That’s right, your very own thread for bashing America and/or Americans!!!
So why do we need this thread? Well, I would have never guessed it either. However, there seems to be some hostility toward America(ns) here on Blenderartists and it’s becoming disruptive, like on this thread:
… so this is an attempt to prevent threads from drifting off topic.
First of all, yes, I am a US citizen, and darn proud of it. Even so, I myself have many grievances against my government. But, I think if US citizens are to be insulted, we should at least be granted the opportunity for a rebuttal. So if anyone, and I mean anyone, has any comments, assertions, declarations, thoughts, complaints, or maybe you just want to blow off some steam…please do it here. I’ll try to get back with you in a timely matter.:eyebrowlift:
(moderators, please allow this thread to continue unabated, especially if everyone can behave in a civilized manner)
Pleaaaaaaaase, not again!
Well, I’ll not lock it, it seems that many people instead of consulting a psy came to
internet public forums…some kind of a “social function”?
But I hope that other mod will do it!
Thanks Len, I too think it will be interesting, that is if people act somewhat respectable toward each other. It wasn’t really my idea as I felt goaded to do so. My nature will not allow me to hear cheap shots and insults at my country, especially when those insults that have no merit.
there is one thing i dont under stand …why do they vote for BUSH while they know that its wrong and they know well that he is nothing just a stupid cowboy who loves to murder kids and womens and for OIL… BUSH is stupid and if you want me to prove it go to youtube and search STUPID BUSH .bush thinks that he is making peace in the world by killing people…
Hehe. It’s easier to lay the blame on the US, but I’ve realized that my greatest problem is simply with modern Western Society. It just so happens that America is the most powerful and active Western nation on the world stage, and thus gets all the attention…
As far as it goes with having a problem with the people, I may have the same problems with New Zealanders or Aussies or Europeans that I do with certain Americans. Truth is, Americans themselves are the ones that criticise America the most (just look on the internet), whereas other Western countries just hop on the band wagon and attack America when their own countries are full of people who don’t really care about the rest of the world either.
I have quite a few problems with Evangelical Christians for example. They frighten me more than certain other extremists shall we say. It just so happens that America is the home of Evangelical Christians. That said, they are all over the world, just in lesser concentrations. All my encounters with them have been in other countries, but usually in these other countries, their leaders were either from the US, or were trained by people from the US. Their reach is rather scary. They are resented in places like India for example, where I lived for 2 years. India likes Christians, just not that kind of Christian.
Also I have problems with hedonistic and decadent culture. America is also pretty much the home of this with all your pop stars and movie stars etc, as well as a certain portion of your populace… Again, it’s all over the world, but is concentrated in America… So it’s not so much a problem with the people as with traits that people exhibit.
However, there’s just as much decadence and disregard for the rest of the world in Europe. We’re probably more guilty here because most people are highly aware of what goes on in the rest of the world. The amount of Dutch people who know about Zimbabwe without me having to explain it is quite high for example. I’m sure in the US that number would be far far lower. If America wasn’t involved in a war now I guess they wouldn’t get so much flak. Perhaps this is what it boils down to for most people - about the war. But for me it goes a lot deeper than that and the problem is not with the US but with all of our civilization…
That said, the only thing that’s going to save America is America. I know there are a lot of brilliant people there who know a lot about what’s wrong with the world, and who are aware that their system of government has pretty much become a joke. More of the general population of America is now starting to listen to these people. I just hope that Europe can stop itself from going to shit to.
I have to say, that as a country I’m quite envious of the US. It’s huge, got beautiful wilderness, a diversity of different people, and many ways in which you can live. Drawbacks are crime in the cities, increased policing (of normal citizens) by the government etc etc. Before 9/11 I may have considered going to live there. Now, I wouldn’t. And it’s not because I’m afraid of terrorism, but that I feel uncomfortable because of what I feel your government is up to.
I am kind of afraid that this thread is going to cause more trouble than good though, and perhaps it’s not really the place for such things. We do kind of have to ‘live together’ here eh
Actually, here’s a shocker. Bush didn’t get elected. He stole the election in 2000 and 2004. Our elections system is quite a mess.
Another widely accepted myth is that Bush is a cowboy. Bush is from the state of Connecticut, not Texas. He only pretends to be a cowboy because he’s a poser retard. He’s scared of horses…lol. How many cowboys are scared of horses?
You don’t have to convince me Bush is stupid. No one knows this fact more than I.
He’s just a puppet controlled by special interest groups and large corporations. He has no conscience. Last I heard, his approval rating was less than 30 percent-- the lowest for ANY President throughout our nations history.
Hi, Going back to the original link about the game project.
Recently I watched a Games, next gen games, tv show documentary , mainly war games by the way. Americas Army was one game that was Shown, I have actually played it a little, it is said that it’s a good tool for recruitment.Obviously the Enemy in this game would be (I never got that far) Americas Enemies.
On the other side of the coin they showed how a middle east games company had made a game where they had their own enemies (not America by the way).
No doubt there are games from many nations where the bad guy is from an ‘enemy nation’ or considered threat.
So what! I don’t, in the context of games, see anyone getting bashed.
No matter where your from it’s more fun to kill your enemies than your allies.
Back in the days of Doom & the like the enemies were always monsters.
With the constant desire for better more realistic games, especially war games, the enemy is now human.
Anyway, I’m Australian & if I made a game that involved war I wouldn’t have us fighting amongst ourselves.
m.a.
Dan, that was a brilliant and well-written post. There’s nothing I disagree with at all. I can confirm your belief that our government is up to no good. If things aren’t rectified in the US soon, America will become a complete cesspool. Change is beginning to take shape though. Hopefully a non-interventionalist like Ron Paul will be the next President. I’m sceptical though. The US media keeps pulling for the warmongers.
Edit: I forgot to comment on the Evangelical Christians. Quite frankly, I’m not really religious. I live in what’s considered the ‘Bible belt’ area of the US. However, they’ve never bothered me at all. In fact, you rarely see them. Maybe because they’re spending all their time bothering other countries. I don’t know. Run 'em off… lol.
MA. I think that game was created by the US Army for recruitment purposes. I tried to play it once and it was full of bugs. I immediately uninstalled it.
I just read that entire thread. I didn’t seem like an America bashing thread but more a thread that got derailed by one individuals poor joke.
When I read the joke, myself being American, I simply thought to myself, “this guy is is silly.”
Then I asked myself, “why’d people even pay this any mind”?
I’ve come to the conclusion that it was not the joke that through the topic off. It was the reputation that we have as Americans, and the desire to be moved away from it, that created the problem.
The world associates the actions of government and what they see in movies with the people of a very large country. Our country is, unfortunately, run by individuals of will do anything for more money and more power. Virtually every medium in this country is controlled by people who wish to remain in control and so they use their media for just that purpose.
Let’s take television for example. In America you will rarely ever see news that is “boring.” You will seldom hear the whole truth in a story. Everyone who has done anything "morally’ questionable is “evil.” People are pretty much brain washed to watch television from a young age. Most children’s shows encourage people to be different while. Adult shows, like the news, movies, etc, subtly encourage people to go with the crowd and instill fear.
Our education system, with us being the “STRONGEST NATION IN THE WORLD,” is one of the worst. We are taught next to nothing, yet we’re allowed to slide by. Sports seems to be the dominant focus. I myself am a talented athlete, yet I wondered why there is such an importance placed on activities that will lead nowhere for the majority of people involved. Then I caught on; sports = entertainment = $$
Believe me when I say I could go on and on and on and on and… Most people in our country are unknowing pawns in these peoples games. I know a lot of people, from other countries, are quick to point these things out. But have they ever taken a look inside? As artists, I’m sure we all know there is no such thing as perfect. No country, no government, no person is perfect.
Getting back on track, Americans are not nearly as bad as we are portrayed to be. If you find that parts of our culture has seeped or sunken into yours, ask yourself “Where did this stuff really come from? Is this an aspect of America, or is this an aspect of a corporation?” You’ll find that a lot of things that seem “American” are really just concepts created by a some entity present in both countries. This entity wishes to make money. If you don’t think so, take a trip to a non-industrialized nation. You’ll notice that certain ideas aren’t present.
There are some deviations from this thought, but when it comes down to it, the more control an entity can establish within a society, the more power the entity possesses. An it wants power.
Bashing America is pointless when you realize that these entities are present in virtually everywhere. And feeling ashamed of your country (you americans you;)) is also pointless, as these entities know how to control, and they’re not going to stop here.
One individual said, it is partly your fault for allowing “American” ideas into your country. I disagree with this. It is the fault of those in charge of your country for letting these ideas in.
A hilarious side story:
When I was in 10th grade my older brother said that if GWB was elected he’d start WW3. I thought this was hilarious. When I was in 11th grade GWB declared war on terror (aka WW3), and we went into Afganistan. Once I reached 12th grade GWB, quite literally out of nowhere, began harassing Sadam about his WMD’s. Shortly, and I mean really shortly, GWB geared up for war. People died, we found out he lied, and the jokes been on us thereafter.
Okay so it’s not that hilarious, but how I tell is how most Americans saw it. I’d say get off our backs already, but in taking a look at GWB, I can see why we’ve become the bullying world’s goofy dork on the play ground.
empire building, abuse of executive power, fixing intellegence around an agenda, intimidation of the media, disappearing people, torture, and scare mongering, are things that define the bush administration, not america. however, joe and sally neocon, are not necessarily helping our image, with their belligierant nationalism, hate blogging, etc. But don’t forget, folks…bush’s approval rating, which was never that great to begin with, is in the gutter, and his administration, and a few die hards who are still out blowing his horn, do not represent the whole of america. Not even close.
Fair enough, and you’re right. However, very often foreign nations refer to the US as America. I don’t know why, you would have to ask them. I usually consider myself a Texan and a US citizen.
The US media keeps pulling for the warmongers
“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together…”
A very true and inspiring quote from President Eisenhower, one of our last good leaders. The people of the US would do good to read his farewell address. It was a very serious warning that has been mostly ignored. Unfortunately, I don’t think Bush can read. Thanks for your input, delic.
Yes that rung very true from Eisenhower. I was very impressed when I found out he said such things. I think this thread also proves that US bashing is rather futile as a majority of you guys who are critical of the state of the US are actually from there yourselves.
