# Please don't talk to the Americans **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 24, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804 "2003-04-24T06:32:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/21 "2003-04-24T15:50:24Z")
**Bricker** do you think our country or our world (as Bush is a world leader) is more united today than before his election? People are so uptight that a women is accused of terrorism for being a bit rude on a plane. You want me to tie the President to this incident? Do you think the guy making the accusation feels safe riding on a plane? Do you think the guy on the plane thinks that any foreign person who disagrees with an American is an potential enemy? I would say that this guy is acting just like our president and his administration. Call me a half-wit if you want but you know what? I have a right to take verbal pot shots at the president when ever I goddamn want to and that includes this thread. Maybe it is from leftfield, but I played leftfield a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/22 "2003-04-24T16:07:55Z")
No, I don’t want you to tie the President to this incident. As I noted, this woman seems like a real pain-in-the-ass mother type. Changing baby’s shit stained panties two feet away from someone else’s nose is not very considerate. I’m mostly just amazed by the statement she had to agree to sign. Even if the problem is that she’s an aggresive mother who gets nasty when people question her titty and poop baby antics, why single out Americans as being people she can’t talk to? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/23 "2003-04-24T16:32:05Z")
> [@](#): > > I have a right to take verbal pot shots at the president when ever I goddamn want to and that includes this thread. Maybe it is from leftfield, but I played leftfield a lot. Maybe so, but you’re on the wrong damned diamond this inning. ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/24 "2003-04-24T16:40:25Z")
**Zebra** , sure you can make potshots at the President anytime you want, but when you do it in a thread that has nothing to do with the President it’s annoying and makes you look like a half-wit. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/25 "2003-04-24T16:50:26Z")
Yeah, the guy was a jerk (assuming that the mother’s version of what happened is accurate) – but reading through the comments posted under the article, I think it’s clear that no one nation has a monopoly on jerkishness. It’s unfortunate that so many Canadian readers seem to have taken this as an opportunity to make bigoted remarks about Americans in general. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/26 "2003-04-24T16:51:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*“PLEASE DON’T TALK TO THE AMERICANS. THEY’LL SLING SHIT AT YOU AND SPIT ON YOUR WIFE IF YOU DO.” 😃 \*\* Dammit, I only did that once! ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/27 "2003-04-24T16:59:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cerri \* > \*\*You know, I’ve really just lost all hope for society as a whole. I’m voting for the cockroaches from now on. \*\* **Cerri** may I use that quote for my sig? Cheers, Bippy ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/28 "2003-04-24T17:19:21Z")
How did I manage to miss the part about changing the diaper at her seat? The breast feeding should be allowed right there, but the diaper changing? No. Not sanitary, not something the other passengers want on the area where they eat their in flight meal and have to breathe the aroma. I’m polite and I don’t piss or shit or wipe myself in front of you (the general ‘you’) or your kid’s nose, so please don’t wipe your kid’s ass inches away from mine. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/29 "2003-04-24T19:22:35Z")
Breastfeeding on plane=quiet, happy baby. Quiet, happy baby on plane=EXCELLENT. I do not see why anybody would have a problem with that. Diaper changing in the seat is too much, though. Ewwwwwww. Not that it’d stop me from eating a meal (if one was even provided, which it isn’t more often than not anymore) because the food itself would do THAT. Nonetheless…terrorism? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/30 "2003-04-24T19:42:13Z")
I’m sorry **Fretful** , but I think I’m the first Canadian to post in this forum-- most of the generalized comments are being made by your fellow citizens 😉 That being said-- the article mentions nought about her actually changing diapers. But I bet this woman will not be hassled, and possibly not allowed into the US next time she visits. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/31 "2003-04-24T19:51:31Z")
Make that _will be_ hassled. oops. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/32 "2003-04-24T20:35:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cerri \* > \*\*You know, I’ve really just lost all hope for society as a whole. I’m voting for the cockroaches from now on. \*\* The world has been voting for cockroaches for at least 3 decades. The solution would be for non-cockroaches to try to get elected, but they’re all that’s ever on the ballot. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/33 "2003-04-24T20:39:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Barbarian \* > That being said-- the article mentions nought about her actually changing diapers. But I bet this woman will not be hassled, and possibly not allowed into the US next time she visits. From the article: > [@](#): > > When an announcement then came over the public address system stating that all mothers should change diapers in the plane’s bathrooms, she decided to ignore it because she found the change table too high, right above the toilet and with nary a restraint to stop an infant from falling. While not explicitly saying that Ms. Wolfe (the woman in question) changed diapers at her seat, the implication that she did so is loud and clear. ---
**Author:** ![Greyson3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/258eb7/32.png) [@Greyson3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greyson3)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/34 "2003-04-24T21:07:58Z")
Also keep in mind that, for the most part, air on a plane must be continually recirculated until the flight ends, which means the smell isn’t going to dissipate. This is part of the reason that smoking is not allowed on airplanes, and for my money, the smell of cigarettes is a hell of a lot more pleasant than poop. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/35 "2003-04-24T21:15:14Z")
I don’t have a problem with the terrorism bit. A dirty diaper could easily be considered a biological weapon. Heck, I’ve been lobbying for years to have children in general classified as WMDs. ---
**Author:** ![Orbifold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orbifold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orbifold)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/36 "2003-04-24T21:38:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Barbarian \* > I’m sorry **Fretful** , but I think I’m the first Canadian to post in this forum– I’m Canadian; I just live in the U.S… ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/37 "2003-04-24T21:46:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Barbarian \* > **I’m sorry Fretful, but I think I’m the first Canadian to post in this forum-- most of the generalized comments are being made by your fellow citizens 😉** I didn’t mean _this_ forum, but the one at the news site linked in the OP. Most of the comments there are along the lines of “Why would anybody want to talk to Americans anyway when they could be having an intelligent conversation?” and other such unhelpful remarks. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Raven\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/38 "2003-04-24T23:07:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*[I have a right to take verbal pot shots at the president when ever I goddamn want to and that includes this thread. \*\* Check… ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/39 "2003-04-24T23:21:03Z")
just wondered why y’all were so focused on **Zebra’s** rejoinder that you missed the comment immediately preceeding (which I suspected **Zebra** was commenting on) : > [@](#): > > - originally posted by ShibbOleth\*\*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally posted by jjimm > > How about > > > > The War on Stupidity > > > > Has a certain ring to it. > > We have the wrong government in place for that one. \*\* So, in retrospect, **Zebra’s** comment wasn’t so much of a pot shot out of the blue, but the 3rd comment of a little seque. I do understand the ‘why do all threads have to have a political pot shot in it’, after all, we _never_ had references to blow jobs or cigars in any threads that weren’t about blow jobs or cigars. but calling out **Zebra** while letting the ‘we’ve got the wrong government in place for that one’ go by- sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804/40 "2003-04-25T03:52:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cerri \* > \*\*You know, I’ve really just lost all hope for society as a whole. I’m voting for the cockroaches from now on. \*\* BWHAAAA! Well, dear, I haven’t quite gotten to that point yet, but I am entirely happy to welcome you to the board! You are a HOOT!!! ::huggles:: Cheri [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-dont-talk-to-the-americans/170804.md?page=3)