The Real America???

[Alex_P]

"Real American" is totally this year's sexy new insult.

Example usage: "Well, maybe a real American like you would think that."

-- Alex

 

[vxicepickxv]

I grew up in small town America and saw the best and worst of living in such a backwater and provincial shithole. But really, I just saw the worst of it because there is absolutely nothing uniquely and exclusively good about small town America, even though Sarah Palin says otherwise.

Despite my background though, my high level of intelligence, education, and avoidance of dogmatic thinking prevents me from being a real American.

So in order to not be a real American you just have to disagree even slightly with the GOP talking points, or try to further yourself at all? Cool. I'm so fake I can't even pretend to be real.

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

yes the daily show got it right, the segment that ended with the clip of the firefighters. but they are technically a comedy show so it doesnt count. i honestly prefer fictional america.

but, while im here in fictional america... i want a unicorn. thats one problem our leaders havent adressed, a severe lack of unicorns and dragons, talking cats, flying pigs, merfolk, genies, wish granting fish, and, of course, the fact that we do NOT have fountains of youth in every public park. and why do our public schools not teach conjuration, an essential school of magic? thats a big problem to be adressed in the upcoming election, its the twenty first fucking century, why do out schools not teach ANY spells? why do we even HAVE schools not a matrix style information download system? why do we use filthy coal burning busses not magical unicorn driven carriages. or teleportation devices. i dont care if the AI on my teleporter is gay or not, i just want it already. at least a flying car.

Well teleporters are a bad idea anyway, to use one the original you is destroyed and an exact copy of you comes out on the other end, no one else would notice, but the original you would be dead, and can you imagine the chaos that would come with flying cars? anyway... Palin is a stuck up ***** who can go to hell.

 

[vxicepickxv]

I'm sort of this kind of hybrid libertarian and liberal. It both confuses and scares a lot of people.

 

[brabz]

It's just the new generation of the 1950's idealized family. Men wore suits to work, women had a martini and dinner ready when they arrive home. There's a complete gloss-over of nasty stuff like how those "colored" people had separate fountains and weren't allowed in certain restaurants or that back-alley abortion clinics existed.

The modern one is that real Americans are blue-collar, god-fearing, and don't fall for the liberal media bias.

People are entitled to have whatever political views they want; just don't force it down my throat at work or in a social setting. My biggest complaint is the absolute arrogance to claim one American is less valid or patriotic because of views they hold; it's a stupid, polarizing thing to say.

 

[vxicepickxv]

Yes, but if you can polarize a nation on stupid little things, then how will they unite when something huge and evil happens? It's all part of the master plan to strip us of our rights when we're yelling at someone for something that doesn't really matter.

 

[Saskwach]

It's just the new generation of the 1950's idealized family. Men wore suits to work, women had a martini and dinner ready when they arrive home. There's a complete gloss-over of nasty stuff like how those "colored" people had separate fountains and weren't allowed in certain restaurants or that back-alley abortion clinics existed.

The modern one is that real Americans are blue-collar, god-fearing, and don't fall for the liberal media bias.

People are entitled to have whatever political views they want; just don't force it down my throat at work or in a social setting. My biggest complaint is the absolute arrogance to claim one American is less valid or patriotic because of views they hold; it's a stupid, polarizing thing to say.

Hey, just wanted to say, brabz, that your avatar is very cool. So cool, in fact, that I briefly had a deep urge to change mine to an Abe pic as well - and I am Cthulhu '08.
Oh, and, you've got a point there. There's always a tendency to look back and to the farm when/where things were/are simpler and people knew the meaning of hard work and community and so on.

 

[Cyclomega]

Republicans are barely Human, from what i've seen recently!

At least Sarah Palin* seems 100% organic (ugly innuendos included).


*a Good Christian Creationist American with a jewish name, oh the irony

 

[Alex_P]

*a Good Christian Creationist American with a jewish name, oh the irony

I haven't seen any definitive evidence that she's a die-hard creationist. It's easy to assume that from her other positions, but it's not necessarily true.

-- Alex

 

[Cyclomega]

And ?

 

[Alex_P]

And ?

And nothing!

Why wallow in speculation and fabrication when you could go for the truth?

The truth is unflattering enough, anyway.

-- Alex

 

[iain62a]

Toss the bureaucrats back in their place.

Like you would a Dwarf(Fantasy)?

 

[mkb07a]

I'm from a small, rural, farm-based area, and while I love my hometown... Christ. The high school I went to was a joke. I came to college and realized that the number one lesson I took away from my HS was how to skip class and not get caught. We have the highest meth-lab busts in the Southwest US, the teen pregnancy rate is through the roof, the drop-out rate is almost as high...

That being said, I love my hometown. I love pick-ups and hunting. I want to move to Montana in a few years and grow my own crops. I like small towns- to say that any place, though, is "less" American or "more" American in this country is ignorance. At face value I would qualify as a "Real" American, but my criticism of our foreign and domestic policies, the fact that I own a copy of the Qur'an, and not going to church on Sundays makes me a "fake" American.

As Jon Stewart said last night, "Um, fuck all ya'll."

EDIT: The quote above is directed at politicians... not anyone here... *sweats*

 

[Beowulf DW]

I think this whole issue stems from the fact that there are two kinds of patriotism in America.

First, is the patriotism that McCain embodies, "Land where my father died" patriotism. This is the patriotism of the conservatives, the patriotism that entails loving and respecting the history and heritage of the United States. When people take this too far, they try to ignore the flaws and mistakes of this country, complaining if a text book so much as insinuates that the Native Americans were treated unjustly.

The second kind of patriotism is the kind that Obama embodies, the American Dream patriotism. This kind of patriotism takes pride in the potential of Americans, in our ability to become better as individuals and as a country. American Dream patriotism requires a look at the mistakes that America has made, because it's impossible to improve if you don't know what you have to improve. When people take this kind of patriotism to far, they have a tendency to spew anarchistic criticism and completely ignore some of the great things Americans have done.

In a sense, "true" American patriotism may consist of both forms, combining a love an respect for America's accomplishments with knowledge of our past mistakes and confidence in our potential.

 

[Kaminobob]

is a project made by some of those 'fake' Americans. Tl;dw, its 10-second clips of actual people saying "my name is, i *personal fact*, and i'm a real American".
it's kind of touching, in a way.

 

[vxicepickxv]

I think this whole issue stems from the fact that there are two kinds of patriotism in America.

First, is the patriotism that McCain embodies, "Land where my father died" patriotism. This is the patriotism of the conservatives, the patriotism that entails loving and respecting the history and heritage of the United States. When people take this too far, they try to ignore the flaws and mistakes of this country, complaining if a text book so much as insinuates that the Native Americans were treated unjustly.

The second kind of patriotism is the kind that Obama embodies, the American Dream patriotism. This kind of patriotism takes pride in the potential of Americans, in our ability to become better as individuals and as a country. American Dream patriotism requires a look at the mistakes that America has made, because it's impossible to improve if you don't know what you have to improve. When people take this kind of patriotism to far, they have a tendency to spew anarchistic criticism and completely ignore some of the great things Americans have done.

In a sense, "true" American patriotism may consist of both forms, combining a love an respect for America's accomplishments with knowledge of our past mistakes and confidence in our potential.

QFT

The extremes in both of the major political parties will destroy America, and it was fun while it lasted.

 

[Dr Spaceman]

I think this whole issue stems from the fact that there are two kinds of patriotism in America.

First, is the patriotism that McCain embodies, "Land where my father died" patriotism. This is the patriotism of the conservatives, the patriotism that entails loving and respecting the history and heritage of the United States. When people take this too far, they try to ignore the flaws and mistakes of this country, complaining if a text book so much as insinuates that the Native Americans were treated unjustly.

The second kind of patriotism is the kind that Obama embodies, the American Dream patriotism. This kind of patriotism takes pride in the potential of Americans, in our ability to become better as individuals and as a country. American Dream patriotism requires a look at the mistakes that America has made, because it's impossible to improve if you don't know what you have to improve. When people take this kind of patriotism to far, they have a tendency to spew anarchistic criticism and completely ignore some of the great things Americans have done.

In a sense, "true" American patriotism may consist of both forms, combining a love an respect for America's accomplishments with knowledge of our past mistakes and confidence in our potential.

I guess a lot of this argument boils down to why I don't necessarily understand why these two kinds of patriotism need to be mutually exclusive. (Well put Beowulf, by the way.)

I suppose I'm more patriotic in the latter sense, the "potential and future" of America sense, but when you look at it, it's almost impossible to allow that kind of patriotism without supposing that these perceptions have to come from somewhere, most likely from the fact that I've seen what Americans have done in the past economically, politically, and socially and don't see why we can continue to improve.

When looking at our history, it's great to remember the good times. However, we really have to remember that many of those great leaders we've had our people who've had to step up and fix a fundamental issue with American society. For example, Franklin Roosevelt (considered by many to be one of our finest presidents) helped Americans learn our value on the world scene, that we were far too rich and influential to shirk our duties to the world.

When I see "problems" with our American past, I also like to believe that there exist solutions and great people in America who can fix them. That's my definition of "true" patriotism.

 

[Shadow-Knight]

Palin says stupid stuff. I am trully traffied that McCain gets elected president, dies, and then Palin is becomes president. That might be worse than Bush.

 

[Walden]

I think this whole issue stems from the fact that there are two kinds of patriotism in America.

First, is the patriotism that McCain embodies, "Land where my father died" patriotism. This is the patriotism of the conservatives, the patriotism that entails loving and respecting the history and heritage of the United States. When people take this too far, they try to ignore the flaws and mistakes of this country, complaining if a text book so much as insinuates that the Native Americans were treated unjustly.

The second kind of patriotism is the kind that Obama embodies, the American Dream patriotism. This kind of patriotism takes pride in the potential of Americans, in our ability to become better as individuals and as a country. American Dream patriotism requires a look at the mistakes that America has made, because it's impossible to improve if you don't know what you have to improve. When people take this kind of patriotism to far, they have a tendency to spew anarchistic criticism and completely ignore some of the great things Americans have done.

In a sense, "true" American patriotism may consist of both forms, combining a love an respect for America's accomplishments with knowledge of our past mistakes and confidence in our potential.

I guess a lot of this argument boils down to why I don't necessarily understand why these two kinds of patriotism need to be mutually exclusive. (Well put Beowulf, by the way.)

I suppose I'm more patriotic in the latter sense, the "potential and future" of America sense, but when you look at it, it's almost impossible to allow that kind of patriotism without supposing that these perceptions have to come from somewhere, most likely from the fact that I've seen what Americans have done in the past economically, politically, and socially and don't see why we can continue to improve.

When looking at our history, it's great to remember the good times. However, we really have to remember that many of those great leaders we've had our people who've had to step up and fix a fundamental issue with American society. For example, Franklin Roosevelt (considered by many to be one of our finest presidents) helped Americans learn our value on the world scene, that we were far too rich and influential to shirk our duties to the world.

When I see "problems" with our American past, I also like to believe that there exist solutions and great people in America who can fix them. That's my definition of "true" patriotism.

"Conservatives love America like a kid loves mommy and daddy: they assume America can do no wrong and you are wrong if you disagree with them. We democrats love America the way we love our spouses and partners: we are understanding and not afraid to tell them when they screw up."
-Al Franken

That's not the exact quote, but it sums up the way I view my country.

 

[Imitation Saccharin]

At this point, I find it downright unbelievable that 50% of this country are going to vote for them. .

Good, because they don't.
Even in 2004, near 50 percent of the electoral votes where for Bush, but that's no where near a representation of how many Americans actually voted for him.
Hence I'm beginning to think America isn't more backward then any other nation, they've just a system that unfairly advantages rural (mostly conservative) communities over metropolises.

Why wallow in speculation and fabrication when you could go for the truth?
-- Alex

I like you.