A Simple Request To Non-USA People
 

We all know your countries are better.

Please do us all a favor and before you post please preface it with your country, your experience outside your country, your age, your polical leanings, drug of choice, and your net worth.

Or more to the point, preface everything with your unwaving agenda, so there is no confusion.

I have been reading countless posts by non-USA people about how we (as Americans) can solve our 'problems'.

I could retort with, fix your own problems, but that would be counter productive.

So as an example for those wishing to follow these new suggestions that would help us all:

Country: Canada
Experience Outside: I went to Las Vegas for a convention
Age: 22 and I know it all
Polical Leanings: Left of Marxist
Drug of Choice: BC Bud - Lets hug brother
Net Worth: 1000 CAD in the bank, $100 in my epassporte account

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

lol

45678

cool deal but only if USA people have to also list their experience outside of their own country.

Country: USA
Experience Outside: Is there anything but the USA?
Age: 22 and I know it all and hate everyone else
Political Leanings: What's a politic? USA is the best
Drug of Choice: budweiser
Net Worth: Dont have a checking acct, $20 cash, $18 in my epassporte account

Damnit, I can't even do this, I gotta fix the spelling errors :(

hahha oh awesome :) Priceless reply, too :)

Here's my list:

UK
Poland
Czech Republic
France
Ireland
AU
Canada
Peru
NZ
Russia
Spain
Italy
S. Africa
China
Japan
Brazil
Mexico


May I speak?

I have no problem with doing it:


Country: USA (of birth) Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Lived in: North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida (best of them all - as free as the USA can get sans the Federal Govt)

Experience Outside: Lived in the Caribbean for 2 years, Live <- in Spain, been to almost every country in Europe for long spans of time (will post passport scans if in question). My girlfriends, friends, business partners, are from around the world. Every page of my passport is full, they are now stamping over old immigration stamps and my passport is a business passport.

Age: 32 with a clue

Polical Leanings: Anything That is TRUE Freedom. TRUE FREEDOM, something few have experienced.

Net Worth: Far greater than 1mil lower than 10mil

Additionally, the USA people only need to post this when dealing with issues of Foreign affairs.

People in the USA that are commenting on USA issues would simply need to do a similar version:

State Of Birth:
States Lived In:
How old are you:
Political Agenda:
Net Worth:

The USA is similar to the EU and most other places, in that if you were born and raised in California, and visited Florida on vacation for a week, vegas for a convention, but otherwise have been surrounded by "California is where it is at" your opinions would be weighted as such.

The reason for this post is it grows tiring listened to people who are still living with Mommy and Daddy or just got their first apartment etc etc trying to decypher how the world functions. Everything is a simple fix when your world view is from the perspective of looking up from the bong, and the utopian view they feel is the answer.

You can not take anyone's opinion with any weight until you know where they are coming from, experiences, and wisdom.

-dd

lol.I wasn't suggesting people couldn't speak but I am sure you know that you are rare.

I am not sure what I have to fill out since I am an American but live in the UK.

That is very true and I have no argument with that.

I know I'm lucky -- not only do I have a wonderful wife, but I have one that "loves people and loves to travel". She's a flight attendant for UAL which still has a pretty nice route structure.



I'm with you --

I wish more americans would get outside their comfort zone and see the world... I'm not going to bash them for not doing it, though (not saying you have or would).

You have a world view, or at very minimum a semi-world view point.

The UK people are some of the most level headed people I have dealt with, sometimes too much.

I have been to the UK, and have worked with 3 UK people for 2 years. The UK is in a great position as it is the crossroads, the middle ground, between the USA and Europe. Cooler head prevail.

Also do not forget that the UK is our founder, the founder of many Carib nations, India, etc. The UK's impact, culturally and legally is profound.

Again, I would accept your opinion as you have USA knowledge and UK/EU knowldge. Welcome ;)

I am also lucky because I grew up with travel agent for a father and then I briefly was one too and it allowed me to travel when I was young and get the urge to see the world. Of course wanderlust can be a bitch some times.

I also won't bash people from not traveling but I do think that regardless of where you are from it does change your view of the world if you haven't been out of your State let alone your country. Very few Americans even hold a passport and that is understandable given the space they have available to move around in without one but I still think is a pitty.

lol thank you kind leader

Too funny :1orglaugh

I hear this all too often by people, and your comment explains it. I can go from the tropics of Florida to the desert of Nevada/California all in the same country, without a passport. I can go from Little Italy in NYC to China Town in NYC without leaving a city. Etc Etc.

The USA has been great at taking the best portions of a Country's culture and integrating it. When I lived in Boston I could go to Southy and go to real Irish bars with actual IRA members (you know what that means), or go the North End and be in the heart of Italy.

Lets also realize that US citizens can travel to Mexico, Canada, and most of the Caribbean with a birth certificate.

I simply respond to Europeans by saying, "The EU is like the USA except we we have evolved into one country with no borders, with one prominent language, one currency, and the terrain and cultures are just as diverse as Europe".

If Europeans could have traveled in the past with just their ID cards, no passports, they too would have little or no use for passports.

Unfortunately their governments feed them this bullshit to make it look like we are the animals of the world. Some points could be made for both sides, but their basic logic is flawed...

I wish the European airlines would charge as little as the US airlines so more Europeans could come to the USA. It is amazing how few countries a lot of the Europeans I am with have been to outside of the EU area. Truly a shame.

canada
india
italy
austria
england
luxumbourg
monaco
france
belgium
netherlands
germany
spain
thailand
czech republic
korea
finland
sweden
denmark
russia

and many others i can't think of right now.


a big difference between the USA and Europe is that we are not surrounded by countries that are only a 3 hr drive away. so its not a good comparison if the implication is to suggest that americans have no inclination to travel to Europe or to see other countries.

If you live on mainland Europe you can drive between countries without a passport, etc. Being in the UK I need one because you can't just drive there so you need it to board the Eurostar or a ferry.

I know what you are saying. I didn't have a passport until 18 but I had been to Mexico a number of times, around a great deal of Eastern Canada, Aruba and something like 25 States.

On the airlines issue..it swings in round abouts. Right now there aren't any cheap deals to the USA on even American based airlines. My travel agent friends have been moaning about it because about now is when the november deals always come through where it is dirt cheap to go to New York and they just aren't there this year. I can fly to Rome for about $30 though if I look hard enough.

Trust me, as a 'North American' specialist when I was a travel agent I know that ignorance of geography comes from all nations. I remember one client who wouldn't listen to me that he couldn't drive from Orlando to San Francisco in an afternoon.

Country: Australia
Experience Outside: Travelled to the following countries
Austria
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Poland
Slovakia
Hungary
Germany
Italy
Greece
Spain
Portugal
France
Belgium
The Netherlands
Denmark
England
Scotland
Ireland
Luxembourg
USA
Mexico
Japan
Russia
Brazil
New Zealand
Egypt
Vatican City

Age: 35
Political leanings: Left of centre
Drug of choice: Marijuana
Net Worth: Approx 400K

You are truly living in the UK!

It is clear when you speak to people the slang and terminology they use, based upon places they have lived.

The problem that I deal with, when I go to various places in the world (and sometimes on this board) is people assume just hearing about a place or seeing it on TV is all they need to make a concrete decision.

I have learned many things but the most important one is... no matter what borders people live within, no matter what language they speak, etc they are all want the same thing for the most part.

I can not tell you know many times I have been in a room of people that do not speak the same language and eveyone understands each other. I was in Czech with a group of people, and we all knew we were basically the same people in mindset and values, but some people only spoke Czech, English, Hungarian, etc etc

The world becomes a very small place when you have been to these places and have friends there. It is difficult to support bad political policy when one of your friends will be affected.



I think the governments of the world (pick one) try to demonize other countries to build the nationalistic pride... If these people just went to another place and truly, with an open mind, integrated they would see it is all bullshit and everyone basically wants the same thing.

Just out of curiousity, have you ever been out of North America? Do you have a passport?

If you were near as smart as you apparently imagine, you might be wise enough to pay more attention to the message and less to the messenger.

I think he's paying attention to the message and the author of the message. Not so much the messenger at all. :2 cents:

Country: USA
Experience Outside: Pretty much all of Europe. Lived in England for 14 yrs.
Age: 40
Polical Leanings: Middle of the road
Drug of Choice: Johnny Walker
Net Worth: None of your fucking business

If you were nearly as smart as you think, you might know that all messages have much more to do with one's lot than anything.

While the message may be important, it's not automatically the TRUTH.

I have never claimed to have any intelligence. Most would feel my intelligence was marginal, most likely at the level of functional idiot. As I am sure you already know, because you are first looking at the source and then the message I am delivering.

It regards to your comment... To accept a message without first evaluating the source is suicide, IN MY OPINION -> I AM BIASED. If you do not agree, then please provide your e-mail address so I can send you stock tips and orders from the almighty Allah himself. For if the messenger is meaningless then you will carry out any command that aligns with your ideology.

-dd

Great thread. I love it, lol.

England, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas, Belize, Honduras.


I only judge net worth by purses and shoes. As such, I'm a pimp. :pimp

Which implies that some sources are infallible and others always wrong. It's also the attitude which renders most people incapable of arguing their position: something we see a lot of on here and in the world at large these days.

I would rather be wrong, but have an opinion I have formed myself, than swallow the "right" person's views whole. Often there is no right or wrong and most of the time, there are merits and flaws on both sides.

But the real point about paying attention to the message and not the messenger is it means that you trust your own judgement enough to evaluate what you read and hear, no matter what its source. Whether you should have that much confidence in yourself is another question entirely...

Country: USA
Experience Outside: Been to approximately 10% of the worlds countries.
Age: Late 40's
Polical Leanings: Moderate with liberal leanings.
Drug of Choice: Budweiser
Net Worth: More than I will use in my lifetime.

Very good point, from my perspective many Americans get their geography lessons from the cinema or TV screen. Well travelled to many means they were in the Army. :winkwink:

Country: Vorn in the UK and now live in Czech
Experience Outside: Travelled all of Europe, Thailand, Philippines, Mexico, drove from New York to Sacremento, stayed in California, Nevada, Arizona many times. Own property in the US and visit at least once a year.
Age: 55 and stupid
Polical Leanings: None, sometimes a right wing leftie.
Drug of Choice: None, been there, done it, got the T-Shirt.
Net Worth: I live on food stamps and what I beg at conventions.

Like I said many Americans think of being in the Army as travel.

10% of the worlds countries is BS as well.

they are entitled to their opinion.

No it's not and I will show you why.

The US was always one country that except for the civil war had one capital, leader and loyalty. Even in the civil war it was a group of States against each other. The history of the US goes back 500 years and every century it goes back it has less history, 200 years ago it was largely unpopulated or even explored.

The countries in Europe have just stopped fighting eachother and if you go back a few centuries you will see civil wars within countries. Europes "Civil Wars" were the two world wars. But before that there was Napolean, Franco/German wars, Spanish/English, and many many more. Italy was only recently unified into one country, the UK had a civil war and a war between the houses of Lancaster and Yorkshire.

Our history goes back 2,000 years to the Romans and then further to the Greeks and beyond. We all speak different languages. The difference in culture in America is over 1,000s of miles, drive from county to county in the UK to see a change of culture.

Europe is far more fragmented that the USA because of this history and culture and even though the EU gives a picture of unity it's still very much split country by country. Each country fighting for it's own cause. Many times to the detriment of the EU, look at the farming subsidy and France for instance.

People here still put their own country above the EU, in fact it would be country, county, then Europe. Most Americans see it the other way around, well Americans I meet.

Like I have repeatedly said...you are a clueless...nasty toothed...piece of foreign trash...who is proud to have content for a wife. :1orglaugh I have easily been to 10% of the countries of the world. BTW you are dismissed...now feel free to :321GFY cluless.

That's complete bullshit and you know it.

So how many of those countries did you travel to as a civilian, paid for by yourself and not the army?

Country: Canada
Experience Outside: Been to LA more times than I can count, Vegas, Florida
Age: 20 with an open mind
Polical Leanings: Centrist/Democrat/Capitalist
Drug of Choice: Gambling
Net Worth: between 100-200k

Well...some of the same countries (European) that I visited while in the Army I revisited as a civilian...so I would say about half of what I visited while in the Army. I spent approximately three months...at one point...in Europe...traveling as a civilian. Unlike you I did not spend any time in hostels.

The bottom line is...travel is travel...is travel...be it in uniform or in civies.

So the real figure is about 5%... or a little more than half a dozen countries.

Thought so... you are dismissed. :1orglaugh