Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Treale

Geez Guys, I was just trying to interject a little levity in a post. I'm sure that all languages have their nuances! I'm not anti-european. I just like to rag on people regardless of who they are. I make fun of myself all of the time.

I worked with a lady from Trinidad who spoke "Proper" English and ragged on me about how I murdered the language. But it was all harmless fun. After six years we Americanized her, a little!!!

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

ORIGINAL: Treale

Geez Guys, I was just trying to interject a little levity in a post. I'm sure that all languages have their nuances! I'm not anti-european. I just like to rag on people regardless of who they are. I make fun of myself all of the time.

I worked with a lady from Trinidad who spoke "Proper" English and ragged on me about how I murdered the language. But it was all harmless fun. After six years we Americanized her, a little!!!

Treale, pal, I don't know if your post was particularly for me but I just want to be clear...I wasn't suggesting for one second your post was anti-european. I took it in the good humour it was meant. [:)]

ORIGINAL: Son_of_Montfort

The danish typically learn English very well, as do the Norwegians, Swedes, Netherlandians (??), et al. They learn is properly and not colloqiually.

I am American (despite what my location my cause one to assume, like Sarge). I grew up in rural America, where we learned English colloqiually (we say Warsh-ing-ton, instead of Washington, or Roo-unt instead of Ruined). We say "y'all" instead of "you all," which, either way, is a bit off. We ask "where are you/where is it at," which ends the sentence in a preposition and is incorrect grammatically. This has nothing to do with intellect. This has everything to do with regional dialect. To assert that people in the low countries speak English more properly than Americans is to say they start learning it nearly at the same grade level as Americans do, and without the vagaries of dialect, slang, and colloquial speak.

Mostly, I was trying to raz Terminus, because he is fun to raz and can take it. [;)]

Sarge's statment, assuming I was French, was purely offensive. America can't claim sole credit for WWI or WWII, and doing so insults the memories of millions of Europeans, and others, that lost their lives in those wars, serving honorably. Sure we have lots of surrender jokes for the French, but that relegates the history of France to one event, forgetting the following years were French resistance fighters fought a bloody, dirty, and terrifying guerilla war against the Nazis. Also, they <ahem> "fertilized" their own fields enough, as many losts their lives, their families, their homes, and all they owned to the Nazi advance.

So America can weather a little picking on (even by other Americans). We seem to pick on everyone else in our jokes, and pointed statements, and think that they should just suck it up because we "saved your bacon" or some other such nonsense.

ORIGINAL: Treale

On another sidebar, I never know what to call citizens of the UK. Are you Brits? Are you English, or are you UK's?

ORIGINAL: Son_of_Montfort


Netherlandians (??)

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: Son_of_Montfort


Netherlandians (??)

I could be mistaken, but I believe the correct reference would be "Nederlander"

ORIGINAL: Neilster

Watching the Presidential debate today I was struck by something. I'd like to ask the Americans here whether they think it's actually healthy to be constantly told "America is the greatest country in the world" by your politicians and business leaders? Also, in exactly what way is this true?

Occasionally one of our pollies tries that on about Australia. You could make a reasonable argument for it (or for a few other countries), given our legal freedoms, economy, robust financial sector, standard of living, low crime rates and weather but it's generally greeted with derisive jeers. There's a healthy distrust of that sort of hubris here. Pride cometh before the fall, and all that.

This confidence seems to be America's greatest strength but perhaps also a bit of a flaw. It generates a "can-do" attitude that has achieved wonderful things but also means that sometimes Americans don't think there is anything to learn from others. Hence the initial hideous casualties in France in WW1 when American commanders ignored the hard lessons of the French and British.

Personally, I think the United States has generally been a force for good in the world but has developed a mythology that it is all about altruism when it has often been pragmatism, a forced hand or even self-interest.

Cheers, Neilster

ORIGINAL: Son_of_Montfort

Netherlandians

ORIGINAL: Neilster

Watching the Presidential debate today I was struck by something. I'd like to ask the Americans here whether they think it's actually healthy to be constantly told "America is the greatest country in the world" by your politicians and business leaders? Also, in exactly what way is this true?

Occasionally one of our pollies tries that on about Australia. You could make a reasonable argument for it (or for a few other countries), given our legal freedoms, economy, robust financial sector, standard of living, low crime rates and weather but it's generally greeted with derisive jeers. There's a healthy distrust of that sort of hubris here. Pride cometh before the fall, and all that.

This confidence seems to be America's greatest strength but perhaps also a bit of a flaw. It generates a "can-do" attitude that has achieved wonderful things but also means that sometimes Americans don't think there is anything to learn from others. Hence the initial hideous casualties in France in WW1 when American commanders ignored the hard lessons of the French and British.

Personally, I think the United States has generally been a force for good in the world but has developed a mythology that it is all about altruism when it has often been pragmatism, a forced hand or even self-interest.

Cheers, Neilster

ORIGINAL: Neilster

Watching the Presidential debate today I was struck by something. I'd like to ask the Americans here whether they think it's actually healthy to be constantly told "America is the greatest country in the world" by your politicians and business leaders?


Cheers, Neilster

ORIGINAL: anarchyintheuk




Can only speak for myself but the "US is the greatest country" is pretty much just pro forma in political speech. Because it comes from a politician it means nothing to me (like 99.9% of whatever else said politician has to say). I have no idea what "the greatest country in the world" is or means. It would be interesting to find out when those references became prevalent in US politics and if it has increased or decreased.

ORIGINAL: Marc von Martial

ORIGINAL: Matti Kuokkanen

..... quirks like that: "Kun lakkaa satamasta, käyn hakemassa lakkaa satamasta" [;)]

Sounds like me after a crate of Vodka [:)]

 Kun   lakkaa    satamasta,  käyn  hakemassa  lakkaa   satamasta
 When  it stops  raining,    I'll  get        varnish  from the dock
 

ORIGINAL: Treale

I would guess that every citizen would like to think that their country is the "Greatest" country in the world. There's nothing wrong about being proud of one's country, but we live in a shrinking world where we are more and more dependent on others for various things in our life.

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

ORIGINAL: Treale

I would guess that every citizen would like to think that their country is the "Greatest" country in the world. There's nothing wrong about being proud of one's country, but we live in a shrinking world where we are more and more dependent on others for various things in our life.

Britain sucks [:D]