Reasons Americans are hated

MarkL444 · #1 10-17-2005, 03:27 AM

Sorry I never read this forum so I'm not sure if this has been covered before. I personally don't care for politics in general but some things do interest me, and this figured to be the best place to ask this question since I'm assuming many of you are knowledgable about this and could help me out. Anyways...

Last week I am at a family reception thing after a funeral and I'm walking around with my cousin who is about 16. We walk past the area where all the flowers that people sent are displayed and I point out to him on in particular that was quite extravagent. The boquet was very large and had a few dozen red, white, and blue flowers all over. It was on a large stand and had a big ribbon going accross it but I can't remember what it said (the funeral was for a WWII vet). Now, I try to explain to my cousin how terrible this is. (Correct me if I'm wrong about any of this, these are just things I was told myself.) I tell him that there are countries where people are starving to death, that they have no food, no wealth, disease, etc....that in these countries you will find tons and tons of land that is bordered by barb-wired fence, and that inside of these fences are flowers are far as the eye can see. That Americans care so much about these flowers that they use up all the fertile land in other countries to grow them, and then ship them back here and sell them for $150 bucks a pot or whatever so that they can eventually die. I was just trying to explain to him how stupid and unnecessary it was that all of this happens. That the only reason it does happen is that people think it is the "right" thing to do. I guess consumerism gets to their head.

So really I have a two questions.
1. How accurate is the story I told? Does anyone have anymore specific information about it?
2. Can you give me more examples like this one? Just general things that Americans are superficial about like this I guess.

Thanks
Mark

sam h · #2 10-17-2005, 03:35 AM

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How accurate is the story I told? Does anyone have anymore specific information about it?

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Not very accurate at all. Where did you come up with all this stuff about the barbed wire fences and the flowers?

High-end flowers are actually a pretty profitable export industry for some Latin American countries.

MarkL444 · #3 10-17-2005, 03:52 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How accurate is the story I told? Does anyone have anymore specific information about it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not very accurate at all. Where did you come up with all this stuff about the barbed wire fences and the flowers?

High-end flowers are actually a pretty profitable export industry for some Latin American countries.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just something I was told. It made a lot of sense to me so I believed it. Its not something I go around preaching so its not like I heard something and then ran around telling everyone like its the truth. Im just looking to get some insight from you guys on this.

What about low-end flowers?

Cyrus · #4 10-17-2005, 05:46 AM

For a nation that aspires to be a global superpower, its citizens are not traveling abroad as much as self-respecting citizens of a superpower would!

It appears that only about 20 percent of Americans own a passport. Here's an interesting web page with some figures.

I don't have the figures for other countries but the American percentage seems quite low in comparison to what I'd expect from most other western democracies - or even Japan. (Canadians seem to have passports in double that figure.)

MarkL444 · #5 10-17-2005, 06:11 AM

[ QUOTE ]
For a nation that aspires to be a global superpower, its citizens are not traveling abroad as much as self-respecting citizens of a superpower would!

It appears that only about 20 percent of Americans own a passport. Here's an interesting web page with some figures.

I don't have the figures for other countries but the American percentage seems quite low in comparison to what I'd expect from most other western democracies - or even Japan. (Canadians seem to have passports in double that figure.)

[/ QUOTE ]

well, to be fair they have a much lower need for one, right?
for the most part im only going to need one if i travel overseas, but wouldnt europens (etc) need them to travel right next door?

bobman0330 · #6 10-17-2005, 10:36 AM

So... you're at a funeral for a war veteran. You're talking to your young cousin, possibly the grandson of the deceased. And you decide that the best idea is to denounce the way people had chosen to memorialize his life and passing. Using incorrect facts that you heard somewhere but never bothered to verify. For some reason I can't really see "consumerism" and American superficiality as the villains in this story.

ACPlayer · #7 10-17-2005, 01:16 PM

In the Asian tourist trails you see a lot more Europeans,Aussies, and Japanese than Americans (and I mean each of those groups not combined). Specially in the young age groups (specially with the Gap year travellers).

For some reason I have been seeing many younger danes and scandanavians around here. Which can be quite pleasant!

In the high end resorts you see more (but still not as many) Americans who are usually retired or close to retired. They usually dont leave the shelter of the resort (I find it amusing to talk to some one who has just "visited" jamaica - for example - by staying in one of the all-inclusive resorts).

Of course most working Americans get only a couple of weeks holiday per year and travelling to far off places is not very likerly.

Bez · #8 10-17-2005, 01:25 PM

Many Europeans dislike America (by that I mean the current administration). We still honour our dead. What are you on about? Where are all these fields you talk of?

Indiana · #9 10-17-2005, 01:40 PM

Dude Jamaica is a scary place for an american. I was there few months ago in Ocho Rios and I sware I will never go to another outdoor market in a poor country again. Really, how many times are you going to ask me if I want my hair braded??? Kingston is so dangerous that even Jamaicans don't want to go there. They should be very very ashamed of themselves and their country. Why do you think that americans hate traveling outside of the country? For the most part, in foreign countries everything is a big inconvenience for what we are used to. I myself have limited travel to the EU because I am tired of paying to use the toilet in hundred dollar restaurants.

Indy

TomCollins · #10 10-17-2005, 04:25 PM

Even if your story is true, it shows your lack of logic and common sense.

So instead of growing flowers for the oppressive Americans, the land would be "better served" by doing something else? Ok, suppose they use it to grow corn. So instead of getting $1000/acre they get $200/acre. Or they can use the $1000/acre they are getting for the flowers to buy an acres worth of corn and have $800/acre to pocket and improve their lives.

If something is more profitable for them, surely they would do it (as long as their government didn't squash them or loot their profits).