Comments on: The anti American Fashion.

By: DavidLeyonhjelm

DavidLeyonhjelm — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:00:08 +0000

I have heard that there are nice French people, but I have never met any myself.

Nicholas, if you apply the same criteria to the French as you apply to the Americans, you will certainly hate them.

They are super patriotic and resent America mainly because it is not a French speaking country (given France’s involvement in US independence). They are de facto colonisers (see Francophone Africa) and have a full time mercenary army (French Foreign Legion). They promote the speaking of French like evangelists promote religion (see Alliance Francaise). Unlike most Americans, they are not capable of seeing their own faults.

None of that bothers me. The reason I am no fan of France is they are locked in a semi-socialist time warp and pretend it’s some kind of virtue.

As individuals, you’ll find most frogs are quite nice though. Just like Americans.

By: Jim Fryar

Jim Fryar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:53:53 +0000

I think you have to be a little more understanding of the French and allow for the problem they have in that they only ever see the rest of the world from between two fingers at arms length.

By: nicholas gray

nicholas gray — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:25:03 +0000

So that’s how you spell “Bastille”! Thanks, Jim!
Two Revoltings, two differing outcomes! I can certainly say that I prefer the system of government in America to that in France. I just don’t like the attitudes that go with either system.
I have heard that there are nice French people, but I have never met any myself. If they visit Australia, it must be in small numbers.

By: Jim Fryar

Jim Fryar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:00:36 +0000

but because they try to claim that the French Revolution was the greatest event in world history Nicholas we are finally in agreement fully, I offer this as a peace gesture.

By: Mark Hill

Mark Hill — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:45:49 +0000

There are various types of superpatriotism, positive (fuck yeah we’ve got the bill of rights), negative (fuck yeah let’s invade Iranistan and take out Sadam and his al Qaida network and help our Saudi “allies”)) and dissent to the negative aspects (I support the troops but I’m against FISA and secret courts and indefinite imprisonment).

I quite like any patriotism if people know their history.

By: nicholas gray

nicholas gray — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:09:30 +0000

I also hate the French, though that is probably genetic. Not only for when they exploded atom bombs, but because they try to claim that the French Revolution was the greatest event in world history (a lot like the americans in their super-patriotism). I did NOT celebrate Bastialle Day, I never have, and I think I never will. (And has anyone else noticed that ever since the French Revolution, French power has been declining? Or was that always inevitable, if the Germans ever united?)

By: Jim Fryar

Jim Fryar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:20:10 +0000

Nicholas, You really need to get out a bit more. Out here in the real world I meet Americans quite a lot, and really they are a whole lot different to the ones you see in the movies.

The ones I tend to meet are not scripted by leftist Hollywood writers.

By: nicholas gray

nicholas gray — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:50:07 +0000

David and others, have you thought that the chief difference between us is that we have met different Americans? The Americans I have met were a diverse bunch, but quite a few seemed to be what I have termed super-patriots. Perhaps I will meet some more of your kinder type of American (and I have met some cousins of mine, from Scranton, in Pennsylvania, who are nice people.) But each of us can only judge by the people we have met. your attempts to argue me out of my position didn’t take into account that it is based on my own experiences.

By: DavidLeyonhjelm

DavidLeyonhjelm — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:12:46 +0000

I agree Jim. I thought Nicholas could see the silliness in his earlier remarks. Sadly it appears not to be the case.

superpatriotism is the glue that binds the US together

You call it ‘super’ only because you don’t share it(since you’re not American) What’s the glue that binds Australians together? Anzac Day? Winning the ashes? The government?

‘We the people’ is their catch cry!

And well chosen too. It’s based on the notion of the social contract. The important thing for a libertarian is that it draws a sharp distinction between the people and the government.

I have never met Australians doing that abroad.

Travel more. Go to somewhere like Bali or Phuket, for example. Many Australians abroad are excruciating.

From experience I know that Americans are as diverse as Australians. Some of them are the most intelligent, charming people you could meet. Others wouldn’t know the difference between a sound argument and an echo in the dunny. How does that make them any different?

By: Jim Fryar

Jim Fryar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:29:29 +0000

Spot on Temujin; I tend to find that a lot of Kiwis really irritate me with their small country syndrome, but if I had allowed that to make me hate Kiwis I would never have got along with a couple of the best mates I have. When one of them went back it was the first time I was ever sorry to see someone go back to NZ.