Respect: A Simple Word

[Diavolo]

It's not really "falsely" typical if it has a basis in truth. Considering all the tourists that come to my city from the USA for one reason or another and act like prats, someone saying, "Typical so and so" isn't really ignorant. It's something learned through experience. Stereotypes usually have a basis in truth and considering my own girlfriend, who is an American, is ashamed of her own people and how they act towards the international community on personal levels, I'd say it's not too far off the mark. That's not to say every American acts that way. I've got quite a few good American friends who don't, but these same friends will tell you the self-entitled attitude and 'Murrica > you attitude is pretty rampant. Ever play any of the CoD series? The amount of racist/homophobic comments is quite appalling.

[Xenogias]

Snip

But it IS ignorance. You are basing your opinions of an entire country on a handful of people you have met and because your girlfriend is "ashamed" of her own people. Even if you have met a couple hundred people or even a couple thousand that does not make up an entire population. Don't even bring up COD. That's hardly an American only issue if you have ever watched the pro series. Its funny. So many get pissed when their race or country is attacked with stereotypes yet they seem to think its not the same when they say Americans are self-entitled jackasses. Every country has its bad and its good. America is no different than where you live like it or not.

Just want to point out I try to be nice to everyone. I don't care if you are male, female, American, Canadian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese....I just don't care. Everyone is human. But attack me or my country based off the same stereotypes that you claim to hate and its hard to be nice about it.

[Diavolo]

Snip

It's your opinion that it's ignorance. You can't say what people are basing their opinions off of. For example, if I held the opinion that Americans in general are ignorant or used the phrase, "typical American," it's because my experiences are based off the thousands I've interacted with whether it's via gaming, real life encounters via tourists or when I lived there. I've met many different types of people from different parts of the world due to my travels and I can say that Americans are the worst when it comes to ignorance and lack of manners/respect. Why? Well, when questioning my friends and girlfriend about this, it's because that's how a good deal of them were educated growing up. That America is the best and f**k the rest. You seemed to ignore the part where I said not every American is like that. Learn to read something in its entirety before replying.

[Xenogias]

snip

I did read the whole thing. But how do you expect someone to react when you try to generalize at first and then say you know many Americans who aren't like what the rest of the world seems to think we are like? You cant have it both ways. The point I intended to make and did a terrible job of it is generalizations are silly regardless of who is making them. Using the word ignorant was out of line as well. I'm sorry if I was offensive that was not the intent. Truth be told there is a good amount of our culture and lack of REAL education of other cultures that I don't like. But you have to understand that I am proud to have been born and raised here and I will defend it. The same as I would expect anyone else to do with their country.

[Diavolo]

Snip

I don't really care if you're proud of where you're born and feel the need to defend it. That's pretty irrelevant. The international community doesn't hold such an opinion without some basis in truth. Every nation has good and bad, but when your nation has a reputation for flat out ignorance, self-entitlement, and an impetuous view of those that aren't part of your nation, something is wrong. And you already restated what I stated about the education system, which is a joke in itself, but that's too far off topic and delves more into social stratification, etc.

After all, you don't really hear Europeans bitching at people for not speaking *insert language* in this game when someone speaks their native language just because they can't understand it.

[Gramul]

when your nation has a reputation for flat out ignorance, self-entitlement, and an impetuous view of those that aren't part of your nation, something is wrong.

Statements like that only just parrots the opinions of over exaggerated satire and sensationalism stemming from ignorance and paranoia.

I don't control what other people think of me and my nation. I live my life as I see fit. If others have an issue with that, it's on them and I have no reason to change for people who already hate me. Now there is certainly something to be said about socially acceptable behavior and being able to tactfully represent yourself to avoid unnecessary drama and conflict, but those that feed on judgement and prejudice based on cherry picking stereotypes? I don't need them to like me.

After all, you don't really hear Europeans bitching at people for not speaking *insert language* in this game when someone speaks their native language just because they can't understand it.

Nor did I ever hear Americans or Canadians complaining about that either.

[Diavolo]

Statements like that only just parrots the opinions of over exaggerated satire and sensationalism stemming from ignorance and paranoia.

I don't control what other people think of me and my nation. I live my life as I see fit. If others have an issue with that, it's on them and I have no reason to change for people who already hate me. Now there is certainly something to be said about socially acceptable behavior and being able to tactfully represent yourself to avoid unnecessary drama and conflict, but those that feed on judgement and prejudice based on cherry picking stereotypes? I don't need them to like me.

Again, my opinions are formed based on my experiences/interactions. Not satire/sensationalism/paranoia. In fact, I'm not even sure what I would need to be paranoid about.

[Tsunenori]

That's not to say every American acts that way. I've got quite a few good American friends who don't, but these same friends will tell you the self-entitled attitude and 'Murrica > you attitude is pretty rampant.

It's easy to fall into that type of thinking. I have to remind myself that the people who act that way are the loudest and the brashest, and the ones most likely to go around thumping chests and proclaiming how righteous everything they love and believe is. Really that's true of just about everything said by Soldowner, but it's really easy to become disheartened and feel like that's the default when the truth is that most reasonable people are just trying to get through their day and avoid conflict with the aforementioned types of people.

Anyway, I'm glad you said what you did, OP. If even only one person reads it and thinks "maybe I have been a little ridiculous" then you've accomplished your goal, in my opinion.