Don't ya' love Joe America?

[Letum]

http://www.worldspace.nu/Chasers_War_On_Everything_-_Americans_avi:watch

As scary as it is funny. I *hope* this does not represent most Americans, however, in my, limited, experience it does, :down:


*edit*
Ok, after reading the replies I am adding this:

*Disclaimer* This comedy video does not necessarily represent the American population as a whole and no one should use this video to make decisions about typical American intelligence. No conclusions about Letum's views on the typical intelligence of the American population should be made from this post.

[Chaotic42]

http://www.worldspace.nu/Chasers_War_On_Everything_-_Americans_avi:watch

As scary as it is funny. I *hope* this does not represent most Americans, however, in my, limited, experience it does, :down:

I could walk around your country, ask people simple questions, take the stupid answers, and show them on TV too.

I *hope* that your stupid post does not represent most British, however, in my, limited, experience it does, :down:

[ASWnut101]

http://www.worldspace.nu/Chasers_War_On_Everything_-_Americans_avi:watch

As scary as it is funny. I *hope* this does not represent most Americans, however, in my, limited, experience it does, :down:

I could walk around your country, ask people simple questions, take the stupid answers, and show them on TV too.

I *hope* that your stupid post does not represent most British, however, in my, limited, experience it does, :down:

+1.

[Onkel Neal]

"I get mixed up between the Israelis and Palestinians, which one is throwin' the rocks?":rotfl:

Yes, the average American is pretty dumb, lol. But don't kid yourself, the same thing can be found in any country, especially yours. ;)

"He's from Texas, he's gotta be right." :yep:

[gamers2000]

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan anyone?

[U-533]

OMG! We are so ready for some nut job to lead us away like silly naive girls.

But thats how we like it here in the US, "Dont bother me I'm living my life just leave me out of it"

"As long as it dont affect ME "

:damn:

But true too ignorance can be found anywhere.

Have a nice daay:sunny: :sunny:

[Takeda Shingen]

I *hope* that your stupid post does not represent most British, however, in my, limited, experience it does, :down:

I *hope* that your above statement does not consist of a personal attack on tihs forum, because that would be contrary to the acceptable use policy and would require me to become unpleasant.

[U-533]

As scary as it is funny. I *hope* this does not represent most Americans, however, in my, limited, experience it does, :down:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaotic42
I *hope* that your stupid post does not represent most British, however, in my, limited, experience it does, :down:


I *hope* that your above statement does not consist of a personal attack on tihs forum, because that would be contrary to the acceptable use policy and would require me to become unpleasant.


:nope: You better watch out Santa Claus is makin a list and checking it twice:nope:

[Enigma]

Whos handing out the jackass pills around here, and where can I get some?

[Enigma]

Oh, and just out of curiosity.....is there any difference between saying "Americans are _______" and...oh, I dont know, .."Black people are ________"?

Or, I guess what im asking is, ....is this thread somewhat prejudice or even racist?

Just asking. :yep:

I've often thought how nice it was that these Subsim forums had a such a great mixture of people from all over the world and of all backgrounds who get along reasonably well. I guess im kinda disapointed at this thread.

(From a guy who hold both British AND American passports.)

[Takeda Shingen]

Oh, and just out of curiosity.....is there any difference between saying "Americans are _______" and...oh, I dont know, .."Black people are ________"?

Or, I guess what im asking is, ....is this thread somewhat prejudice or even racist?

Just asking. :yep:

The offending segment of the phrase is 'your stupid post'. As I stated before there is a difference between:

1. Americans are stupid.

and

2. Your post is stupid.

The first targets a largely faceless group of people. The second alienates an individual. Do understand that, although I do not find myself or other Americans, generally, to be any more or less foolish than any other nationality, they are not, in fact, a collective racial or ethnic group. Moreover, the United States is an amalgamation of races and ethnicities. As such, racial or ethnic slurs do not apply in this context. If anything, this is a case of the cultural bias of superiority, which the SubSim user agreement does not cover. Accordingly, I leave these type of statements alone.

It is my hope that this post has succeeded in answering your questions.

[The Avon Lady]

It is my hope that this post has succeeded in answering your questions.
So is SubSim sort of like the United Nations (http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24181_UN_Hypocrisy_Watch)? :lol:

[TteFAboB]

Enigma, imagine a hypothetical person who speaks out of limited experience and uses a Tv Comedy Show as confirmation for his uncertain mental amalgam.

If that's sufficient for this individual to base a judgement upon, that is, if that's the usual satisfactory limit of his cognitive faculties, it is an attack on him that would be in fact "prejudicial". Intelligence is special in that, unlike freedom for instance, the less you have it the less you realize it's absent. There would be no need to beat the dead horse.

Almost every possibility of what such hypothetical individual could mean with what he could say would go against him, for example:

1. That whatever appears in the Tv Show represents the reality. We should all be glad to have received such a reliable source of information, if only we weren't talking about the hypothetical.

2. That his limited experience is really limited yet considered enough to be used as a foundation for a judgement. He'd be scary.

3. That he's not serious at all because there is still hope of the contrary. He acknowledges he hasn't eliminated all probabilities and there's still room for further investigation yet he opts to stop at this point, perhaps hoping that the universe revolves around his belly button. He'd be funny.

4. That the people from the show actually represent his limited experience, which begs the old saying: tell me who you walk with and I'll tell you who you are. At least he'd be honest.

So you see, this hypothetical and completely imaginary and inexistent individual, without any relation to reality at all, while not expressing any offense, would be the most insulting person of a thread like this if he were real, but insulting only to himself. A sadomasochist. I think both of us would agree that people are allowed to do almost anything as long as it only affects themselves, even though they do have faces, right in front of their feces.

Enough of the imaginary, for something real, check out this reporter from Khazakstan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW-zgMyJ8_8

If you were to judge this event fake, with what evidence would you do so? Do you have as much information about this reporter, this video, the location and etc. as you'd have about the video from the hypothetical imaginary character? Here's a hint, the hypothetical video's success would be based on the presentation of lies to see the reaction of people, from my own imaginary wikipedia I keep inside my head:


Julian Morrow is an Australian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian) political satirist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_satire) most famous for ... ask[ing] random Trivial Pursuit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivial_Pursuit) questions at politicians' press conferences, and as the Citizen's Infringement Officer, where he would give fines to people that he didn't like, he gave fake fines to parking inspectors, people with 'bad' mobile phone ringtones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringtone), 'bad' baby names and 'wanker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanker)' personalised number plates

Julian Morrow's Virgin Blue ticket prank
On 16 August (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_16) 2006 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006), Julian Morrow purchased two airline tickets on the Virgin Blue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Blue) airline under the names "Al Kyder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda)" and "Terry Wrist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorist)", checked in using the automated check-in, and then did not show up for boarding, so that the names would be read out in a final boarding call over Sydney Airport (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsford_Smith_International_Airport)'s public address system.[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser%27s_War_On_Everything#_note-8) The prank was acknowledged by Virgin Blue who later in the day put out a press release saying that if the Chaser wants to spend $300 on jokes like that then that's fine.

As a side question, do you trust liars? Ok, truly getting out of the hypothetical now, here's an example of the limitations of the reporter himself (look in the mirror before judging others). In the real video, not the hypothetical one, it is implied that to say that Star Wars is based on a true story is false. That may be the subject for another topic, but George Lucas sought inspiration in many real "stories", from WW2 to Greek mythology which is nothing but a poetic expression of reality or its possibilities.

[bradclark1]

I think Letum posted this to yank chains. I think he succeeded.:D
Learn to take a joke.

[The Avon Lady]

I think Letum posted this to yank chains. I think he succeeded.:D
Learn to take a joke.
His last sentence was downright insulting, icon included. Ask any moderator and you'll be told this is called flamebaiting.

[dean_acheson]

At least in America, we are stupid enough that all these different people of different colors, accents, weights, ages, religions, etc., can walk around being stupid and not shooting each other, or throwing rocks.

Ignorance is bliss. Thank God all the samrt people like Jon Carry are around to lead us!

[Onkel Neal]

In my book, when someone flamebaits enough, I just tune him out and cease replying to his posts. A guy can get a bad rep and no one will talk with him anymore. The viedo is pretty funny, and he does admit he has limited, experience, meaning, he doesn't know what he's talking about ;) How much time has he spent in the US?

[Tchocky]

Now I'm sure that America has no more and no fewer stupid people than other countries, but I've always noticed that American stupid people sound much more stupid than stupid people from other countries

Always makes me laugh. On the "Americans are stupid" front, it's a confusion of ignorance with stupidity, I think.

What do I mean by ignorance? Well, you can drive from Germany to France in a day, taking in Holland and Belgium if you're bothered. That kind of change just doesnt exist in the USA. That's neither a goor or a bad thing, but it does mean that Europeans usually have more experience of being abroad than Americans, and we confuse honesty for stupidity.

[Takeda Shingen]

It is my hope that this post has succeeded in answering your questions.
So is SubSim sort of like the United Nations (http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24181_UN_Hypocrisy_Watch)? :lol:

No. SubSim is a website devoted to the playing, development and discussion of submarine simulations. The United Nations has no such designs.

[nikimcbee]

It is my hope that this post has succeeded in answering your questions.
So is SubSim sort of like the United Nations (http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24181_UN_Hypocrisy_Watch)? :lol:

No. SubSim is a website devoted to the playing, development and discussion of submarine simulations. The United Nations has no such designs.

Plus, I think subsimmers are probably more competant than the UN. Those guys are useless:nope:

[nikimcbee]

Now I'm sure that America has no more and no fewer stupid people than other countries, but I've always noticed that American stupid people sound much more stupid than stupid people from other countries

Always makes me laugh. On the "Americans are stupid" front, it's a confusion of ignorance with stupidity, I think.

What do I mean by ignorance? Well, you can drive from Germany to France in a day, taking in Holland and Belgium if you're bothered. That kind of change just doesnt exist in the USA. That's neither a goor or a bad thing, but it does mean that Europeans usually have more experience of being abroad than Americans, and we confuse honesty for stupidity.

If you want to see Europeans and Asians at their "best";) , go to Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. They are very intertaining.:rotfl:

[bradclark1]

His last sentence was downright insulting, icon included. Ask any moderator and you'll be told this is called flamebaiting.
AL pay attention to detail. This is where Letum thinks he's from:
United Kingdom Of Great Briton
Now match this phrase and the spelling to this flick he found so amusing. He holds himself to self ridicule. Need anymore be said? ;)

[Letum]

oh! hello again! Just read all the replies!

Several of you seam to think I think Americans are stupid. Some of you think I have based my opinions on this video.
I'm a little surprised you can think such things from the one sentence in my original post.

Lets take a closer look at what I said:

[link]
As scary as it is funny. I *hope* this does not represent most Americans, however, in my, limited, experience it does
Ok, so paraphrasing this, what I said was
"The video [of some dim Americans] represents most Americans in my limited experience"
My only experiences of meeting Americans face to face have been experiences of meeting dim Americans on holiday in my part of the UK. That is why my experience is "limited" and why the video reflects my experiences.

So do I think Americans are dim? No!
I don't think Americans are dim from the video because it is a Comedy video. They would naturally not include any intelligent people because it would ruin the comedy!
I don't think Americans are dim from my experiences because they are limited and I have no reason to think they represent the American population in general.

This is a Comedic video! It is only racist if you take it seriously. (As many of you seam to have!).

*edit* Sorry if I touched a sore nerve ;) (JUST KIDDING!)

[Chaotic42]

Ok, so paraphrasing this, what I said was
"The video [of some dim Americans] represents most Americans in my limited experience"
My only experiences of meeting Americans face to face have been experiences of meeting dim Americans on holiday in my part of the UK. That is why my experience is "limited" and why the video reflects my experiences.

So do I think Americans are dim? No!
I don't think Americans are dim from the video because it is a Comedy video. They would naturally not include any intelligent people because it would ruin the comedy!
I don't think Americans are dim from my experiences because they are limited and I have no reason to think they represent the American population in general.

This is a Comedic video! It is only racist if you take it seriously. (As many of you seam to have!).

I've been reading this thread, and I think that my attempt at humor has failed miserably... :damn:

:rotfl:

[Letum]

If you are interested in what my "limited experiences" are.....

Whilst on a ferry to Amsterdam I asked a American chap if the stairs at the end of this corridor went to the upper or lower deck. He looked confused for a few seconds and then then replayed:
"well, I'm not sure. They go to the upper deck if you start at the bottom, but they go to the lower deck if you start at the top. What deck are you starting from?" :doh: (this deck!).

When serving an American from behind the bar I was asked:
"Does the pub's photo album go in alphabetical order from when they built the pub?"


*Disclaimer* Like the video, the above text does not necessarily represent the American population as a whole and no one should use this text or the video to make decisions about typical American intelligence. ;)

[bookworm_020]

I have meet some wonderful, intellegent and easy going Americans in my travels and who have been open to learning local culture and enjoying a different way of life.

Then you get the opposite...

When my parents were living in, and traveling in Asia (I was a 3 year old), they bumped into the wife of one of the top staff of the American embassy in Singapore (not saying which position!).

When she learn't that my parents were Australian, and came from Sydney, she exclaimed " Isn't that where the bridge from Sydney to Auckland is???":o

She was most likely a one off, most American's know better.....

[Onkel Neal]

Well, I don't doubt at all the many Americans are like those in the video. But, I would be willing to bet Torplexed's next paycheck that if I took a video camera and went to England, Spain, Canada, etc. I could make a film just as appalling. Knowing a country that begins with a "U"... knowing the captial of Mongolia, etc. :lol: One thing we should keep in mind, when laughing at the dimbulbs in the video, there are lots of people who could make each of us look pretty simple, too. Imagine having a rocket scientist pop questions at you on camera... what the coefficient of reactivity of etc ? Yikes!

[Onkel Neal]

When she learn't that my parents were Australian, and came from Sydney, she exclaimed " Isn't that where the bridge from Sydney to Auckland is???":o

She was most likely a one off, most American's know better.....

You have to excuse her, there would be a bridge there is it was in the US ;)

[Letum]

Well, I don't doubt at all the many Americans are like those in the video. But, I would be willing to bet Torplexed's next paycheck that if I took a video camera and went to England, Spain, Canada, etc. I could make a film just as appalling. Knowing a country that begins with a "U"... knowing the captial of Mongolia, etc. :lol:
You could make a film about people knowing how to spell "capital" (not captial). ;) (just kidding, I should know better than anyone that spelling is not a good indicator of intelligence!)

Anyway, your quite right!
Filming English or Spanish people wouldn't be as funny tho.
Filming Americans plays up to deep seated stereotypes about Americans.

Stereotypes are usually wrong. We should no more expect an American to be stupid than we should expect a Frenchman to have garlic round his neck.
But stereotypes are funny!

[tycho102]

omg! Englishman for the win.:rotfl:

[dean_acheson]

Since it is all in the name of fun, this just was emailed to me.

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist
threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.

Also, the French government announced yesterday that it has raised its
terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Surrender" and "Collaborate." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

It's not only the English and French that are on a heightened level of
alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance"
to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two
higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose." Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy.
These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

[Letum]

Since it is all in the name of fun, this just was emailed to me.

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist
threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.


English Security Levels
(may be a English only in-joke)
http://www.heady.co.uk/b3ta/twarning.jpghttp://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b41/mattimusscottius/terrorthreat.gif

A topic I can't find a image for? Impossible!

[waste gate]

Perhaps we can perpetuate a few more streotypes.

All Germans are NAZIs;
all Spanish speaking people are lazy;
all Brits have bad teeth;
all Ausis are criminals;
all French are surrender monkeys;
all Italians are mafiosos;
all Jews are cheap, money grabbers;

I could think of a few more but I think you get my point. None of these images are true or helpful. Let's not turn this forum into a 'hate forum'.

My two cents.

[Sailor Steve]

All Germans are NAZIs;
all Spanish speaking people are lazy;
all Brits have bad teeth;
all Ausis are criminals;
all French are surrender monkeys;
all Italians are mafiosos;
all Jews are cheap, money grabbers;
And since America is made up of people who came from all those places...no wonder everybody hates us!

Or, as Bill Murray said in Stripes: "Never forget: our forefathers were kicked out of every decent nation on earth!"

[STEED]

Since it is all in the name of fun, this just was emailed to me.

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist
threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.


English Security Levels
(may be a English only in-joke)
http://www.heady.co.uk/b3ta/twarning.jpghttp://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b41/mattimusscottius/terrorthreat.gif

A topic I can't find a image for? Impossible!

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[waste gate]

All Germans are NAZIs;
all Spanish speaking people are lazy;
all Brits have bad teeth;
all Ausis are criminals;
all French are surrender monkeys;
all Italians are mafiosos;
all Jews are cheap, money grabbers;
And since America is made up of people who came from all those places...no wonder everybody hates us!

Or, as Bill Murray said in Stripes: "Never forget: our forefathers were kicked out of every decent nation on earth!"

And there in lies the difference. From the inception of this nation it has been about allowing people to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Unlike other nations we understand that those basic precepts allow a nation to grow and become great.


Ultimately this is why we are disliked by so many. The US embodies everything that other nations and ideologies lack. Call it opportunity.

[Letum]

All Germans are NAZIs;
all Spanish speaking people are lazy;
all Brits have bad teeth;
all Ausis are criminals;
all French are surrender monkeys;
all Italians are mafiosos;
all Jews are cheap, money grabbers; And since America is made up of people who came from all those places...no wonder everybody hates us!

Or, as Bill Murray said in Stripes: "Never forget: our forefathers were kicked out of every decent nation on earth!"
And there in lies the difference. From the inception of this nation it has been about allowing people to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Unlike other nations we understand that those basic precepts allow a nation to grow and become great.


Ultimately this is why we are disliked by so many. The US embodies everything that other nations and ideologies lack. Call it opportunity.


:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
:up: That's good! not everyone can poke fun at them selves as well as that. :D

[CCIP]

I call it... Naw, let's not turn it into another one of those :dead:

I will say one thing: the vast majority of all large populations are, unfortunately, poorly educated and don't really have a good world-awareness. I don't think it's unique to America, though there's certain cultural features in America that make it more likely.

[Tchocky]

And there in lies the difference. From the inception of this nation it has been about allowing people to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Unlike other nations we understand that those basic precepts allow a nation to grow and become great.


Ultimately this is why we are disliked by so many. The US embodies everything that other nations and ideologies lack. Call it opportunity.

LOLZ!

[waste gate]

The truth hurts.

[Letum]

The truth hurts.
How odd. I don't find it does. I spend a lot of time reading papers on epistemology, it's a pet hobby of mine, and you don't get much closer to the truth than that! Rather than finding it hurts, I enjoy it immensely, even if some truths are unpleasant. :D

If you do find that it does hurt, then that might explain why you selectively avoid it so much. :hmm: What aspect of truth do you find hurtful?

[bradclark1]

English Security Levels
(may be a English only in-joke)
http://www.heady.co.uk/b3ta/twarning.jpghttp://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b41/mattimusscottius/terrorthreat.gif

A topic I can't find a image for? Impossible!
Is that Dads Army or something like that?

[Onkel Neal]

Well, I don't doubt at all the many Americans are like those in the video. But, I would be willing to bet Torplexed's next paycheck that if I took a video camera and went to England, Spain, Canada, etc. I could make a film just as appalling. Knowing a country that begins with a "U"... knowing the captial of Mongolia, etc. :lol:
You could make a film about people knowing how to spell "capital" (not captial). ;) (just kidding, I should know better than anyone that spelling is not a good indicator of intelligence!)

Anyway, your quite right!



Your won too talk....:|\\



.

[Iceman]

Stupid is as stupid does....


Bubba (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932112/): Have you ever been on a shrimp boat?
Forrest Gump (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000158/): No, but I've been on a real big boat.


Forrest Gump (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000158/): Mama always said, dying was a part of life.


Lieutenant Daniel Taylor (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000641/): Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?
Forrest Gump (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000158/): I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir.

http://mefi.be/img/blog/forestgump.jpg

Ahh us crazy dumb simple minded Americans... :) :up: wouldn't want to be anyone else.

[Kapitan_Phillips]

Yes, the average American is pretty dumb, lol. But don't kid yourself, the same thing can be found in any country, especially yours. ;)

"He's from Texas, he's gotta be right." :yep:


Ohhh-ho! *cough*ENIGMA*cough* :rotfl:

[waste gate]

The truth hurts.
How odd. I don't find it does. I spend a lot of time reading papers on epistemology, it's a pet hobby of mine, and you don't get much closer to the truth than that! Rather than finding it hurts, I enjoy it immensely, even if some truths are unpleasant. :D

If you do find that it does hurt, then that might explain why you selectively avoid it so much. :hmm: What aspect of truth do you find hurtful?

You just keep thinkin' Butch. That's what you're good at.

[STEED]

Yes, the average American is pretty dumb, lol. But don't kid yourself, the same thing can be found in any country, especially yours. ;)

"He's from Texas, he's gotta be right." :yep:


Ohhh-ho! *cough*ENIGMA*cough* :rotfl:

Yes we were the first to invent the computer which helped to speed up the cracking of the enigma codes but we forgot to get it registered and that went to the American's :damn:

[Tchocky]

Yes, the average American is pretty dumb, lol. But don't kid yourself, the same thing can be found in any country, especially yours. ;)

"He's from Texas, he's gotta be right." :yep:

Ohhh-ho! *cough*ENIGMA*cough* :rotfl:
Yes we were the first to invent the computer which helped to speed up the cracking of the enigma codes but we forgot to get it registered and that went to the American's :damn:

Surely it was the Poles, and then the English? You're talking about the bombe, yes?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombe

Aside: why are all of my recent posts questions.....

[STEED]

Surely it was the Poles, and then the English? You're talking about the bombe, yes?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombe

Aside: why are all of my recent posts questions.....
From that point of view I agree the Brits and Poles recreated the enigma machine blind.

Here's what we Brits built
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_computer

[Letum]

Well, I don't doubt at all the many Americans are like those in the video. But, I would be willing to bet Torplexed's next paycheck that if I took a video camera and went to England, Spain, Canada, etc. I could make a film just as appalling. Knowing a country that begins with a "U"... knowing the captial of Mongolia, etc. :lol:
You could make a film about people knowing how to spell "capital" (not captial). ;) (just kidding, I should know better than anyone that spelling is not a good indicator of intelligence!)

Anyway, your quite right!


Your won too talk....:|\\

.
Touche!

http://www.fanfic.net/~jeffwong/rant54-youre-and-your.html (http://www.fanfic.net/%7Ejeffwong/rant54-youre-and-your.html)

[Dan D]

A take on English-French ,French-English dislikes

English Historian Timothy Gordon Ash has written that European history of the last thousand years is essentially influenced by the antagonism between England and France.
I too, have made the observation that there is such a thing between England and France:the list of Anglo-French wars is loooong http://www.historyguy.com/anglo_french.html. There is an ongoing cultural war: Condoms in England are sometimes called “French Letters”, the French call them “Chapeau anglais”(engl. English hat), just to give an example.

Gordon Ash also thinks that the English aversion to the French has expanded and now includes continental Europe as a whole and that the French aversion to the English has carried over to English-speaking America.

I tend to agree and it seems also that the English not only have exported the English language, Queen Victorian Puritanism (body fluids, anyone?) and the English-Welsh law school to America, but also a dislike for the French.
So today, there is an antagonism between the Anglosphere and France and also between USA and continental Europe which is seen as too “French”: weak, morally degraded, doomed, on the the brink of collapse.

What is the stance here of the guy in class that no one can stand, Germany, apart from Schadenfreude?

Historically, the German tribes were closer to the English than to the French. The Germans are the Teutonic cousins of the English, so to speak: The Royal house of Windsor has some “German” origin and cousinhood. During world war 1, Georg V. changed the German name “Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha” (royal dynasty Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha) which the royal family carried since 1840 into “Windsor” as it is known today. Queen Elisabeth II decided in 1960 that the familiy name from then on would be “Mountbatten-Windsor”.
Mountbatten is an Anglicisation of the German family name “Battenberg”.
Battenberg - Mountbatten, you get it? The Brits have a black sheep in the family.

Now over to the French: In the past, the Germans were a bit obsessed about the French. This had to do with the occupation of the German territories under Napoleon. A famous German French-hater back then was Prince Blücher, nicknamed “Marschall Attack”.
After he was beaten again by Napoleon at Ligny in 1815, he did not retreat back home, but instead marched to the north and arrived just in time to help the Brits and other allies who were a bit unhinged, to win the battle of Waterloo. The Brits made him an honorary citizen of London and awarded him a Dr. h.c. in Oxford for his late but not too late appearance on the Waterloo battlefield.
Prince Blücher had an obsessive idea: He always wanted to blow up the bridge "Pont d'lena” over the river Seine in Paris to revenge the dishonour of the Prussian defeat of 1806 against Napoleon. When the allies entered the Paris of Napoleon for the second time, he railed: “How many more times do we have to occupy this -censored- place?”

The German tribes, like e.g. Prussians and Bavarians, could not stand each other but were united in dislike for the French, at least. So in order to unite the German tribes into one German nation state, Bismarck started the German-French war 1870/1871 which was won because the joint German tribes simply outnumbered the French. The balance of power had shifted onto the German side.
The founding of the German nation state was then declared in the hall of mirrors at Versailles, on French soil. The “humiliation of Versailles” happened again in 1918 when Germany had to surrender and signed the peace treaty of Versailles and another time when France had to surrender to Hitler at Versailles. After 2 world wars France and Germany are now looking for things they have in common.

Already in the past, Germany has proven that it has the ability to bring together French and Brits and Americans, and even Americans and Commies, WW 1 and WW 2, and as such it is probably qualified to act as a middleman between France and England and France and USA. ROFL

[August]

Bismarck started the German-French war 1870/1871 which was won because the joint German tribes simply outnumbered the French.

Actually the French started that war, and they lost, not because of being outnumbered, but rather because the Germans were better trained and led.

[Tchocky]

Bismarck started the German-French war 1870/1871 which was won because the joint German tribes simply outnumbered the French.
Actually the French started that war, and they lost, not because of being outnumbered, but rather because the Germans were better trained and led.

They started the war after Bismarck doctored telegrams and released them, with the intention:

"The Ems Telegram should have the desired effect of waving a red cape in front of the face of the Gallic Bull".

France started it, technically.

[August]

They started the war after Bismarck doctored telegrams and released them, with the intention:

"The Ems Telegram should have the desired effect of waving a red cape in front of the face of the Gallic Bull".

France started it, technically.

It contributed to it definitely, but i'd say the war was made inevitable with the French ultimatum to William:


From Wiki:
The Franco-Prussian War (July 19, 1870 – May 10, 1871) was declared by France on Prussia, which was backed by the North German Confederation and the south German states of Baden, Württemberg and Bavaria. The conflict marked the culmination of tension between the two powers following Prussia's rise to dominance in Germany, which before 1866 was still a loose federation of quasi-independent territories.
The war began over the ascension of a candidate from the Sigmaringen branch of the Hohenzollern royal family to the vacant Spanish throne as Isabella II had abdicated in 1868. This was strongly opposed by France who issued an ultimatum to King William I of Prussia to have the candidacy withdrawn, which was done. Aiming to humiliate Prussia, Emperor Napoleon III of France then required William to apologize and renounce any possible further Hohenzollern candidature to the Spanish throne. King William, surprised at his holiday resort by the French ambassador, denied the French request. Prussia's prime minister Otto von Bismarck edited the King's account of his meeting with the French ambassador to make the encounter more heated than it really was. Known as the Ems Dispatch, it was released to the press. It was designed to give the French the impression that King Wilhelm I had insulted the French Count Benedetti, and to give the German people the impression that the Count had insulted the King. It succeeded in both of its aims.
The French people and their parliament reacted with outrage; Napoleon III mobilized and declared war on Prussia only, but effectively also on the states of southern Germany. The German armies quickly mobilized and within a few weeks controlled large amounts of land in eastern France. Their success was due in part to rapid mobilization by train, to Prussian General Staff leadership and to innovative Krupp artillery. Napoleon III was captured with his whole army at the Battle of Sedan, yet this did not end the war, as a republic was declared in Paris on September 4, 1870, marking the creation of the Third Republic of France under the Government of National Defense and later the "Versaillais government" of Adolphe Thiers. The immediate result was an extension to the war as the Republic proclaimed a continuation of the fight.
Over a five-month campaign, the German armies defeated the newly recruited French armies in a series of battles fought across northern France. Following a prolonged siege, the French capital Paris fell on January 28, 1871. Ten days earlier, the German states had proclaimed their union under the Prussian King, uniting Germany as a nation-state, the German Empire. The final peace Treaty of Frankfurt was signed May 10, 1871, during the time of the bloody Paris Commune of 1871.

[U-533]

Perhaps we can perpetuate a few more streotypes.

All Germans are NAZIs;
all Spanish speaking people are lazy;
all Brits have bad teeth;
all Ausis are criminals;
all French are surrender monkeys;
all Italians are mafiosos;
all Jews are cheap, money grabbers;

I could think of a few more but I think you get my point. None of these images are true or helpful. Let's not turn this forum into a 'hate forum'.

My two cents.

I think that the Media makes a country's views one way or another.(This coin has 2 sides)

When I visited most of Europe, early 1980's , it seemed to me that America was viewed as a bunch of "Rough Ridin' Cowboys" and everyone has a pick up and a horse trough in the front yard.

odd...

I think at that time the TV show "Dallas" and a few spin offs were makin' the 'Prime Time' across most of Europe.

my my how times have changed

I agree with waste gate "PLEASE DO NOT TURN THIS FORUM INTO A "HATE FORUM"

There is enough to work with already and we need nomore.

[Mush Martin]

A take on English-French ,French-English dislikes

English Historian Timothy Gordon Ash has written that European history of the last thousand years is essentially influenced by the antagonism between England and France.
I too, have made the observation that there is such a thing between England and France:the list of Anglo-French wars is loooong http://www.historyguy.com/anglo_french.html. There is an ongoing cultural war: Condoms in England are sometimes called “French Letters”, the French call them “Chapeau anglais”(engl. English hat), just to give an example.

Gordon Ash also thinks that the English aversion to the French has expanded and now includes continental Europe as a whole and that the French aversion to the English has carried over to English-speaking America.

I tend to agree and it seems also that the English not only have exported the English language, Queen Victorian Puritanism (body fluids, anyone?) and the English-Welsh law school to America, but also a dislike for the French.
So today, there is an antagonism between the Anglosphere and France and also between USA and continental Europe which is seen as too “French”: weak, morally degraded, doomed, on the the brink of collapse.

What is the stance here of the guy in class that no one can stand, Germany, apart from Schadenfreude?

Historically, the German tribes were closer to the English than to the French. The Germans are the Teutonic cousins of the English, so to speak: The Royal house of Windsor has some “German” origin and cousinhood. During world war 1, Georg V. changed the German name “Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha” (royal dynasty Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha) which the royal family carried since 1840 into “Windsor” as it is known today. Queen Elisabeth II decided in 1960 that the familiy name from then on would be “Mountbatten-Windsor”.
Mountbatten is an Anglicisation of the German family name “Battenberg”.
Battenberg - Mountbatten, you get it? The Brits have a black sheep in the family.

Now over to the French: In the past, the Germans were a bit obsessed about the French. This had to do with the occupation of the German territories under Napoleon. A famous German French-hater back then was Prince Blücher, nicknamed “Marschall Attack”.
After he was beaten again by Napoleon at Ligny in 1815, he did not retreat back home, but instead marched to the north and arrived just in time to help the Brits and other allies who were a bit unhinged, to win the battle of Waterloo. The Brits made him an honorary citizen of London and awarded him a Dr. h.c. in Oxford for his late but not too late appearance on the Waterloo battlefield.
Prince Blücher had an obsessive idea: He always wanted to blow up the bridge "Pont d'lena” over the river Seine in Paris to revenge the dishonour of the Prussian defeat of 1806 against Napoleon. When the allies entered the Paris of Napoleon for the second time, he railed: “How many more times do we have to occupy this -censored- place?”

The German tribes, like e.g. Prussians and Bavarians, could not stand each other but were united in dislike for the French, at least. So in order to unite the German tribes into one German nation state, Bismarck started the German-French war 1870/1871 which was won because the joint German tribes simply outnumbered the French. The balance of power had shifted onto the German side.
The founding of the German nation state was then declared in the hall of mirrors at Versailles, on French soil. The “humiliation of Versailles” happened again in 1918 when Germany had to surrender and signed the peace treaty of Versailles and another time when France had to surrender to Hitler at Versailles. After 2 world wars France and Germany are now looking for things they have in common.

Already in the past, Germany has proven that it has the ability to bring together French and Brits and Americans, and even Americans and Commies, WW 1 and WW 2, and as such it is probably qualified to act as a middleman between France and England and France and USA. ROFL
Dan the English and the french are like brother and sister they need each other for the English can not cook and the French can not fight.

did somebody say we were supposed to be perpetuating stereotypes earlier?

Really though Dont let France WW2 fool you, they are capable thats why
so much military terminology is french

Ie nom de guerre , coup de main , etc.

and they have a lot of shall we say "sang froid"

"my left has collapsed my centre is crumbling my left is overrun...........
conditions are perfect , I attack!"

no how can you not love that about them.
MM