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The USA

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    #92
    Billhook
    Registered Users Posts: 42 ✭Billhook


    Blaze420 wrote: »
    Look no further my friend, here is the trailer - the full movie is on youtube :) (the trailer doesn’t do it justice, it’s ****ing AWFUL)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX4td1XCkP0

    Any gay kiss in it, there's a lot of intrigue and an undertone of gay eroticism between the lines..

    :)


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    #93
    satguy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,743 ✭✭✭satguy


    Was a great place up to the mid 80's ..

    Has gone downhill big time, seems all the politicians are owned by big corporates, huge spending on military, while shanty towns ring their big cities.

    Downtown LA looks like calcutta,, the Rich / Poor divide is in your face.

    It is a nation in decline.. With dementia Biden now held up as the front runner and their best pick of a rotten bunch...


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    #94
    ceadaoin.
    Registered Users Posts: 8,094 ✭✭✭ceadaoin.


    Shanty towns lining the big cities? Lol. OK.


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    #95
    Blaze420
    Closed Accounts Posts: 904 ✭✭✭Blaze420


    satguy wrote: »
    Was a great place up to the mid 80's ..

    Has gone downhill big time, seems all the politicians are owned by big corporates, huge spending on military, while shanty towns ring their big cities.

    Downtown LA looks like calcutta,, the Rich / Poor divide is in your face.

    It is a nation in decline.. With dementia Biden now held up as the front runner and their best pick of a rotten bunch...

    Biden might have accusations of dementia floating around but he’d still be a better choice than Trump - a retarded man child in an obese orange body who can only communicate through Twitter or calling anything he doesn’t agree with fake news. There’s a few movies to be made out of the hapless imbecile **** down the road though so I suppose he can stay until the scripts for those are done. As a world leader though? No, nobody takes him seriously.


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    #96
    Madeleine Birchfield
    Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭Madeleine Birchfield


    satguy wrote: »
    Was a great place up to the mid 80's ..

    Has gone downhill big time, seems all the politicians are owned by big corporates, huge spending on military, while shanty towns ring their big cities.

    Downtown LA looks like calcutta,, the Rich / Poor divide is in your face.

    It is a nation in decline.. With dementia Biden now held up as the front runner and their best pick of a rotten bunch...

    Don't forget about the rundown towns in the rural areas of America, they tend to get forgot by the media and visitors to America but rural West Virginia looks like a third-world country.


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    #97
    Billhook
    Registered Users Posts: 42 ✭Billhook


    Blaze420 wrote: »
    Biden might have accusations of dementia floating around but he’d still be a better choice than Trump - a retarded man child in an obese orange body who can only communicate through Twitter or calling anything he doesn’t agree with fake news. There’s a few movies to be made out of the hapless imbecile **** down the road though so I suppose he can stay until the scripts for those are done. As a world leader though? No, nobody takes him seriously.

    A lot of people get quite serious when he comes up in conversation though.
    I myself just love to sit back and watch the show unfold, no doubt he'll go down in history and lore.

    My grandkids will be asking about him, I'm sure of it.
    He's pure entertainment.

    No doubt he's right about fake news, not all news is fake but there's journalist so hungry to get validation they'ed risk printing news that could cause absolute chaos.

    Dealing with a lot of different personalities and one paragraph could be translated into all kinds of sadness, anger, elation and sensationlism.

    The sheep will eat anything that's in front of them, always chasing the next fix.
    But unfortunately the moment it's in their grasp they're all head's down again and feeding from the same rag, never getting outside of the fence they're wrapped up in.

    Like an ignored potbound plant and its roots knotted up in plastic and all it knows is where it's at...

    Imagine living in contentment and joy, and away from Trump sensationalism...

    He is America, full of fanfare, star's stripes, Coca-Cola, the American dream...


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    #98
    GY_1980
    Closed Accounts Posts: 65 ✭✭GY_1980


    Madeleine Birchfield wrote: »
    Don't forget about the rundown towns in the rural areas of America, they tend to get forgot by the media and visitors to America but rural West Virginia looks like a third-world country.

    I’ve travelled down Route66. Paid more attention staying in the smaller, less well known towns. Places like Santa Fe, Winslow, Grants, etc. Fell in love with Flagstaff, was adamant I was going to go back to live there. Took a few diversions into the bigger cities too.

    No doubt, the towns have taken an economic hit over the years. But still great to visit them. And the people still remain polite, helpful, and welcoming.


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    #99
    Jim Bob Scratcher
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,231 ✭✭✭Jim Bob Scratcher




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    #100
    ChikiChiki
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,950 ✭✭✭ChikiChiki


    Anyone with as little as a quarter of a functioning brain can see that both Biden and Trump are shocking bad candidates.

    Not even near the most competent in their respective parties.


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    #101
    Tell me how
    Registered Users Posts: 21,517 ✭✭✭✭Tell me how


    ChikiChiki wrote: »
    Anyone with as little as a quarter of a functioning brain can see that both Biden and Trump are shocking bad candidates.

    Not even near the most competent in their respective parties.

    And that in itself is a more damning indictment of the US than any singular petulant outburst from Trump.

    I couldn't believe that at a time when the world was dealing with the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic and America was starting to see numbers rocket, that the candidate who was strongly advocating for universal healthcare saw no bump in his popularity in the primaries.

    Even now, with the flood of evidence that Trump is not up to the job, so many are willing to ignore any semblance of dignity or moral courage in an effort to remain in power. Check out videos of Lyndsey Graham comments on Trump and how they have changed over the last few years as evidence.


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    #102
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 81,631 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    A lot of finger wagging, gum flapping, and naysaying in this thread.

    The current administration gives precisely zero ****s about European opinion.

    It’s not as though the EU has suggested it will sanction the US for bad behavior? All bark no bite.


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    #103
    Harry Palmr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 40,061 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    You appear to have posted a reposte on the wrong thread.


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    #104
    satguy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,743 ✭✭✭satguy


    How can this be OK

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QehMe1jVQ-U&t=7


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    #105
    alchemist33
    Registered Users Posts: 10,969 ✭✭✭✭alchemist33


    Had a trip to Seattle for an NFL game last year and absolutely loved it. A fantastic city with really friendly people, the only downside being very visible homelessness.

    The US is too big to make many sweeping statements about. True enough, politically it's a sh*tshow and the inequality is staggering. But large parts are far from being a kip, with people just like us getting on with their daily lives. I've also met some terrific Americans online. I'd love to visit again, but will be waiting for covid and politics to settle down first.


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    #106
    satguy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,743 ✭✭✭satguy


    Once it starts to rot,, if its not looked at or treated,, then its all downhill..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd78QRf-cB0

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsIwq19_6nE

    A lot of their cities now look like this.


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    #107
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Rodney Bathgate wrote: »
    Been there at least 20 times in many different cities, east and west coast, plus 3 months J1. Probably spent a year in total there. Never had any issues in all that time. Love the place, would be happy to live there.
    Same here, been many times and really like the countryside, the small towns, the variety and the people.
    There are many amazing towns and cities but NYC stands out.

    That said, it is a troubled place and a huge divide between the poorest and the richest.


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    #108
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I've been to the US many times over the last two decades, and I think the US is very good at bringing it's primary successes to the font and pushing many of its negatives to the background (especially economic failures).

    The US has been in decline for decades. It's had it's periods of growth, but due to it's size and politics, that growth is often not spread evenly. So, there are many areas within the US which are pretty run down, and poor, with a population that most Europeans wouldn't associate with a prosperous first world nation. Educational standards in many areas of the US are rock bottom, along with crime/drug issues. On the flip side, other areas are highly prosperous and well funded. It's a mishmash of interests and development.

    People like to point fingers at Trump, but Bush Jnr, Obama, etc all have neglected improving the US in favor of foreign adventures.

    The US is hardly a kip, but it's not even close to the image it likes to advertise. There are massive inequalities depending on the State you're in, and the racial grouping. Not simply regarding Black communities, since there are many White communities who are easily as poor/uneducated or lacking in support.

    I have no problem visiting the US and there are many cities/regions, where I'd enjoy living. At the same time though, there are areas where no amount of money would convince me to live there. As usual, the US is a nation of extremes.


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    #109
    Thelonious Monk
    Registered Users Posts: 13,743 ✭✭✭✭Thelonious Monk


    My dealings with the police over there is that they are mini hitlers with power trips. I could never live there. I am not surprised at all that people are rioting when they have to live in the police state that it is.


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    #110
    Kermit.de.frog
    Registered Users Posts: 23,443 ✭✭✭✭Kermit.de.frog


    It's a great country, very diverse.

    If you want to properly experience all that's truly great about it you need to rent a car and visit multiple states on the one visit.

    Like everywhere it has it's problems but it will always be the greatest country in the world in spite of them because of the ideal of fundamental freedoms behind it not granted elsewhere in the world.

    Those freedoms also include the freedom to fail and that's the trade. You do pay a severe price for failure over there unlike here.

    There is no 200 a week waiting for you at the post office if you don't want to work!

    That's the deal the citizens have. It's tough but it breeds innovation and risk taking like nowhere else.


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    #111
    YFlyer
    Registered Users Posts: 9,717 ✭✭✭YFlyer


    Is the George Floyd page down?


    Close because there be a court case? Lol


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    #112
    MadYaker
    Registered Users Posts: 12,140 ✭✭✭✭MadYaker


    It's actually not that bad. I have lots of family there and visit regularly. You don't want to be poor and relying on social supports though, because effectively there are none. It seems worse with trump in charge but really its the same as it was ten years ago. There is a growing inequality problem though which is part of the reason for the recent riots. The death of George Floyd was the straw that broke the camels back there I feel.


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    #113
    Madeleine Birchfield
    Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭Madeleine Birchfield


    MadYaker wrote: »
    It's actually not that bad. I have lots of family there and visit regularly. You don't want to be poor and relying on social supports though, because effectively there are none. It seems worse with trump in charge but really its the same as it was ten years ago. There is a growing inequality problem though which is part of the reason for the recent riots. The death of George Floyd was the straw that broke the camels back there I feel.

    The growing inequality is a huge problem for America that their leaders refuse to acknowledge or mitigate. In past history that has lead to revolutions; see France 1789, Russia 1917


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    #114
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Madeleine Birchfield wrote: »
    The growing inequality is a huge problem for America that their leaders refuse to acknowledge or mitigate. In past history that has lead to revolutions; see France 1789, Russia 1917

    Yeah, but their leaders are all rich/wealthy. How often do you see someone from a middle class or lower class person get into power? And when you do, it's obvious that they owe favors to a more established group which represent the rich.

    US democracy is managed/controlled by the wealthy so the inequalities are only going to grow.

    All the same though, it is the growth of identity politics that is creating the greatest divisions. Few Americans consider themselves to be primarily American anymore. They're all part of one minority or another, all of whom have some grievance to push.


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    #115
    Madeleine Birchfield
    Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭Madeleine Birchfield


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    All the same though, it is the growth of identity politics that is creating the greatest divisions. Few Americans consider themselves to be primarily American anymore. They're all part of one minority or another, all of whom have some grievance to push.

    Aye but that isn't solely restricted to the US; in the UK people identify more as English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish nowadays as opposed to British, and in Belgium people identify as Flemish or Wallonian instead of Belgian.


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    #116
    swarlb
    Registered Users Posts: 1,244 ✭✭✭swarlb


    Madeleine Birchfield wrote: »
    The growing inequality is a huge problem for America that their leaders refuse to acknowledge or mitigate. In past history that has lead to revolutions; see France 1789, Russia 1917

    The USA doesn't have 'Leaders'.... it's got a political system that changes even from day to day, never mind who is actually The President.

    France and Russia at the time had a Monarchy which ruled by force in many cases.

    While their may be riots in the streets.... it's a far cry from 'Revolution'


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    #117
    Madeleine Birchfield
    Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭Madeleine Birchfield


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    Yeah, but their leaders are all rich/wealthy. How often do you see someone from a middle class or lower class person get into power? And when you do, it's obvious that they owe favors to a more established group which represent the rich.

    US democracy is managed/controlled by the wealthy so the inequalities are only going to grow.

    My point is that there is so much inequality a society could take before it starts collapsing whether due to revolution or to civil war.


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    #118
    threeball
    Registered Users Posts: 7,923 ✭✭✭threeball


    Its a country that has rallied behind a perceived and promoted external threat since WW2 and probably before, the nazis, the russians, communists from vietnam, china, cuba, terrorists from the ME, they were all out to get the poor yanks and destroy their way of life.

    They built a military obsessed culture around it where serving in the armed forces makes you some sort of deity and beyond reproach. Sports and sports events give large amount of event time to promoting and celebrating the military.

    Now for the first time in their history there is no obvious serious threat so the hate has turned inwards. Instead of uniting behind the flag against a common enemy they see an enemy within their own country. Those of different political or racial views have become the target and you have a mentally ill person in charge fanning the flames. I would not be surprised to see this escalate over the summer along with the return to high numbers of disease. In an election year its a perfect storm.


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    #119
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Madeleine Birchfield wrote: »
    Aye but that isn't solely restricted to the US; in the UK people identify more as English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish nowadays as opposed to British, and in Belgium people identify as Flemish or Wallonian instead of Belgian.

    Sorry. My meaning was more to do with how divisive US society has become. Male vs female, rich vs the poor, white vs black, black vs Hispanic, etc.

    The point is that there is so much friction happening that leads towards unrest or outright violence, which prevents them from seeking a more stable society.


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    #120
    Madeleine Birchfield
    Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭Madeleine Birchfield


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    Sorry. My meaning was more to do with how divisive US society has become. Male vs female, rich vs the poor, white vs black, black vs Hispanic, etc.

    The point is that there is so much friction happening that leads towards unrest or outright violence, which prevents them from seeking a more stable society.

    And I see the same divisiveness in the UK, Northern Ireland, and Belgium, where Westminster has de facto become an English parliament, Stormont is dysfunctional (at least until the coronavirus came), and the Belgian parliament is dysfunctional as well. They're lucky in the sense that it isn't as bad as the United States' issues but it is getting worse in those countries as well. Ditto Spain and Catalonia.


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    #121
    ShatterAlan
    Registered Users Posts: 2,807 ✭✭✭ShatterAlan


    5555555555 wrote: »
    You should take a trip over there. Walk around. Talk to people.


    Talk to people? For what? What are you going to learn from a cretin who thinks France is a muslim country?



    Come vist our village. Talk to our village idiot.


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