h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bravo Jude!

I too feel that all this talk is a very good way of understanding each others perspectives. I have been very fortunate to have friends that were born and raised in other countries and also fortunate to hear their experiences and opinions.

Keep your mind open N'Spite, sometimes the seemingly negative postings are not really negative as such, but trying to explain ones perspective.

Dimples. i hope you are right. And i think you are.

Ming.

I also have doubts but I think it is worth trying. I am too American and "arrogant" lol to be comforable here the way it is right now. Maybe I can get a better understandin with a dialogue, as well as show my side on alot of issues.

Jude.

Thank you for you support. Actually most Americans are very touched and impressed with how the Brits are standing behind us. Personal pettinesses aside it is very reassuring that youu guys have so steadfastly and instantly stood behind us like we expected you would, but not so vehemently or quickly. I think it was because of Mr. Blairs actions that the rest of the world has done what it has done. LOL As a matter of fact you guys did it so quickly alot of other nations leaders are regretting it and probably cursing your PM every night before they go to sleep. I have every confidence we will not let you guys down just like you did not let us down. To make you regret it would be worse than not doing anything. You guys may be "arrogant" j/k, but deffinatley the best people to have in your corner.

It's good to see a couple of 'LOL's in there.

And do you guys really see us (I'm also a Brit) as arrogant?

¦M¦

Only personally Ming. The Queens English, and what is proper and all that. Tut tut. What?

hehe you guys are more like and excentric relative than arrogant.

Oh yes, we all speak proper round here. Spiffing, what? Jolly good show...


¦M¦

'Cep fer us yokuls, that is. Oo don't know ow.

JTG

Good point, I'm from a rural area, I shouldn't be spiffing and jolly good showing...
But then, I am in the south... blimey these stereotypes are difficult to keep to!

¦M¦

NSpite, I guess you identified the problem in one of your earlier posts when you said "I do not know why most people in the international community hates us so"

Many people get annoyed by the jingoist thinking and poor understanding of world issues shown by a minority of Americans. Alas, this minority tend to be the ones pushing their opinions into the face of people from other countries.

Many more people have been getting upset recently by the way America has been sabotaging UN sponsored protocols and initiatives.

America-centric media broadcasting to a world audience don't help matters either. Think CNN, CBS etc.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong - as I often are

Dear LÔÔnytunes: definitely the latter. No, don't understand.

N'Spite - I'll be visiting you on your page. I'm living in South Africa, and in general I like Americans a lot. If you would want to know more about my country, just ask! I am always eager to tell people about it.

Looneytunes

You know I was teasing about the proper english don't you?. it was a pun. I have watched enough tv to see how brits talk as defferently as Americans do hehe.

As far as the U.N. situation, I would like to know what sabotaging you are talking about. Any specifics?

As far as the American people are concerned, we would just as soon get out of the U.N. it has become nothing but a sounding board against the U.S. And ofr us to be voted out of the Human Rights Council by those that voted us out just showed how much of a farce it is. We regret owing a debt to the U.N., But you have to realize we pay almost 25% of the entire income the U.N. gets. Sure we can afford it, and we should pay what we agreed to. But that is another issue.

As far as the America-cebtric media, They are private companies. They do not represent "America". They just happen to be the first private companies to be able to do such. The BBC is right behind CNN, and I am sure more will follow as time progresses and the people who do it first show it is lucrative.

Globalization with todays technology is a fact. Our world has become smaller. Unfortunately America is at the forefront because of it's status so we bear the brunt of the resentment. I agree with you about our influence of our culture on other countries is more than any other.

Alot of Americans don't even like our own culture alot so I can Imagine how you guys feel. And I agree that we should not saturate yours with ours. It would be tragic to lose any culture and most every nation has one to be very proud of and fight for it. I see the french tear at the McDonalds on TV. I honestly sympathise with them. But you have to understand it is not Americas fault. What you have are private copmpanies doing what they wish. our country cannot make them not go to your country without trampeling on rights that Americans and the rest of the free world holds dear. If you do not want it then you have to tell them to stay out. But then again that may go against your countires constitutions also.

Here we are at a delimma. A delimma that is not braught on by AMerica but actually by the times we live in, technology we are so proud of, and our actual sameness as funny as that sounds.

Afghanistan does not get CNN, or McDonalds or Disneyland. Because people do not have rghts in their country like we have ours.

I do beleieve it is something we will have to start making laws about or we will be risking losing our nations identities. Maybe we will find a solution. I hope so. But it really is not our fault if CNN wants to cast globally, or Disneyworld wants to open a park in Russia. That is capitolism at it's worste. Not America.

N'Spite, how dare you call me a Pom (Brit). I'm a New Zealander

Along with Australia, NZ is one of the most free and liberal countries in the world. We are so peace-loving even our police force is not armed, something that always surprises our American friends when they buy their Kiwi-burgers from McDonalds.

What we don't like is America - the country not the people - sabotaging things like the Kyoto protocol. Global warming is a genuine concern to many island-based countries in the South Pacific.

Loony

We have not, as a country, given up on global warming. A minor, very minor faction in our country does not understand the threat. What we have is a protocol that we could not agree with. We are looking into alternatives, but we will not agre to something that could hurt our National Security. Even Japan, who wrote the thing, did not want to sign it.

I think the best thing to have happened would have been for as many as possible of the other nations to sign it. And the we, our tree-hugging-big-mouth-liberals for sure, Would push our country with the help of the rest of the world to get on the ball and do something similar but does not hurt us so much.

You cannot ask the biggest industrialized nation to follow the same guidlines that a barely industrialized nation agrees to. Not only does it mutliply the effect so much for us, and our country cannot do anything to diminish it's status compared to the world. That is suicide. We understand the seriousness of the issues. We have the toughest restrictions on our industries compared to any other nation as it is now. I could give you graphs and charts on what we produce as an industry and what we produce as polution and percentage wise we have averyone beat. The problem , and we know iit, is that since we manufacture so much more than any nation we have produce more polution.

New Zealand and Australia are modern industrialised countries.

The threat to America is not about security, it is about economics. It would cost a lot of money to make the many ageing polluting industrial plants energy efficient. The only reason Japan and some European countries didn't sign was because if they did sign and America didn't, they would be economically disadvantaged.

Whatever way you look at it, eight percent of the world's population should not be distributing 18 percent of the world's pollutants into the atmosphere.

Another of our concerns is when America, that bastion of globalisation and free markets, hits our lamb exports with tariffs. For tariffs read subsidies for inefficient American sheep farmers. It's the do as we say not as we do syndrome.

Actually I want to correct something. i am in a defense mode and feel I have to defend everything about my country so do it a little too vehemently. I do not agree with everyhting my country does. Just as you most likely dont agree with everything yours does. There are alot of people here that thinks we should have signed that protocol no matter what it does to our eceonomy. you see we want our children to have an Earth to live in too. I personally think we did the right thing with what i know about it but I also think we should have changed it instead of ignoring it.

Where you see animosity, all I've seen is support and sympathy. When people point out the mistakes America has made, you have to understand that we HAVE made some; given how large and powerful we are, when we do make a mistake it's usually rather large.

The point you should see is that while we have some done some really boneheaded things over the years, the ENTIRE WORLD is feeling our pain! How can you watch people in China or Iran laying flowers in a memorial and not understand this?!

I hope you don't decide to leave h2g2 -- you may not like everything you read here, as you may not like everything in the NY Times, but overwhelmingly the world is feeling our pain. This act was NOT just against the United States, it was an act of war against the WORLD...

-Dent

Well I dont know anything about the tarriffs we placed on your country, so I won't go there. But I do know that trade is never fair. And more times than not it is probably tilted towards us. But not always. China has an almost 100 billion dollar surplus with us. They do not open thier borders to our products even though ours is virtually non existant for them. Trade is never even. It is who can get the most for less. I am in no way an economics major so I would not know what I am talking about if I said anything about your issue. I do know that Economics IS our national security. If we based it on population or land mass I would think that China or the former USSR would rule the world.

hello n'spite, i'm so glad you are staying with us...your postings are valuable to everyone...thanks.

alec.

With the lamb tariff issue, NZ and Aus took the US to World Trade Organisation's Appeal Court and won. The illegal tariffs have now been lifted.

Occasionally, the little guy wins

I agree with your population comment. There are only 3.75 million of us

... and how many times as many sheep?

JTG

Can I just correct somthing, the USA paid up what it owed to the UN. & Re Global warming, Kyoto & the USA read through the postings at http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F19585?thread=104339&skip=0&show=20