout and play makes for a stronger country with less money being spent on cardiovascular/heart disease, diabetes and so forth.

Expensive spas are nice, but not everyone can afford them. Bring back the playground and introduce indoor 50 meter swimming pools throughout the country. Bicycle lanes that stretch beyond the university towns would go a long way in building a nation of healthy people and an infrastructure less reliant on the gas-guzzling behemoth.

we have spas. We have a lot of bicycle trails, at least in my area---the WB and A trail not far from me stretches between Baltimore, Washington and Annapolis

Oh, and we have a public olympic pool, year round in Annapolis too.

50 meter pool. There's no need to commute.

Generally, I'm saying that sports are taken more seriously in Europe. This is because kids are introduced to them and expected to join teams at a young age. It's a mentality that lingers through adulthood.

believe me, the pressure for kids to play baseball, soccer, football, hockey, lacrosse etc is huge from a young age. When i was a kid, I would have felt left out if I didn't belong to the baseball and soccer teams.

Christ, more than half the communities in my county have community swimming pools, indoor and outdoor. You don't even have to be a resident to use them. Bicycle trails everywhere -- and I live in a red state. "Bring back the playground"? There's one on every block!

Did you sit in the family home, perhaps, look out the window and make observations about America?

Annapolis, and every other town I have lived in has all that stuff. I have an outdoor pool and small gym in my community. There is a huge indoor olympic pool in Annapolis. There are a plethora of bike clubs and private gyms and sports teams and all kinds of other stuff.

Oh and we have recyclying too. I do it every week.

indoor ones, are very rare, as are any publicly-funded parks and recreation programs. Heck, in our fairly well-off suburb in OK, the small public pool costs SIX dollars a person to enter or $60 per person for a season pass. Not very affordable for young families. NO indoor pool, NO public ice rink, NO summer parks programs for kids, etc. It's pathetic.

Yes, some of these things exist in blue states. But out here in red state HELL, it's awful. The sports programs are privately run and expensive. Screw the kids that aren't rich, they don't deserve to play sports, or cool off from the blazing heat in a swimming pool - that seems to be the attitude here.

and we have community swimming pools. Bicycle trails? I suppose you can use the cow trails if you like....or just ride on the side of the road. As for playgrounds, we're building one in the front yard for our little girl....

But they seeem to be dwindling.In many towns you can drive through the main strip and you wont be able to tell them apart.As far as the flag everywhere,I agree.Some show it out of pride but I think fear is also a major component after 2001.Scared people rallying around the flag and not asking any questions.

some folks told me last night it was necessary for the US to be routing "insurgents" all over the world to keep the US safe. Which brings me back to point #1 in my original post.

I found similarly to yourself on my last foray from the UK to the US.

There is a franchise corporate monoculture that follows the interstates
about the place, one of waste, 3500 pickup trucks and yellow ribbons.

I noticed as well, that the worst places were near military bases, as
if those places attract flies with the human trash.

I did find some very nice places in rural utah, nevada and northeast
california, where there is very low population density. Much like the
contrast in the UK between the city of london and small villiage hamlets
in the cotswalds, the US is increasingly mapped in to this behemoth
culture and the off-track culture.

Roundabouts are really great! They allow any traffic to pass without
a stoplight and without the need for one party to stop whilst the other
goes... really impressive those... i wish the US had more, given those
horrible mega-stop light intersections where every lane's got its own
bloody light, taking a long time to pass the junction.

I was shocked how much the GOP have taken over new mexico. Its like an
invasion.

In all fairness, there are no recycle bins in the rural scottish
highlands, and too many 4wd SUV's (largely as they are needed for
dirt roads and mud tracks). Houses are less energy efficient due to
the old housing stock and stupid VAT charges on improving insulation.

But i've got to admit, that with a pinch of expat salt, you've got
the lay of the land as i saw it too... a toxic culture in decline,
unsustainable without serious revision... and i've no idea where to
start except to end corproate personhood... as the roots of this rot
are in the corporate grab for power.

One cafe in town has been in the family for years and is always packed, barstools and all. As for the employees, if Martin Scorsese were to scope this place out for another "Alice" flick, he'd hire everyone on the spot. You can't invent character like that of the family-owned American cafe employee. This is the stuff of American greatness, imo.

But you have to search for it, and that's a shame.

BTW, many farms and rowhouses in Europe are going solar. It's becoming more common to see the panels covering rooftops in areas in Europe. And the large white wind machines are more prevalent as well. So much better than those oft-bypassed nuke plants, eh?

yet denigrate the only major US media figure who discusses it, i.e., Lou Dobbs. My biggest problem with Dobbs is that he perpetuates the wildly illogical myth that Republicans are the ones concerned about corporate globalization. Republicans ARE corporatization. And because he is a republican, and his rhetoric about illegal immigration is questionable at times, he turns off some on the left (who choose to repeat the mistake made on the right, i.e., blame other poor people--as if the solution to ANYTHING is to call people racists).

Moreover, do you really believe that corporate globalization will pass Europe by? Are work weeks getting longer or shorter in Europe? Are Europeans facing cheap labor challenges? Are you starting to feel the lesser-of-two-evils pinch in politics? Do you REALLY believe that the global elite will support national health care and retirement indefinitely or are they making inroads in privatization?

You make good points about energy, recycling and the environment (although I do recall the exhaust fumes being a bit overpowering in London), but you seem to miss the big picture with some of your other points.

where it's been ever since. If I'm missing something, let me know. Otherwise, I'll rely for news on the internet, thanks.

In Europe, we have "The Sun." Eat your heart out. :)

I am not even going to go into all the details, but if you don't like it here, why don't you just stay in the UK(?) You can eat blood pudding and flavorless fish and chips in small amounts there.

and the US wonders why its tourist dollar has fled the premises. :eyes:

I am willing to listen to critiscm of my country, and I critize the excess myself, but your post was just a purely negative rant about how evil the US was and how we all are wasteful ignorant slobs. It struck me as arrogant and obnoxious, and honestly I can say, despite the fact that most Brits I have met online and in person are very nice people, I have often noticed a residual snobbishness and stinking air of superiority from Europeans who want to think of us as redneck colonials

and you call it "bitching constantly?"

The problem with you, my friend, is Salient Point #2.

Also, I'm not a Brit, nor do I live there. I picked "sodoffbush" as my way of telling Bush to go back to the ranch where he belongs.

"Sod off" -- get it? :)

Europeans who constantly look down on us as uncivilized morons. Making fun of us 'merikans helps you forget your own problems, dosent it?

From your post, it sounded like you never left the airport motel in shitsville Florida but yet you feel you are qualified to judge America, it's society and its people.

You might think you are the first Euro who has come here and posted a rant about how obnoxious Americans are, but this is only the 50,000th post like this that I have seen and I am just sick of it.

Here is one example:

Your point about recyclying---my county recycles. At my apartment we have recycling bins for paper, plastic, metal and mixed next to the general waste bin. In fact, I think recycling is pretty common everywhere in my general area

he's an ex-pat.
(reading comprehension)

Use his present position as an outsider to comment, but allude to his former position as an insider to justify them.

and frankly, we can do without the tourists...hell, we get pissed about the Northern tourists here....

/spent too much time in tourist towns growing up....

And if you don't like it...don't come to this message board!

put me on ignore. I am a contributor, and a member in good standing for 2 years. I can come to this message board if I like.
If you don't like the fact that I come here, you can go to another message board and whine there, 'kay?

I'll send you a donation when things get settled on this end.

Hannity, O'Reily, etc.

and wasn't surprised by them. The U.S. is all about GREED. It's MONEY MONEY MONEY 24/7. It's evident in the chain restaurants, hotels and other businesses from coast to coast. It's evident in the SUVs, the McMansions, the huge portions, the high prices, the strip malls everywhere you look. This rampant GREED has made far too many people shallow and self serving. That's why the environment and the lies and thuggery of the * regime are largely ignored. People are just to busy hustling around for their MONEY MONEY MONEY to be bothered. Sure, there are wonderful communities and dedicated citizens who fight back against the all consuming corporate beasts like Walmart and Housing developers who want to take gorgeous scenic areas and turn them into money making ventures for themselves while creating ugly despicable polluting sprawl for everyone else.

Frankly? The corporate masters OWN ALL OF US and * & Co are making sure that it continues and only gets worse and worse....FOREVER AND EVER. My heart bleeds for this country and what we've lost. :cry:

The ingredients for that are here...people are very open, friendly, trusting and helpful in this neck of the woods. How do we channel that communal attitude into an educated understanding about how a healthy environment and wise community planning benefits the whole rather than focusing so much on the individual need to consume? Accomplish that, and there will be no need to wave flags.

critizise some points without rattling off all the positive points at the same time? Just wondering. Sometimes I think that Americans take so much medication because it's just too strenous to always be friendly and fair and balanced :)
If he thought that everything about your country sucks he would have said so. He didn't, he noted some particular points. In my mind the answer to that isn't "go back where you came from" nor "but we have a lot of beautiful stuff, too". An answer can only be given to each of his points.

--------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

And some of his points were off-the-wall, too. Get some community swimming pools?? Bring back the playground???

That's the point of the post. This country is in steep decline.

He comes for a brief visit to one locale and decides he's Alex d'Tocqueville.

Except he sounds more like that old type the Ugly American--go to a foreign country, loudly deride it, in the process display your ignorance. Yup, even after 20 years, he's still got it down pat.

Bar none. Really- just because it's *shaped* like Mexican food, doesn't mean it's Mexican food. I went to every Mexican restaurant I saw when I stayed in Britain, just giving the place one chance after another. And they never got it right!

Anyway, I don't disagree with any of your observations, to be perfectly honest. It's hard *not* to notice these things if you spend any time at all in Europe. Still, I'm not jumping on to support you, because frankly you seem more than a little self-important. Ex-pat or not, I don't see any reason for you to just broadly insult people here and expect them to clap for you.

The UK is not known for its cuisine. Funny, too, because France is just a hop, skip and a jump over the Channel.

Isn't your observation a tad "retarded?"

I think many of us here agree with you. However, I found myself bristling while reading this because instead of constructive criticism, it sounded like a righteous attack. I feel so dirty! It just felt rude!

It's kind of like how I can complain about my family, but nobody else had better say anything bad about them!

----I think many of us here agree with you. However, I found myself bristling while reading this because instead of constructive criticism, it sounded like a righteous attack. I feel so dirty! It just felt rude!

It's kind of like how I can complain about my family, but nobody else had better say anything bad about them!------

There is much about Britain I liked. It's a gorgeous country, I adored the culture, the people were very friendly, they have great music, their politicians are skilled in debate, and on and on.

But an American could easily go to Britain and then bash on it about various things. What's the use? Would I go to a British message board and rip the country apart for no really useful reason?

I certainly could, but that would just make me an ugly American. It is just rude.

The OP feels life in Britain is better than America. Great. It's certainly a nice country to live in. But many of the faults he/she mentioned about America also exist in Britain. Western Europe is just as commercialized, just as consumerized, and just as materialistic as America.

the country is vastly different depending on where you go

I met a lovely French couple a few years ago, who were touring the U.S. They had a lot of things to say about us, most of of it good. (Although they hated our food. Having sampled French cuisine, I don't blame them.) They opined that many European visitors come to New York, Vegas and Disney World and think they've seen America. They were touring a lot of the small towns and found them all so different -- a New England town was an entirely different experience than a Midwestern one.

Though I told them, "Don't feel bad: I've met Americans who go to Epcot Center and think they've been to Europe."

It IS a country in decline and, as an American citizen, what a relief it is to get the hell out. I'm in Eastern Europe now...in a country of great people who are on the way up.

1. Health Insurance for all
2. more liberal culture
3. Less rampant fundamentalism
4. less militaristic
5. more environmentally conscious
etc.


but there are still things America does better than Europe

1. Religious freedom. You could not ban Muslim headdress in schools in the US like they did in France.

2. Freedom of Speech. Germany has the power to ban political parties they find offensive (neo-nazis) and ban expressions they find offensive (also related to nazis). In America, any stupid or misguided speech is protected, because ALL points of view are protected, not just ones government likes.

3. You can walk around in US cities, as a woman, and not be harassed by packs of young men, like happens in European cities. I was once with a tour group in France with an at-best average looking girl from my high school class. She was hit on no less than once a day, sometimes by much older men.

4. the US has MUCH better sports. What the hell is SOCCER? some dumb game where no one can score in a GIANT-ASS net? Half the games end 0-0. Give me a break! I know why there are so many soccer riots, because the fans have to make their own excitement. In the US we have real football with strategy and drama and creativity. We also have baseball with its storied history and tradition. And basketball and hockey are fun too.

5. America has space. You can go hide in the woods somewhere, explore the national parks. Europe is like a sardine can.

6. University Education. Why does everyone in the world come HERE to study? Because our universities are like full fledged communities and have very comprehensive education programs.


My guess, sodoffbush, is that you were in the Midwest or South. The midwest is nothing but boring, flat suburbs with endless chain restaurants and hotels. You should come to New England, where we recycle all the time. In my state our REPUBLICAN governor signed a civil unions bill. Where the midwest is chain restaurants, new england has lots of family owned pizza places, restaurants and bars. The only thing is , the towns and roads don't make sense and people from MA drive like idiots.

We're just hiding out up here in the woods of the Pioneer Valley, using turn-signals and giving people their entitled right-of-way. :P

in CT, the breakdown lane is not to be driven in.

Thanks :)

My ex used to do that here in MA...Truth be told, I cannot stand the way many of my fellow state residents drive. It's scary out there! :scared:

its always an adventure driving to visit my friend in Watertown.

You gotta love Dunkin Donuts though.

Even Howard Zinn loves Dunkin Donuts...It's a New England institution! :P

without dunkin donuts, how does anyone know where to go?

Take a left at the Dunkin Donuts, go down 16, pass a dunkin donuts, take a right, then take the next left before the dunkin donuts.

There's an empty void in people's life which the rampant Materialistic Phiosophy leads them to fill with Material Things.

Bigger is better but it's never enough to fill that void.

It's the opposite of the Oriental approach.

a lot of people have asked and you haven't answered. Im curious, I don't think your visit is representative of America.

I spent a number of years living in Britain until fairly recently. This is just a light form of America bashing, serving no real purpose. Any country can bash any other, and it's often simply a matter of the pot calling the kettle black. Let's go through this one by one.

"1. Your media is the world's worst. That is no exaggeration. How can anybody watch such biased tripe? And who the hell is Lou Dobbs, besides a pulsating ego pushing an extremist agenda?"

Because the BBC isn't full of puffed up wanna be politicians who make Fox's laughably "fair and balanced" almost ring true when compared to their egregious bias. The BBC is as bad on the Left as Fox is on the Right. At least blind people aren't forced to pay for a license to watch Fox news.

And let's hear it for British tabloid culture. Top story "David Beckham took a piss! according to sources." Much of the British print media is silly. One thing I'll give them is they wear their biases, liberal and conservative, cheerfully on their sleeves. So, at least they're honest.

"2. What's with all the flags, America? Got an identity problem?"

You've seen European soccer, yes? Let's not quibble about out of control nationalism. Our state department has yet to issue warnings to Americans traveling to Canada they might get shot if the Yankees do well against the Blue-Jays this year. And American tourists joyfully starting riots in other countries isn't all that common an ocurrence.

"3. It's nauseating how Budweiser Beer is pandering to the lowest jingoistic common denominator by "trotting out" its high-stepping
Clydsdales with a military recruitment wagon in tow, though it was refreshing to see not a single person willing to volunteer to be videoed, cheering on the troops in Iraq with a "glory glory hallelujah" message."

Because British advertising would never stoop to the lowest common denominator by, oh let's say, just tacking on a pair of breasts to every advert ever broadcast, no matter how utterly unrelated. All very high-brow life in the U.K. is.

"4. America has no concept of global warming and how the individual fits into the equation. Nothing but pickups and SUVs as far as the eye can see. This is a culture of pure excess."

I'll grant you this, partially. It seems your complaint is really low gas prices, as SUVs wouldn't be possible without them. However, many European countries are about the size of a shoe. We require low gas prices, because many of our transportation industries must go scores of times further to deliver goods. While many, myself included, would like to see higher taxes on petroleum-based fuel to discourage excessive use, there would be very harsh consequences for the thousands of businesses and millions of families employed by them if we had European-like prices. Until effective, cheap, and widely-used alternative fuel sources are a reality, there's not much use complaining about this one. SUVs are a side-effect of the real problem. As fuel prices go up, SUV usage will go down. That's the market for ya.

"5. Menu portions are much too large. A "lo cal" platter consists of a fish fillet with soup, salad, cottage cheese, canned peaches AND tomatoes. The regular offerings are enough to keep a 2000 pound Clydsdale fed for an entire day. How America can afford the health problems related to a nationwide epidemic of over-eaters is a mystery."

As opposed to a British diet full of sausages often fried in batter, oil soaked breads, kebabs, most Indian food, plenty of Americanized fast foods like Dominos, McDonald's, etc. Not to mention a country-wide drinking problem that would make the Irish in Boston flush with embarrassment. Not to mention eating out in Britain and basic groceries cost a hell of a lot more. Every time I picked up the check at a restaurant or did my shopping, I'd be doing the currency conversions in my head just so I could realize what a rip-off Britain is. And this was even before the dollar tanked.

You mention something later on about recycling. I call bs. In all the places I lived in Britain, I never once had to separate my trash. I certainly did, because I'm into that sort of thing, but it was by no means mandatory, and plenty of places didn't have programs in place for it. It's like America: it depends where you live. It isn't some sort of mythical recycling paradise.

Lastly, a lot of places in America have roundabouts.

Generalizing and stereo-typing are so useless. It's a game anyone can play.

1. Definitely agree about the media, although I don't mind Lou Dobbs. He is on the soap box about outsourcing, but what is wrong with that? And speaking of ego, how about that Napolean in Paris? He didn't skimp a dime on himself in monuments, statues, architecture...all covered in gold.

2. I guess we do have a flag fetish, however I did notice lots of t-shirts and beach towels in London with the your flag imprinted on them.

3. Budweiser panders and they are in business to do that. In London and Paris I was struck by the verbal and written warnings about pick-pockets, and observed their techniques. The world is filled with businessmen, I guess.

4. Absolutely agree about global warming and the pure excess of the mega-vehicles.

5. Agree about menu portions.

Two criticisms I noticed about your country:

1. The food wouldn't be bad except that obviously the poultry and beef are fed a diet of fish products. They have a fishy oily taste that is not pleasant. However, your clotted cream makes up for everything. We can't get it here, and if I ever return to England it will be for the scones and clotted cream.

2. Your television channels suck. But then, I wasn't there to watch t.v.

....that you didn't find a single positive thing here to comment on, but I'm glad to hear that you've found somewhere far far away that you find to be so damned superior to grace with your presence.