What it means to be an American

[slang]

= Seeing large numbers of non-Americans flood into what you used to think of as your country while seeing large numbers of what you used to think of as American jobs fly out with the same velocity.

[Kitsune]

We live to work, not work to live.

[xoxoxoBruce]

That ain't me, Kitsune.

[Kitsune]

Well, okay, it isn't me, either.

We don't mind prime time television showing people being shot to death, but we fear the nipple.

I'm not American , so I cannot say what it feels like to be an American . I can however give you an outside-looking-in idea . The thing I find extraordinary about Americans is how they work so hard . You hardly have any holidays , compared to the holidays we have in Europe . And yet you all seem to radiate relaxedness . Very paradoxical .

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by Buddug

I'm not American , so I cannot say what it feels like to be an American . I can however give you an outside-looking-in idea . The thing I find extraordinary about Americans is how they work so hard . You hardly have any holidays , compared to the holidays we have in Europe . And yet you all seem to radiate relaxedness . Very paradoxical .

Wow. That's the nicest thing I've heard about American's in a damn long time.

And, we radiate relaxedness because of the

[Spexxvet]

We appear to be relaxed because we don't have to think. Our busy lives are laid out for us, all we have to focus on is the doing - and that's easy.

6:00 am get up, void bladder.
6:10 am eat breakfast.
6:20 am shit, shower, shampoo, shave, and shine.
6:45 am leave for work.

See, it's relaxing when you're too busy to think.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by Spexxvet

6:20 am shit, shower, shampoo, shave, and shine.

Wow, that's busier than my schedule! I take time to do most of those things separately!

[jonesieQ]

Originally Posted by Buddug

I'm not American , so I cannot say what it feels like to be an American . I can however give you an outside-looking-in idea . The thing I find extraordinary about Americans is how they work so hard . You hardly have any holidays , compared to the holidays we have in Europe . And yet you all seem to radiate relaxedness . Very paradoxical .

That isn't relaxedness...it's apathy. Caring is too costly in this country.

[primal muse]

Originally Posted by Buddug

I'm not American , so I cannot say what it feels like to be an American . I can however give you an outside-looking-in idea . The thing I find extraordinary about Americans is how they work so hard . You hardly have any holidays , compared to the holidays we have in Europe . And yet you all seem to radiate relaxedness . Very paradoxical .

we work so hard so we stay distracted from the bigger picture.america tries to uphold capitalistic ideals, if you arent being productive in some form or another then that screws the whole system up.

i probably sound like an uber conspiracy theorist but i swear im not. its just the way things are.

[Happy Monkey]

When you radiate all your relaxedness, you don't have any left for yourself.

[primal muse]

oh noes, you got me started.

the first american principle is greed. we are greedy by nature due to our second rate capitalistic ideals. we will push any one or anything out of the way without a second thought of the long term reprocussions to get what we want. (i.e. foriegn oil)

secondly most americans are emphatically uneducated and far too trust worthy of our corrupt system. people are too ignorant to even see ro care that we're being conditioned on a mass scale daily to keep us fat, happy, and submissive.

which brings me to my third and final. americans are some of the most gluttonous, lazy creatures in exsistance. we are unhealthy both mentally (but hey why not just pop a pill) and physically (gastric bypass is a quick fix). we expect big brother to keep us safe just as long as we dont have to lift a finger or figure anything out for ourselves.

i mean no offense to any one remotely patriotic on this forum but plz, wake up.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by primal muse

oh noes, you got me started.

the first american principle is greed. we are greedy by nature due to our second rate capitalistic ideals. we will push any one or anything out of the way without a second thought of the long term reprocussions to get what we want. (i.e. foriegn oil)

First of all our capitalistic ideals are not second rate. Nobody has better capitalistic ideals than we do. Secondly, I haven't pushed anybody out of the way to get foriegn oil since the '73 embargo. Don't confuse the government/industry with individual Americans.

secondly most americans are emphatically uneducated and far too trust worthy of our corrupt system. people are too ignorant to even see ro care that we're being conditioned on a mass scale daily to keep us fat, happy, and submissive.

Come back when you've got a wife and 6 kids, a mortgage and bills up to your ears. Then tell us how much you're worrying and what you're doing to straighten out the system.

which brings me to my third and final. americans are some of the most gluttonous, lazy creatures in exsistance. we are unhealthy both mentally (but hey why not just pop a pill) and physically (gastric bypass is a quick fix).

What do you live forever? Why? So you can tell other people they should be doing what you think is best for them?

we expect big brother to keep us safe just as long as we dont have to lift a finger or figure anything out for ourselves.

Isn't that what we pay them for?.

i mean no offense to any one remotely patriotic on this forum but plz, wake up.

No, you wake up.
If you don't like the was this country operates you've got 2 choices. Either find someplace else to live or change it...I honestly suggest the latter.
On the other hand, if you just want to tell me what to think, how to feel and how to live......well, let's just say, Homey don't play dat.

[jonesieQ]

[quote=xoxoxoBruce]First of all our capitalistic ideals are not second rate. Nobody has better capitalistic ideals than we do.

Maybe a comma between Primal's "capitalistic" and "ideals" should be added. But insisting that we have first rate "capitalistic ideals" isn't exactly a compliment. Our current form of capitalism, laissez-faire, wreaks a lot of damage over time...we've been witnessing it since the late 70's...the sudden need to change from a manufacturing base to a service base simply because industry had no restrictions on taking our manufacturing overseas for cheaper overhead and higher dividends to stockholders. Careers, families, towns, small businesses, schools, neighborhoods, regions, were devastated by this. And now we have a huge income gap and a privileged class, a large number of medically uninsured, personal debt to income ratios that are frightening, no job security, unprecedented levels of emotional and physical dysfunction, etc...it's awful. Our government hasn't been doing the job they're being paid to do. Instead they're trying to cure our (their) ills by becoming Big Brother.

The problem I think Primal was noting is that instead of fighting back, many Americans have become complacent and apathetic. A good point to make is that it's really difficult to fight back...the vortex that this economic system has us sucked into is powerful and disempowering. There's no time to fight, and little energy. (Exactly what you said about 'having a mortgage, six kids...', etc.) The economics we live by have us hogtied, and industry and finance know that. But something's got to break soon...Americans typically will only tolerate so much.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by jonesieQ

the vortex that this economic system has us sucked into is powerful and disempowering. There's no time to fight, and little energy.

I don't doubt it one bit. I'm in the middle of this book, Nickel and Dimed and it has really opened my eyes as to why people are trapped in low wage jobs, not to mention why no one has time or energy to stand up for anything, anymore. I have no doubt the system is this way by design, either.