# Twisting every discussion into US debate=exposng yourself as really fuckng ignorant about the world **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 7, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612 "2010-05-07T08:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/61 "2010-05-08T17:27:15Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > That is one of the silliest statements I have seen on this board. Obviously Heidi Montag getting a boob job is more important than the UK elections. It happened in the most powerful and influential country in the world. Stick to kangaroo-fucking and leave the geo-political debates to adults. m’kay? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/62 "2010-05-08T17:33:57Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > That is one of the silliest statements I have seen on this board. Obviously Heidi Montag getting a boob job is more important than the UK elections. It happened in the most powerful and influential country in the world. Yes, he meant everything in the US is more important than everything everywhere else. If I say that men are stronger than women, I’m saying that every male, even infants, are stronger than every female that has ever lived, including weightlifters. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/63 "2010-05-08T17:54:47Z")
Just as a note, I was unfair to Delaware. Thanks to the Simpsons I know they have something called Wilmington, and a screen-door factory. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/64 "2010-05-08T18:17:07Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > The USA is the most powerful and influential country in the world. Obviously what happens here is going to be more important that what happens in Athens or Antwerp. You agree of course that an event occurring somewhere else in the world might not have any relevant connection to the US and so would bother someone who hears about that connection too often. And might perhaps consider posters close-minded, nationalistically obsessed and arrogant who knee-jerk American politics into world news too often. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/65 "2010-05-09T00:34:03Z")
The problem isn’t that US dopers talk about the impact of X in their life. The problem is that the original problem is lost and by post 25 instead of volcanic ash or Euros, the thread is about Sarah Palin or Roe v. Wade. ---
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/66 "2010-05-09T11:29:44Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > The problem isn’t that US dopers talk about the impact of X in their life. > The problem is that the original problem is lost and by post 25 instead of volcanic ash or Euros, the thread is about Sarah Palin or Roe v. Wade. Quite right ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/67 "2010-05-09T11:41:19Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Stick to kangaroo-fucking and leave the geo-political debates to adults. m’kay? > > Regards, > Shodan Is that the extent of your wit? Kangaroo fucking- oh I have never heard of that before… ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/68 "2010-05-09T11:47:07Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Yes, he meant everything in the US is more important than everything everywhere else. > > If I say that men are stronger than women, I’m saying that every male, even infants, are stronger than every female that has ever lived, including weightlifters. And the reader needs to determine which events he / she means are more important due to them happening in the USA? It’s a stupid statement in that there are no frames of reference- what may be important in New York may be very unimportant in Birdsville. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/69 "2010-05-09T11:59:11Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Is that the extent of your wit? Kangaroo fucking- oh I have never heard of that before… That was Shodan in one of his episodic (albiet brief) witty moments. Don’t hold it against him…he’s got enough challenges without us adding more to the list. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/70 "2010-05-09T12:09:28Z")
Hey- O/T. I will be in Mlb at the end of the month. Not long enough to have a dopefest however. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/71 "2010-05-09T13:26:08Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Is that the extent of your wit? No, I only used half, so you could relate. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/72 "2010-05-09T13:42:59Z")
Keep working on it. You have a fair way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/73 "2010-05-09T14:03:06Z")
> [@Laudenum](#): > > It is only an American, who, after a trip around Europe, would enthuse about her trip to Rome by talking about the cool McDonald’s with waiters that was there, and not mention the Colosseum. Not really. The stereotypical Brit Abroad is very much the same as the stereotypical American Abroad. I wouldn’t be surprised it other nationalities were as well. (ISTR someone saying something similar about Germans.) ‘Yes, but how does this effect _us_’ isn’t really an American thing…I’d be shocked if there was any nationality that didn’t do it (yep, us here in Canada do it, too), nor is it new, nor, IMO, media driven - the media does it, because that’s how they get eyes and ears - people care more about the people in their group, and ‘nationality’ is a strong group. The media could attempt to educate people by ignoring that part, but I don’t think you can blame them for its existence. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/74 "2010-05-09T14:11:38Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > ‘Yes, but how does this effect _us_’ isn’t really an American thing…I’d be shocked if there was any nationality that didn’t do it (yep, us here in Canada do it, too)… Yes, but when we attempt to have a discussion about, say, who Obama is going to name to the Supreme Court (or, for that matter, the situation in Greece), we don’t inevitably derail it within five minutes into arguing about prorogation and coalitions and who made deals with the _méchants séparatisses_. That’s the OP’s point. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/75 "2010-05-09T18:06:08Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Yes, but when we attempt to have a discussion about, say, who Obama is going to name to the Supreme Court (or, for that matter, the situation in Greece), we don’t inevitably derail it within five minutes into arguing about prorogation and coalitions and who made deals with the _méchants séparatisses_. That’s the OP’s point. Exactly. It is natural to relate the world to your own country, and I actually _enjoy_ hearing about how things are in other countries; it’s the total take-over of the thread that is hard to take. I like hearing about how things are in Greece, and I like hearing about how people in the UK relate to it, and I like hearing about how other Canadians think it will affect Canada, and I like hearing Americans talking about how it will affect them, when they can keep the arrogance and self-absorption to a minimum. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/76 "2010-05-10T03:06:24Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Let’s see. Off the top of my head, what do I know about Kansas… :rolleyes: And you forgot the most important point which is Superman was from there. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/77 "2010-05-10T03:12:48Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Not really. The stereotypical Brit Abroad is very much the same as the stereotypical American Abroad. I wouldn’t be surprised it other nationalities were as well. (ISTR someone saying something similar about Germans.) When **ruadh** visited me in Bulgaria, she bitched to me about how awful Irish people are while traveling. Speaking of Bulgaria, a lot of British people in particular have bought weekend and summer property there (mostly along the Black Sea coast) and they have a TERRIBLE reputation for being rude assholes. P.S. I don’t know anything about Kansas except that it is the Sunflower State and I think the capital is Topeka. Which is where Fred Phelps lives. I bet you Kansans are terribly pleased that he is the only prominent resident of your state that I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![Torpor\_Beast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@Torpor\_Beast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torpor_Beast)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/78 "2010-05-10T10:56:08Z")
> [@Laudenum](#): > > I think [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaIhf41ctkM&feature=fvsr) is what the OP is taking about. > > The commentators here are talking through their hats, applying American norms and memes to the ads of another country (the commentator eve refers to the black West Indians as ‘African Americans’:rolleyes:). > Anyone with a basic knowledge of Australian sports (which I don’t possess, but which I looked up), knows that this ad was not racist. If that one doesn’t get ya, their [response](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_StDMpVhDk&feature=channel) to Australian criticism will. The smarmy unwillingness to see things from other cultures’ perspective or realize that not _everything is about you_, makes me feel all stabby. And I’m not even Australian. “Yeah they knew that this would be viewed as racist in the US, so they tried to hide it from us!”, FFS. Nobody outside US thinks it reinforces any kind of stereotype, since nobody thinks twice about a black person eating chicken. The two shitstains sitting there, all smiles, telling me that I’m just not understanding it well enough to be offended by the ad, is far more offensive to me than any other kind of bigotry could be. Somehow it’s surprising and offensive to these people that companies do targeted and tailored advertising on different markets. The poor bastards would probably keel over from shock if someone showed them a german language McDonalds ad… ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/79 "2010-05-10T14:03:33Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > :rolleyes: And you forgot the most important point which is Superman was from there. Oddly enough, even though I used a lot of primary research sources from the Kansas State Historical Society in my research, I found no mention of the Kent family. At least, not the Kents who settled in Smallville. 🙂 Interestingly, DC did publish [_The Kents_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kents), by John Ostrander, which explained how the Kent family arrived in Kansas, and what they did there. While fictional, the story takes the historical events, and places the characters in them–for example, the Kent family arrived in the Kansas Territory as part of the anti-slavery emigration from New England; and the printing press destroyed during the sack of Lawrence belonged to Pa Kent’s ancestor, Nathaniel Kent. An interesting, and historically accurate, effort; and perhaps because I knew the history as well as I did, a quite enjoyable read also. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612/80 "2010-05-10T15:56:11Z")
> [@Torpor\_Beast](#): > > If that one doesn’t get ya, their [response](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_StDMpVhDk&feature=channel) to Australian criticism will. The smarmy unwillingness to see things from other cultures’ perspective or realize that not _everything is about you_, makes me feel all stabby. And I’m not even Australian. > “Yeah they knew that this would be viewed as racist in the US, so they tried to hide it from us!”, FFS. Nobody outside US thinks it reinforces any kind of stereotype, since nobody thinks twice about a black person eating chicken. The two shitstains sitting there, all smiles, telling me that I’m just not understanding it well enough to be offended by the ad, is far more offensive to me than any other kind of bigotry could be. > Somehow it’s surprising and offensive to these people that companies do targeted and tailored advertising on different markets. The poor bastards would probably keel over from shock if someone showed them a german language McDonalds ad… How can anyone, anywhere be so up their own asses? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twisting-every-discussion-into-us-debate-exposng-yourself-as-really-fuckng-ignorant-about-the-world/538612.md?page=5)