Harris Poll: Americans happier and more optimistic then Europeans
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Stan Shannon wrote: The latter are basically people who never quite mature, they want to be taken care of by an all powerful, and kindly father figure, who will always be there to catch them when they fall and to assure them that everything important will always be taken care of for them without them needing to worry one little bit. No argument, those are all the ones trying to impress their church on the huddling masses while following blindly. The difference, we disagree who are the real americans and who are grabbing the robe of someone else and echoing their words for lack of their own. If thinking for themselves is the sign of a true American, they are rare indeed. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
Jeffry J. Brickley wrote: No argument, those are all the ones trying to impress their church on the huddling masses while following blindly. The difference, we disagree who are the real americans Yes, we do diagree on that. Certainly, the religious amoung us appeal to the authrority of a devinity. But as flawed, mortal human beings, we do, in fact, occassionally need a shoulder to lean on, devine or otherwise. But, that is in the most ancient traditions of our American culture. By demeaning it, you provide yet more proof of just how much of a European-Wannabee you, and your ilk, actually are. And what do you wish to replace it with? With the 'father-land', the all careing state, the state as parent, the state that takes from those mean bullies who have and give it to the weak who have not. In other words, you want to replace with a European political model. Jeffry J. Brickley wrote: and who are grabbing the robe of someone else and echoing their words for lack of their own. No, they are my own. Or, at least, I understand what they mean. Jeffry J. Brickley wrote: If thinking for themselves is the sign of a true American, they are rare indeed. Do you? If so, prove it. "Capitalism is the source of all true freedom."
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Jeffry J. Brickley wrote: No argument, those are all the ones trying to impress their church on the huddling masses while following blindly. The difference, we disagree who are the real americans Yes, we do diagree on that. Certainly, the religious amoung us appeal to the authrority of a devinity. But as flawed, mortal human beings, we do, in fact, occassionally need a shoulder to lean on, devine or otherwise. But, that is in the most ancient traditions of our American culture. By demeaning it, you provide yet more proof of just how much of a European-Wannabee you, and your ilk, actually are. And what do you wish to replace it with? With the 'father-land', the all careing state, the state as parent, the state that takes from those mean bullies who have and give it to the weak who have not. In other words, you want to replace with a European political model. Jeffry J. Brickley wrote: and who are grabbing the robe of someone else and echoing their words for lack of their own. No, they are my own. Or, at least, I understand what they mean. Jeffry J. Brickley wrote: If thinking for themselves is the sign of a true American, they are rare indeed. Do you? If so, prove it. "Capitalism is the source of all true freedom."
Stan Shannon wrote: And what do you wish to replace it with? With the 'father-land', the all careing state, the state as parent, the state that takes from those mean bullies who have and give it to the weak who have not. In other words, you want to replace with a European political model. Actually, I would like a little bit of freedom. True freedom. The freedom to be able to display a Shaman's Wheel without being killed for it. The freedom to keep my religion without having to keep it secret. I would like the freedom this country was founded on, but has forgotten. Freedom of equal rights, equal treatment, of respect. If you have read at all you will find me neither liberal nor conservative, unless you think of the constitution as a conservative. And at the forefront of trying to destroy that freedom, is you "mortal human beings" that are so innocent in leaning on divinity that preach from the pulpit who you should vote for and that you will go to hell if you vote anything else. That preach from the pulpit a prayer of DEATH to all liberal judges, asking for God to strike them down with lightning, swallow their houses into the earth, drown their families with the water of rightiousness. You have your bullies, I have to fight my own. The difference is the bullies I have to watch out for burn books and defend murder in the name of God. You are welcome to every baptist in the region, though I would never wish them on Stan. For all that you have said about me, I would NEVER wish the religious fundamentalists on you or any human being. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=585[^] It seems the land increasingly plagued by self-doubts and in the midst of a downward spiral, drowning in guns, brutal crime and social injustice with people dying on streets that has become "as scary as Osama bin Laden" and embroiled in a hopeless civil war overseas, a land that lied to the world for oil and unbridled greed, mired in misery, crime and hopelessness - - - produces optimistic and happy citizens. Disclaimer: all the above adjectives for United States are (C), (R) and TM by German mainstream media and have not been invented by me. Since the European myths about the United States can't possibly be biased and completely out of touch with reality; something must surely be wrong with the poll so lets dang it down to China! Tomaž
Americans popping more happy pills?
Pandoras Gift #44: Hope. The one that keeps you on suffering.
aber.. "Wie gesagt, der Scheiss is' Therapie"
boost your code || Fold With Us! || sighist | doxygen -
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=585[^] It seems the land increasingly plagued by self-doubts and in the midst of a downward spiral, drowning in guns, brutal crime and social injustice with people dying on streets that has become "as scary as Osama bin Laden" and embroiled in a hopeless civil war overseas, a land that lied to the world for oil and unbridled greed, mired in misery, crime and hopelessness - - - produces optimistic and happy citizens. Disclaimer: all the above adjectives for United States are (C), (R) and TM by German mainstream media and have not been invented by me. Since the European myths about the United States can't possibly be biased and completely out of touch with reality; something must surely be wrong with the poll so lets dang it down to China! Tomaž
Well, only knowing the US I don't have anything else to compare it to . . . BUT! A very good friend, orginally from Estonia followed his Swedish wife to Demark where she was offered a very nice job about a year ago. Here is an excerpt from a recent email he sent me. BTW: I haven't edited out his profanity but evedently The Code project does it automatically. Cool.:
Believe it or not I'm having hard time finding anyone who can change oil in my car. I tried in Sweden when I was there-everyone is busy.Like it is something that takes the whole day. In Copenhagen I went to a dealer made an appointment,brought the car today and was told that there is no appointment with my car showing in the system.WTF? And I wasn't too happy with mechanics in US. Compare to local service US is a fucking paradise. Nevertheless they took my car but nobody gave me any paper or anything confirming this. Tomorrow when I go there to pick the car up I will be told something like-What car? You left your car here yesterday? My wife is pissed with hairdressers. Every time she goes to do her hair it is hard to predict how she is gonna look like when she returns. Last time she looked like Donny Osmond or some other 70's pop star. And she picks most expensive places. As about Russians... Fuck'em. I read Russian media and I can assure you,it is full verbal assault on Americans. Americans are stupid, Americans are fat and so on. My sister lives in Russia and when I called her the other day she told me that Americans are brainwashed idiots without free press. Why without free press?- I asked. She said because they put in jail that reporter from NY Times. I said,- ask me instead, I lived there, I know America more or less. No, you brainwashed too, she said. FYI, my sister never been outside of former USSR except for two weeks in Germany in 1985. She doesn't speak any western languages so all this BS she is getting from Russian press or TV. It called NARROW MINDED PEOPLE OF RUSSIA. Don't want to talk to my sister because of all the aggravation she causes.P.S. When he went to pick up his car they charged him the equivelant of $140 and spilled oil all over the top of the engine. -
Stan Shannon wrote: And what do you wish to replace it with? With the 'father-land', the all careing state, the state as parent, the state that takes from those mean bullies who have and give it to the weak who have not. In other words, you want to replace with a European political model. Actually, I would like a little bit of freedom. True freedom. The freedom to be able to display a Shaman's Wheel without being killed for it. The freedom to keep my religion without having to keep it secret. I would like the freedom this country was founded on, but has forgotten. Freedom of equal rights, equal treatment, of respect. If you have read at all you will find me neither liberal nor conservative, unless you think of the constitution as a conservative. And at the forefront of trying to destroy that freedom, is you "mortal human beings" that are so innocent in leaning on divinity that preach from the pulpit who you should vote for and that you will go to hell if you vote anything else. That preach from the pulpit a prayer of DEATH to all liberal judges, asking for God to strike them down with lightning, swallow their houses into the earth, drown their families with the water of rightiousness. You have your bullies, I have to fight my own. The difference is the bullies I have to watch out for burn books and defend murder in the name of God. You are welcome to every baptist in the region, though I would never wish them on Stan. For all that you have said about me, I would NEVER wish the religious fundamentalists on you or any human being. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
All of which takes us right back to my original post. I have lived my entire life in the American heartland, the deepest depths of the bible belt. Yet, I have argued vociferously in favor of evolution, I have made no secret that I think there is much to be admired about paganism and saddened that we were forced to sacrifice so much of it to accept Christianity. I like the fact that we kept our pagan holidays even if we did have to reinterpret them as Christian ones. I have done all that on the vast southern plains of Western Oklahoma to born again Baptists, in the piney woods of Alabama, in little Mormon mountain towns of Utah and to a group of fundamentalist christians in eastern Indiana. And, far from getting killed, I have been embraced in all of those places, and by all those people, as a fellow child of God. We had long and interesting conversations and departed as friends. I've never seen the America you describe any where except from Hollywood. Have I occassionally encountered people that got angry about it? From time to time. When I was Fire Direction Officer for an artillery unit in the Oklahoma National Guard I had a sargeant who belonged to a fundentalist sect who, after finding out that I did not accept a literal interpretation of the Old Testiment, did every thing he could to undermine my authority until I finally had him transferred. So I am well aware that such people are out there. I am certain that somewhere in this vast nation there are ministers preaching hate and violence. To you those people are proof of the darkness and the evil that surrounds you, that you need protection from. While, to me, they are merely proof that we live in a free nation where the vast majority use their freedom for noble and productive purposes. I see openess and opportunity where you see nothing but darkness and dispair. That is the difference between a Real American and a European Wannabee. And explains perfectly your politics and my own. I believe in my country, I am proud of its history and its people, a think it is a wonderful decent place full of wonderful decent people. Maybe I'll build my own Shaman's wheel - I have no fear of my Christian neighbors. "Capitalism is the source of all true freedom."
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Americans popping more happy pills?
Pandoras Gift #44: Hope. The one that keeps you on suffering.
aber.. "Wie gesagt, der Scheiss is' Therapie"
boost your code || Fold With Us! || sighist | doxygenWell, there is that! :~ "Capitalism is the source of all true freedom."
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Well, only knowing the US I don't have anything else to compare it to . . . BUT! A very good friend, orginally from Estonia followed his Swedish wife to Demark where she was offered a very nice job about a year ago. Here is an excerpt from a recent email he sent me. BTW: I haven't edited out his profanity but evedently The Code project does it automatically. Cool.:
Believe it or not I'm having hard time finding anyone who can change oil in my car. I tried in Sweden when I was there-everyone is busy.Like it is something that takes the whole day. In Copenhagen I went to a dealer made an appointment,brought the car today and was told that there is no appointment with my car showing in the system.WTF? And I wasn't too happy with mechanics in US. Compare to local service US is a fucking paradise. Nevertheless they took my car but nobody gave me any paper or anything confirming this. Tomorrow when I go there to pick the car up I will be told something like-What car? You left your car here yesterday? My wife is pissed with hairdressers. Every time she goes to do her hair it is hard to predict how she is gonna look like when she returns. Last time she looked like Donny Osmond or some other 70's pop star. And she picks most expensive places. As about Russians... Fuck'em. I read Russian media and I can assure you,it is full verbal assault on Americans. Americans are stupid, Americans are fat and so on. My sister lives in Russia and when I called her the other day she told me that Americans are brainwashed idiots without free press. Why without free press?- I asked. She said because they put in jail that reporter from NY Times. I said,- ask me instead, I lived there, I know America more or less. No, you brainwashed too, she said. FYI, my sister never been outside of former USSR except for two weeks in Germany in 1985. She doesn't speak any western languages so all this BS she is getting from Russian press or TV. It called NARROW MINDED PEOPLE OF RUSSIA. Don't want to talk to my sister because of all the aggravation she causes.P.S. When he went to pick up his car they charged him the equivelant of $140 and spilled oil all over the top of the engine.Having been there on a number of occasions since 1999, I cannot agree at all with the above statements concerning Russian attitudes. First of all, most Russians have an inherent distrust of everything they read in the media or see on TV. Given their history, this is only logical. Yes, there is trhe perception that Americans are fat. This is perfectly undestandable considering there is a substantial degree of truth to that - CDC estimates that 1 out of 3 Americans are not just overweight, but medically obese. There is also some tendency to the general perception that everyone who is poor in the US is also black, as well as a tendency to over estimate the affluence of the average white American. But most of the other stereotypes I have encountered are either amusing or charming. These are the typical examples I have seen again and again: Surprise over the fact that I occasionally smoke :-), the stereotype being that Americans are very anti-tobacco. No mystery there, given the very public anti-tobacco campaigns in the US versus the generally relaxed attitudes about smoking in Russia. "Are you from California?", LOL. Most Russians are only familiar with a handful of states - California, Texas, and Florida. "No I am from Atlanta." The response is always "Yes! I know this!" followed by an explanation that they have seen "Gone With the Wind", LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On the whole I have found the vast majority of Russians I have met to be more curious about Americans than anything else, and despite their aloof exteriors, I consider the Russians to be among the warmest and friendliest people I have met anywhere in the world.
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Having been there on a number of occasions since 1999, I cannot agree at all with the above statements concerning Russian attitudes. First of all, most Russians have an inherent distrust of everything they read in the media or see on TV. Given their history, this is only logical. Yes, there is trhe perception that Americans are fat. This is perfectly undestandable considering there is a substantial degree of truth to that - CDC estimates that 1 out of 3 Americans are not just overweight, but medically obese. There is also some tendency to the general perception that everyone who is poor in the US is also black, as well as a tendency to over estimate the affluence of the average white American. But most of the other stereotypes I have encountered are either amusing or charming. These are the typical examples I have seen again and again: Surprise over the fact that I occasionally smoke :-), the stereotype being that Americans are very anti-tobacco. No mystery there, given the very public anti-tobacco campaigns in the US versus the generally relaxed attitudes about smoking in Russia. "Are you from California?", LOL. Most Russians are only familiar with a handful of states - California, Texas, and Florida. "No I am from Atlanta." The response is always "Yes! I know this!" followed by an explanation that they have seen "Gone With the Wind", LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On the whole I have found the vast majority of Russians I have met to be more curious about Americans than anything else, and despite their aloof exteriors, I consider the Russians to be among the warmest and friendliest people I have met anywhere in the world.
rwestgraham wrote: Yes, there is trhe perception that Americans are fat. This is perfectly undestandable considering there is a substantial degree of truth to that - CDC estimates that 1 out of 3 Americans are not just overweight, but medically obese. One day, looking at the assorted California Fried Brain, A friend and I concluded: We think ALL Americans are fat, because those who aren't starve themselves so thin they are overlooked. ;) (Putting aside joking it seems to be regional for the US, too)
Pandoras Gift #44: Hope. The one that keeps you on suffering.
aber.. "Wie gesagt, der Scheiss is' Therapie"
boost your code || Fold With Us! || sighist | doxygen -
rwestgraham wrote: Yes, there is trhe perception that Americans are fat. This is perfectly undestandable considering there is a substantial degree of truth to that - CDC estimates that 1 out of 3 Americans are not just overweight, but medically obese. One day, looking at the assorted California Fried Brain, A friend and I concluded: We think ALL Americans are fat, because those who aren't starve themselves so thin they are overlooked. ;) (Putting aside joking it seems to be regional for the US, too)
Pandoras Gift #44: Hope. The one that keeps you on suffering.
aber.. "Wie gesagt, der Scheiss is' Therapie"
boost your code || Fold With Us! || sighist | doxygen -
Having been there on a number of occasions since 1999, I cannot agree at all with the above statements concerning Russian attitudes. First of all, most Russians have an inherent distrust of everything they read in the media or see on TV. Given their history, this is only logical. Yes, there is trhe perception that Americans are fat. This is perfectly undestandable considering there is a substantial degree of truth to that - CDC estimates that 1 out of 3 Americans are not just overweight, but medically obese. There is also some tendency to the general perception that everyone who is poor in the US is also black, as well as a tendency to over estimate the affluence of the average white American. But most of the other stereotypes I have encountered are either amusing or charming. These are the typical examples I have seen again and again: Surprise over the fact that I occasionally smoke :-), the stereotype being that Americans are very anti-tobacco. No mystery there, given the very public anti-tobacco campaigns in the US versus the generally relaxed attitudes about smoking in Russia. "Are you from California?", LOL. Most Russians are only familiar with a handful of states - California, Texas, and Florida. "No I am from Atlanta." The response is always "Yes! I know this!" followed by an explanation that they have seen "Gone With the Wind", LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On the whole I have found the vast majority of Russians I have met to be more curious about Americans than anything else, and despite their aloof exteriors, I consider the Russians to be among the warmest and friendliest people I have met anywhere in the world.
First, I wasn't taking a shot at anyone. I merely quoted my friend. Considering that his background is from a country that was until recently occupied by Russia, a possible source of his feelings seem quite obvious. And who knows, maybe his sister only listens to right wing, paranoid radio personalities like our Rush Limbaugh. The only thing I had to point out is that some things that we in the US learn to take for granted are not taken for granted everywhere else. Obviously in Denmark, or at least in Copenhagan, there are no Jiffy Lubes and no $19.95 oil changes. I know that I take a certain level of service, efficientcy, and deferrence to the customer for granted. I also know that if I don't get it in one place, I take my business somewhere else where I will get it. rwestgraham wrote: I consider the Russians to be among the warmest and friendliest people I have met anywhere in the world. My experience is mostly with Ukranians here in the US and I agree whole heartedly. I've really enjoyed my personal relationships with all of them and my working relationships with all but one friggin' lunatic who on occasion would stand behind me and "hump" the back of my chair (shades of baboons establishing social status). I certainly can't say as much for my fellow Americans. Although, none of them has ever humped my chair. :)
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First, I wasn't taking a shot at anyone. I merely quoted my friend. Considering that his background is from a country that was until recently occupied by Russia, a possible source of his feelings seem quite obvious. And who knows, maybe his sister only listens to right wing, paranoid radio personalities like our Rush Limbaugh. The only thing I had to point out is that some things that we in the US learn to take for granted are not taken for granted everywhere else. Obviously in Denmark, or at least in Copenhagan, there are no Jiffy Lubes and no $19.95 oil changes. I know that I take a certain level of service, efficientcy, and deferrence to the customer for granted. I also know that if I don't get it in one place, I take my business somewhere else where I will get it. rwestgraham wrote: I consider the Russians to be among the warmest and friendliest people I have met anywhere in the world. My experience is mostly with Ukranians here in the US and I agree whole heartedly. I've really enjoyed my personal relationships with all of them and my working relationships with all but one friggin' lunatic who on occasion would stand behind me and "hump" the back of my chair (shades of baboons establishing social status). I certainly can't say as much for my fellow Americans. Although, none of them has ever humped my chair. :)
Yes, most Estonians (Lithuanians, etc) don't get along well with the Russians. :-)
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Well, only knowing the US I don't have anything else to compare it to . . . BUT! A very good friend, orginally from Estonia followed his Swedish wife to Demark where she was offered a very nice job about a year ago. Here is an excerpt from a recent email he sent me. BTW: I haven't edited out his profanity but evedently The Code project does it automatically. Cool.:
Believe it or not I'm having hard time finding anyone who can change oil in my car. I tried in Sweden when I was there-everyone is busy.Like it is something that takes the whole day. In Copenhagen I went to a dealer made an appointment,brought the car today and was told that there is no appointment with my car showing in the system.WTF? And I wasn't too happy with mechanics in US. Compare to local service US is a fucking paradise. Nevertheless they took my car but nobody gave me any paper or anything confirming this. Tomorrow when I go there to pick the car up I will be told something like-What car? You left your car here yesterday? My wife is pissed with hairdressers. Every time she goes to do her hair it is hard to predict how she is gonna look like when she returns. Last time she looked like Donny Osmond or some other 70's pop star. And she picks most expensive places. As about Russians... Fuck'em. I read Russian media and I can assure you,it is full verbal assault on Americans. Americans are stupid, Americans are fat and so on. My sister lives in Russia and when I called her the other day she told me that Americans are brainwashed idiots without free press. Why without free press?- I asked. She said because they put in jail that reporter from NY Times. I said,- ask me instead, I lived there, I know America more or less. No, you brainwashed too, she said. FYI, my sister never been outside of former USSR except for two weeks in Germany in 1985. She doesn't speak any western languages so all this BS she is getting from Russian press or TV. It called NARROW MINDED PEOPLE OF RUSSIA. Don't want to talk to my sister because of all the aggravation she causes.P.S. When he went to pick up his car they charged him the equivelant of $140 and spilled oil all over the top of the engine. -
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=585[^] It seems the land increasingly plagued by self-doubts and in the midst of a downward spiral, drowning in guns, brutal crime and social injustice with people dying on streets that has become "as scary as Osama bin Laden" and embroiled in a hopeless civil war overseas, a land that lied to the world for oil and unbridled greed, mired in misery, crime and hopelessness - - - produces optimistic and happy citizens. Disclaimer: all the above adjectives for United States are (C), (R) and TM by German mainstream media and have not been invented by me. Since the European myths about the United States can't possibly be biased and completely out of touch with reality; something must surely be wrong with the poll so lets dang it down to China! Tomaž
When I lived in Europe during the 80's and Americans were worried about their safety and the the possibility of world war (again determined by polls), Europeans stated that we were cowards and always promoting the negative. Now, we're more optimistic than Europeans and we're considered ignororant and oblivious to the obviously horrible world around us :rolleyes: Tom Archer - Visual C++ MVP Archer Consulting Group.com
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All of which takes us right back to my original post. I have lived my entire life in the American heartland, the deepest depths of the bible belt. Yet, I have argued vociferously in favor of evolution, I have made no secret that I think there is much to be admired about paganism and saddened that we were forced to sacrifice so much of it to accept Christianity. I like the fact that we kept our pagan holidays even if we did have to reinterpret them as Christian ones. I have done all that on the vast southern plains of Western Oklahoma to born again Baptists, in the piney woods of Alabama, in little Mormon mountain towns of Utah and to a group of fundamentalist christians in eastern Indiana. And, far from getting killed, I have been embraced in all of those places, and by all those people, as a fellow child of God. We had long and interesting conversations and departed as friends. I've never seen the America you describe any where except from Hollywood. Have I occassionally encountered people that got angry about it? From time to time. When I was Fire Direction Officer for an artillery unit in the Oklahoma National Guard I had a sargeant who belonged to a fundentalist sect who, after finding out that I did not accept a literal interpretation of the Old Testiment, did every thing he could to undermine my authority until I finally had him transferred. So I am well aware that such people are out there. I am certain that somewhere in this vast nation there are ministers preaching hate and violence. To you those people are proof of the darkness and the evil that surrounds you, that you need protection from. While, to me, they are merely proof that we live in a free nation where the vast majority use their freedom for noble and productive purposes. I see openess and opportunity where you see nothing but darkness and dispair. That is the difference between a Real American and a European Wannabee. And explains perfectly your politics and my own. I believe in my country, I am proud of its history and its people, a think it is a wonderful decent place full of wonderful decent people. Maybe I'll build my own Shaman's wheel - I have no fear of my Christian neighbors. "Capitalism is the source of all true freedom."
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When I lived in Europe during the 80's and Americans were worried about their safety and the the possibility of world war (again determined by polls), Europeans stated that we were cowards and always promoting the negative. Now, we're more optimistic than Europeans and we're considered ignororant and oblivious to the obviously horrible world around us :rolleyes: Tom Archer - Visual C++ MVP Archer Consulting Group.com
Tom Archer wrote: ignororant Observation Of The Day: Typos are selective :) Never forget: "Stay kul and happy" (I.A.)
David's thoughts / dnhsoftware.org / MyHTMLTidy -
peterchen wrote: California Fried Brain:~ Do you mean like someone on drugs? peterchen wrote: We think ALL Americans are fat, because those who aren't starve themselves so thin they are overlooked.:wtf:
kgaddy wrote: Do you mean like someone on drugs? No. Think "Beach", "Sun", and people being there all day. I'm joking of couse :cool:
Pandoras Gift #44: Hope. The one that keeps you on suffering.
aber.. "Wie gesagt, der Scheiss is' Therapie"
boost your code || Fold With Us! || sighist | doxygen -
Ah of course - Utopia is getting someone to change your oil! I think Thomas More must have missed that one.
Your comment manages to be simultaneously pretentiously pseudo-intellectual and yet simplistically naïve. It’s ridiculous. Consider yourself ridiculed. ;P
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Jim A. Johnson wrote: bears an unfortunate, and entirely coincidental, similarity in appearance to our dear president It could be worse though - at least Bush doesn't look like the Pillsbury dough boy. "Capitalism is the source of all true freedom."
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You can always tell Real Americans from the European-wannabee Americans. The former are always optimistic and forward looking, people who believe in themselves and their own innate, god-given, abilities to percever against what ever hardships might occur. The latter are basically people who never quite mature, they want to be taken care of by an all powerful, and kindly father figure, who will always be there to catch them when they fall and to assure them that everything important will always be taken care of for them without them needing to worry one little bit. To the former the world is full of hope, goodness and opportunity, to the latter it is full of danger,evil and oppression againt which they need to be protected. "Capitalism is the source of all true freedom."
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When I lived in Europe during the 80's and Americans were worried about their safety and the the possibility of world war (again determined by polls), Europeans stated that we were cowards and always promoting the negative. Now, we're more optimistic than Europeans and we're considered ignororant and oblivious to the obviously horrible world around us :rolleyes: Tom Archer - Visual C++ MVP Archer Consulting Group.com
Unfortunately, it's human nature to denegrate and ridicule those we envy and/or fear. Cowboy George (Bush) doesn't help things by talking/acting more like a schoolyard bully than a statesman. (Dear God! When he said that Sadam had be in a "Hidey-Hole" it made me cringe.) But even if it weren't for him, the rest of the world would be still running us down just for being as big and successful as we are. Wait 10 years, it'll be China that everyone is crapping on. Will