"But you have dismissed the USA as only making BS."

If DO you insist in taking throwaway comments made in jest out of context, you will always be upset.

"for the main part, these are a good and generous bunch of people"

Who said I disagree? I do have blood relatives there.


"Robin, I don't see how your "story" has anything to do with your remark."

Thanks for the opening Kemdall...

The good people of the USA tried to persuade this young bigoted guy that he was wrong - once might say that their arrogance that they were 'the best in the world' blinded them to the cultural differences so much that their actions that they thought good natured, only inflamed the bigoted guy's delusions. I suspect that no matter what I say now, that will be the case with a few here too... :-)

Of course, the fact that the USA sent over 100,000 troops to 'help' them when only a handful of troops could talk the local language, and that first televised act of a soldier in reaching a statue of Saddam was to drape a US flag over the face was seen by the people they were 'helping' were unfortunate acts of blindness or arrogance (maybe not at first, but they have had time to rethink), but of course that can't be admitted by some who refuse to accept that anything may be imperfect with the USA!

"Australia purchases MORE PRODUCTS from the US than any other country:"

That did use to be true. Recently it was on the news that China had overtaken the USA - both ways as far as I remmber. Of course I could have just dreamt that... And of course, if you count trade only in monetary value, the heavily depressed China currency distorts that.


"United_States_Australia_Sign_Free_Trade_Agreement"

Ah yes the good ol' FTA! - refered to by many Aussies as the "F*ck The Aussies" Agreement - it agrees that OUR LAWS are now subservient to USA!!!! OUR copyright Laws, OUR trade marks, etc are now WORTHLESS! At the same time the Arsehole USA insists that THEY WILL NOT REVOKE TRADE BARRIERS AGAINST Aust, in spite of demanding that we revoke all OUR trade barriers against USA - even to the extent of insisting that we compulsorily import disesased produce into a continent free of them!!!!!! You should NOT HAVE BROUGHT THAT up - THAT"S what is called cultural Imperial ARROGANCE!!!!!!!!!! Now I AM pissed!


"I won't accept that this was anything but a malicious statement written in the spirit that "everyone hates America""

Ah - then I am merely wasting my time trying to convince you otherwise. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye. It's just a waste of effort trying to communicate/negotiate with the bigoted, as my little 'let me tell you a tale' above was all about.

Not everyone 'hates America' yet- but I am sure "Uncle Sam" is working hard at it (keep up those FTAs!!!), in spite of many US citizens ALSO not approving...

"I want to think it was just an offhand comment that you yourself didn't necessarily believe."
"In the meantime, it would be nice if our friends could cut us some slack, and not lump us all together."

It would also be nice if those who do support their efforts aren't attacked too... Cynicism and Irony are still not appreciated by Americans, somehow it seems to bae been not a part of the culture, as much as it has been a part of British/Aussie culture (Aussie often make cynical statements against themsleves too!). Maybe the US has not yet been through suffient extended periods of 'hard times' as much as us two cultures have over the centuries. That's what we mean when we say that the US culture seems to breed large numbers of likeable 'good natured teenagers' - in a metaphorical sense.

As I said "The perception of the emergent behaviour of a larger group - such as the the 'country' - by those external to that 'country' may be at odds with the perceived behaviour of various individuals of that 'country' - I do not 'tar them all with the same brush'."