American Bashing

Whilst on stereotypes, during my time(s) in Indonesia, I would avoid bars and restuarants patronised by other expats, believing that travel was not about hanging with your own nationals. Consequently we'd always end up in places popular with the locals but relatively unknown to round eyes.

I noticed that the bar staff and management always sort of looked at me funny - my friends and business partners are Indo's. Eventually when we all got used to each other I asked about this. They replied that Australians always started to fight and smash the place up, after a few drinks and they were waiting for this to happen.

And this is in a place that would hardly ever see an Ozzie.

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Originally Posted by Bodgy

Whilst on stereotypes, during my time(s) in Indonesia, I would avoid bars and restuarants patronised by other expats, believing that travel was not about hanging with your own nationals. Consequently we'd always end up in places popular with the locals but relatively unknown to round eyes.

I noticed that the bar staff and management always sort of looked at me funny - my friends and business partners are Indo's. Eventually when we all got used to each other I asked about this. They replied that Australians always started to fight and smash the place up, after a few drinks and they were waiting for this to happen.

And this is in a place that would hardly ever see an Ozzie.

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Yes, I must admit to seeing my share of "Ugly Australians" while overseas. :(

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Originally Posted by Termite

Yes, I must admit to seeing my share of "Ugly Australians" while overseas. :(

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You don't have to go OS to see them, just watch the Boxing day test. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Gumby

You don't have to go OS to see them, just watch the Boxing day test. :rolleyes:

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see!!! I told you!!! NOTHING good comes of cricket!!!

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Originally Posted by Termite

Yes, I must admit to seeing my share of "Ugly Australians" while overseas. :(

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Mate, you don't have to go O.S. to see Ugly in it's finest:- like the old Digger bashed for his few dollars he won on A.N.Z.A.C. Day and left for dead, or those "good" boy's who gang rape our daughters, not to mention those well balanced gentlemen who bash and rape those 80 odd years old women "who where just asking for it". Ugly, I don't know what your all on about, excuse me while I go and throw-up!....Ugly is not a race or religion set, it is the human animal that needs to be dealt with in what ever manner fit to make the world a safer place, and following this it will be a happier place, but I think not in my lifetime.:(
savage(Eric):(

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Originally Posted by Zed

see!!! I told you!!! NOTHING good comes of cricket!!!

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Two years he's been waiting to get that off his chest:D :D :D :D

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Originally Posted by Gumby

You don't have to go OS to see them, just watch the Boxing day test. :rolleyes:

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The visiting Yarpie team are our guests Gumby, and you should not be so unkind about them.

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Originally Posted by Bodgy

The visiting Yarpie team are our guests Gumby, and you should not be so unkind about them.

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Yarpie ?? Please explain. :confused:

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Originally Posted by Iain

Two years he's been waiting to get that off his chest:D :D :D :D

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I hope a few chest hairs came off with it. :D OUCH !!

[Yarpie ?? Please explain. :confused:

Sud Effrikans, I'm trying to be even handed in my racial villification.

OK, I think we have established that people are people no matter where they are from and that we shouldn't assume anything about a person based on some broad category like place of birth or religion.

There are perceptions of us held by others that we don't agree with and no doubt a lot of the perceptions we have of other countries would have the same reception with them.

However there are cultural differences that contribute to some stereotypes. Do German's really have no sense of humour? Well, my mate Helmut does, albeit a strange one. So perhaps they just express it in a different way. So in that regard, DPB is spot on when he says that a lot of stereotypes are given rise to through ignorance.

There are probably others that are deserved. One of the systems I work on is a psychometric test suite used exstensively for recruitment and team building. The program has to be tweaked for different countries and cultures so that the results are not distorted. For example, in the US certain attributes are less favourable than they are here and vice versa. The differences are even bigger when you go into places like Hungary, Brazil, China and Denmark. You can't just compare Joe from Sydney with Mikkel from Copenhagen because their cultural environments are so different. If Joe is a go getter in Sydney he might be considered arrogant and rude in Copenhagen.

Doesn't that indicate some broad differences? Or is it just a flawed attempt to pigeonhole people? I don't know, I'm no psychologist.

I suppose we all have to try and be a bit less trigger happy and a bit more aware of where people are coming from.

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Originally Posted by Bodgy

[Yarpie ?? Please explain. :confused:

Sud Effrikans, I'm trying to be even handed in my racial villification.

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Oh them fellas. But I wasn't thinking about who was on the actual ground, more about those who go to 'watch' (and I use the term 'watch' very loosely) :(

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Originally Posted by silentC

OK, I think we have established that people are people no matter where they are from and that we shouldn't assume anything about a person based on some broad category like place of birth or religion.

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Except to say that we could make the one generalisation we all know to be true about anybody who contributes to these forums, regardless of nationality, one thing is absoultely certain. You have no life. :D :D

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Originally Posted by silentC

OK, I think we have established that people are people no matter where they are from and that we shouldn't assume anything about a person based on some broad category like place of birth or religion.

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Very true and most of us are not American people bashing, well may be some of them ought to be bashed, like S.A.:D , but are objecting to the yankee imperialism that their country feels it ought to inflict on the rest of the world.

Whether it is economic imperialism, when they kept their dollar and gold prices artificially low for decades so they could buy up overseas competitors after the war years, or their alledged culteral imperialism with their cheap export of their Hollywood junk, or their military imperialism and involving us in them, their massive cheap exports and their corresponding closed markets keeping the trade deficits most countries face too high and their export of their hamburgers which ruined the Aussie hamburger are IMO fair things to criticise.

So when some one tries to justify the above, whether a Seppo or not, he deserves to be knocked down.:D


Peter.

Swish!

He was under another name 2 years ago but that person has never posted.

My guess is that he registered and forgot his pass word and reregistered. We have quite a few like that.

I personally agree with him that it sometimes seems you are American bashing and the only reason the other thread with "Sailing American" was left open is that he deserved it whether he was black, blue, green, yellow or Hindu, Christian, Sikh or African, American, English or Australian.

[quote=]Swish!
I personally agree with him that it sometimes seems you are American bashing and the only reason the other thread with "Sailing American" was left open quote]

I would postulate you should read we. Not specifically for the US bashing, but we're all singing from the same hymn book, aren't we?

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Originally Posted by

Swish!
only reason the other thread with "Sailing American" was left open is that he deserved it whether he was black, blue, green, yellow or Hindu, Christian, Sikh or African, American, English or Australian.

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Maybe it was Pauline as a troll??

and its "Straylens" :D

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Originally Posted by vsquizz

Maybe it was Pauline as a troll??

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Nah, Kenmil's revenge :p :p

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Originally Posted by vsquizz

Maybe it was Pauline as a troll??

and its "Straylens" :D

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Is it possible for Pauline to be anyhting else?

Imdusty,

Welcome and please stick around. We are going to have a lot of fun and you will enjoy it I promise. This is an Aussie forum but we do have many regulars from the US, UK, NZ, Canada and Queensland. :D All are welcome.

There are so many great people here. I know coz I have met many of them.:)

So, whos turn is it now? The Franche? Yez, I tink sew...

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Originally Posted by Groggy

So, whos turn is it now? The Franche? Yez, I tink sew...

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Racial P*ss pulling is always fun..especially when it involves Tasmanian's and Kiwi's. However profession/trade villification is far more amusing. I like stirring up the sparkies..and there is pick on a plumber day. I'd like to propose we have "Bash a Lawyer Week"...but whats the point of restricting it to a week?:D

Cheers

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Originally Posted by vsquizz

I'd like to propose we have "Bash a Lawyer Week"...but whats the point of restricting it to a week?:D

Cheers

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Don't do that we don't have enough paper here for their replies :D

Cheers

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Originally Posted by Wongo

There are so many great people here. I know coz I have met many of them.:)

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Yes, and we still let him stay. :D

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Originally Posted by Groggy

So, whos turn is it now? The Franche? Yez, I tink sew...

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Careful, Mr Good Moaning will give you a reddy:D :D :D

Just don't pick on the Origamists!!!!

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Originally Posted by Christopha

Just don't pick on the Origamists!!!!

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Still smarting about your thread that got the swish are you stoppers?:D

Richard

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Originally Posted by Christopha

Just don't pick on the Origamists!!!!

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We wouldn't, they'd get their skirts all in a knot. :D

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Originally Posted by Christopha

Just don't pick on the Origamists!!!!

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They're a twisted lot.

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Originally Posted by Daddles

Still smarting about your thread that got the swish are you stoppers?:D

Richard

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What swish?????:eek:

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Originally Posted by Iain

Careful, Mr Good Moaning will give you a reddy:D :D :D

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Speaking on behalf of the good Captain Crabtree, I obviously need to point out (again :rolleyes: ) that he's not French - he's a pommy agent masquerading as a gendarme. That's why his pronunciation is so p!ss poor.

Or, in other words: You cin toke the pass eet of the Franch as mich as you leek. It's wooter off a dick's bock to moo!

I probably should keep quiet. Otherwise the Chinese will be next.

Hell! I don't care because you guys are bastards.:D

Wongo (Peeking :D and duck :D )

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Originally Posted by Wongo

Hell! I don't care because you guys are bastards.:D

Wongo (Peeking :D and duck :D )

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Wongo, remember the old saying: It takes one to know one.:D


Peter.

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Originally Posted by Wongo

(Peeking :D and duck :D )

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Is that anything like "Zut alors and Camembert!"?

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Originally Posted by Sturdee

Whether it is economic imperialism, when they kept their dollar and gold prices artificially low for decades so they could buy up overseas competitors after the war years,

So when some one tries to justify the above, whether a Seppo or not, he deserves to be knocked down.:D


Peter.

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Geeze Sturdee I can't comment much about the exchange rates post WWII but there was the gold standard that came out of the Breton Woods agreement and stayed in place pretty much up to the 1973 oil crisis when it became obvious that currency could be traded at whatever price the market decided.

Likewise post WWII the whole world rebuilt, Europe had been bombed to bits and the Yanks financed the reconstruction give them a bit of credit. Just a guess but that would mean printing lots of dollars which would keep the value of the dollar down. Of course because it was a gold standard they would have to buy lots of the stuff.

So if I deserve to be knocked down on that one go ahead but I don't think it is really fair to criticise them over what they did after the war.

Studley

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Originally Posted by Wongo

(Peeking :D and duck :D )

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Possably he is being frugal with his words and is saying,"If you get caught peeking then duck." :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Wongo

This is an Aussie forum but we do have many regulars from the US, UK, NZ, Canada and Queensland. :D All are welcome.

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Hey, aren't we Aussies too in cane-toad country? Just because we don't all look alike, like you Southerners .....

Rocker

Studley,

Yes, the gold standard was in place for a long time as was the Sterling standard. Also the USA gave Europe the Marshall plan to help rebuild immediately after the war.

But with everything they do a price had to be paid. It was not as altruistic as most believe.

They kept enforcing the gold standard at the artificial level of $ 35 for years after it was totally unrealistic to do so. They kept it so low until the UK and the commonwealth countries were forced to abandon the Sterling standard and start floating their currencies.

They did this by printing more and more dollars without any gold backing until it became so bad that most countries with strong currencies would no longer accept payment in US dollars. In particular near the end Australia could only pay for imports from Asia in yen's, even China would only accept payment in Remimbies, and from Germany and other European countries in DM's of francs . It was most frustrating working in a bank's foreign exchange department at that time.:(

The other aspect of the artificially low dollar was their economic imperialism was their wholesale buying of overseas companies with their cheap dollars to eliminate foreign competition. You only have to look at our country how they bought up industries and brands just to close them down.

Don't forget that even with the gold value now floating, and there being more gold available, to back the US dollar, if every dollar note in non US hands would be presented to their federal reserve bank the whole house of cards would collapse and the country would be placed in receivership. Unfortunately most US citizens don't realise this as their politicians are like ours and don't come clean on these things.


Peter.

Peter.

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Originally Posted by Rocker

Hey, aren't we Aussies too in cane-toad country? Just because we don't all look alike, like you Southerners .....

Rocker

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If you start wearing big funny hats and speak like Speedy Gonzales, you'll fit right in, Amigo. :D

Whilst I have only scant knowledge of the old Gold standard and ramifications, I certainly agree with the thrust of Peter's argument. It's said that the real losers of WWII were the Russians, in terms of suffering and dead soldiers (and probably Stalin thereafter) and the British in terms of debt and losing their Empire (partly to the US in exchange for some old destroyers). The real winners were the US (finiancially) Germany and Japan, with rebuilt economies and small reparations.

Certainly the US is guilty of economic imperialism, but its a bit hard to condemn them for this. The government of the US has always run the country like a global business, for the benefit of its citizens - like the British Empire was run. They've been very successful in this, and probably own half the world's assetts by now.

America is a business, always has been, well for a long time anyway. Their Civil War was primarily for economic reasons even back then.

They saved our ass from Japan and I think the vast majority of Americans are honest and decent people. If you're going to have an economic overlord, they're probably the best going around.

The thing I find interesting is that I think China may well replace the US, as the major military and economic power in our region, in the next 20 years. We may well look back on the days of US domination with nostalgia.

At least the food will be better, and I find the girls prettier.

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Originally Posted by Bodgy

The thing I find interesting is that I think China may well replace the US, as the major military and economic power in our region, in the next 20 years.

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That and the other main power will be a united Europe (including Russia) and the USA will become a bit player on the world's stage. Where that will leave us with our reliance on the USA is a great worry.

The future indeed will be a combination of what was described in " 1984 " and " A brave new world ".


Peter.