America and American's

BEAT

Thought I would start something interesting over here since this board hasnt had any visitor's latley.
What are the top 5 things you hate/like about America and/or American's?

Since I am American and in America I wont take offense to anything you could possibly say, because I have probably said it already myself...so take your best shot

I will follow up with my likes and dislikes after a few people get this ball rolling...

kaimera

swell...my girlfriend is American and seeing as how I've just returned from Christmas with her in Florida...

the American accent
Walmart
Wendys
14.99 DVD's
Best Buy

BEAT

lol, well I am glad you had an enjoyable experience...
I would however put Walmart on my list of major dislike's
but I do agree with Best Buy it is an excellent place to shop for great deals
I prefer the Irish accent tbh

moodyblue

Dislikes:

-NYC Subways
-Freezing Winters
-Hot, humid summers
-George W
-High Rents
-Rat race pace of the city
-Terrorist alerts
-Baseball players making a zillion $ a year
-Fast food joints on every other corner (the country is full of fatsos)
-J Lo
-Traffic - sold the car because I just gave up on NYC driving
-Smoking ban in bars (and I'm an ex smoker!!)
-Paying $10 to see a movie then forking over another 8 bucks for popcorn and a friggin Coke!!)
-New York Yentas (women who talk endless horse****)
-Lawyers - they are ruining this country!!
-St. Patricks Day parade
-Starbucks
-American television - worse than ever
-Loud bars
-Talk radio
-Hillary Clinton
-Freaks walking around in Greenwich Village
-SUVs
-My job
-Unfriendly neighbors


Likes:

-Diners

BEAT

ahh moodyblue, you bring up some very good points, I agree with you on all of them except for one
the 'freaks' in greenwich village are what made that town what it is today, throughout history of greenwich village there have been some sort of 'freak' for the era doing thier thing. A lot of those 'freaks' become famous artist's or writers or what have you, I say leave the 'freaks' there and get rid of everyone else hehehe

thanks for your contribution, new york is either a hate it or love it kinda town, have you been anywhere else in the states?

What i would like about new york is all the oppurtunities there are for entertainment, Broadway and all that and Time square in the winter, other than that...not much else to report

DeVore

Dislikes:
Americans seemingly total lack of understanding that there are 6 billion people on this earth and that they make up 4% of them.

Likes:
Chocolate malt shakes.



DeV.

kaimera

Originally posted by DeVore
Dislikes:
Americans seemingly total lack of understanding that there are 6 billion people on this earth and that they make up 4% of them.

ahhh...I was trying to figure out a way of sayiny that nicely before!

There is a serious misconception among the majority of Americans that the US is the centre of the Earth.

I prefer the Irish accent tbh

so sez my g/f too!

Actually, I should have said Walmart at 10.00-12.00pm...nobody around...great place!

BEAT

Originally posted by DeVore
Dislikes:
Americans seemingly total lack of understanding that there are 6 billion people on this earth and that they make up 4% of them.

Likes:
Chocolate malt shakes.



DeV.

And once again Devore hits the nail right on the head...I love chocolate malts too
seriously though...it's one of the main reasons I dont like to call myself an american, the pure ignorance that is associated with being american is enough to make anyone want to move to another country


oh, and wal-mart... it just isnt a place I would want to be at any hour of the day, the prices are low but then you do get what you pay for

moodyblue

Hi Beat,

I agree that with what you said about greenwich village but that changed drastically in the early 90s... all the "real" artists and writers were forced to move out to either Brooklyn or Jersey City because the rent for a 10 by 10 ft studio costs about $15,000/mo. ... what is left is what I'm referring to - the yuppies and the "wannabees" - jaded sons and daughters of very upper class middle Americans who come to NYC and dress like "artists", going to NYU and working in a used record store with the "too cool for school" attitude (which is a requirement of the job)...

BTW - I see that you are a Kerouac fan - I read "On The Road" a billion years ago - forgot a lot of it - must read it again... I went up to Lowell, MA (Keroauc's birthplace) in early 2001 to see a Van Morrison concert and before the show I went to the Kerouac Memorial and a museum where they had a display of his travel gear and other personal stuff...

BEAT

thanks for that moodyblue, check your pm box
I wish more people would take an interest in such literary legends as Kerouac
You are right about greenwich village, I guess I am just hopefull that it will return to the way it was, those days are times we wish could be recaptured.

The Sweeper

I wouldn't express any of my opinions as likes or dislikes really, because I've only been there once, and most of my opinions are based on lack of understanding.

For instance, I really do not understand the lack of awareness among some young Americans on subjects I would consider general knowledge, e.g. world history, geography, international culture etc. I mean, especially since America is such a multi-racial society?

Beat, you're American, can you tell me how it's possible for so may people to go through the process of growing up and acquire so little knowledge along the way??? Is it something to do with the school system? Culture? WHAT??

BEAT

ahh, yes MAJD...these are questions I have asked myself as well.
I can not speak for the whole of America's youth but this is the understanding I have come to grips with:
It's not that they are not learning, they are being taught and many take thier knowledge onto higher levels with aspirations of going to college and doing something with thier lives, but you see, we dont hear about those people...as my aunt put it, 'good news does'nt sell'
we only see the people on tv that are news worthy and usually are in bad situations, so we end up thinking all Americans are this way. I felt that way and perhaps instead of Hating America and Americans, I should place a little blame on the press and journalists? I dont know, I still feel we are behind the rest of the world and that the educators in America could use a few more lesson's themsleves, but what are you going to do really. You just have to live "your" life the way you see fit and hope people get a clue along the way
I have always felt out of place here myself, it's one reason I tried to move to Ireland...It was'nt the right time so it didnt work, but perhaps in a few more years after I finsh my degree, we'll see
thanks for the input though majd, it was good to hear from you, you have been MIA for a little while

The Reaper

aw i dont care!
please just get some of those hot chicks from florida over here please plesae! i was there for 7weeks and i cud get enough of them so lets all pay money to get them over here!

claidheamh

Not my first post, I just forget past names...anyway-

Dislikes-

Arrogant attitude. As if the rest of the globe should pay homage.
Ignorance-there are many ignorant people here, "Consumerism over Education,".
Dirty-Never have I seen more people throw rubbish from their vehicles...namely cigarette butts.
The disposable mindset-use it and throw it away, ie., cigarette butts, children, other country's resources.
The attitude that the US are the global morality police.
The super-christians. "Judge all others lest ye be thought less of amongst your peers,"all the while spouting how blessed and morally upright they are.
Capitolism at any cost. Sometimes a wetland, or a tundra, or a South American rainforest is better left unplundered.

We are a breeding ground for some other country's future unskilled labor.

Likes:

Vietnamese cuisine
Guinness
(Vietnamese cuisine with a Guinness)
My L1A1
My 15th Century Scottish Claymore reproduction
My Neapolitan Mastiff

pclancy

Dislikes-

-Accent
-Lack of knowladge about matters outside the US
-Poor education
-Attitude that they are superior beings to the rest of the planet
-Affection to tracksuits/Shellsuits
-Desperation to get involved in all conflicts/internal matters around the world, if only to secure oil and play with new weapons
-Ignorance
-The fact that when a survey was done on 2000 random americans, only 92, yes, 92 could correctly identify Iraq on an unmarked map, some even pinpointed france, japan, newzealand and norway as being their oil gushing enemies!!!

Likes
-Cars
-Food
-Movies

I used to run a B&B and that put me against americans forever. Plus reading about Korea, Vietnam, Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq.

For a country only a few hundred years in existance they've made a lot of people unhappy.

pclancy

this emphasises my point......

---

Originally posted by The Gopher


19) - 73% of Americans are unable to locate Ireland on a map bereft of country names.(presumably the only Americans who have heard of Ireland are the 40 odd million who seem more proud of this windy wet Atlantic rock than we do)

---

jd

well I've joint usa/irish citizenship so I'll reply

Dislikes:

-NYC Subways
Dublin Bus

-Freezing Winters

Wet Winters
-Hot, humid summers
Wet Summers
-George W
Bertie "conviction politician" ahern

-High Rents
shoe boxes

-Rat race pace of the city
Dublin's sprint to the 'burbs from 4.30 pm (up to 50 mile)

-Terrorist alerts

-Baseball players making a zillion $ a year

Well look at the Cork Gaa board for the other side of the coin

-Fast food joints on every other corner (the country is full of fatsos)
abrakebabra

-J Lo

Ronan Keating and his remodelled face/Westlife and their collective iq
-Traffic - sold the car because I just gave up on NYC driving
ditto-but what do you expect
-Smoking ban in bars (and I'm an ex smoker!!)
coming soon

-Paying $10 to see a movie then forking over another 8 bucks for popcorn and a friggin Coke!!)

yip
-New York Yentas (women who talk endless horse****)

you listen to a female skanger recently?

-Lawyers - they are ruining this country!!

comp culture is here too

-St. Patricks Day parade

macnas

-Starbucks
nescafe mild in cafes down the sticks.


-American television - worse than ever
tv3
-Loud bars

!
-Talk radio
Gerry Ryan
-Hillary Clinton
Mary "helicopter" harney
-Freaks walking around in Greenwich Village

who cares
-SUVs
my rule is, if you don't get horse or cow **** on it regularly, it should be burned.



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