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

Everyone seems to think that whoever is president of the United States is running the world. Really this isn't the case. Whoever is threatening the one with the most power is running the world because the one with the power is reacting to what the challenger is doing.

In that freaky kind of logic of mine, that suggest that S.H currently holds the cards...everyone is reacting to him, he's running the world.

BUT

Collectively as a world, People, Humans have the power. So who are we reacting to?

Cats.

Ergo, cats run the world!

Freaky logic or what!

Who thinks the US pres. is running the world? I certainly don't. Are you american or something? You have the typical US arrogance.

Tango

No I'm not American! I'm British. When I say everyone I mean a narrow amount of people and I do mean narrow cos I live in Scotland and there's only around 5 million people here so how many of them do I know?! I mean just some people say whoever's pres rules the world cos America have so much power.

"typical US arrogance" isn't very friendly Tango, nor polite.

Editorial Note: This conversation has been moved from 'Talking About the Guide - the h2g2 Community' to 'Ask the h2g2 Community'.

Europeep- There IS a certain amount of logic in that.

IMO it is *generally* better to act,
within your own power,
rather than react to others.

Here is a link to the new proposed Total Information Act if anyone cares to take a peak. This is meant to toughen up the Patriot Act ;adding a lot about cyber space and also about revoking citizenships amoung other things.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/02/12/total.information.ap/index.html

Mina, I can only comment on what i know, and from my experience my post was fair and accruate.

Tango

*keeps her d*mned mouth shut, wouldn't want to come across as overstepping her bounds*

s Yankee Doodle, then s...

Tango- in my opinion your post a) made an (untrue) assumption about the nationality of the poster and b) made a ridiculous generalisation about an entire nation of people.

And there are a sizable number of people who believe Bush is at least attempting to control the world. your post appeared to be irrational, presumptuous and, for want of a better term, rude.

How can a question be an assumption?

Tango

the way you phrased it sounded like you were looking for confirmation of the fact. I apologise if I interpreted that wrongly

I don't mind if people assume I'm American. They usually do for some reason. I won't speak on behalf of Americans though. Yes, they might be offended by that remark.

An alternative ruler of the world is the weather. It affects EVERYTHING we do. Do cats react to the weather or does weather so some freakish law of nature, react to cats?

If you can believe a butterfly flapping it's wings somewhere can cause a hurricane somewhere else then it could be true. Maybe butterflies rule.

Scary things them. :P

"Are you american or something? You have the typical US arrogance."

It is disheartening to have citizens of my nation lumped together as a group, particularly in a negative context. I've seen that more than once since I've come back to h2g2, and it bothers me.

Are there arrogant Americans? Absolutely! But we don't have a corner on the market.

Since this is an international community, it would be nice if people's ideas were judged on their merits, without assumptions made about their nationality.

Here here!
I always found myself sticking up for Americans at school. I had two English friends who were always ranting about the way Scottish people were anti-English but English peeps weren't anti-Scottish. After criticising all of Scots for this (and I'm half Scottish), they went on to say all Americans were dumb. That's a generalisation based on absolutely nothing and I found myself saying the same thing. "Yeah some of them are dumb, just like some of us are dumb but it ain't a trait of a nation it's the trait of a person"
Having said that, I did make a sweeping generalisation in saying "everyone says" which is obviously not what I meant at all, just the casual way of saying what I meant.
And also, my nickname "europeep" should have pointed out I'm not American. European Person is what Europeep means.
I don't know if anything I've said is making it worse or not but hey my point was, I have heard some people comment that whoever is pres in America is basically in control of the world because they have so much power. Whether you feel it's arrogance or not, you can't deny America is the most powerful nation in the world and I frankly would rather be on their side any day.

Out of the americans i have met/talked to a large number were/are arogant regarding their country. Not all certainly, but a large number.

Tango

Which i consider odd as I have found out of the Americans I have encounteres- on the internet, at university or even in America- are largely rational people and even those who have a distinct pride in their country will still back it up with reasonable argument.

Simulpost. I'm not sure the US is the most powerful, i think the reason a lot of people think that, is because a lot of americans think that, due to the arrogance i have mentioned.

Tango

Another simulpost! We have obviously met a different group.

Tango

which goes to show the problems inherent in genralising a large group of people based on a smaller sample.