Do you know why stereotypes distress us so? Because appearance is truth. Thor > > > >Irony Alert. > > > >Robert, obviously I can appreciate your concerns. Half my time on this >list > >seems to be dedicated to trying to crush Australian stereotypes. Did you > >ever see the documentary Blue Eyed, about the woman who teaches people > >about racism by dividing up people into blue and brown eyed groups, one > >inferior, one superior, to show how ingrained our prejudices are? This is > >the sort of thing I was trying to touch on. I was trying to show by >example > >how hurtful it is to be regarded stereotypically. Fire with fire if you > >like, or as my Mum puts it, `sinking down to their level'. I'm sorry if >you > >took it literally, but again: > > > > > I'll say that this is you copping out. As I said previously, there >have been numerous times that I have bitten my tongue over your comments >concerning America. This is a subject that boggles my mind, how the rest of >the world seems to think they have a much better handle on what goes on in >American society, than we do. I meet students form all over the world ( I >live in Boston, we're overrun by them) who tell me all that I don't know >about my own country. The problem is, they are usually basing their >observations on sitcoms and bad propaganda. I couldn't even imagine voicing >an opinion about Austrailian society. Why is that the rest of the world is >so prepared to tell me about Americans? ( and I tend to think that >Canadians >may be the worst of them all at this) > > When you pull this on a lot of Americans these days, they'll probably >agree with you, because we are losing our soul as a country. It's like >folks >are guilty to be American. (But I think these people would be soulless >wherever they live. ) What you have run into here is someone who is >unfashionably proud to be American. I'm no right winger either, if you are >of the mind to believe that belief in our country is the sole domain of >Conservatives. > > I'm just tired of this US bashing and the many forms it takes on. >The fact that you are making your judgements here based on Friends and the >Simpsons should be startling, apparently it's not. > > > Robert Morris > winboog@gis.net > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com