To the rest of the planet...

[Duke]

Dear World:

We did what you wanted.

Now, will you PLEASE stop taking every possible opportunity to remind us what callous, boorish, arrogant morons we all are?

Sincerely,


The United States of America

 

[McLaren]

Well, the comedians were right about one thing. No one can say the MAN is keeping them down.

 

[OZZYGT]

No offense Duke, but why do you feel you have the authority to speak for everyone in the USA?

I you're just frustrated and sincerely, this post is... weird coming from you.

 

[Zrow]

No offense Duke, but why do you feel you have the authority to speak for everyone in the USA?

He doesn't. It's not all that serious.

 

[sn00pie]

Hey, I'm just saddened for Jon Stewart. He's got nothing for his daily show now.

Well done America!

 

[niky]

Really? He was taking a jab at Obama just the other week... ...but seriously... no President after Hard-on Clinton or Dubya Bush will be able to provide the late-night shows with as many yocks as we've seen in the past decade.

 

[Joey D]

Have you ever been abroad? The loud and obnoxious tourist tends to be an America, this is not to say all Americans are loud and obnoxious abroad though. Sure voting in Bush for 8 years didn't really help our country's image among others, but a lot of the time we get labelled "callous, boorish, arrogant morons" because a select group of tourist act that way and it was happening before Bush really did anything.

While in Europe several people told me that they loved the America people, it was good enough to get a ton of pints bought for me when it came up. Maybe it was the accent, I don't know but most Europeans I came across had no issues with the people of America just our government.

 

[Pupik]

Hey, I'm just saddened for Jon Stewart. He's got nothing for his daily show now.

He will. There's no shortage of mistakes, gaffes, and twists the president, or anyone who deals with reporters and photographers every day can make to illustrate a point.

After the media's honeymoon is over, everyone will see that that TV, radio, internet, and print media will put Obama through the wringer, shredder, and sound-bite editor just like every previous President.

 

[Omnis]

Well the Daily Show is supposed to be a media watchdog not a political one. The problem is that politics is absurd and the real media is complicit in the absurdity.

 

[Duke]

Well the Daily Show is supposed to be a media watchdog not a political one.

Really? I never knew that. I thought it was a Republican-bashing-with-occasional-pokes-at-the-Democrats-just-for-a-veneer-of-balance show. And forget the others like the Colbert Report - there isn't even a varnish of balance on those.

 

[zazaza]

The only that I can say, here in spain we look america like a really important state for the world. At local tvs
of Spain the choose for president for USA was in live and for example the choose for president of spain i think wasn't in live for the tvs of America.

 

[Bones Brigade]

Really? I never knew that. I thought it was a Republican-bashing-with-occasional-pokes-at-the-Democrats-just-for-a-veneer-of-balance show. And forget the others like the Colbert Report - there isn't even a varnish of balance on those.

Is there supposed to be? If you want balance, watch Red Eye on Fox.

 

[FoolKiller]

Duke, you may want to change your "from:" field. You are no longer on the bandwagon.....unless you voted for Obama.

And I would change your original post to say:

Dear World:

We did what you wanted.

Now, will you PLEASE stop taking every possible opportunity to insult our politics?

Sincerely,


The United States of America

As some have pointed out, generalizations of Americans have been around since before President Bush was elected.

 

[Omnis]

Really? I never knew that. I thought it was a Republican-bashing-with-occasional-pokes-at-the-Democrats-just-for-a-veneer-of-balance show. And forget the others like the Colbert Report - there isn't even a varnish of balance on those.

Maybe I should have said "was". After 8 years of Bush and a couple Emmys from it, it's obvious they've shifted their direction.

I'm still walking around campus here and stuff and seeing Obama's stupid face everywhere. He's being worshiped like some kind of bizarro Jesus.

 

[magburner]

Dear World:

We did what you wanted.

Now, will you PLEASE stop taking every possible opportunity to remind us what callous, boorish, arrogant morons we all are?

Sincerely,


The United States of America

This was never about what the world wanted, though the rest of us had hoped that this would be the outcome. Change came from America, not the world!

Personally, my perceptions of the average American, have changed considerably for the better, and I can see that it will stay that way for good! This election win is Monumental! 👍

 

[Biggles]

Have you ever been abroad? The loud and obnoxious tourist tends to be an America, this is not to say all Americans are loud and obnoxious abroad though. Sure voting in Bush for 8 years didn't really help our country's image among others, but a lot of the time we get labelled "callous, boorish, arrogant morons" because a select group of tourist act that way and it was happening before Bush really did anything.

The problem is not American tourists abroad, the problem is not enough Americans have ever been abroad, so a huge number of Americans know little or nothing about the world outside the United States. They have no way of comparing the pros & cons of their country vs other countries & will just blindly repeat the platitude that America is "the greatest country on Earth". If you, as an individual, walked around telling yourself & everyone else that you were "the greatest person on Earth", it would hardly engender goodwill from those around you, &, most importantly, it would stand in the way of you being able to improve yourself & learn from the experiences of other people.

Yes, it's true many people in other countries are equally ignorant about the world outside, but the countries they live in & the leaders they elect do not wield the enormous influence & power of the United States in shaping world events.

 

[Duke]

Yes, it's true many people in other countries are equally ignorant about the world outside, but the countries they live in & the leaders they elect do not wield the enormous influence & power of the United States in shaping world events.

So, in other words, it's OK for other nations to be arrogant and ignorant because they are nowhere near being the greatest country on Earth. But for the US Americans, who could conceivably be the greatest country on Earth, it's unforgivable?

 

[Stevisiov]

I am kind of wondering why you felt the need to create this thread Duke, do you think perhaps you could elaborate exactly on what the issue at hand is?

 

[Duke]

Because Americans in general have spent at least the last 5 years, if not longer, being treated by the rest of the world like we are complete morons led by an imbecile. That has allegedly changed. I'll expect the world's attitude to change now that we have allegedly changed.

 

[Famine]

I am kind of wondering why you felt the need to create this thread Duke, do you think perhaps you could elaborate exactly on what the issue at hand is?

It's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the "Dear World, We're sorry" sites/circulars from 4 years ago.

Personally I think that either candidate would make a disastrous president. And I don't mean however bad you think Dubya is/was. I mean disastrous.

 

[Biggles]

So, in other words, it's OK for other nations to be arrogant and ignorant because they are nowhere near being the greatest country on Earth. But for the US Americans, who could conceivably be the greatest country on Earth, it's unforgivable?

I didn't say anything about other nations being arrogant & I do believe, in fact, that the majority of citizens in any other of the Western democracies are much better informed (less ignorant) about the rest of the world than are the majority of citizens in the U.S. Claiming to be the "greatest country on Earth" appears to the rest of the world as hubris.

Because Americans in general have spent at least the last 5 years, if not longer, being treated by the rest of the world like we are complete morons led by an imbecile. That has allegedly changed. I'll expect the world's attitude to change now that we have allegedly changed.

After years of enduring the hypocisy, lies, hubris, arrogance & mismanagement of the Bush administration, the rest of the world is ecstatic that the U.S. has apparently seen the error of its ways & elected a leader worthy of its best qualities rather than pandering to its worst...

 

[Roo]

The loud and obnoxious tourist tends to be an American

If they're drunk as well, they're British.

 

[FoolKiller]

elected a leader worthy of its best qualities

I wasn't aware that America's best qualities were things that go directly against the founding principles of the country. Odd how I thought our best qualities were things like equality. I guess I was wrong.

 

[Biggles]

I wasn't aware that America's best qualities were things that go directly against the founding principles of the country. Odd how I thought our best qualities were things like equality. I guess I was wrong.

I really have no idea what you're talking about. But "founding principles" of equality notwithstanding, it took more than 80 years & a civil war to abolish the fundamental inequality of slavery, & many more years to establish women's & then blacks' rights to vote.

 

[Stevisiov]

Because Americans in general have spent at least the last 5 years, if not longer, being treated by the rest of the world like we are complete morons led by an imbecile. That has allegedly changed. I'll expect the world's attitude to change now that we have allegedly changed.

Quite the exaggeration of course.

You and I both know that's not going to happen for quite a long time, the people who are most vocal about this are most likely to be the ones set in their way and simply having the leader they wanted isn't really going to change their ways, more likely they will find something else about the US to moan about.

It's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the "Dear World, We're sorry" sites/circulars from 4 years ago.

Personally I think that either candidate would make a disastrous president. And I don't mean however bad you think Dubya is/was. I mean disastrous.

Ah thanks, I thought I might have been missing a reference 👍

 

[FoolKiller]

I really have no idea what you're talking about. But "founding principles" of equality notwithstanding, it took more than 80 years & a civil war to abolish the fundamental inequality of slavery, & many more years to establish women's & then blacks' rights to vote.

Oh, you are talking about race. Sorry, I didn't realize that his skin color had any bearing on bad policy and plans to do things that the Constitution strictly forbids.

If you are happy he got elected solely because of his skin color you have bigger issues than the people who actually like his policies.


EDIT:

Quite the exaggeration of course.

You and I both know that's not going to happen for quite a long time, the people who are most vocal about this are most likely to be the ones set in their way and simply having the leader they wanted isn't really going to change their ways, more likely they will find something else about the US to moan about.



Ah thanks, I thought I might have been missing a reference 👍

He could also be referring to this from 2004.

 

[Stevisiov]

Oh the irony of that title, the mirror deciding who is dumb is funny in itself.

But I don't see why such weight should be taken by that cover, perhaps because the mirror isn't as well known in America?

 

[Biggles]

Oh, you are talking about race. Sorry, I didn't realize that his skin color had any bearing on bad policy and plans to do things that the Constitution strictly forbids.

If you are happy he got elected solely because of his skin color you have bigger issues than the people who actually like his policies.

I didn't say anything about Obama being elected because of his race. You were the one that brought up the "founding principles". I don't know what founding principles you are referring to, but apparently slavery was not a contradiction to those founding principles of equality, but something that Obama stands for is?

 

[exigeracer]

I think that, going by the international reaction of the election, that America gained a lot of credibility with last night. It's a step in the right direction, and although the people haven't changed all that much, their image has shifted. I could only hope it's a good thing.

 

[VEXD]

*Hands out shovels*

First to get to the core, wins.

👍