Friday, February 10, 2006

Lots of comments

Paul Reynolds' article about blogs and the link it gave to TAE has resulted in a large number of new comments on several posts. They are worth having a look if you get the chance. Most are critical of TAE, albeit not all entirely thoughtful. The most amusing was from, unsurprisingly, Anonymous, who had this to say:
"America is often portrayed as an ignorant, unsophisticated sort of place, full of bible bashers and ruled to a dangerous extent by trashy television, superstition and religious bigotry, a place lacking in respect for evidence based knowledge. I know that is how it is portrayed because I have done my bit to paint that picture..." I dont see why you put this at the top of yr website. It seems that if Justin Webb admits to it then he must have his reasons. The fact is is that we can plainly see for ourselves that America has all of the above. Your East and West Coasts may be different but you lot are so busy buying big ol cars and being rampant consumers with little or no care about polluting the environment and the plight of your fellow men in Africa that you have allowed the greedy corrupt republican party to totally rule your country. You lot allowed Kennedy and MLK to be shot, you allowed lynchings, you had apartheid up until the 60s and still have not redressed the balance. Your foriegn policy has been absolutely scandalous for decades and your media is totally corrupted by its reliance on big business for advertising. You have pulled the wool over your own peoples eyes for so long that they hardly know what goes on in the world. Your ridiculous patriotism and self regard and greed has meant that you are blind to the fact that we live on the same planet and share the same air and are all brothers and sisters. You have done nothing to prevent the mass proliferation of arms amongst your own communities and around the world. You preach violence and consumption. You have got a crazy streak of religious fundamentalism yourselves as evedenced by 'creationalism' and 'natural design' and your military is crap and too gung ho. Your main exports like Macdonalds and Coke are actually polluting the Worlds health too so get a grip. Look inwards before you critise the rest of the World. All of what Justin Webb says is patently obvious to the rest of the World and the fact that there are parts of your country that are different is a moot point. You allow that big mid section of your country to vote in the corrupt republicans time and time again.

Indeed. How dare we allow democracy to work its nefarious ways.

There were, however, some more thoughtful comments. Have a read through.

16 Comments:

Blogger MDIJim said...

Some think that John Kerry is Anonymous, but it sure sounds like Al Gore to me. Anyway, are any group of citizens more misled by the media than Europeans?

10:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yes! americans ;)

11:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyway, are any group of citizens more misled by the media than Europeans?

Canadians could give Europeans a go...

Our state-run broadcaster (CBC) is anti-American all the time. Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine seems to be played on a weekly basis on the CBC.

2:05 AM  
Blogger Martin said...

Scott,

I wouldn't break too much sweat over such craziness. Ever seen 'Die Hard'? Remember Alan Rickman cranking on about Sheriff Matt Dillon? The thought process motivating the author of that comment was about one step in front of that. It is both brutally ideological and morally frivolous, which means it is not worthy of serious consideration. And such people as its author are usually first in line when it comes to applying for green cards via the diversity lottery.

The BBC is like any other kind of organisation - it reflects the prejudices of those who run it. They're like horseowners who start to look like their horses after a while. You perform a very useful service very industriously and professionally, and you've clearly got their attention, so keep at it.

And you clearly missed Matt Frei's attempt at reporting on immigration into the southern states last Dec 22...

7:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scott,
Keep up the good work!

11:43 AM  
Blogger Simon Lazarus said...

Damn! That's Howard Dean.

Well, it sounds like Howie. Then again, this wanker has too many spelling errors, so it has to be a British Howard Dean.

Ken Livingstone, perhaps?

12:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

--"You allow that big mid section of your country to vote in the corrupt republicans time and time again. "

We need your permission to vote? As long as it's not for Republicans? We seceded from GB in 1776 because we don't want your Lordship's leave to live as we like, vote for who you want or live under your oppressive rule.

As for the corruption charges, if you're referring to the Abramoff scandal, democrats as well as Republicans are implicated as well. Just ask Harry Reid, Democratic Senator from Nevada and head of the Senate Democrats, what he did for Abramoff's $....

--"You lot allowed Kennedy and MLK to be shot"

WTF? They were shot by nutjobs. It's not like these events were known to the whole country ahead of time and we stood idlely by and let it happened. You also forget that Ronald Reagan was also shot by a nutjob but fortunately, he survived.

--"you had apartheid up until the 60s and still have not redressed the balance."

We're still in the process of integration and it'll be a long process. Ain't going to happen overnight - the de jure racism has ended but humanity has a long way to go. As you can see for yourself from all the racial riots you had in GB in the last couple of years.

--"Your foriegn policy has been absolutely scandalous for decades"

Ah, yes. We should have implemented a policy of appeasement and gave up Western Europe to the Soviets. And we should have never opposed the Nazis as we're still bogged down in Europe more than 60 years after WWII ended. Why are American tropps still in Europe after all these years? Forget the Marshall plan - it was a waste of the American taxpayers' money as instead of building vibrant, free market and democractic society, Europe ended up as a socialist paradise ruled a small elite.

--"Your main exports like Macdonalds and Coke are actually polluting the Worlds health too so get a grip."

Well, then send them packing. Send all aspect of the American Consumer society back home. Send back those Nikes, Hollywood movies, American TV shows... In fact, send back the TV. Stop using Personal Computers. Or any of them at all. Stop using the internet.

--"You have done nothing to prevent the mass proliferation of arms amongst your own communities and around the world."

It's my birthright to arm myself as I see fit, enshrined in the Constitution.

As for the proliferation of arms around the world, there are more Ak47's floating around than there are M-16's. If you want to do something about it, go talk to your comrades in Russia.

--"the plight of your fellow men in Africa"

Who had colonies in Africa and who abandoned them?

***An American minority in New Jersey (yes, one of those blue states which unfortunately voted for John Kerry) who used to lived in Bayswater, London.

John Kuran

12:44 AM  
Blogger Stephen West said...

Ah, that Anonymous! Cracks me up every time. What a joker! Sheer comic genius. Imagine if someone actually thought like that! Well, anyone over the age of twelve, anyway.

1:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah yes, the US. The only country ever to have gone from primitivism to decadence without an intervening period of civilisation!

Len Shackleton

3:14 PM  
Blogger ScottC said...

Len,

Is that an original?

BTW, it should be "so-called civilisation", if you are going by the BBC stylebook.

SC

3:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scott,

An original as far as I know. But I am not anti-American - and nor I think is the BBC for that matter. I have many good American friends and some relatives. In fact, I can't think that I have ever met an American I haven't liked (or couldn't at least tolerate). I wish I could say the same thing about my British compatriots! But I do believe the US Government(s)is narrow-minded, short-sighted and self-interested and that corporate America is a truly a malevolent force in the world. Neither has the right to promote the American way of life as a kind of universal truth!
Len

4:37 PM  
Blogger ScottC said...

Len,

I could swear I've heard it, or something very close to it, before, but I can't find a similar quote anywhere in googleland, so perhaps it's just a case of deja vu. I guess it's yours for now.

More substantively...I agree that the US government, like all others, can be narrow-minded and short-sighted. And can you name an institution that isn't self-interested?

I'm not at all sure what makes you say that corporate America is a "truly" malevolent force in the world. But I will say this...whether or not it has a right to promote the American way of life across the globe depends entirely upon how it does the promoting. Marketing and selling its wares to people eager to buy them and hungry for the manifest advantages of the American way of life seems to me entirely within its rights.

SC

5:16 PM  
Blogger Lokki said...

"America is the first country to have gone from barbarism to decadence without the usual intervening period of civilization"


An original thought from Len?
Not this time. From whom?

Why, who but Oscar Wilde?

Here

http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/2688

7:57 PM  
Blogger ScottC said...

Lokki,

Thanks for that. I knew I'd heard it somewhere before.

Tsk, Tsk, Len.

SC

8:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

also attributed to Shaw....as I discovered rapidly using an American search engine running on my american owned Mac, albeit produced by workers in Asia almost certainly regretting the jobs they are being forced to take on by a malevolent american corporation. Sheesh....I am a brit and this anti americanism has always been a shibboleth for the wannabe intelligensia. If I say George Bush is dumb it's because I am really clever. If I say capitalism is nasty it's because I'm a really nice person. It's the self indulgent behaviour of a spoiled and pampered elite. Wait till the US becomes self sufficient in energy and it's Asia and India fighting for middle eastern oil, then try getting them to do "nice things". Why not get the Chinese to put pressure on Sudan for massacring its population or N. Korea for starving millions? Hey you can try pointing out how malevolent their foreign policy is or how self interested they are. Bound to work. Careful what you wish for I say.

6:39 PM  
Anonymous Fake Tan Dubai said...

Paul Reynolds' insightful article sparked a lively debate, with Anonymous offering a critical yet thought-provoking perspective on America's portrayal and its societal challenges. The diverse range of comments reflects the complexity of the issues discussed."

10:13 PM  

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