BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC

Subject: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 05:36 PM

Click here

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 05:45 PM

Hmmm, the BBC is taking a political stance. The time's are indeed 'a-changing'

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 05:50 PM

I only got four right.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 05:59 PM

America got none right

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Kim C
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:02 PM

Is bullshit one word or two?

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:06 PM

I think Bollocks fits this.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:12 PM

To what do 'bullshit' and 'bollocks' refer please?

To the quiz? to the fact that most of the world increasingly hates america? to the bbc?

Do tell

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Tweed
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:23 PM

Screw you GUEST.

Yerz,
Tweed

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Bill D
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:25 PM

gonna be another poll HERE, if spineless, anonymous trolls from the UK don't quit dragging this useless form of BS into this group.

You can demonstrate anything with the right poll, carefully constructed.

I don't suppose our ghostly trolls would care to offer any ideas on just how we might please everyone?

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:26 PM

Please explain why I shoud be 'screwed' please, Tweed

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:38 PM

I got three right. Therefore I am.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:39 PM

Bill,

This isn't a poll or a troll. It's a link to a page from one of the most respected news organisations in the world.

Sorry if you have a problem with that.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST,Another Guest
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:51 PM

I like you Guest!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Bill D
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:52 PM

and why did we NEED a link? This is not for education...this is YOUR attempt to make some sort of point. The BBC can start stupid 'polls, just as CNN can or NBC can, or FOX news can...but shouting "look at this" anonymously is ***TROLLING***.....

if you want to sign on as a real PERSON, I will discuss America's place in the world with you...

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST,Real Person
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:57 PM

Tell me about America's place in the world, Bill

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: a real PERSON
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:59 PM

I've 'signed on' now

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: a real PERSON
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:02 PM

hello Bill?

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:05 PM

Well, I'm none of the above guests, but an American one who was very interested in this poll. Thank you to the guest who provided the link to it.

As an American, I am proud to say I did all right on the poll--5 right. And some of those I was wrong about, like Russian's attitudes towards Americans. I was as close to the right answer as possible, but boy was I wrong!

At any rate, I think Salman Rushdie, an author I greatly admire, has it only partly right. Americans will find it much more difficult to defeat anti-American attitudes than Islamic fundamentalism, but only in certain parts of the globe, like Britain! I think the British are pathological in their hatred of Americans, and pretty damn irrational about it too. I mean, what the hell did we ever do to the Brits to justify it? Now, the Phillipines, or Vietnam, or all of Latin America...there is no shortage of places where I would expect anti-American sentiments to be very strong because of the imperial reach of our military and "economic" (yeah, right) advisers/troops, which ever the case may be.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Bill D
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:05 PM

you need to explain why you posted that 'poll'.....

America is a big target is the main situation...when you are big & rich, you will be criticized NO MATTER WHAT you do.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:12 PM

when you are big & rich, you will be criticized NO MATTER WHAT you do

Agreed, but refusing to sign global treaties on both environmental and criminal law issues, insisting that the 'American way' is best for all etc. etc. gives people more ammunition.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: mack/misophist
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:12 PM

Back off and take another look, guys. We came off looking better than I expected. No one is universally loved; no one deserves to be. I like Chirac's attitude. The man has class.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:15 PM

Well said, misophist.

Thank you for that post

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: CarolC
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:17 PM

I think it's a good article. I got less than half right, though. Some of the questions were a little misleading. Still, I think it's a very healthy thing for us to see a bit of how this country is perceived by the rest of the world. Goodness knows, excess humility certainly isn't one of our shortcomings. Also, I sort of got the impression that that article was really more about trying to promote pro-US sentiments in Britain than anything else.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:22 PM

Good point, well made Carol.

I'll cross you off the list and only hate 99.96% of Americans now. (smiley, grin, a joke etc)

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: kendall
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:26 PM

A question: What do you think would happen world wide if the USA pulled out of all countries, and, came home to mind its own business, like Canada does?

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Bill D
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:27 PM

I speak only with those with names....I am old and slow and curmudgeonly, and I can't tell one 'guest' from another......get used to it....

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:28 PM

What on earth is the problem? The poll wasn't promoting "anti-Americanism", whatever that means, it was giving people a chance to test out whether their guesses about where it was more and less prevalent.

I only got two right - the quote from Chelsea Clinton, which I remembered reading somewhere, and I guessed Uzbekistan was probably a fairly pro-American place, compared to the other Muslim countries listed.

But I get the feeling that the knee-jerk assumption from some people that this was an exercise in encouraging people to hate America is a bit uncalled for. Anything more than the least superficial glance at it would have shown that it wasn't.

Myself I think I probably hate the same things about America as the Americans whom I most admire. I don't think that is anti-American in any way. I could probably say the same about most countries, including the one I live in.

The difference with America is that we in other countries are exposed to it through the mass media far more than to any other country (even including our own, for many people). And the mass media tends to pick out the least interesting and least admirable things about any country. That perhaps does give a rather unfortunate impression.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST,Another Guest
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:28 PM

I still like YOU Guest!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: vectis
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:53 PM

Happy New Year Kevin!!!!

I beat you - four right :-)

Shows our ignorance of the truth about USA - maybe?

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:07 PM

But it didn't set out to deal with "the truth about the USA" at all. It was all about how accurate our perceptions are about how various people in various countries felt about America. And it turned out I was pretty ignorant about that, indicating certain preconceptions, for example about the French and Italians and so forth - but saying nothing whatsoever about how I might feel about Americans.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST,jaze
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:13 PM

How sad. I thought America did more good around the world than seems to be beleived. I don't hate British people because I can't stand their tabloids. It makes it seem as if Americans are universally despised. It should be remembered that not all Americans support those things that piss the world off. Now I can understand lately why people may have that idea. There seems to be an attitude abroad lately that America can do whatever it wants because it is the lone Superpower. That attitude scares me. America by and large has a history of doing noble things to help other, weaker, less fortunate countries. I would hate to see us do something not noble such as an unprovoked attack on another country-without solid PROOF of something, because we despise that country's leader. What would happen if we left S Korea? They seem to want us to. Maybe we need to pull back and mind our own business more.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:21 PM

It makes it seem as if Americans are universally despised

Jaze, for better or worse, they pretty much are

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:21 PM

I got 7 right. McGrath is correct, but actually I think Mister Rushdie is not.

Anti-Americanism is as ill-conceived a mental disease as fearing black cats or distrusting people with moustaches, or blaming one's own condition on "them".

It is a collectivity without merit in substance -- used, instead, as a way of generalizing fear and infecting it into others with useless and semantically senseless generalizations. This is something that any human, regardless of his nationality, will do if he is too oppressed, too indroctrinated or too stupid to think for himself clearly. But it certainly doesn't give it any further merit that it is a popular dysfunction.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Tweed
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:37 PM

Bush doctrine is not America and neither is the US government. If you've never lived here then it's hard to describe in words. America is the people and the land that they live on, not a political thing. We are not to be despised or "loathed" simply for being Americans. Give us a chance and loathe us one on one if you can but not en masse. I'm talking about the real Americans who work their asses off and have no control over the things our elected officials get us into. To start a thread with the obviously catchy smartass title "Who LOATHES the USA" is pretty darned loathsome to my thinking. The quiz is fine, the thread title sucked, ...and I overeacted to a flamer,...and I apologise for it, but not for being a person born on America.

To recap:
1. Screw you GUEST
2. My apologies to the board for fanning a flame. I should know better.

Yerz,
Tweed,

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:51 PM

The idea of invading Iraq is a collectivity without merit in substance -- used, instead, as a way of generalizing fear and infecting it into others with useless and semantically senseless generalizations.

Would that be right, Amos?

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:58 PM

Amos tells us that 'Anti-Americanism is mental disease.

I don't think anymore need be said.

Americans, arrogant? Don't be so silly...

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 09:44 PM

This is nothing new. We've always had the "ugly American" syndrome.

Tweed, you said I'm talking about the real Americans who work their asses off and have no control over the things our elected officials get us into. I think you'll agree with me that if those same Americans got out and voted they would have MORE control over the things elected officials get us into.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST,jaze
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 09:54 PM

Guest, don't we have ANY redeeming qualities?I don't always agree with everything our gov't does,but there are countries that we help with food and money, and medical aid. I think Americans have and always have had a generous spirit.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Haruo
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:03 PM

I liked the quiz. Only got three right (though there were others I'd have got right if I hadn't tried to "outsmart the Brits" — for example, I was pretty sure Le Monde had that headline but thought they probably gave it in French, Nous sommes tous d'américains maintenant or something, so I chose The Sun): Uzbekistan, Chelsea and the Ambassador to Japan. Thanks to the GUEST for posting the link. Weird look at BillD for reacting so violently to such a benign post.

Haruo
"futsūna amerikazin" — NOT ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: mack/misophist
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:05 PM

True, America DOES do a lot of good things. I wish I had copied an article I saw in one of the main stream news magazines a few years back. We don't give as much foreign aid -per capita- as we think. Per capita, we do rather badly. And that was under the Democrats. I hate to think...

When America shines is when the psople respond to a disaster. Only then, I think.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:14 PM

GO AWAY YOU STUPID ANTI-AMERICAN TROLL! THIS IS A MUSIC FORUM!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: TIA
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:17 PM

I got 8 right! Does that qualify me as a beautiful (ant. ugly) American? Nahh, I'm just a damn good second-guesser. Now for real laughs, I'd like to see a USA Today (or better yet - Jay Leno) poll on anti-Europeanism in America. Can y'all feel the love? Some of my best friends (and relatives) are furners.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 10:28 PM

Like some of the rest of us, I would imagine BillD has had it up to ^here with nameless Guests, the ones who esp. troll the waters with a seemingly pathological need to denigrate the USA and so what if he decided to give them whatfor? We've had plenty of "trash the Americans" threads in the past and they do wear thin.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Haruo
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 11:47 PM

I understand what you're talking about, kat, but this is not one of those threads. The so-called poll is not anti-American. The GUEST who posted it didn't particularly rant against America. As I said, Bill lashed out at a benign post. There's enough variety of GUESTs hereabouts that (annoying though they are) to jump to conclusions like this is, I think, a tendency to be avoided. Though I owe BillD an apology for singling him out (there are several other salvos from folks with names aimed at person or persons without that I might equally well have directed my weird look at). Overall, speaking as an American, I think the "poll" would be worth any American's time to read.

Haruo

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 11:50 PM

Nine out of Ten - It pays to read the Financial Times and the Hearld.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Jan 03 - 12:46 AM

It's not the USA I loathe...it's a beautiful country. I like most Americans too.

It's the Democratic and Republican parties I loathe, the banks and major corporations who stand behind them, the IMF, the World Bank, and the military-industrial complex whom they all pander to and serve, while robbing their own people, pushing drugs, and terrorizing and pillaging most of the world in the name of "freedom". Ha! Freedom for the robber barons, but not for the serfs (meaning just about everyone, including you and me, but specially 3rd World people).

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jan 03 - 01:29 AM

I'm with Little Hawk...for once. [grin] I despise George Bush, don't think much of most American politicians, and have little respect for our Captains of Industry. Most other Americans are wonderful people, and we live in a beautiful land.
And I don't like William Shatner, but he's Canadian.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Little Hawk
Date: 08 Jan 03 - 01:33 AM

Aww...you'd like Bill if you knew him, Joe! :-)

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Harry Basnett
Date: 08 Jan 03 - 05:49 AM

Interesting quiz...crap heading for the thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Who loathes the USA: A quiz from the BBC
From: Bagpuss
Date: 08 Jan 03 - 06:12 AM

FYI - here is a link to some info in international foreign aid comparisons.