Posts: 3822
Joined: 16 Sep 2007, 22:00
KaM Skill Level: Skilled
ICQ: 269127056
Website: http://lewin.hodgman.id.au
Yahoo Messenger: lewinlewinhodgman
Location: Australia
Country stereotypes, the financial crisis and world leaders
I started this topic because the shoutbox was getting kind of cramped.
The topic is very broad, and if it becomes a bit off topic then don't worry, that's the idea.
Just following on from what has been written in the shout box:
every austrailan has been bitten by a dangerous snake
Still, whilst I haven't been bitten I've certainly seen a few in the wild. (we live on a farm)
dutch people are wearing their wood-shoes
such idiots who call you "hitler" in the multiplayer games just because you have a GER in your nickname
BUt even if you just think a little bit, you will notice that all these facts aren't true
People judge a country or society by it's extremists, not by the ordinary people who live there.
A few things to add to your list:
- Everybody in the middle east is a terrorist
- Everyone in Russia has radioactive poisoning
- Everyone in Alabama (state in USA) is married to their cousin
- People in France are stuck up snobs with curly mustaches eating pastry.
And, whilst some people in those places may be like that, the vast majority are not and we should not judge people like that.
On the subject of world leaders:
Last year Australia had a prime minister (John Howard) quite like George Bush who refused to sign the Kyoto protocol, (we and the US were about the only ones) brought in stupid laws (mainly about terrorism) and, in general sucked up to George Bush. But thankfully we got rid of him and the current prime minister (Kevin Rudd) is ok. We have now signed Kyoto, but we're still a long way behind the rest of the world, which annoys me.
@Wpnfire: I guess you'd be going for Obama then? (if it's not a too personal question) I think he sounds better than McCain, but I don't know a lot about US politics. (I have enough trouble keeping up with our own)
As for the American stereotype, well you hear some scary stuff on the radio/TV. I remember a reporter interviewing random American people about the election, and lots of the people said that Obama is a Muslim, (which he isn't) and they didn't want terrorists leading there country.
How scary is that?
While you are trying to change the stereotype many America people are simply reinforcing it.
Oh yeah and it is absolutely our fault for Global Warming. Everybody else goes alternative energy, and our President vetos any bill that does not support, say, or suggest, stopping financing of God damn Oil
All this is making me think: The worlds in a really bad way, isn't it? I think the real problem behind all these issues (oil, climate change, wars, refugees, poverty, etc.) is over population. There are far more people in the world than we can support, and our population is still growing! I think all countries should have a limit on the number of children you can have, (like China does) although that can lead to even bigger ethical problems. (like abortion)
And yet we keep driving our cars, burn fossil fuels, having lots of children and pretending nothing bad will ever happen. How much will it take for people to realize that we have a major problem on our hands, which we cannot continue to ignore.
It makes me really angry when I heard people says stuff like: "Climate change hasn't been proven" or "There's lots of oil left..." (yeah, enough for the next 20 years or so!)
Although most of this stuff will only really become an issue when all of us are very old, it will be a problem for our children to deal will.
Depressing isn't it?
Lewin.
P.S. You have GOT TO WATCH THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6r1IcY1pv0
Wpnfire you should find this especially amusing. It's an Australian TV show, they just interviewed random Americans. Let me know what you think...