anti american sentiments

[arawn]

Is it just me or is there some sort of conspericy againts the U.S.A . {pout} Why was i left out.

P.S GO ISRAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BeardofPants]

Originally posted by arawn
P.S GO ISRAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Errr... Yeah, let's cheer on the blood thirsty murderers, ah, um, that is to say, I meant to say, well meaning upstanding citizens...

[HOBBIT]

Originally posted by BeardofPants


Errr... Yeah, let's cheer on the blood thirsty murderers, ah, um, that is to say, I meant to say, well meaning upstanding citizens...

Are you trying to get people to dislike you, or does it just come naturally? Why don't you try reading some facts here pants.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by BeardofPants


Errr... Yeah, let's cheer on the blood thirsty murderers, ah, um, that is to say, I meant to say, well meaning upstanding citizens...

You must be referring to the Palestininians in the first part of that sentence. The "citizens" that strap bombs to themselves and blow up people standing at bus stops, malls, movie theaters, people having dinner, etc etc.

[BeardofPants]

Ah come on! That was firmly tongue in cheek. Get a sense of humour people.

[HOBBIT]

Your 'humour' is sickening.

[Cirdan]

Originally posted by HOBBIT
Your 'humour' is sickening.

The whole situation there is sickening. So many stupid human tricks, so little time.

[mirrille]

Originally posted by BeardofPants
Ah come on! That was firmly tongue in cheek. Get a sense of humour people.

I think the word here is "irony" as opposed to "humour". So on that point, develop a sense of irony, people. Life is full of things that are cruel and ironic and this situation is no exception.

[BeardofPants]

Originally posted by HOBBIT
Your 'humour' is sickening.

No. It's sick. But since this is the anti-american thread, I guess I should be making sad jokes about yankees...

[Cirdan]

Originally posted by BeardofPants


No. It's sick. But since this is the anti-american thread, I guess I should be making sad jokes about yankees...

Yeah, the Yankees... the best baseball team money could buy.... oh, you meant the other...

Sorry, all I have are Yankee puns.

[jerseydevil]

NBC's Dateline is having about the camp that brings Palestinian and Israeli children together.

I couldn't think of the name before.

SUNDAY, JULY 14
7:00 P.M. ET - Separate Peace
In the summer of 1993 a group of Palestinian and Israeli 13-year-old boys were invited by then first lady Hillary Clinton to an event that was to change their future forever: the signing of the Oslo Peace Accord on the White House lawn. In an hour-long special, “Mideast Photo,” Dateline NBC reconstructs that historical day from the viewpoint of five of these boys, now men, and the program examines what happened to them in the decade since. Keith Morrison reports.

It's sad how people that became friends in 1993 at that camp and hoped for a peace are now denouncing each other.
The camp is located in Maine and is called the Seeds of Peace. Their website has a lot of information. A Message from John Wallach, President and Founder of Seeds of Peace, Fall 2000. John Wallach died July 10th from cancer.

America and Americans do a lot more than is reported in papers and newscasts around the world. Many of these things that America does is never reported in other countries. I had known about this camp for years, although I couldn't remember the name of it. I had mentioned it in another thread.

[Wayfarer]

Here's a thought:

How many people in the world have anti-american sentiments that are actually valid?

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Wayfarer
Here's a thought:

How many people in the world have anti-american sentiments that are actually valid?

Most people that complain about America have never been to America. They only know why their government disagrees with what the US does. They also have stereotypical views of Americans I think. I'm not necessarily talking about everyone in this thread - but others from foreign countries that I have met that have had really distorted views of what Americans are like.

So to answer your question - Not many.

[mirrille]

Originally posted by jerseydevil


Most people that complain about America have never been to America. They only know why their government disagrees with what the US does. They also have stereotypical views of Americans I think. I'm not necessarily talking about everyone in this thread - but others from foreign countries that I have met that have had really distorted views of what Americans are like.

So to answer your question - Not many.

I suspect it all depends on your definition of "valid". Depends a little on how far one wants to chase down causes and motivations and whether you think a certain excuse makes something "valid". Sentiments = feelings, and we all know how clear-cut those can be.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by mirrille


I suspect it all depends on your definition of "valid". Depends a little on how far one wants to chase down causes and motivations and whether you think a certain excuse makes something "valid". Sentiments = feelings, and we all know how clear-cut those can be.

Well, as I've said, countries have their own self interests involved when disagreeing with the US - the US has it's self interest when it does something. Which is more valid?

If you don't have the information of why the a country or person takes a particular stand and only get the point of view of the one party - you can't make an intelligent decision one way or the other.

[mirrille]

You can decide if it hurts you or not. If your definition of "valid" depends primarily on that (and it is a reasonable criterion) that might be all you are interested in.
It's not an uncommon point of view, in these matters.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by mirrille
You can decide if it hurts you or not. If your definition of "valid" depends primarily on that (and it is a reasonable criterion) that might be all you are interested in.
It's not an uncommon point of view, in these matters.

That may be all you look at - but countries, like people, still look at their self interest first. Canada looks at it's self interest first - before looking at how it'll affect the US or the rest of the world. Sometimes these interests coincide - sometimes they don't. When they don't - is when people on the ouside complain. But the first people that any government has to look out for is it citizenry.

Well tonight Nightline is talking to Colin Powell about how the world doesn't side with the US on most things.

TONIGHT'S SUBJECT: Our friends and allies are saying it, and our enemies
are saying it. Under the Bush administration, U.S. foreign policy seems to
be based on the idea of "going it alone." Except for an earlier appearance
on the issue of volunteerism, we have never had Secretary of State Powell
on Nightline. He has finally agreed to be interviewed by Ted, and we'll
have that interview tonight.

----

For those of you old enough to remember the Gulf War, and I say that only because we have a number of people in their 20's on the staff here, and Desert Storm is ancient history to them, you'll remember that "coalition" was one of the buzzwords. Forces were referred to as "coalition forces." The word came up all the time. In the last campaign, President Clinton was roundly criticized for "letting the coalition" deteriorate. Now, in the war in Afghanistan, the word is back. You hear it in the military briefings almost every day. And there is an implicit positive value judgement there, the sense that we should be part of a coalition, that other countries agree with us, and have joined our effort, although there's never a question of who is more equal than the other coalition members.

But for all of the talk about a coalition, the record of the Bush administration on foreign policy has gone in a different direction. Prior to September 11th, the administration was criticized for being too unilateral, for going our own way without consulting our allies and friends. The U.S. pulled out of the Kyoto treaty on greenhouse gases, the anti-ballistic missile treaty, the biological weapons treaty. But then
came the attacks and the war on terrorism. Things changed, and we were trying to rally the world to our cause, with a fair amount of success. But things change quickly. We are virtually alone in talking about military
action against Iraq. When President Bush made his speech on the Middle
East, calling for the replacement of Yasir Arafat, the speech not only
caught most of our allies off-guard, the speech garnered very little support from our allies.

Now we had planned this broadcast anyway. Correspondent Don Dahler had already been working on the piece, when we got word that Secretary of State Powell would agree to an interview with Ted. That is something that we have been requesting for years. Secretary Powell has been on Nightline once before, on the subject of volunteerism, but never to talk about policy. We're very pleased that he has agreed to sit down with Ted, and his interview will make up the bulk of tonight's program. There's an old adage in politics that foreign policy won't win an election, but it can lose one. (Just think back to Jimmy Carter.) The Bush administration has faced foreign policy challenges that no one foresaw, and there are more on the immediate horizon. It should make for an interesting interview.

[afro-elf]

here is an anti american statement form an american. Whenever I return home I am flabbergasted at the number of fat people there

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by afro-elf
here is an anti american statement form an american. Whenever I return home I am flabbergasted at the number of fat people there

I don't think that would be an "anti-American" statement exactly. You may have a problem with people being fat though - I don't know. By the way - this made me think of the Simpson's episode where Springfield gets the entry for Fattest City in The Guinness Book of World Records which they're proud about and basically go all out to celebrate, except Marge of course.

I do agree that America has become fat. It is pretty bad. I don't seem to see it so much in everyday life - but if I go to the shore or something - it seems like everyone is overweight. Part of the reason I think American's are overweight and in some cases downright fat - is because of our standard of living. People eat out constantly. In New Jersey it's generally full course meals in really good restaurants - in the midwest it's more fast food junk (at least where I lived). I mean come on - Seymour, Indiana had 3 McDonalds and it only has a population of 17,000 people. In addition - it had a Taco Bell, Rally's, Burger King, Hardees, Dominoes, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, KFC, Wendy's, etc etc. In New Jersey I have to drive 10 miles to just go to a fast food place - there aren't a lot around where I live (there aren't any in my town and Plainsboro has 20,000 people), but I don't care - I'm more the full course good restaurant type of person anyway.

Additional problems are lack of exercise. I have a friend, who is concerned about her weight and hardly eats in order to stay thin (she's also "vegan"), but will insists on trying to get a cab in NY to go from 32nd Street (Penn Station) to 42nd Street (Times Square). I just tell her she can wave her arms for the cab as we walk - if she can get one to stop we'll take it. I've won everytime - so I basically am forcing her to walk. I've walked everywhere in NY - from Battery Park to middle of Central Park, from the Hudson to the East River. (I don't formally exercise though). Even kids don't get enough exercise. It's really sad when overweight kids are the majority on the playground.

Here is the list of fattest cities in the US -

1. Houston, Texas
2. Chicago, Illinois
3. Detroit, Michigan
4. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5. Dallas, Texas
6. Columbus, Ohio
7. San Antonio, Texas
8. Fort Worth, Texas
9. St. Louis, Missouri
10. Indianapolis, Indiana
11. Tulsa, Oklahoma.
12. Atlanta, Georgia
13. Cleveland, Ohio
14. El Paso, Texas
15. Miami, Florida
16. New York, NY
17. Kansas City, Missouri
18. Phoenix, Arizona
19. Baltimore, Maryland
20. New Orleans, Louisiana
21. Charlotte, North Carolina.
22. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
23. Las Vegas, Nevada
24. Mesa, Arizona
25. Wichita, Kansas

Havens for the Heavy - ABCNews.com

Here are America's Fittest Cities...

1. Colorado Springs, Colorado
2. Denver, Colorado
3. San Diego, California
4. Seattle, Washington
5. San Francisco, California
6. Virginia Beach, Varginia
7. Honolulu, Hawaii
8. Sacramento, California
9. Albuquerque, New Mexico
10. Boston, Massachusetts

'10 Fattest Cities In America' 2002 - Men's Fitness Magazine

California is a contradiction here - I can't speak for other states - because I haven't spent enough time to really make a judgement. I'm speaking mostly about the LA/Orange County area. Generally the same people that are exercising and taking care of the outside of their bodies in California (think LA), don't think twice about taking drugs or drinking heavily. So just like so much of LA and Hollywood - it's all fake. A person's looks and good health only go skin deep. They work hard to make themselves look good on the outside - but destroy their insides. I have a friend who was a one time heroin, cocaine addict, alcoholic and he smoked - but at the same time a vegetarian (for health reasons). The doctor said he was in the beginning stages of developing Cirrhosis of the liver (at age 25) - but hey, at least he looked good. The better thing to do is to look at the Healthiest Cities and not just concentrate on weight. Here is a site that contains a ranking of The Healthiest States based on 21 factors including "Percent of Adults Overweight or Obese". New Jersey ranks 15th, California ranks 13th. They also have other reports including The Most Livable States based on 43 factors. New Jersey #10, California #33 and New York #37. But New Jerseyans always knew we were better than them - no matter what they try portraying our state as in the movies and tv. (okay a little off subject)

This is also interesting....

* New York City subway of officials have bowed to rider demand and ordered new cars without the "bucket "-style bench seats that, at 17.5 inches across, weren't big enough for Big Apple bottoms.

* General Cinema theaters installed "love seats "with retractable middle armrests so couples could cuddle, but the 46-inch-wide seats proved equally popular with "larger" patrons. So now ushers subtly steer people with love handles to love seats.

* The smallest seats at the new Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers, are 21 inches wide, 3 inches more than the smallest in the team's old home, Market Square Arena.

* The famed Central City (Colo.) Opera House ripped out century-old wooden chairs with 17-inch seats and replaced them with chairs 20 to 22 inches wide. So hated were the old chairs and so eagerly anticipated were the new ones that an open house was held just to let people try them out." The old ones were like Army food," says Fritz Trask, an opera subscriber in the old mining town west of Denver. "People got tired of complaining about them."

In The End, People Just Need More Room - USAToday

According the USAToday's graph - I'm in the minority of being in the healthy weight range within the US.

Go here to calulate your Body Mass Index to see where you lie in the "fat scales" . National Institute of Health: BMI Calculator

Now this is something that has gotten Florida into a lot of "trouble" for - It’s in His Genes: Family Fights Over Heavy Son - ABCNews. Basically the "state had spent thousands of dollars on lawyers and social workers" trying to take custody of this 8 year old boy from his parents because he's overweight.

[sun-star]

In Britain we blame America for making us fat. It's all your fault...