[quote=“Namahottie”]
The irony I find in your rants is how you fail to see how the current war has you at war with people in your country. This is the most destructive result of the current administration. So you are going to take your MA studies with you and apply them to your choice of employment in Taiwan rather than staying here and working to salvage what a mess the country has gotten itself into? You rather struggle thru occasional cultural, racial, language discrimination because it’s better over “there” than here. And you don’t have to deal with religious zealots spouting off their ideology because it differs from you. Best of luck with that one.[/quote]
The real irony is that he’s going to Taiwan to marry a ghost in a Daoist ceremony. These zany Americans!
In regards to the OP, I was just back in the states and I have to disagree with a lot of what you said. BUT…
The United States of America is HUGE. What you said is a person’s perspective about part of the United States you live in and the people you come in contact with. And I’m not saying it’s any less valid than my experience…just that when you think of how big America is compared to Taiwan, you can see how easy it is to find groups where it would be this “way beyond normal” levels of political and religious sentiment. To put it in perspective, Taiwan is about as big as West Virginia. And to put it in even more perspective, Salem, WV has a totally different culture than New York City. And they’re relatively close to each other if you only look at a map of the US (and not calculate actual distance).
The education system is going down the tubes. No arguments there. But my personal experience in the political arena tends to show that most people seem so sick of the extreme party lines and that’s where the change is going to happen. It is going to come when one of the sides presents a candidate in the election who is not such an extremist. I’d venture to guess that a good %age of votes for Bush were actually votes against Kerry. I’d also guess the same is true the other way. It was like a really bad idea for a reality TV show where everyone had to vote off the biggest dumbass. Problem is that the media in America is nothing but slanted one way or the other that all you catch on TV and News is crappy reporting. Oh…and constant weather updates when there’s fog (News broke in when I was back home to give us that report at 10:15 at night)
Like I said, not downplaying your experience. Just saying it’s small one part of the whole…as is mine.
[quote=“Alazaskan12”]Ironlady, I don’t know what you are trying to say in that last trailing statement. No clue.
What bothers me most in what I see happening is the blending of religion and politics on a family level. Parents shove their views down their children’s throats from a young age and the kids end up repeating their parents’ views almost word for word.[/quote]
Isn’t that pretty much what all parents do anyway? They shove certain things down kids’ throats:
–Wash your hands before you eat.
–Write thank you cards for gifts received.
–Look both ways before crossing the street.
–Help your grandmother.
Those fascist bastards! Parents…the whole lot of them.
Or did you only mean they shove things down people’s throats YOU disagree with? I guess what I am asking is … I’d be curious as to your own opinion of parents who shove anti-war messages down their kids’ throats. Care to share?
[quote=“ironlady”]Well, I’m living in upstate NY, and I don’t know a single person who supports the war, “whole-heartedly” or otherwise. I do know folks who have relatives in the military who have been shipped over there, and obviously they want to be supportive to their relatives while they are deployed in trying conditions, but most people I know feel that the ultimate way of being supportive to relatives in the military would be to get the whole lot of them shipped back home.
There certainly are plenty of folks in the US who do support Bush 100% no matter what ridiculous statement he comes up with on any given day, but there are plenty of others who don’t. And frankly, if the analysis we’ve seen from the OP is a measure of how well his MA program stuck…[/quote]
The “trailing statement” means simply that if the logic presented in the OP’s post is a reflection of his analytical skills as honed by doing a Master’s program, the Master’s curriculum should be called into doubt, or its effect on the OP should be examined carefully.
And there are plenty of church-going people in the US who do not support the war. Being Christian in the US is not equivalent to supporting the war or supporting Bush. Plenty of Christians trying to shave the edges of what is considered Christian prayer in praying not that Bush die (that would not be Christian, after all!) but maybe that he be removed from office, you know, not necessarily through being caused harm, but if something happens that gets him out of office through the Will of God, hey, no one’s going to question that one, for sure. As long as the Will of God includes Cheney as well.
Despite the hilariousness of this thread, I can’t think of a Forumosan whose posts I agree with more than yours. Seriously. You somehow manage to offend no one.
Can I just send money to ShinyImports and you PM me with your thoughts on a daily basis? Please?
Despite the hilariousness of this thread, I can’t think of a Forumosan whose posts I agree with more than yours. Seriously. You somehow manage to offend no one.
Can I just send money to ShinyImports and you PM me with your thoughts on a daily basis? Please?
And by money, I mean betel nuts.[/quote]
Make it calling cards for betel nut girls instead and you got yourself a deal.
Indeed, this is how Americans best express themselves. I live in a Canadian tourist town that draws lots of Americans, and you don’t even need to see the different license plates on the cars to know they’re from across the border because they always have one or two (or three, or four) bumper stickers. Literally, nine out of ten American cars. And these are wealthy theatre-going types who drive non-American automobiles like Benzes, BMWs, Lexuses, Audis…they’re not bumbling along in rusted out Buicks. I’ve never had the nerve to broach the topic with any of them that I happen to get into casual conversations with, but I often wonder if they notice that something’s “missing” on the Canadian cars around them?
It’s a cliche, but it’s no less true for it: in the U.S., having money is not a good indicator of good taste.
OP was rash in attacking the US as a country of people who are unthinking religious bigots and who support wars of aggression, as well as stupid lying presidents. To be sure there are Americans such as those OP describes, however, there are an equal number or more folks who are self-described Christians who do not support Bush’s leadership and who are against his foreign policy as illustrated by the Iraq War and occupation.
Hey you other poster . . . Quit picking on West Virginia! There are thinking WV’s and WV’s for peace! Though there is probably a greater proportion of folks in large coastal cities who hold these views rather than in small rural middle America who do so.
Many of those who have responded in this thread have pointed out that their own personal experience has differed significantly from the OP’s. Some have attributed this to the relatively small sample size of the OP’s informal survey of American’s and their attitudes toward the ME and Bush’s policies there. I’ll add my voice to theirs. This is a HUGE country - population, and geographic size. Typically, the coastal areas, those areas with large cities, and more cosmopolitan inhabitants tend to be more liberal, and less Republican. Upstate NY doesn’t satisfy that requirement. That’s where the OP lives or went to grad school, right?
Also, there are a lot of uninformed people everywhere in the world. Some Americans just don’t give a shite about what’s happening outside their own little town or county. These are the same unthinking morons who spew the dogma and rhetoric that the OP has experienced. They are stupid people. But the US does not have a monoply on stupid, unthinking, and uninformed people. They are everywhere even in Taiwan. Good luck.
To update my perspective on this: I realize that Alaska (where I live) is an overall conservative state (with the exception of their views on marijuana), and that there is a heavy military presence up here as well. That might help explain why I get so much flack from people here when I say something critical of the Iraq war. However, many people I know back in NY still support Bush and Iraq -and I think most of them consider themselves “religious”.
So maybe the Alaska demographic has something to do with it.
As for not posting for awhile (as someone pointed out a few pages back): every hear of seminar papers, thesis writing, grad school?
[quote=“Alazaskan12”]To update my perspective on this: I realize that Alaska (where I live) is an overall conservative state (with the exception of their views on marijuana), and that there is a heavy military presence up here as well. That might help explain why I get so much flack from people here when I say something critical of the Iraq war. However, many people I know back in NY still support Bush and Iraq -and I think most of them consider themselves “religious”.
So maybe the Alaska demographic has something to do with it.
As for not posting for awhile (as someone pointed out a few pages back): every hear of seminar papers, thesis writing, grad school?
Probably not[/quote]
The thing is, we HAVE heard of them. We just usually expect people who are writing them to have some degree of analytical skills.
The US holds some of the best and greatest, and some of the worst and frightening. I’ve been witness to both good samaritans and murderers, but all Americans. Is there a shift one way or another? Surely, that must first depend on what region of America for how can one compare the live free or die state of NH to the wussies in Washington, or the hardy, but generous people with their funny accent in Wisconsin or the hi-fallutin, Prada-wearing, nose-job buying spoiled brats of LA (and within LA, you got the poor, the angry, the black, the brown, the illegal immigrants right alongside), or the latin, spanish-speaking, mojito-sipping, Cuban hotties who whine about Castro while sitting comfortably in Miami. But I digress.
[quote]The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.[/quote] - Lincoln
What I deplore is how poorly educated the average person is. Mass, public education is underfunded. While US colleges may still reign, at other levels, US standards are deplorable. We have presidents/leaders now that are neither eloquent, intelligent nor compassionate as past leaders. Did Lincoln have a staff writer to create his inaugural speech, to write his Civil War speech. Does the present leader advocate unity for all Americans, or does he preach empty words while encouraging divisiveness. No, I don’t really have a point.
Just wanted to touch on one part of your opinion. That is the kids, whose parents are forcing their ideas and ideals down their kids throats…
Not to worry. Just because a kid learns something from the parents doesn’t mean they will hold this to be true their entire life. Kids learn and grow. They will continue to learn from others their entire lives, so their opinions and ideas will change too.
If I believed everything I was taught when I was 8 to be true today I would be a mess. But hey, I grew up, I went to college, I travelled, I hung out with peers, I listened to other adults. Now I have my own opinions.
These kids you refer to will as well. Let them decide for themselves how they want to view the world-whether it be religion, politics, or evolution. Have some faith in them to grow their own brain and see what they want to see and learn what they want to learn.
[quote=“Alazaskan12”]Jacky: good point, I agree
John: I hope so
I love it here blah, blah, blah: nice MySpace page, buddy. Keep trying…
Kmjilmg: but of course[/quote]
Thanks. I didn’t really do too much to it at all. Mostly just use it to keep up with people and make contacts. It’s been better to me than I have been to it so far
most americans are against the iraq war now and disapprove of bush’s performance as president. his approval rating has been hovering around 30% or so which is LOW. democrats took over congress recently and look poised to take over the presidency, thus far. so i dont agree that americans in general are becoming fanatically religious and neoconservatives (republican party yes, mainstream america no) and they’ve certainly havent been happy with the direction this country has been going. and they are aware of the negative perception the world has of them right now. many republicans i personally know think bush screwed up this country. that opinion is pervasive among moderate republicans who populate places like new york (not just nyc, but historically republican bastions like long island and upstate new york) and california. that being said, i am not ready to leave the country like you YET, Alazaskan12, because i still see alot of sane people around me. perhaps you need a new circle of friends?
Even though this is just a blog/forum/internet…
It’s really hard to read stream-of-consciousness style writing, you know. Speaks of a lack of organization and laziness, and does a disservice to one’s point or valid arguments, if any. Also does nothing to encourage readers to pay attention or even to bother reading what looks to be spewage, drivel, the first thing that bubbles out of the brain.
There are thinking WV’s and WV’s for peace! Though there is probably a greater proportion of folks in large coastal cities who hold these views rather than in small rural middle America who do so.