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Thread: What is it with Americans?

  1. #1
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    Default What is it with Americans?

    Please, before I start, I don't post this to cause a sh&t fight or start trouble, thats what all my other posts are for.

    I have been wondering lately what it means to be "an American". I puzzle over the empty sense of pride some have to be American. It is very different to the Aussie pride of Australia.

    A few years back, I was constantly shot down for voicing my concerns on other forums regarding Bush and his oil war, lies etc. I was even labeled a traitor.

    Recently while traveling around China, I was on the Ferry between mainland China and Hong Kong. Before we even left the wharf, a 30 something American guy with a big mustache and base ball cap on started an argument with one of the ferry staff. I could not believe how this guy carried on, he was repeating "But I am an American" constantly, while the Chinese worker just looked blankly at him. I still have no idea what his problem was... He stormed off stating "I catch this ferry 4 times a week and you just lost a customer!" as if a ferry operator in China would be impacted or oven care if they had 1 less passenger in a population of 1.3 billion!!!! Amazing.

    This same guy was heading the same place as me, HK Airport and what do you know? He was at the same check in counter (Cathay) but different flight (thank god). Same deal "You don't understand, I am an American!". The poor young Asian girl at the counter looked at this guy like "WTF round eye" while he ranted at the top of his voice demanding a a free upgrade!!! I hope she moved him to a really bad seat...

    I have seen this many times when traveling. Do some Americans think they are superior just because they were born in the US of A?
    This space for rent.

  2. #2
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    America is great and we are vastly superior to all other nations.


    I know what you mean man.... Unfortunately we have some "ambASSadors" out there that don't represent US well. Sure, we have LOTS of assholes here. I know plenty of them! We also have good, hard working and well mannered people too. I can be an ass myself sometimes but I'm generally humble and considerate of others.

    I think what it comes down to,,, all of our countries have a fair share of assholes. Unfortunately some of these people have passports and travel the world with their bad attitude.

    For example, I was at the Chicago airport a month ago and an old Russian lady approached me to ask where she had to go to get the train. I told her I wasn't sure but I thought it was downstairs. I pointed to a TSA agent and told her to ask him as he would know. She looked at me almost in fear, it seemed like she was scared to ask someone with a badge and a uniform for directions then walked off.

    I found her 10 minutes later still looking for a way to get to the train. When she had seen me, she had a frown on her face and shrugged her shoulders. I felt so bad, I chased her down and together, I found her the train she was looking for.

    Now I'm not looking for a boyscout badge or a pat on the back. I just think that's how most people in America are and should appropriately act.

    Hope this helps your view on US....

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by dnar View Post
    Do some Americans think they are superior just because they were born in the US of A?
    Absofreakinlutely!




  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by 300EVIL View Post
    America is great and we are vastly superior to all other nations.


    I know what you mean man.... Unfortunately we have some "ambASSadors" out there that don't represent US well. Sure, we have LOTS of assholes here. I know plenty of them! We also have good, hard working and well mannered people too. I can be an ass myself sometimes but I'm generally humble and considerate of others.

    I think what it comes down to,,, all of our countries have a fair share of assholes. Unfortunately some of these people have passports and travel the world with their bad attitude.

    For example, I was at the Chicago airport a month ago and an old Russian lady approached me to ask where she had to go to get the train. I told her I wasn't sure but I thought it was downstairs. I pointed to a TSA agent and told her to ask him as he would know. She looked at me almost in fear, it seemed like she was scared to ask someone with a badge and a uniform for directions then walked off.

    I found her 10 minutes later still looking for a way to get to the train. When she had seen me, she had a frown on her face and shrugged her shoulders. I felt so bad, I chased her down and together, I found her the train she was looking for.

    Now I'm not looking for a boyscout badge or a pat on the back. I just think that's how most people in America are and should appropriately act.

    Hope this helps your view on US....
    Your cool mate. Poor Russian woman has prolly been raped more times than we have had hot showers.

    I was facing a problem last year, standing at Star Ferry terminal in Hong Kong, I had just been released from hospital following stroke. I was blind in one eye and could not read the instructions on the ticket machine. All I wanted was to get back to my hotel room in Kowloon. The 1st people I asked for help were 50 something American couple. I asked "can you please read the instructions for me, I am partially blind." Their response was arms in the air "sorry, we're Americans". I thought "WTF?". I nice English woman helped me out instead.

    I get the feeling "I am American" is meant like some kind of get out of jail free card.... "Oh, your American, well that changes everything!!!!".
    This space for rent.

  5. #5
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    Being an American doesn't mean you have a get out of jail card. Being an American means having to foot the bill for all of the other countries when they get in jail.

  6. #6
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    Lied to for decades whilst surfing the wave of modern imperialism
    The flower generation had a voice and became silent baby boomers
    Thankfully the Y generation is starting to awaken

    Goerge Carlin had it figured out and tried with humor
    Outside the wall we all agreed with his apraisal
    Inside the wall life went on
    Even satirical laser shows were shot down by the masses
    The new wave of awakening will become a flood
    Wake up or wipe out

    Am sure this stir will invoke the blind

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Internatlaser View Post

    Am sure this stir will invoke the blind
    It all makes sense now, all I need to do is celebrate the murder of thousands of innocent people and I too will see the light.

    Maybe you should just crawl back into the rat hole you came from....

  8. #8
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    well, i think adam's answer sums it up quite nicely. can't judge a whole population by a few bad apples

    however, i have to give it to you wayne. i also think that the inflated egos in the US are a bigger percentage of the general population than in other countries.
    so, the people i read here in PL are a really nice surprise for me. i have come across some terrific guys here and i prefer to base my opinion on them

    it is highly subjective. i mean, go around and ask what the people think of greeks nowadays. i think that we are officially classified as scumbags, criminals, thiefs etc etc etc etc. while i can tell you that not all of them are like this, only the rich and famous ones
    "its called character briggs..."

  9. #9
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    Dnar, those same people are assholes here at home too. Doesn't matter where they go.

    What little i've traveled abroad, I try to be on my best behavior. In fact there have been a few times where, because of the American Gov't policies abroad, i have kept my mouth shut. I think the problem is not a sense of American Pride but one of entitlement issues veiled as pride. There seems to be more self importance and entitlement issues in America than other places. Those folks aren't humans like the rest of us. They're Americans.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by dnar View Post
    ..Do some Americans think they are superior...
    Like Evil said, there's a mix of 'both ends of the spectrum', here... For the most-part, you can pretty-much blame Hollywood and much of the commercial-side of the music-industry for the * / entitled-attitude culture but even larger, I think one reason there's much 'Americentricity' is that most Americans don't ever get the chance to experience the world, beyond what they 'learn' about it, as-filtered thru the eye of American tv... very-few, comparatively, get to really 'see' the world...

    ...and I don't mean 'see' as in spending 10 days on a tour bus in the EU or a week in China between hotel and conference-room on a biz-trip, etc, I mean *living* or at least spending extended-amount of time, immersed in another culture(s) to really begin to get to 'know' the rest of the world, as it is, outside of the US-context... *that's* when many Americans are able to develop a 'balanced' attitude, and not see their own world as so 'great'... Then-again, there will always-be some, as you experienced, that still maintain that 'entitled' attitude...

    Quote Originally Posted by Internatlaser View Post
    Even satirical laser shows were shot down by the masses
    Am sure this stir will invoke the blind
    Woah! We thought you drowned?! Blind, huh? I so want-to comment.... but, whatever...you're just not worth the powder...

    Why don't you just run for President in 2012 and save us all, oh Great One?...
    ....and armed only with his trusty 21 Zorgawatt KTiOPO4...

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