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Old 10-20-2001, 02:46 PM   #1
Yorick
Very Mad Bird
 

Join Date: January 7, 2001
Location: Breukelen (over the river from New Amsterdam)
Age: 53
Posts: 9,246
It's incredible how people lately have felt that it's open season on the United States, using the disaster to prove a point about American patriotic attitudes, and percieved 'cockiness'.

Bin Laden did not blow up the WTC because Americans are 'cocky'. If that were the reason, the Arc D'triomphe, Buckingham palace, and Zoo station all should have been attacked.

Anyhow, we have an international board. Part of communicating with others from different nations involves BITING YOUR TONGUE about percieved character trait flaws from other nations. Otherwise we could have this scenario:

The British are xenophobic, stuffy, emotionally repressive, disunified and poor at sports. They all hate the French, Germans and all of Europe - thus travelling to America quicker than they would the continent - and cling to past glories because the present so drearily mirrors their climate. Miserable and sunless.

The Germans are repressive about everything. They're unfriendly control freaks with chips on their shoulders and an overly cautious attitude that borders on self-blame paranoia. I wish they'd lighten up and smile in the streets a little during winter.

Canadians possess an envious 'little brother' mentality regarding the USA, as do New Zealanders with Australia. However the Canadians have whiney seccessionistic French in their country and must pander to the spoilt brat tantrums Quebeqois throw every time a non Froncophile is running the country.

Australians are hard arsed cynical bastards with an obsession with the "Tyrrany of distance" and ridiculous level of belief that their landscapes are the greatest anywhere. Well, they're right about that so it makes it worse. Sport is God there and a sensative artist will be skinned alive to the chants of 'Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi."


I'll stop there. You get my point. I denigrated my own country to highlight I do not believe the said generalisations. I am trying to point out that we can all make generalisations about every race, nation, religious group and economic class.

We are individuals though, many, if not most of whom break stereotypical moulds.

CONSIDERATION, respect and a biting of ones tounge are necessary when dealing with those from other nations. The odds are they know more about themselves than an outsider.


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[This message has been edited by Yorick (edited 10-20-2001).]
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