Mods Move to OT board please: A (small) portion of this board loves to hate on the US

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

You can lead a student to an education, but you can't force them to learn...

You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I think in the 90's Canadians certainly had a bit of an inferiority complex. And now the tables have turned, and Americans don't like having to hear about how great things are for us, because things are just awful for many of them. Thing is though, a lot of Americans still think they have it better than everyone else, except they clearly do not.

You severely over estimate how much time Americans think about and pay attention to how things are going in Canada. Most people have no idea if things are good or not.

Also, plenty of people are doing more than fine in the US, despite what you hear on the news.

[LickTheEnvelope]

Originally Posted by dobbles

i insult americans any chance i get. i gotta think that on a per capita basis we are the dumbest first world nation. never have i seen a society embrace stupidity like we do.

A very odd blend of exteme intelligence and extreme stupidty.

US is a country of extremes to me.

Kind of the anti-Switzerland.

Been to the USA lots and to Switzerland. Honestly, the Swiss approach is better.

[seattleflamer]

Flame away but many miss the point. What else would you describe an obsession on focusing on negative stories out of America? Look at some related threads as an unscientific example. You have 13 responses and ~800 views on a horrible mass shooting in Toronto and slightly more with the Eaton Centre shootings compared to 30K view range and 800 plus responses for the Colorado shootings. There are fewer with the Wisconsin Sikh killings but certainly more interest than the Canadian shootings combined. Sure they are different to some extent, but to me it partly says we enjoy criticizing or watching America suffer from their “stupidity” which makes us feel better as a nation. It is some kind of complex.

I see anti Americanism reinforced time and again in Canadian media without the slightest hint of irony of how similar our societies really are but for an order of magnitude. At the very least, it seems if bad news sells to Canadians, it will be American bad news.

Someone gave the example of Mars Curiosity. Look at a sampling of the word usage in that thread. You will see many posts with “we” and “us” blended in as it should be.

You won’t find that so much in the Colorado shooting thread. That it is strictly an American phenomenon and blissfully ignore our own gun control issues or human tragedies.

[MarchHare]

Flame away but many miss the point. What else would you describe an obsession on focusing on negative stories out of America? Look at some related threads as an unscientific example. You have 13 responses and ~800 views on a horrible mass shooting in Toronto and slightly more with the Eaton Centre shootings compared to 30K view range and 800 plus responses for the Colorado shootings. There are fewer with the Wisconsin Sikh killings but certainly more interest than the Canadian shootings combined. Sure they are different to some extent, but to me it partly says we enjoy criticizing or watching America suffer from their “stupidity” which makes us feel better as a nation. It is some kind of complex.

Surely you realize that the difference between the Toronto shootings vs. those in Colorado and Wisconsin is that the former were gang/drug-related (with innocents caught in the middle) while the latter were random acts of indiscriminate violence. If anything, posters here paid extra attention to Toronto's shootings because they happened in Canada. How many times is there an American drug/gang killing that doesn't even get a thread at all on CP? I'm guessing at least once every single day.

If you want to honestly compare apples-to-apples, contrast the Colorado incident to last year's mass shooting in Norway.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Ice

I live in California and I never hear people complaining about Latinos taking jobs. That's ridiculous. You have completely misinterpreted the immigration problem in California based on, what I picture is a drunken racist ranting like an idiot. You've just stated 50% of Americans are racist, but we're the ignorant ones. Got it.

I was in San Diego 3 weeks ago and at a house party listened to a pretty good debate about why Mexicans were ruining everything. There were several people in the room who were quite threatened Mexicans would come and do their job for less.

I've been to 16 US states, and depending on where you are in the country, it can be quite racist. Some places are quite progressive, some are down right brutal. Alberta is probably one of the more racist provinces in Canada, so I'm not saying Canadians are innocent of this, just addressing the original comment that thought it was so off the wall of someone to say Americans aren't tolerant of immigrants.

Canada is probably the least racist country in the world, and that is one of the big reasons I'm proud to call it home, but we have a lot of room for improvement still.

[Yakbutter]

If a person from another culture can come to your country. Who doesn't speak the language or have an desernable skills and can take your job. You probably have a job that is quite low on the totem poll. In which case, it's your own fault.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by Yakbutter

If a person from another culture can come to your country. Who doesn't speak the language or have an desernable skills and can take your job. You probably have a job that is quite low on the totem poll. In which case, it's your own fault.

Wow, there's so much wrong with this, where to begin? Let's correct it, first. What you really wanted was:

"If a person from another culture can come to your country, who doesn't speak the language or have any discernible skills, and can take your job, you probably have a job that is quite low on the totem pole. In which case, it's your own fault."

Ok...first, if you are worried about losing your job to someone from another culture, they can be Americans just as easily as anyone else. I think what you meant was that if you were worried about losing your job to someone from another country, not culture. Which is a wholly different fear.

Not being able to speak the main language of the country to which you are moving is a pretty big hurdle, though. Discernible skills is a much harder one to qualify, though. An immigrant may be very good at something, but isn't able to effectively communicate that. So they get put into a low-end job. Assuming that everyone working a lower end job does so because they have no greater worth is a big mistake.

I am also often amused that folks are so worried that they are going to 'take' someone's job. I've never had someone come and 'take' my job. I've never heard of someone having their job 'taken'. What folks REALLY mean about this is that the person in question will take A job. A job that "belongs" to someone else, preferably an American. But a lot of the jobs that new immigrants 'take' are jobs that almost no Americans seem to be lining up to do in the first place, regardless of their financial situation. New immigrants tend to take jobs that need to be done anyhow, but that "you can't pay" most Americans to actually do.

So really, what's the problem again?

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

"If a person from another culture can come to your country, who doesn't speak the language or have any discernible skills, and can take your job, you probably have a job that is quite low on the totem pole. In which case, it's your own fault."

Thanked.

A lot of people in the US (North America) have decided that they don't want to work certain kinds of jobs. Assembly line jobs, menial jobs, labor jobs, janitorial jobs - even if they are unemployed. People will sit and wait for "good jobs" in their desired field. It's like arguing that Apple or Samsung should bring manufacturing jobs back to the US. They are smart enough not to bother because they know people aren't willing to show up for those jobs.

Like all these farming and trucking jobs that sit unfilled even though there is apparently an issue of employment in the US.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

One think I do have trouble talking to Americans on is the weather. Not because of them but both of us. I don't know how to convert negative C temperatures to F, and vice versa nor do they. Might as well tell the other in the winter the temperature drops to placemat.

The true conversion is: (temp in °C x 1.8) + 32 = temp in °F

Some of the conversions that a lot of people know off hand: The freezing point of water is 0°C and 32°F; the boiling point of water is 100°C and 212°F; room temperature is 20°C and 68°F; and -40°C equals -40°F.

• Freezing point of water: (0°C x 1.8) + 32 = 0 + 32 = 32°F
• Boiling point of water: (100°C x 1.8) + 32 = 180 + 32 = 212°F
• Room temperature: (20°C x 1.8) + 32 = 36 + 32 = 68°F
• -40: (-40°C x 1.8) + 32 = -72 + 32 = -40°F

Of course, to go the other way, you subtract 32 and divide by 1.8.


Since that isn't necessarily easy to do in your head, a good approximate conversion is: (temp in °C x 2) + 30 = approx. temp in °F

Doing the same conversions with the approximate conversion:

• Freezing point of water: (0°C x 2) + 30 = 0 + 30 = ~ 30°F
• Boiling point of water: (100°C x 2) + 30 = 200 + 30 = ~ 230°F
• Room temperature: (20°C x 2) + 30 = 40 + 30 = ~ 70°F
• -40: (-40°C x 2) + 30 = -80 + 30 = ~ -50°F

Going from °F to °C, subtract 30 and divide by 2:

• Freezing point of water: (32°F - 30) / 2 = 2 / 2 = ~ 1°C
• Boiling point of water: (212°F - 30) / 2 = 182 / 2 = ~ 91°C
• Room temperature: (68°F - 30) / 2 = 38 / 2 = ~ 19°C
• -40: (-40°F - 30) / 2 = -70 / 2 = ~ -35°C

The approximate conversion breaks down when you get into very big numbers, so you wouldn't want to use it if you were given a recipe that gives cooking temperatures in °F and your oven only has °C on it (something I've only seen on one oven in my life); but for conversations about the weather, it works pretty well.

If you're in the States and the weather guy says it's going to be 85 tomorrow, you can know it's going to be in the high 20s.

If you're talking to an American about the weather and want to say it's about 10°C, you can let him know that it's about 50°F (in that case, the true conversion from 10°C is 50°F too).


There, now you can talk to Americans about anything.

[missdpuck]

Originally Posted by dobbles

i insult americans any chance i get. i gotta think that on a per capita basis we are the dumbest first world nation. never have i seen a society embrace stupidity like we do.

Hmm, do you have a lot of Half-backs, Floridiots or New Yawkers in SC? I was thinking of moving to SC to get away from the constant horn honking and misery here but it seems like those folks are headed your way. Bluffton is becoming a popular spot

In any case, most of my compatriots really don't think we're the greatest country in the world, although many recent immigrants do.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Americans have balls and take chances. That's the best part of America. Some of the best things in our life have originated in America because people took chances. They innovate and dream less than they used to however, which is a real shame, but still produce fantastic things.

Canadians don't really take chances, and don't dream big. That's often the worst part of Canada...the lack of balls.

Good point. Canadians seem to except their fate and readily fall into their place in society. Get an education then work for a company and live their lives. Americans seem to strive more to break out and be hugely successful themselves. In Canada people are perfectly fine working for the man but in the US they strive more to be the man.

I have done a lot of business around the world and the US is by far the best to deal with as engineering companies in France, Italy, Middle East, etc are always about wielding power and being major A-holes in negotiations. I've had better experiences doing business with Americans than even Canadians quite frankly. They tend to be much more sensible and not dwell on insignificant small details. I like Americans.

I also think a big problem is that a lot of Canadians don't realize the difficulties inherent in such a largely populated country like the US. Anyone in management knows that it's a lot easier to manage and keep tabs on a small group than it is a very, very large group. Countries like Britain, France, Japan have their own problems but their populations are small as well compared to the US. Canadian governments are barely competent overseeing 34 million people, try multiplying that by 10 and see how much worse things would get. I actually give the US props for maintaining prosperity for so long with all the needs a massive population brings.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Good point. Canadians seem to except their fate and readily fall into their place in society. Get an education then work for a company and live their lives. Americans seem to strive more to break out and be hugely successful themselves. In Canada people are perfectly fine working for the man but in the US they want to be the man.

I have done a lot of business around the world and the US is by far the best to deal with as engineering companies in France, Italy, Middle East, etc are always about wielding power and being jerks. I've had better experiences doing business with Americans than even Canadians quite frankly. They tend to be much more sensible and not dwell on insignificant small details. I like Americans.

...and judging by a lot of your posts, you fit right into a crowd of Americans.

[Hatter]

Why don't Americans take off their shoes in my house?

[TheCommodoreAfro]

Americans are - without a doubt - equal opportunity dicks. Allies, enemies - no one is spared. The gold medal game between Japan and the US took place on the 67th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing. Here's a compilation of some of the comments after the US WON. Not lost, but in celebrating.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by TheCommodoreAfro

Americans are - without a doubt - equal opportunity dicks. Allies, enemies - no one is spared. The gold medal game between Japan and the US took place on the 67th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing. Here's a compilation of some of the comments after the US WON. Not lost, but in celebrating.

Wow.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by TheCommodoreAfro

Americans are - without a doubt - equal opportunity dicks. Allies, enemies - no one is spared. The gold medal game between Japan and the US took place on the 67th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing. Here's a compilation of some of the comments after the US WON. Not lost, but in celebrating.

Twitter brings out the worst in a whole bunch of people. I would hope that you don't believe that all Americans think the way those idiots do.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I for one am glad that Table 5 came back and brought his balls with him...

Table 5 rocks (sp).

[Hemi-Cuda]

my main problem with the US right now is that they can have prominent politicians, leaders, and celebrities openly spout their bigotry and hatred for gay people without any meaningful backlash. if a politician in Canada were to say in the media that homosexuals are unnatural and don't deserve the same rights as other people (and there have been) they get torn down to the point of irrelevance and will not hold any position of power. now i'm not saying there aren't people in Canadian politics who don't feel that way, there are likely many in the conservative party. but the smart ones keep that crap to themselves. yet Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, and other big names in the Republican party can openly spout their bigotry and be cheered on by supporters, and even the challenger for president has said he favors amending the constitution to ban gay marriage

the US is so far behind the rest of the developed world in this regard that it's sickening. and ironically enough, some of the few nations that share the conservatives hatred of anything gay are the militant Islamic ones

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

my main problem with the US right now is that they can have prominent politicians, leaders, and celebrities openly spout their bigotry and hatred for gay people without any meaningful backlash. if a politician in Canada were to say in the media that homosexuals are unnatural and don't deserve the same rights as other people (and there have been) they get torn down to the point of irrelevance and will not hold any position of power. now i'm not saying there aren't people in Canadian politics who don't feel that way, there are likely many in the conservative party. but the smart ones keep that crap to themselves. yet Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, and other big names in the Republican party can openly spout their bigotry and be cheered on by supporters, and even the challenger for president has said he favors amending the constitution to ban gay marriage

the US is so far behind the rest of the developed world in this regard that it's sickening. and ironically enough, some of the few nations that share the conservatives hatred of anything gay are the militant Islamic ones

Yes, this is part of it for me, too. But from doing a little digging, it seems that unfortunately the lack of backlash is at least in part, due to a large percentage of Americans actually agreeing with their views. Which is kind of scary in 2012.

I realize that a large percentage (hopefully greater than 50%) of Americans are also on board with equal rights for gays, and don't agree with the bigoted views, but the amount of citizens that make disturbingly homophobic/bigoted comments towards gays when talking about same-sex marriage and other same-sex issues and honestly don't think they're off base or being unfair/hateful, is pretty sad.