Non-US Citizens Only Poll

[max]

I lived in N.Y for four years when I was a kid. It really was a fantastic place to grow up. I have very fond memories of the place and have kept many friends there. But that was 15 years ago. On my recents trips there what striked me the most was:

- Fat people. They're EVERYWHERE, and I don't mean just "overweight fat" I mean borderline morbid obesity fat.

- TV culture: in the few homes/appartments I'd been in the TV was on 90% of waking hours. Even if no-one is watching it, it's still on churning out some Jerry Springer or other fine program.

- Food culture: I've noticed that americans have a pretty singular relationship with food. When going to a restaurant and ordering a meal you get served a dish of gargantuan proportions (compared to just about any other of the dozen countries I've been to in Europe) AND are invited to take it back with you if you're not finished! This is unheard of here in France (I'm not sure about other EU countries).

- American tourists. They're pretty loud for the most part and are not made to feel very welcome here (as I'm sure us frenchies are not super-welcome either ). There's definitely a jealousy issue here though, yes we too would like to be the most powerful nation in the world!! But that's another issue.. anyway a little story: I was in the metro the other day and we have small fold down seats in our metros. Anyway it was rush hour and the metro was PACKED. When the metro is packed people get off the small folding seats and stand up so as to make more room and let more people in.. This is obvious to ANY casual observer, foreign or not. So the metro's packed full, everyone is standing up EXCEPT an american family of four, all sitting down surrounded by dozens and dozens of commuters sending them death stares... I hear the father telling his wife (in the usual 'no-one here speaks English so I can say this as loud as I want'-way) : "They're weird these French people: they don't like sitting down"!!
haha that had me cracking up

anyway these are just plain banalities and I've come to meet and know many americans that have shattered all the misconceived generalities I might have had about them. Oh, and don't get me started on the French, we don't have much to be proud of either...

[floyd]

It's this mish mash of plutocracy, nepotism and democracy all in one.

..the hegemony that's occurring because of that power, but I'm still glad it's the US not China or Russia or other potential super powers.

Sorry Spink I can't take you seriously when you use words like that, you're from Plamy for God's sake start acting like it.

Anyway, some stereotypical problems of US peeps are - fat, loud arrogant and that they do not care nor understand the rest of world. I do not think these are necessarily true and have met lots of people that go completely against these stereotypes. Although when you see a fat American bitching that his upsize wasn't upsized enough you will always automatically think - fuckin' Americans, hence drilling in the stereotype.

Saying all Americans are Fat, lazy etc is like saying all NZer's fuck sheep... now that's something to think about next time that juicy lamb gravy is dripping down your chin ain't it.

[madshred2003]

I'm not the biggest fan of the US's polictical strategies or what they stand for

[Outsider]

the high voter apathy over there is probably a reflection of that. The US needs a better voting system, I don't really know much about the electoral collage, it goes past what I've learnt, but something should change there I think.

Sorry, Spinko, but I think you're misguided. The Electoral College may be an anachronism, but its just a detail, not the cause of the problem. Bear with me a minute, 'cause this is all off-the-cuff, none of it is well thought out. It just occurs to me that our problem here is not our institutions, and our culture contributes to the problem, but is not the source. I think the its our personal ideals, not our political ones, that are our problem. Megafighter said:

The US stands for being free, being able to go out on the street and not be killed for your opinion, and in fact, voice an unpopular opinion.

And politically, thats a virtue. I think that on a personal level, though, Americans are TOO individualistic, and value the individual over everything else (even great loyalty to one's own family is still like caring mostly about yourself, your own personal connections). Its not all our fault, its taught to us from early on, and its part of what the country is founded on. In theory, this means we're a meritocracy. Its a nice theory... But I digress... I think American personal values simply don't teach us to care enough about people outside of our own immediate field of view, so to speak. Americans don't vote because we're too wrapped up in the goings-on of our own life, and the whole "rest of the country" can wait. We don't know enough about the rest of the world for the same reason. Now, the culture contributes to the problem only in that it reinforces our desires for immediate self-gratification, and gives us so many options for this that we could spend our whole lives sorting through all that information and never have to think about any larger concerns (concerns of the community, concerns of the world, concerns of all those other human beings everywhere that we don't have to speak to or see on a daily basis, or indeed, ever [and thus they have no importances to us, and this is our great fatal flaw]).

I suppose I might think more about what I've written later on and wish I'd put it differently or just not mentioned it, but there is my free-association-blurt-it-out response.

[sPinko-Mania]

Sorry Spink I can't take you seriously when you use words like that, you're from Plamy for God's sake start acting like it.

Aye, you're right. There was a distinct lack of tequila, slappers or shenanigans of any kind in that post

Outsider - I think I explained myself poorly there. I think a lot of electoral systems heavily endorse a two party system which fosters a crappy, us vs them, political scene like the US seems to have now, and what New Zealand used to have under the First Past the Post voting system. I think this helps create a stagnant situation that leads to apathy because it's so hard to change (when do you think a non-repub/democrat will get in power in the US for instance?) so I do think it is a cause. The deeper issues that you explain do seem more important, but I think if institutions are poorly designed it becomes a cause of apathy.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for coalition governments though.

Note to self: Learn more about electoral collage

[Zippo]

never have to think about any larger concerns (concerns of the community, concerns of the world, concerns of all those other human beings everywhere that we don't have to speak to or see on a daily basis, or indeed, ever [and thus they have no importances to us, and this is our great fatal flaw]

i highly agree with this, i feel that all the american's that i've met that are awesome people and not arrogant/ignorant are those who have been in contact with the outside world (ie all the people talking on this forum, all nice americans because they've had contact with outer culutres). Cause u think of how nice all the americans that play footbag are, but i believe again that's because the footbag community is international, so those americans have that exposure to it.

but I think if institutions are poorly designed it becomes a cause of apathy.

on this note i also agree, as with any organization in life (wether it be a country, company, footbag club, any organization) attitude reflects leadership.... In the government each poilitician is worried about getting themselves into office/getting re-elected (which is the biggest knock on the four year term system of the americans is that presidents spend their first four years in office worrying about getting re-elected not running the country, but that's a totally diffrent topic) they don't really care about the other politicians or even the issuses, they just tell people what they want to hear so they can get elected, so as a result the american people no longer care about anyone else but themselves. They take care of of them and their families, cause hey if it's good enough for the country's leader to do it's good enough for me to do!