I’m seeing on the news comments to the effect that Gwyneth Paltrow said something bad about “Americans” recently. I’ve googled and come up with a comment to the effect that dinner conversation has been more interesting for her in Britain than it was in America. Is that it? Or is there more that she said?
-FrL-
That’s part of it. I’ve linked to a Boston Herald article here . She basically says that she prefers Britain to the U.S. because:
[ul]
[li]I like living here, because I don’t fit into the bad side of American psychology[/li][li]The British are much more intelligent and civilized than the Americans[/li][li]People don’t talk about work and money. They talk about interesting things at dinner[/li][/ul]
Bah Humbug to you Ms. Paltrow. I haven’t liked her since she talked about how she
“always had a feeling that she would be famous.” I wonder what would have ever given her that idea. Certainly not mom and dad. :rolleyes:
So she’s got opinions, why is that so wrong? If she said she liked living in Los Angeles better than living in New York (or vice versa) would you feel the same way?
I don’t see the big deal.
I don’t either. She prefers the UK to the US, why should anyone be upset.
Opinions, fine. Just don’t expect me to care.
I can’t respect a woman who names her daughter after fruit.
Yeah, its funny that the people who are making a big deal about what Gwyneth said are, generally, the very same people who will insist that its silly to care what celebrities think or say about politics and culture…
-FrL-
[QUOTE=Amazingrace]
[li]I like living here, because I don’t fit into the bad side of American psychology[/li]
[li]The British are much more intelligent and civilized than the Americans[/li]
[li]People don’t talk about work and money. They talk about interesting things at dinner [/li][/QUOTE]
Based on my trips to England, that’s about right. It’s a shame people are threatened by a list like that. God forbid Americans be reminded of how shallow they can be.
I’d have to hear context and not take your word about what exactly she said and how it was said. My question is what do you mean “certainly not mom and dad”? You think her parents aren’t famous (they are) or wouldn’t have had anything to do with a feeling that she would be famous one day? Don’t most attentive and doting parents think their kids will do great things and be famous? Gwyneth had more of a head start than most to becoming famous so why not say it if the subject should come up somehow?
I like Gwyneth Paltrow. I used to be one of those silly haters until I learned more about her. She’s a very nice person, with a head on her shoulders and she does NOT have a big ego. Good for her for speaking her mind, especially since reactions are tending to prove her point.
And I love the name Apple.
I think what AmazingGrace was getting at is that Ms. Paltrow’s comment about “being famous one day” is ridiculous precisely because she does have famous parents. Imagine how ridiculous it would sound if, say, Prince William said something to the effect of “I always knew I’d be famous”.
And she should have named her kid Kumquat.
Ok, but we have no idea what the context was. I doubt she just said it as a random non sequitur so it must have been in response to a question.
:rolleyes:
It’s about right based on my trips to England, too. Even their TV talk shows are orders of magnitude more intelligent than ours. ANd the conversations I had with people there were generally more “deep” than conversations I’ve had in similar situations here in the U.S. So what? That’s not the same thing as saying you hope the terrorists win. People who take offense to such statements are just defaulting to the “home team” mentality - they’d be just as “patriotic” if they were citizens of Iran.
The only thing I disagree with a bit is the “more civilized” remark - obviously, she’s never hung out at a pub after a football match.
Yes, skinhead football hooligans are so much more cultured and intelligent than Americans.
Saying “ethnic group X is better than ethnic group Y” is always stupid.
This is exactly what I meant. It’s just silly.
I think that it takes a lot of ego to insult such a large part of her fan base as well as her husband’s.
Whatever. I’m not upset that she feels this way about America. There are pros and cons about any place in the world. I’m in disbelief that she has the cajones to say this and likely still expect us to shell out $8 for a movie ticket or $15 for her husband’s CD. Hopefully we’re all cultured enough to understand the deeper meanings of their craft.
Which doesn’t seem to be at all what she said. It seems like she said she prefers the UK because of X, Y, and Z. That’s a perfectly valid position to take and I happen to agree with her. I’d love to live in the UK.
I don’t really care much one way or another for Gwenyth, and I really don’t like celebrity gossip (or obsession), but FWIW I think Apple is a cool name.
So you’re not upset, and yet you think her comments are enough to warrant not going to her movies or buying her husband’s music?* As you said: Whatever.
*There are plenty of good reasons not to see Gwyneth Paltrow movies or listen to Coldplay, but none of them have anything to do with her comments.
So what you’re saying is, “Whatever. It’s not that I’m upset about what she said. It’s just that I’m upset about what she said.”
Maybe she can ask the Dixie Chicks for advice on how to deal with insane reactions to harmless quotes.
How is saying “The British are much more intelligent and civilized than Americans” not saying that ethnic group X is superior to ethnic group Y. Suppose she had said “The British are much more intelligent and civilized than the Irish.”
It’s just stupid. Kurt Vonnegut is less intelligent and civilzed than a football hooligan? You’re kidding me. Paltrow’s an OK actress, but she needs to stick with lines other people write for her.
Because she’s talking about cultures, not ethnic groups. Big difference.