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

WoodPigeon,
I have only been on h2g2 a short while, but you should look at the 8,709 posts on the thread "What's wrong with Americans?"..(this missed a beat about four hours on 9/11/01)...American all are apparently fat, loud and opinionated...and now, what is worse, they don't watch "Fawlty Towers". At some point one wonders if one cares much about or respects such generalisations...it may be that the English are like the Japanese...a general view that all other cultures and genotypes are automatically inferior...hairy, smelly and brutish... This is not new ..my father and three uncles told me about certain difficulties with the English before arriving in Normandy on June, 1944 by various ingenious mechanisms...

Hi Bob,

I actually understand where you are coming from as I have visited the US on numerous occasions and I have worked and lived with Americans for the past 15 years, the experience being overwhelmingly positive with hardly any exceptions.

The comment I made in AskH2G2 had to do with a conversation with some colleagues when I was last in Chicago 3 weeks ago, as well as an earlier conversation with a very good friend of mine from Boston. It was not intended as a generalisation on Americans. I just thought that everybody knew about Fawlty Towers or some of the better known English comedies to find out that some people didn't know about them. My posting was a light-hearted one referring to these experiences, and not as a general comment on America. If it came across any other way, I sincerely apologise.

Regarding the thread you mentioned - I unsubscribed from that ages ago. I normally unsubscribe from most anti-American threads as I don't share the views of some on the US here. Most of them have never set foot in the place and what they read about the US is based on what little they know or want to know about your country. Furthermore, arguing with them is like telling the sun not to come up in the morning. Since they are so convinced that they are right, well - I'm sure you have met people like this before - its like talking to the wall. A complete waste of energy.

My bottom line - I understand that people are moulded by their origins. No matter where people are from, we will hold views formed in childhood that can be simplistic and prejudicial. My life experience so far has told me that these views are often wrong, and that people are people with the same mix of issues, opinions, personalities and problems no matter where you go. I would very much like to travel further than I have so far (which is not bad, to be fair - I have been on 4 continents) so I can learn more about different places and cultures.

So, just as I would not castigate Americans as easily as some do here, neither would I do so to the English (and as an Irish person that is saying something)! Along with the occasional bigot, there's a lot of fair minded people there too, otherwise I would have left this place a long time ago. Hell, there's as many ignorant people in my country as anywhere.

I hope that's put it in context. No offence was intended - it would be completely against what I am about, or at least what I think I am about.

Cheers,

Woodpigeon

You seem to be one of the most level headed people on the site...sorry to dump on you..

That's ok - there are definitely threads here which are destined to make the blood boil. My motto is most definitely "Unsubscribe early and often"!