Now I gotta get back to deciding which journalist we’re going to send to the gas chamber today…

Because most people realize the difference between individuals and governments. And most people tend to be polite to individuals.

I also feel the same way about the constant complaint from some about the wave of “censorship” sweeping the country, especially from Hollywood and the media.

Yup, we would never hear calls to send reporters to the gas chamber or to publish their home addresses. NEVER. Thats just well meaning criciticism anyway.

I feel the same way. I went to four countries in Europe in 2003 (post-invasion of Iraq) expecting to find a great deal of anti-Americanism. Not being one to ruin my vacation, I promised myself I wouldn’t let that get in the way of my vacation and that I wouldn’t discuss politics with anyone. I was very surprised to find a fairly positive attitude about the US amongst people I socialized with — even in gay bars. I have to admit I was pretty surprised.

There’s a difference between reasoned criticism and mindless hatred. — jb

So, so true. I also feel the same way about the constant complaint from some about the wave of “censorship” sweeping the country, especially from Hollywood and the media. Ever hear of criticism? There’s a huge difference between criticism and censorship. The Dixie Chicks fiasco was a perfect example — only three pampered American celebrities with Texas-sized ego’s and nothing else to worry about would consider someone criticizing them to be “censorship”.

I asked him was it true that he was from England he said yes I am, then I asked him if England is “where Great Britain is now” got a “D” on the report card overulled by academic committee who restored my “B+”

Recently 20 years later, my 13 year old middle daughter was being examined by the British Dentist here and he was going on and on about George Bush this and America that.

He had the nerve to ask my daughter when were we going to leave Iraq

Before I could even reply she shot back - when you leave Northern Ireland.

I think that you have all proven Jeff’s point quite well.

By the second post, the “thread” was already off-topic…

Jeff tried to get it back on topic and the first post thereafter was off-topic again…

…and from there it devolved into an “us vs. them” schoolyard game of “King of the Mountain.”

Aside from the possibility of a few lurkers, did anyone stop and honestly ask himself,
“Am I a ‘troll’ on the national stage?”
“Am I a ‘troll’ on the world stage?”
“Do I do more good than ill in what I share?”
“Do I speak without thought, promoting my own selfish desires and interests, no matter what anyone else is saying?”

Jeff’s article is thought provoking - on a personal level - when read with comprehension.

Nations, you see, are made up of individuals. In America, the individual is what has made us great as a nation. At best, trolls despise individuality and seek constant attention and conformance to a single ideology and agenda.

Over the last few years, there have been many ‘trolls’ from every part of the political spectrum - and from every nation - who are like the trolls in the comments section of a blog. They seek to suppress individuality and impose conformance to a single ideology.

When we accede to the demands of ‘trolls’, we surrender our individuality and our self-sufficiency for the ideologies promoted by a stranger. At that point, we are no longer Americans.

And I see you even attracted a Brit-Troll, or was his name bit torrent? B.T. for short. All these U.S. folks living in poverty? You mean the ones with cars, cellphones and color televisions living in government paid housing? I bet they’d rather be poor here than middle class anywhere else.

I personally don’t put much stock in these “polls” which claim such antipathy towards the U.S. Sure, it exists. But frankly, who cares? There’s never been a time when the U.S. was doing the heavy lifting to make the world a better, safer, freer place when we didn’t have alot of Euroweanies, and Ameri-weanies whining about we should be doing it THEIR way.

Who’s being stifled, exactly? All I hear is yammering about Bushitler and neo-con imperialism. And the drive-by media is just as bad. The NY Times just published classified information, apparently without consequence. The networks feel free to absolutely make stories up (The Memos, the latest “Massacre” in Haditha). Who is being stifled, exactly?

And. There’s a difference between reasoned criticism and mindless hatred. “Bushitler” is not criticism. “Bush LIED!” is not criticism. Cindy Sheehan’s “Bush is the biggest terrorist on the planet” is not criticism. Clintonistas going overseas and trashing the current President and his motives? Not criticism. Claiming that we want to take over the world, or the oil-bearing part of it? Not criticism. Yammering on and on about torture? Not criticism.

Here’s an example of reasoned criticism: “We should have gone to Iraq with more troops.”

Are you a patriot or a loyalist? Dissent IS patriotic. Marching in lockstep with folks that have seemingly no respect for the constitution is loyalism and does a great disservice to the nation, not only here but abroad.

We know, bit — my grandparents likely helped pay for it with their tax dollars.

First off, nothing is “free”. Someone has to pay for it. And you also get what you pay for. Could we do a better job of dealing with the uninsured? Sure. Second, I once ended up dealing with the NHS when I ended up in the hospital while on vacation in London and all I can say is I’ll take the US system any day of the week. I’m not saying it was a bad experience, per se, but for all of the praise heaped on socialized medicine, I kept wondering what everyone was speaking so highly of. And I have pretty low expectations of just about any large corporation/government entity.

Is the US perfect? No way, no how. But, all in all, I see us as being a far more positive role model in the world than we’re ever given credit for.

But come one….fat starving people?

I know 100’s of Brits and none of them seem a need to go home to the wonderful NHS. It seems they would rather go to the doctors’ right here in Asia. Something about they have better things to do than wait a year for a basic operation. And of course, all the nurses are cute and RN’s to boot!

Bitty, are you a Brit? Just wondering. Yes? Say something British and funny then!

In Britain we have a health care system that is free at the point of need, minimum wage of £5.05 (about $9). No one goes hungry here.

We were nearly bankrupt after World War Two. But we still started The National Health Service.

Why exactly is there such poverty in the rich USA?

My elected officials (mostly) support the same policies I do. So my vote is effectively wasted. There is no alternative to vote for. As the minority party they don’t control any policy anyway.

I give money to other candidates where this might help influence the outcome. I write letters to politicans and express my opinion on line (letters to the editor are useless in NY). I could wave a sign on occasion, but this seems to have a marginal effect.

Now the government goes in a direction I don’t like, and as part of the American public I get blamed. Unjust? There is a lot done in the name of the “people”, but in how many cases do the people really have a say.

For example, if “the people” were listened to we would have had universal health care starting in the Truman administration. The US is only a nominal democracy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/radio2/aod.shtml?radio2/bhcountry

There are about three or four tracks till you get to the discussion.

Maybe they do represent something, but I’m trying not to assume anything.

In the UK we realise they are not typical of anything.

Not meant as a trollism

Will

That’s the problem in a nutshell. If you counter attack, you may well offend some of your other British friends. But you simply can’t spend all of your time defending, it’s impossible to win any debate or even just a friendly discussion.

But the overriding problem with the whole state of affairs is that it’s exceedingly boring. The Brits just don’t know how mind numbingly banal they are when it comes to being “witty and cutting” about setting Americans right.

Sounds reasonable, but…

“I’m Joe Smith, I live in Brroklyn, and I’m invading Iraq?”

Nope. It doesn’t work. The fact is, there is an entity called the United States, it does often act as a single entity, and it does things - like invading Iraq - than can be disliked or even hated.

To be sure, stereotyping and prejudice based on nationality or culture would be narrow-minded. I’m sure I need tell no American that!

But this does not render impossible criticisms of the nation as a whole. And when someone posts explicitly defending the nation as a whole, it seems to me, it leaves one open to just such a response.

I’ll be waiting to see how they react to your masterful slide (glide; seque?) from a person at a party to international politics - especially the way you seem to be addressing countries as persons (but that might be my mis-interpretation).

P.S.: There are lots of Brits living here in South Florida. So, obviously, they wouldn’t be living here if they despised America. Just like in the U.S., it depends on which circles you socialize in.

We have a significant element of British content in our media. For example, I’m a big fan of Mystery! on PBS. Since I was born during WWII, they’ve always been our English cousins: they drive on the wrong side of the road and talk a bit funny sometimes. And, oh, yes, we bicker. But, in the end, I don’t think we dislike each other. And, I forgive the Yobs (or is it chavs?), upper class or lowly, who are griping about us at the moment

I read the comments from Ed the troll, and they have no merit because he is annonymous. Why doesn’t he mention who he is? He just lobs hand grenades and leaves.

I know you talk about openess and tansparency, but let Ed build up his own platform and get his own readers like you have done. I would just delete his comments and be done with it, until he lets us all know who the person is behind the moniker.

Yes, the walled gardens will continue to collapse, but you don’t have to let him play in your sandbox.