I don't believe it NB

Re:the majority are good people, with good intent

Well, not quite like the rest of the world. For most democratic countries in the world, waging war against weaker countries is not part of what the government does wrong. Our government is bad, but we're the only ones suffering for it!





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Re:the majority are good people, with good intent

Perhaps it's when you lose that direct personal interaction that things become bad- similar psychology is used to explain people being agressive while driving ie no personal contact and having a car to hide behind. I also think that a lot of it is down to lack of empathy and understanding of other cultures. Having had friends an dwork colleagues from many countries, the impression I get is that all countries have a chunk of the population who are not very nice people, but that all countries also have their nice people. That is going to be inherent in any society. Also, I'm not sure how you decide who is normal and who is good in the context of the world given the number of different cultures and religions. Lets all spread some niceness and tolerance.

<hr width=100% size=1>Life's too short- do it now.
 
Re:the majority are good people, with good intent

Nigel,

Calm down. No, you are certainly correct that travelling and working abroad doesn't make you or I, an expert. It does surely though, give an insight to countries, governments and people that watching TV or reading newspapers can't.

Your bio shows you work in the oil industry so you must have seen the poverty, corruption and bad government in many countries. Libya and Nigeria spring to mind.

I'm merely saying from my experiences that the States, with all its faults still remains the one country that most folks aspire to. CNN recently reported that there are over 7 million ILLEGAL immigrants to the States in recent years. It is no doubt full of problems, many serious, but these exist all over the world.

Poverty - I've seen beggars in the states, stood in front of "Hiring hands now" signs. I've seen a dead child apparently an orphan, outside a hotel in Jakarta, with everyone walking past.

Racism - I've seen the worst of racism in Middle Eastern countries. Look at how the Phillipinos are treated there.

Religious fundamentalism - again the Middle East takes some beating. N. Ireland has some fair old religious looneys too. Who would vote for the Taliban to govern?

Free comment - The American sites, newspapers, TV are full of nutters, saying whatever they want from what I've seen. I don't see or hear that sort of thing in Cuba, China, Iran etc etc. I've worked with teams who can't speak freely because the factory Government informer is alongside. I see nothing remotely similar in the States.

Corruption - Well you've working in Russia.


I don't want to start a slanging match. I merely voiced my opinion, that America for all its faults is still a pretty good place to live compared to most.

Why don't you exercise your hard won freedom here or on an American site and voice your own opinions without steaming up and knocking my views?
I'm sure the powerful media owners won't stop you.....:>)






<hr width=100% size=1>Beer - its not just for Breakfast you know.
 
Re: I don\'t believe it NB

My favorite "american" experience was when I was having a beer in a bar in ponce, (pronounced pon-che!), and a very pissed and sunburnt yank flopped his arm round me and said: "Heeey, did you guys hear about that 9-11 thing over there??"

It brings a tear to my eye!

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Re:the majority are good people, with good intent

Is it that long since somebody tried to be nice?

<hr width=100% size=1>Life's too short- do it now.
 
Re:the majority are good people, with good intent

"Most human beings are kind to others"

Good point. In a situation of, say, a pub with a dozen people of different race,
it is probable they would get on well together.
I would suggest that at least one of the root causes is religion.
If you then carried out the above experiment in a certain part of Ireland, you could soon have a riot.
I suspect the same could be the case in certain parts of the Middle East
If , from the age of five you have been taught to hate people of another religion
what chance is there?
All only in my opinion of course. Briani



<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by mirabriani on 21/07/2004 15:14 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
Re: Not too late for me, it\'s gone

Oh. Actually, the fact that I couldn't delete/edit saved me from having to say that I wouldn't anway.

<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.
 
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