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

While submitting content for the 2nd round of the Fun Run, I ran into this complaint several times: "It's too American." This was said not only about my work, but also another US researcher. What are these people thinking? The purpose of the Guide is to be a massive collection of all the information on the planet. This is the Earth edition of the Guide, not the British Empire version. The idea is that maybe you'll learn something about someone else's culture, and help promote global understanding and communication.
But, as I said, some people just don't get it. There are a hundred forums out there trashing the US, shameless exhibitions of bigotry and ignorance. Each one promotes the stereotypical view of Americans as fat, loud, and arrogant. Well, fine, but I'm not fat.
Stereotypes aren't flattering to anyone. The sterotypical Englishman is a humorless sod with disgusting oral hygiene. The sterotypical Aussie is that moron from the "Crocodile Hunter" show. Perhaps because I benefit from having lived in truly international cities as well as traveled a bit about the globe, I know how false these stereotypes are. Some people don't. So go ahead and write your Eurocentric or Australcentric (did I just make up a word?) articles. But when an American researcher writes an article, they can only write what they know. Give it a read, and you might learn something.
 

Concur with most everything, but you don't like the "Crocodile Hunter" guy? I find mentally deranged people on television somewhat fascinating.

But only if they're handling dangerous animals. Those ones on Jerry Springer...ugh, don't get me started.

I like the crocodile hunter guy, but you have to wonder about him. Stuff like: "Crikey, those sharks are really pissed off. I'm going to smack a few of them on the snout while wearing raw steaks strapped around my body and see what they do." Not the kind of guy I'd want to be associated with.

That's precisely the reason he's so damned entertaining. I personally like it when he's got snakes: "This is the deadliest snake in the world. What I'm going to do is pick it up and hold it at arm's length, since it is also the most ornery animal alive, and it's guarding its young. In fact, here's a second one. I'll carry one around in each hand, repeatedly saying, 'Isn't it beeeeaauuuutiful'."
TV with an element of danger--the only way to watch.

hey, I'm not saying the man isn't entertaining. Half the fun is laughing at the idiocy of the man for doing what he does. The other half is the hope he'll actually get hurt. Entertaining TV, but I wouldn't want people to think I was like him. That's the only point i was trying to make.

Okay, good point. You'd like to think that people are brighter than that, but they continuously prove they aren't.

Excepting present company (including most of the rest of everyone on the site), of course.

Emphasis on "most." I discover a new moron every now and then. This community is pretty good, though, because most morons wouldn't be able to get DNA's jokes.

As for the rest of the world, a song lyric sums it up well: "Been around the world and found that only stupid people are breeding, the cretins cloning and feeding..."

Yeah, I was careful to say "most" there, since there are still a few grumpy types who love to stereotype. Oh well, it's unavoidable in a group this large.

And just who did that song? Sounds like my philosophy.

I can't remember the name of the band right now. I wish you hadn't asked, because now that question is going to be floating around in my head, interfering with my job, my personal life, and my karma in general.

Just let your subconscious work on it in the background. It'll probably pop right in when you're least expecting it.

"Pole Sitter" by Harvey Danger. I broke down and asked a coworker at the end of the day, so it only affected me on the job. I'll be humming the tune in the unemployment line.

I really tire of this "too American" crap.Should we Americans begin every page we concoct with "Warning: the following material was written by an American on American soil.In fact the very computer components you are now utilizing were probably designed and consigned by an American company and assembled in some other country like Taiwan or China or Mexico.Please take note that it was probably not constructed in Britain.Sorry, guess you aren't the arbiters of all production ,taste and content since you can't even make a computer.In fact the technology you people mastered has now practically gone obsolete.I know, I've seen an original manuscript of Beowulf."?

Easy, dude. More of that and it'll be impossible to tell the American bigots from the British ones, except the British ones rant with a silly accent.

Well, I think the answer to my ridiculous postulation is "no".I'm not particularly too proud of my country right now but the piling on gets old.

Hello Hoop the Mottle,

Do you know that the transitor, there a millions of them tiny little things inside your computer, was invented by a brit? And that here in Europe we do our own mircoprocessors, space rockets, big aiplanes and a cellular phone system which works all over europe and the whole world except USA? But I'm glad you brought Democracy to us, in fact.