You know what the problem is with this country?

[MrScorpio]

Its utter lack of charm and class. I'm sorry, we just don't have it. Not only that, we have no style either.

[childslibrarian]

1. So true

We are a bunch of adolescent idiots. (Thanks Teresa!)

[MrScorpio]

2. When the Kerrys get in

They'll be the classiest presidential couple since the Kennedys.

Jacqueline Kennedy... now THAT was CHARM and CLASS.

This country suffered greatly since her loss.

[OldEurope]

3. Please make a difference.

As in every country in this world there are uneducated idiots and caring genies and every shade between.
And in your country the caring ones have a chance to gain the power. And it´s your country that gave us in Germany the chance for freedom.
We won´t forget.
Don´t you forget, please!

[MrScorpio]

6. I've lived in Europe

Europeans value a certain level of charm, style and class. Spend fifteen minutes in Paris, Luxembourg City, Amsterdam, Rome and Brussels and you'll know what I mean.

In this country, we equate these things with wimpy weakness.

We think that style and class are things that you can get with a check book or a charge account (Thank fucking you, Reagans)

The Kerrys will bring back the class that this country hasn't seen for a long time.

They'll be excellent role models showing us what's it like to be gentlemen and ladies again.

Dignity is another word to describe what we sorely lack. Basic human dignity.

[HEyHEY]

8. What happened was

The whole "me first" attitude the nation was founded on ended up producing a lower class of people with crazy distain for the upper class. Seeing as how most equate charm...etc to money - that's why they hate it.

The days of the blue collar gentleman are over. Now it's overwieght monster-truck shirt wearing slobs and their fart jokes.

[MrScorpio]

17. Absolutely

That's why people equate class with money. Take one look at Paris Hilton and you can through that whole notion out of the window.

When I think of people with class I think of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.

They had no money to speak of, but everything about them exhibited class and style because they retained a tremendous level of basic human dignity.

Today, sadly that kind of real class is very rare to be found amongst the field of American culture.

[OldEurope]

9. I´m not sure about the whole thing.

I have never been in America.

But here in Europe also are many persons who don´t give a *** on manners or behaviour or so. This was always a thing of some persons raising from a underpreveleged level to upper class. You find this complaint in Europe since the Middle Ages.

I would complain more the lack of knowledge than the lack of manners.

[HEyHEY]

13. ....

"But here in Europe also are many persons who don´t give a *** on manners or behiour or so." - Yes they're called South Londoners! ;-)

[OldEurope]

14. Dunno,neva been there

[HEyHEY]

15. Neither have i

But those I have known from there can be very crude
Where are you from?

[OldEurope]

16. Germany.

Munich, you surely have heard of Oktoberfest and so on

[HEyHEY]

18. Yup! That's a festival in Ontario right?

;-)

[OldEurope]

20. May be. But the original is

HERE. HERE
H E R E

:toast:

[HEyHEY]

21. haha

I know of it... I was just pulling yer leg!

[OldEurope]

23. Here you are

my leg:
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<




to short for a real revenge
"sigh"

[MrScorpio]

22. Today the problem is exacerbated be America exports this crass culture

And some Europeans are trying to emulate it.

How many McDonalds, Applebees and WalMarts are popping up around you?

What about American TV shows and music?

What about styles of dress.

I'm sure you'll find that the more some Europeans adopt these modes of American culture, the greater their level of crassness will increase.

[OldEurope]

24. But there is hope

You´re right, Mr.Scorpio, that many things are adopted from the US, wich are not so very good.
But:
There are -until now, I hope,lasting- an increasing number of persons who don´t buy at these supermarkets but prefer organic food. They buy theír organic food in special markets with only organic food (as i do)
What is an Appleby?
My children (11 and 14) don´t like McDonalds.
Crass

[MrScorpio]

25. Applebees is an American chain of restaurants

There's one in Maastricht, The Netherlands.

I refused to go to it, merely on principle alone.

Also there were so many non-US based eating establishments to patronize that offered me the unique tastes of Europe and the Middle East.

I still miss Doner Kebabs and Shoarmas to this day.

[OldEurope]

27. contact me if you

ever come to Munich!
:toast:

[MrScorpio]

28. Will do.

I'll even bring my own stein.

I miss Germany

[OldEurope]

29. You´re always welcome

where have you been?

[MrScorpio]

31. I was stationed in the Eifel region for four years

Twenty minutes north of Trier from '94 to '98

I spent most of my time in Europe in the Ruhr, and the Benelux.

I'm sad to say that I completely missed out on Bavaria. I would have loved to see the Alpine countryside though.

[OldEurope]

32. Maybe

One day .
I´d be very glad to show some parts.

[MrScorpio]

33. Thanks very much

I would really look forward to it.

[OldEurope]

10. sorry dupe

[NC_Nurse]

4. No manners either...

I've noticed a precipitous drop in common courtesy over the years.

I remember a few years ago hearing a comic say that he was watching a news show where they were handing out food to starving people in a third world country and the people were standing patiently in line - EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE STARVING! He said "Can you imagine that happening in the U.S.? People would be pushing and shoving; yelling at the charity volunteers about how slow they were, complaining about the food...

So true...

[Stew225]

5. We've become spoiled, I'm afraid! Me

included!

[tom_paine]

12. It is as Ben Franklin prophesied all those years ago

http://www.usconstitution.net/franklin.html

In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of Government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered, and believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other.

We are ALL to blame for this, and it didn't start with Bunnypants. Actually, that signifies the End of the Republic, not the beginning of the End, which may have started in the 80s or 90s.

ALL of us. No matter what color, religion, or sexual orientation.

We ALL contributed to becoming a people ripe to be ruled by despots by becoming "spoiled", as you put it on so many arenas that we even forgot we had to work to remain free or that all of this good life was the result of a hundred years of struggle to fufill the Promise of America.

Our height: the early 1980s, when the Raygun backlash was necessary to recalibrate and tone down some of the liberal excesses. For a short time we sort of had the best of both worlds.

But inside the Raygun administration was a Nest of Bushevik Vipers including the First Emperor of Amerika, Poppy Augustus, who ruled for 8 years and perhaps 12.

And they were all hellbent on removing all the impediments to Totalitarian Media, to Imperial Rule, hell to the simple old Rule of Law which, imperfect and double-standarded as it was, was still a helluva lot better than the Soviet-style law that is coming to us now.

(unless you are a pill-popping Party Mouthpiece, in which case you have to be THRILLED that Amerika has become a Lawless Playpen for Imperials)

[Taverner]

7. You're saying low rise shorts that show a thong are not classy?

C'mon....

[HEyHEY]

11. Smacks of breeding to me!

And even more so if they have a snotty attitude, no knowledge of the world and dyed blonde hair that waves out of their volkswagen rabbit with the Oakley sticker

[kerry-is-my-prez]

19. They don't call us "Ugly Americans" for nothing.....

n/t

[OldEurope]

26. That´s a personal thing.

Not every American is ugly. You will rarely find someone in Europe who says Americans are ugly.
We are able to make a difference between the Americans and the American Government.

And we find everyone ugly, who is different :evilgrin:

[PittPoliSci]

30. meh.

I don't see that as a bad thing.